6 Actors You Forgot Were In Superhero Movies!

Superhero movies are all the rage nowadays. These films make up a majority of the yearly blockbusters, and many of these action-based movies are met with critical acclaim and financial success. However, putting a comic book character on the big screen wasn’t always a sure-fire recipe for success. It took a long time for filmmakers and studios to crack the code in this genre, which is why there is a lot of long-forgotten live-action superhero media that has been left to the annals of time.

Alongside these projects were the actors who starred in them. Every time a new comic book movie is announced, fans will take to their keyboards to speculate on the latest casting rumours. Although, you may need to remove some of those names from your list as some famous faces have already graced this genre without you knowing. As such, let’s look at some of the big names in Hollywood that have already starred in one of these films even though time may have forgotten this pivotal turn.

Brian Cox

Brian Cox is currently experiencing a new career high with his hit show, Succession, steaming on Hulu. The show sees the seventy-six-year-old actor take on the role of Logan Roy as he fights to maintain a worthwhile position in the entertainment business, while also tackling serious family drama.

Succession has been an award-winning turn for Brian Cox, and the ruthless attitude he portrays in the show has led many fans to demand that he take a role in a high-budget comic-book property. Though, Brian Cox has already done so to much acclaim when he played William Stryker in 2003’s X2: X-Men United. Now, it is understandable why so many superhero fans forget about this role. William Stryker isn’t the biggest villain in comic-book history, and the role has been recast twice since Brian Cox took the role. However, this role still counts as one of the greatest villain portrayals of the initial superhero movie boom so let’s give Brian Cox his due.

Natalie Dormer

The Game of Thrones star has been winning over fantasy fans ever since she took the role of Margery Tyrell in 2013. Since then, there have been calls for Natalie Dormer to be brought into the superhero fold. Her youthful exuberance and stellar acting chops make her a perfect fit for something like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and her name popped up a lot when the studio was yet to reveal who would play Captain Marvel back in 2018.

While there are plenty of other superhero projects for Natalie Dormer to appear in, the MCU seems like an impossibility given that she has already appeared in the franchise. Granted it was a small role, but Dormer played a member of the British army in Captain America: The First Avenger. Her character was even able to seduce the star-spangled man in a brief scene.

Marvel has been known to recast actors that have only had a small role in the past, so it is still possible that we see Natalie Dormer pop up again. However, don’t let that fact prevent you from forgetting that Dormer is already in this extensive universe.

Jennifer Connelly

Jennifer Connelly seems like another perfect candidate for the superhero genre. The Labyrinth star is married to Paul Bettany, who already plays the artificial android, Vision, in the MCU. Also, Connelly has been very selective about her choices of roles in the last number of years. Perhaps a supporting role in one of these blockbusters could thrust her into the limelight once more.

Let’s not forget, though, that Jennifer Connelly has already fought the good fight in two superhero roles in the last twenty years. Connelly portrayed Betty Ross, the girlfriend of Bruce Banner in Ang Lee’s attempt at a Hulk movie in 2003. However, many fans may not know that she has also had a guest appearance in the MCU already, though not physically.

Remember the female AI in Spiderman’s suit during his Marvel Studios trilogy? Well, the robot known as Karen was actually voiced by Jennifer Connelly. Therefore, she may be unlikely to return for an on-screen role again any time soon.

Mark Strong

Mark Strong is no stranger to the comic genre. He took the role of Merlin in the film adaptation of Mark Millar’s Kingsman series, and the actor played the villainous Doctor Sivana in 2019’s coming-of-age superhero movie, Shazam. However, Mark Strong’s roots in the superhero genre began a lot sooner than many people think.

It may be best if you blot out everything you remember from the Green Lantern movie released in 2011. Everything except Strong’s performance as mentor turned villain, Sinestro. Sure, audiences never got to see the sequel where Mark Strong would take centre stage as the main antagonist, so perhaps that’s why so many comic book fans forget that the British actor took on the role of one of the biggest villains in the DC universe. However, his name was firmly in the DC pantheon long before battled Billy Batson and his friends.

Kelsey Grammar

There are several aspects of comic books that do not translate well to the big screen. This is the main reason you haven’t seen Hugh Jackman running around in yellow spandex. That stuff is reserved for video game adaptation or slots at Jackpot Casino. That is why fans were nervous when it was announced that the highly intelligent, blue-furred character, Beast, was going to appear in X-Men 3: The Last Stand.

Now, there is a lot wrong with the third instalment in the X-Men franchise, but Kelsey Grammars’ performance as Beast was not one of them. In fact, there are those that consider it to be one of the best and most accurate the genre has ever produced. So, why do so many people forget that Kelsey Grammar has already portrayed the character?

It may be because Kelsey Grammar’s version of Beast only made one more appearance after this film in a small cameo or that the role was quickly recast. However, it is incredibly frustrating to hear fans cry out to see Kelsey Grammar in a superhero flick when he has already done so to great success.

Elizabeth Banks

While Elizabeth Banks may currently be placing her talents toward directing, there was a time when you would see her show up in almost every big romantic comedy. This makes it even more surprising to learn that one of her more notable roles in the early 2000s was in a superhero film.

Banks stars alongside Tobey Maguire in all three of his Spiderman films. She plays Betty Brant, the assistant to Jameson at the Daily Bugle. It is only a small role, yet it is very distracting seeing someone that has become extremely popular in a small role like this. There are probably those of you reading this that have not made the connection between Elizabeth Banks and these films, so it is well worth rewatching the first spiderman movies to see Banks in her early days.

Conclusion

There are names on this list that deserve another turn in the superhero genre. However, it is important that you don’t forget these actors next time you hit the chat boards and discuss superhero castings. Other people may have forgotten these roles, but now you know better.