Top 20 Actors Who Appeared In Both Marvel and DC Movies
#20: Zoe Saldana
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Gamora & Aisha As soon as Zoe Saldana appeared as Gamora in 2014, we knew she had been perfectly cast for the part. She skillfully played the part of an alien warrior with a seriously bad dad and a heart of gold. Since Saldana’s so tied to this Marvel Guardian now, many fans may have forgotten her stint in another universe. In 2010, Saldana appeared with a few other recognizable actors in the adaption of DC’s “The Losers.” Her role as Aisha ironically had her playing the daughter of a Bolivian bad guy who ultimately ends up helping the heroes. In this role and her future tenure as Gamora, Saldana believably plays a tough character that you do not want to double cross.
#19: Chris Pine
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Peter Parker & Steve Trevor The first Peter Parker we meet in the wonderful “Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse" is played by Chris Pine. He gives such a charming and layered performance that we’re genuinely sad to see him perish so early on in the movie. Fortunately, we’ve gotten to spend much more time with Pine’s Steve Trevor in the DCEU. The dashing air service captain was always focused on saving lives and encouraged Wonder Woman to travel outside her island to help end World War 1. After doing plenty of good, he sacrifices his life to prevent a huge disaster. And when he was magically revived in the sequel, he had to say goodbye again. We hope Pine gets to play a comic book character whose career doesn’t end tragically.
#18: Halle Berry
Storm & Catwoman Oscar winning actress Halle Berry infamously earned a Razzie award for playing Catwoman in a disastrous film. Although she tried her best to make the thief a compelling character, there was no way she could make the questionable direction and awful dialogue work. Berry got a much better platform to display her talents in the X-Men Universe. Her portrayal of Storm was simply electrifying. Not only did she nail the character’s iconic look, but she also brought a regal presence into every scene she appeared in. We’re glad Berry’s bad turn as Catwoman didn’t stop her from playing Storm and securing roles in other memorable action movies.
#17: Laurence Fishburne
Silver Surfer, Bill Foster & Perry White When Superman started working at the Daily Planet, Laurence Fishburne’s Perry White was there to forge the man of steel into a sharp reporter. Although he had no superpowers, we still wouldn’t want to get on his bad side. Fishburne played another intimidating figure without special abilities in “Ant-Man and the Wasp”. But even though he sided with a villain, we couldn’t help but relate to his sad backstory. We felt just as bad for Fishburne when he lent his voice to the Silver Surfer in a “Fantastic Four” movie. His emotional vocal performance was definitely the best part of the Marvel sequel.
#16: Tommy Lee Jones
Chester Phillips, Two-Face While Tommy Lee Jones isn't the first name you think of when it comes to superhero movies, his signature directness lends itself perfectly to certain characters. His blunt delivery made him the perfect person to play the strict Colonel Chester Phillips in the first “Captain America”. However, we’re still wondering who made the head-scratching decision to have him play Two-Face in “Batman Forever”. The version of the villain Jones plays is ridiculously campy and a far cry from what we’re used to. But we’d be lying to say it wasn’t entertaining to watch Two-Face absolutely devour the scenery. Although we don’t know if Jones will ever give us another stoic or zany comic portrayal, we’re thankful he’s made his past roles memorable.
#15: Zachary Levi
Fandral, & Billy Batson/Shazam We wouldn’t blame you if you didn't recall seeing Zachary Levi in the MCU. Although he played one of Warriors Three, we didn’t get a ton of screen time to know his character or backstory. Over in the DC Universe, Levi was chosen to be front and center of the “Shazam!” franchise. He represents what the teenage Billy Batson looks like when he transforms into a superhero. Levi brought so much energy to the role that we believed he was a real teenager in an adult body. And when it came time for him to get serious, he looked and sounded like a true hero. Although we’re sure Levi could’ve shone as Fandral, he was clearly born to play Shazam.
#14: Michael Fassbender
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Magneto & Burke It’s hard to believe that the legendary Michael Fassbender played the scenery chewing henchman Burke in “Jonah Hex”. Thankfully most people forgot about that one dimensional character as soon as the actor started playing Magneto. Fassbender made sure we felt the pain that that master of magnetism had to endure growing up under the mercy of vicious tormentors. Unfortunately, the darkness inside of him eventually pushed him to become a dangerous supervillain. Fassbender brought something new to Magneto every time he reprised the role. He pulled us into the theaters whenever we knew he was going to float into the story.
