Superhero movies are currently some of the most popular and successful in Hollywood. As a result, more and more of them are getting released every year. Because of that, actors are inevitably turning up in more than one of them and playing multiple characters.
In some cases, you’ll notice obvious similarities between the different characters a single actor has played, but the most interesting thing is seeing just how different some of them are. For example, one actor in this video has played both a disfigured western bounty hunter and a monstrous alien warlord.
Although this is by no means an exhaustive list, let’s a take a look at some of the best examples of this; Here are 10 amazing actors who show up in multiple superhero movies.
Chris Evans
Having first appeared as a Marvel character in Fox’s terrible Fantastic Four movies, you would think Chris Evans would have stayed away from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but his role as the Human Torch in 2005’s Fantastic Four and 2007’s Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer hasn’t prevented him from making a success of his more recent role as Captain America. Evans has played the super soldier - also known as Steve Rogers - in no less than seven movies to date, including cameos and credits scenes. The role started with 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger and, most recently, has seen Evans star in this year’s Captain America: Civil War. It should also be noted that he played computer hacker Jake Jensen in 2010’s The Losers, alongside the aforementioned Idris Elba.
Ben Affleck
There’s no denying that Ben Affleck is a very talented actor, but back in 2003 his reputation took a really hard hit. Affleck played the title character, Matt Murdock, in Daredevil and was almost universally panned for his portrayal of the superhero. In fact, 2003 was the year he won the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actor for his performances, which also included roles in Gigli and Paycheck. More recently, however, he portrayed the iconic Dark Knight, Batman, in 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. His initial casting was met with anger, but his eventual performance won over the fans pretty emphatically, and the world is looking forward to seeing him in the role again in the future.
Idris Elba
Multi-talented British actor, musician and DJ, Idris Elba, is best-known for his performance in TV shows like The Wire and Luther - but he’s also appeared in multiple superhero movies. Elba has portrayed the all-seeing Asgardian Heimdall in three Marvel Cinematic Universe movies to date; 2011’s Thor, 2013’s Thor: The Dark World and 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron. But he also played a French priest by the name of Moreau in 2013’s Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, as well as the explosives expert, Roque, in 2010’s The Losers (which isn’t really a “superhero” movie, but is based on a Vertigo Comics title).
J.K. Simmons
The incredibly talented, Academy Award-winning actor J.K. Simmons brilliantly portrayed the Daily Bugle’s editor-in-chief J. Jonah Jameson in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy. His performance as Jameson was genuinely iconic and he was undoubtedly the best thing in 2002’s Spider-Man, 2004’s Spider-Man 2 and 2007’s Spider-Man 3. For his next role in a superhero movie, we’re going to have to look to the future. Simmons was recently cast as Commissioner James Gordon in the DC Extended Movie Universe and he will debut as the character in 2017’s Justice League Part One. How exciting is that?!
Jim Carrey
The hilarious and multi-talented Jim Carrey has actually played characters in no less than three different superhero franchises. Starting with 1994’s The Mask, Carrey portrayed the title character - also known as Stanley Ipkiss - in a year that really propelled him to superstardom. A year later, he starred alongside the aforementioned Tommy Lee Jones in Batman Forever. Like Jones, Carrey also played a villain - The Riddler in his case - and he did so to near-perfection. Most recently, he played Colonel Stars and Stripes in 2013’s Kick-Ass 2 - a movie he famously and controversially retracted support for, due to the level of violence it depicted in the wake of the tragic Sandy Hook shootings.
Ryan Reynolds
Ryan Reynolds has become fairly prolific in the world of superhero movies, having appeared as three - or you could even say four - different characters in four very different movies. First of all, he played the cocky vampire hunter Hannibal King in 2004’s Blade: Trinity, then he played the cocky mercenary Wade Wilson in 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine, then he played the cocky pilot Hal Jordan in 2011’s Green Lantern and, finally, he played a different version of the cocky mercenary Wade Wilson in 2016’s Deadpool - are you noticing a trend here?
