8 Actors Who Have Played Multiple Superheroes

It's hard to imagine now, but can you remember a time when talking racoons and Asgardian gods didn't rule the box office, a time when Robert Downey Jr. wasn't a bankable star and Christopher Reeves was the only Superman worth thinking about? Superhero movies have become the dominant force in Hollywood lately and the trend seems set to stay for the foreseeable future. At the time of writing, Marvel and DC alone have roughly thirty movies scheduled for release from now until 2020, and that number could easily hit the thousands by the time this list is published. Anyone ready for a Howard the Duck trilogy? These days, it seems like the only jobs left available to Hollywood actors are superhero roles, so it makes sense that some have tackled numerous comic book characters in a bid to keep their servants clothed and fed. Join us as we check out 8 actors who have played multiple superheroes during their time in the spotlight and feel free to let us know which role was the better one in the comments section. 8) Halle Berry (Storm/Catwoman) Halle Berry has proven herself to be a talented actress in movies such as Monsters Ball and... yeah. Monsters Ball. What was I saying? Ah yes. Despite winning an Oscar for her impressive turn in the aforementioned film, Berry is arguably more famous for her work in commercial fare such as Catwoman and the X-Men franchise. This is unfortunate, as both roles probably made the Academy reconsider giving Berry an award in the first place. From that 'toad' line in the first X-Men to just about every single moment of Catwoman, Berry hasn't had much luck when it comes to superheroes, which is particularly unfortunate as there's a huge lack of diversity in these roles at the moment. Still pining for the Black Widow movie that will never happen? Blame the Catwoman film. It's just easier that way. Best Role: Storm 7) Ellen Page (Shadowcat/Boltie) In contrast to Halle Berry, Ellen Page was nominated for an Oscar, but never won, which probably explains why the pint-sized actress is still capable of actually making good movies. Page's most famous superhero part is the role of Kitty Pryde, a mutant who can move through solid objects and apparently send people back in time. X-Men: Days of Future Past may have been a great movie, but the plot itself contains more holes than the Human Centipede. Page's role in the indie Super may be less familiar to mainstream audiences, but fans who have actually seen James Gunn's movie will find it hard to forget Boltie, the deranged comic book store clerk who joins the Crimson Bolt on his crusade. Anyone who thought Page was cute or charming in Juno needs to watch Super, just to see the psychotic depths that her character reaches. Also, that costume! Best Role: Boltie 6) Ryan Reynolds (Green Lantern/Deadpool) Amidst all the excitement and hype for Fox's upcoming Deadpool flick, it's easy to forget just how terribly the character was treated in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. We all know it was bad, but I implore you to watch it again. Seriously. You'll be surprised at the lengths your brain will go to forget painful events. It's even worse than you remember. Trust me. Unfortunately, the same could also be said of Ryan Reynold's turn in the Green Lantern movie which DC are keen to forget ever existed. Admittedly, Reynolds wasn't terrible in the role of Hal Jordan, but when armed with a script that forced GL to fight a giant space cloud, what can you do? Let's just hope the new Deadpool is successful so that we never have to see Reynolds don that horrendous emerald CGI costume ever again. My eyes can only take so much punishment. Best Role: Deadpool... hopefully. 5) Nicolas Cage (Ghost Rider/Big Daddy/Superman) Falling under the rare category of actors 'so bad, they're good,' Nicolas Cage has delighted audiences with his genuinely insane performances for decades now, so of course, a few superhero roles have come his way in that time. For a man who's pissed actual fire as Ghost Rider and starred in a doomed Superman project, it seems odd that Cage's part as Big Daddy in the film Kick-Ass is probably his least insane superhero role yet. Batman character parodies are far less strange than a skeleton motorcyclist and a dodgy Superman wig, right? Right!? The strangest thing about all of this though is that Kick-Ass was actually a hit for Nicolas Cage, something that has escaped his CV for quite some time now... unless you count The Wicker Man remake of course. Funniest movie ever made. Best Role: Big Daddy 4) Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Kick-Ass/Quicksilver) Nicolas Cage isn't the only Kick-Ass star to appear in another superhero movie. Seems that Kick-Ass himself somehow developed actual super powers along the way, joining the Avengers in the fight against Ultron. However, while Kick-Ass was a breath of fresh air in a genre already overcrowded with CGI enhanced heroes, Taylor-Johnson's Quicksilver appeared in the wake of Evan Peter's version of the character in X-Men: Days of Future Past. Despite rocking a silver mullet and weird ass goggles, Peter's Quicksilver wowed audiences with an incredible slow-motion action sequence that became the defining moment in Days of Future Past. Taylor Johnson's Quicksilver had a lot to live up to, but even if his version had appeared first, the character would have still been upstaged by his onscreen sister, the Scarlet Witch. Maybe if the two had hooked up like they do in the comics, Johnson's version could have been more memorable... Best Role: Kick-Ass 3) Samuel L. Jackson (Frozone/Nick Fury) An actor as theatrical as Samuel L. Jackson was always destined to appear in superhero movies, so it shouldn't have come as a surprise when he took on the role of Nick Fury in every bloody Marvel film ever made, even to those who expected a grizzled white actor in his fifties Jackson has become an integral part of the MCU over the past decade, but the movie that kickstarted his sojourn into super heroics was the Pixar classic The Incredibles. Mr Incredible may have been the star of the film, but Jackson's icy hero Frozone stole every scene he was in. The actor recently confirmed that Frozone is set to appear in the upcoming Incredibles sequel, which could quite possibly be the best news ever. After the debacle that was Cars 2, it's exciting news that Pixar are willing to produce a sequel that audiences will actually care about, especially one that features Mr Jackson himself. Best Role: Frozone 2) Ben Affleck (Daredevil/Batman) Few actors have experienced the extreme highs and lows of show business like Ben Affleck. From his incredible success in early work such as Good Will Hunting to the astounding success of Argo, it's easy to forget now what a colossal joke the actor became back in the early 2000's. Jennifer Lopez played a huge part in this, obviously, ruining Hollywood in any way possible, but the abysmal Daredevil movie shoulders a large part of the blame, too. Affleck is either the bravest or dumbest actor of his generation, tackling an even more iconic hero for his next huge role. The Dark Knight isn't exactly a safe bet either, as Val Kilmer's post-Batman career can attest to. From the moment that Affleck's casting was announced, trolls who can presumably see into the future have derided Zack Snyder's choice and the entire Batman V Superman venture in general. Either way, Affleck's going to make enough cash to order a hit on every hater out there, so I'm sure he's not too worried. Best Role: We're praying it will be Batman. 1) Chris Evans (Human Torch/Captain America) The eagle-eyed among you may have noticed a pattern by now; Few of the actors on this list actually managed to pull off two convincing superheroes and some even failed to succeed with one. Chris Evans is the rare specimen who defied this trend, excelling as both the Human Torch and Captain America, despite these characters appearing in cinemas within the same decade. What's particularly impressive is that Marvel studios actually gave Evans a crack at the Star-Spangled Avengers after only just starring in the godawful Fantastic Four franchise a few short years before. Sure, it helps that Evans likes to take his top off in movies, but it's also a testament to his star charisma and acting ability. However, Evans has recently expressed reluctance to continue starring in multi-billion dollar franchises for much longer, presumably because of a recently discovered allergy to money, so his days as Captain America may soon be over. Best Role: Captain America