#13: Djimon Hounsou
Papa Midnite, Korath, King Ricou & The Wizard Djimon Hounsou might have the widest variety of comic book movie roles on his resume than any other actor on this list. His first major genre role came when he played Papa Midnite in “Constantine.” Nearly ten years later, Hounsou played the villainous Korath for the first time. When he wasn’t busy returning to this role, he played King Ricou in the first “Aquaman” movie. Honsou rounded out his big screen comic appearances by portraying the titular wizard in 2019’s “Shazam!” No matter whether the actor was playing an alien enforcer or ancient magic user, his committed and strong performances stood out. Hounsou's fantastic range makes us excited to see what comic character he might play next.
#12: Michelle Pfeiffer
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Janet van Dyne & Selina Kyle In 1992, audiences saw Michelle Pfeiffer go from being an introverted secretary to becoming the unforgettable Catwoman. The character knew how to use her claws, whips and charms to disarm and defeat her enemies. Pfeiffer also wasn’t afraid to show us how vulnerable Catwoman still was underneath her dominating persona. Long after the actress hung up the claws, she put on a shrinking suit to make a big splash in “Ant-Man and the Wasp”. Her Janet van Dyne is nobler figure who is willing to show kindness to her enemies. While Pfeiffer’s Marvel role is more tame than her Catwoman personality, it’s still great to see her lend her talents to another superhero franchise.
#11: Hugo Weaving
Red Skull & V During Cap’s 2011 adventure, we met his mortal enemy Red Skull. Hugo Weaving managed to give a performance that could go from campy to terrifying in a moment’s notice. On the other end of the spectrum, we saw him play the masked freedom fighter V. Watching him fight against a totalitarian London with little more than his knives and awesome alliteration was thrilling. Since the two characters are so wildly different from each other, it’s really difficult to say which performance we prefer more. The only thing we know for certain is that V & Red Skull would definitely be at each other's throats if they ever were in the same room together.
#10: J. K. Simmons
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J. Jonah Jameson & Commissioner Gordon After voicing a couple DC characters on TV, J K Simmons finally appeared in a live-action DCEU project as Commissioner Gordon. While he was a pretty decent Gotham lawman, his most iconic comic book portrayal will always be J. Jonah Jameson. Simmons managed to make an antagonistic journalist into one of the most loveable characters in Raimi’s “Spider-man” films. He could make us cringe or laugh with just a facial expression alone. Since Simmons was so great in the role, they brought him back to play Jameson again in an entirely different universe. Fans are more than happy to let him step into the hilarious media mogul’s shoes for as long as he wants.
#9: Idris Elba
Heimdall, Moreau, Roque & Bloodsport Most Marvel fans will recognise this phenomenal British actor as the guardian of Asgard who sees all there is to see throughout the Nine Realms. As Heimdall, Elba portrayed a stoic badass who preserved Asgard’s laws and stood watch on the bifrost. He also tried to fight for good as Moreau in the second “Ghost Rider” film. Elba definitely was a little more lax with the rules when he played explosives expert Roque in the “Losers”. However, he really got to flex his villainous side in his role as Bloodsport in “The Suicide Squad.” Elba was able to make what could’ve been a run-of-mill mercenary into a layered character. His turn as Bloodsport showed the actor still has plenty to bring to the superhero genre.
#8: Ben Affleck
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Matt Murdock & Bruce Wayne There’s no getting around the fact that Academy Award winner Ben Affleck played Daredevil in a movie that exists and that… is about the nicest thing we can say on the subject. After that disaster, he decided to take a go at another iconic character and become Batman. Affleck was much better suited to play a weathered and violent version of the caped crusader. Despite his edgier nature, his Batman was still warm enough to recruit other heroes to his cause. Affleck’s work on the role definitely redeemed his tarnished comic book reputation. Every time he put on the suit and waded into a fight, we couldn’t take our eyes off the screen.
