Top 10 Actors Who Played Different Characters In The SAME Franchise
#10: Jim Carrey
“Sonic the Hedgehog” Franchise (2020-)
For every heroic hedgehog there’s an evil eggman waiting to strike back. In the case of the “Sonic” movies that’s exactly who Jim Carrey’s Dr. Robotnik is. He’s a quirky mad scientist trying to chase down the super fast Sonic. That being said, Carrey isn’t just Robotnik, he’s practically Robotnik’s whole dang family too! In “Sonic 3”, Carrey also played the role of Gerald Robotnik, the main Robotnik’s grandfather. Since the two Robotnik’s were heavily connected in the movie, Carrey essentially shared many scenes with himself. Trying to play multiple characters is difficult enough. But to perform multiple sequences essentially as your own scene partner is an extra level of skill! When you boil it all down, “Sonic 3” is pretty much “Eggception: the movie”!
#9: Gemma Chan
“MCU” Franchise (2008-)
The MCU tries to take continuity super seriously but sometimes there are interesting little details that can pose potential wrinkles for their squeaky clean sacred timeline. Case in point: Gemma Chan. Her most notable MCU role is Sersi, a huge player in “Eternals”. Before that though she played Minn-Erva, a secondary villain in “Captain Marvel”. She might’ve been blue for that role but we can all still clearly see that it’s Gemma underneath all that paint. We wonder what a scene between Minn-Erva and Sersi would look like, would they get along or butt heads? Who’s to say? Either way though, going from a small-scale menace to basically the leader of a group that are almost gods is one heck of a glow-up!
#8: Michael J. Fox
“Back to the Future” Franchise (1985-90)
Marty McFly is Michael J. Fox’s most memorable role, and one of film’s most iconic characters. But Marty isn’t the only role Michael played. For the second movie, he also portrayed Marty Jr. and Marlene, aka Marty’s future children. They’re basically trainwrecks who have trouble with the law and bring shame to the McFly name. Thomas F. Wilson also has experience playing multiple wacky family members in this franchise since he played multiple Tannens(xref)! Anyways, the glimpse into Marty’s strange family tree is a welcome treat, particularly because what we see is both disastrous and funny. Come on, Michael J. Fox in full makeup and a wig to portray Marlene is a hoot and a half. That’s some serious dedication to the bit!
#7: Warwick Davis
“Harry Potter” Franchise (2001-11)
When it comes to magical characters Warwick Davis has some solid experience playing them. Within this multi-movie magic franchise he portrayed both Professor Flitwick and Griphook. Griphook used to work as a banker until Voldemort’s rise to power caused him to flee out of fear. Despite this he still came back to help out Harry Potter and the gang. Professor Flitwick on the other hand would pretty much spend his entire life teaching at Hogwarts. Flitwick in particular also had several distinct looks. At one point he looked old while the next point he was young, which was largely due to creative directions changing over time. Regardless of which role he’s portraying, Warwick Davis brings an undeniable amount of charm to the wizarding world.
#6: Lance Henriksen
“Alien” Franchise (1979-)
These sci-fi horror movies don’t just have creepy crawlies, they also have plenty of riled-up robots. Well technically they’re called synthetics, or “synths” for short. Lance Henricksen’s Bishop is one of the most well-known synths of them all. He’s a calculated yet surprisingly well-intentioned synth. He’s also not the only Bishop that Lance has played. In “Alien vs. Predator”, Lance also played Charles Bishop Weyland, the founder of Weyland Industries. It’s also worth mentioning that some fans have theorized that Charles is Peter Weyland’s father. Admittedly though, whether the “AvP” movies connect to the main “Alien” continuity is debatable at best. That being said, Lance is still firmly rooted in the franchise’s legacy and forever associated with all things xenomorph.
#5: Eddie Murphy
“The Nutty Professor” Franchise (1996-2000)
Sherman Klump is a severely overweight college professor who develops a unique chemical that transforms him into a physically-fit yet wacky new man. When it comes to the two “Nutty Professor” movies Eddie Murphy really worked overtime. Seriously, check out the casting credits. Across both movies, he played not one, not two, not even three or four, but eight different characters! Though they were all varying degrees of nutty, many of the characters were connected since most were members of the Klump family. Not sure if that’s like a record or something, but it definitely feels like Eddie deserves a medal for pulling this acting challenge off. If you want to talk about someone who has excellent comedic range, look no further than Eddie Murphy!
#4: Bela Lugosi
“Universal Monsters” Franchise (1913-)
It might not seem like a bunch of black-and-white films could be franchise material but the Universal Monster movies are actually one of the earliest examples of a cinematic universe. They’re rich stories that had larger-than-life characters and plenty of notable actors of the time attached. Bela Lugosi for example was a star who played some of these iconic monsters. He was first Dracula, but an undead vampire wasn’t enough. Later Bela also portrayed Frankenstein’s monster. Though Bela actually rejected the role for the 1931 “Frankenstein” movie he was later cast as the character in “Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man”. At the end of the day, being able to play two of the most iconic figures in gothic horror is pretty cool!
#3: Andy Serkis
“Star Wars” Franchise (1977-)
Can you name a more iconic duo than Andy Serkis and a CGI character? Not sure you can. Anyways, Serkis brought his typical mocap madness to a galaxy far, far, away as Supreme Leader Snoke. While he was an intriguing big bad of the sequel trilogy, many fans felt like Snoke’s story was a mixed bag. However, there were no complaints with Andy Serkis’ second “Star Wars” character: Kino Loy. Kino was a prisoner on the show “Andor” and he commanded everyone’s attention as soon as he stepped on the screen. He was a broken man held together by a flimsy faith who sacrificed everything so Cassian Andor could escape the Empire. If you didn’t love him as Snoke, you absolutely loved him as Kino!
#2: Mike Myers
“Austin Powers” Franchise (1997-2002)
This cult-classic parody franchise which makes fun of the “James Bond” films has got it all! Raunchy comedy, dynamic characters, and actors willing to blur the lines between right and wrong. In these movies, Mike Myers does double duty, portraying both a silly spy named Austin Powers and a hilariously heinous bad guy aptly named Dr. Evil. Both of these characters are incredibly different yet both have Myers’ quirky charm. Playing either a good guy or a bad guy can be difficult as is. So portraying both in every movie out of a trilogy and never losing a step is impressive. Whether you’re rooting for Austin or cheering for Dr. Evil, you’re going to be entertained by Mike Myers’ magic all the same.
#1: Robert Downey Jr.
“MCU” Franchise (2008-)
What’s that Harvey Dent quote again? Oh yeah: die as the hero, or live long enough to turn into the villain. That feels like Robert Downey Jr’s current trajectory within the MCU. Everyone knew him as Iron Man. But after he died in “Avengers: Endgame”, we assumed that RDJ retired from Marvel. Shockingly we were wrong. Now, he’s returning in a major new role as the villainous Doctor Doom! RDJ built the MCU from the ground up as Tony Stark and now he could potentially tear it all down as Victor von Doom. Granted, we don’t actually know much about how Downey will handle this heavy-hitter yet. But that’s why we can’t wait to find out what he does when he appears in “Avengers: Doomsday”!
Are there any big franchise actors pulling overtime that we forgot about? Let us know in the comments!