#7: Willem Dafoe
Norman Osborn & Vulko Aquaman wouldn't have been ready to be king without Vulko in his corner. This loyal and stern Atlantean was always there to lend a word of wisdom to Arthur Curry. Before playing this questionably good character, Dafoe took on the role of Norman Osborn AKA Green Goblin. It was fascinating to watch him play a normal businessman that slowly unravels during the movie. While Dafoe played certain parts of the role completely seriously, he also could ham up certain scenes to make them even more entertaining. We still find ourselves quoting this sinister villain’s lines today thanks to the actor’s iconic delivery.
#6: Tom Hardy
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Eddie Brock & Bane Every aspect of Tom Hardy’s portrayal of Bane was perfect. He perfected the supervillian’s intelligence, menace and impressive strength. Even the odd voice has grown on fans over time. Years after Hardy played a straight up DC comic book villain, he took a stab at playing the Marvel anti-hero Eddie Brock. After this reporter bonds with an alien symbiote, he becomes capable of taking the names and heads of anyone who gets him angry. Hardy brings a surprising amount of humor and likeability to this dark role. After seeing him appear in two films and counting as Brock, we’re glad he was given permission to try being an anti-hero after playing Bane.
#5: Ryan Reynolds
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Hannibal King, Wade Wilson, Wade Wilson Again & Hal Jordan Not everyone can bounce back from starring in three superhero duds. Reynolds first tried his hand at a Marvel property by playing Hannibal King in “Blade Trinity”. After that movie failed to impress, he appeared as Wade Wilson in “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”. Although he was funny, no one laughed when his character was radically redesigned so he couldn’t even speak. Reynolds found even more infamy when he went over to DC to star in the critically panned “Green Lantern”. After all of these setbacks, the actor got to play Wade Wilson properly in the first “Deadpool”. Seeing him crush the role there and in other films while making fun of his past flops is awesome and cathartic.
#4: Natalie Portman
Jane Foster & Evey Hammond Neither the Guy Fawkes-masked anarchist or the God of Thunder could have succeeded without Natalie Portman’s help. As Evey Hammond, she portrayed a woman whose normal life is uprooted when she’s drafted into V’s cause. Over the course of the movie, she finds the strength to fight back against corruption. Portman later made waves in the superhero genre again when she started playing the quirky astrophysicist Jane Foster. She actively tried her best to use her intelligence and know how to help gods and earthlings alike. With Portman set to return as a superpowered Jane in the fourth “Thor” film, her future in the genre looks bright.
#3: Chris Evans
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Johnny Storm, Steve Rogers & Jake Jensen Even before the birth of the MCU, Chris Evans made his mark on the superhero scene as the hot-headed Human Torch in the “Fantastic Four” franchise. He hopped over to DC to play a computer expert named Jake Jensen in “The Losers.” While both those roles were certainly entertaining, neither role could match the impact Evans made as Captain America. Over the course of eight years, he made us believe in the star-spangled man. He saved the world time and again while being unfailingly loyal and incredibly courageous. And as an added bonus, Evans got to kick off one of the most noteworthy action scenes of the 2010’s.
#2: Josh Brolin
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Cable, Thanos & Jonah Hex Although comic book fans might not be eager to revisit Brolin’s turn as DC’s Jonah Hex, his later roles in Marvel films more than made up for that underwhelming movie. The actor had the perfect look and gruff demeanor to play a convincing Cable in “Deadpool 2”. His great chemistry with Ryan Reynolds and superb action scenes left us wanting more. As great as Cable was, there’s no denying that his best comic role to date is Thanos. He managed to make an evil purple titan who wanted to wipe out half of all life sound like a reasonable individual. Brolin’s awe-inspiring work set the gold standard for how comic book villains should be portrayed.
#1: Michael Keaton
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Adrian Toomes & Bruce Wayne Back in the 1980s, people were skeptical that Michael Keaton could play the dark knight. But once he put on the costume, it was clear he was Batman. He struck a great balance between the billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne and the frightening caped crusader. Decades after Keaton flew around Gotham as the bat, he soared over NYC as the Vulture. He was incredibly intimidating in the role. When his scary persona was combined with his sympathetic motivations, he became one of MCU’s best villains. There are plans for Keaton to make appearances as both characters in future films. The fact that he’s playing a hero and villain in two separate universes 30 years after his first comic book role makes Keaton one of a kind.
