8 Miscast Actors In Superhero Movies (And Who Should Have Replaced Them)

It's a difficult task for movie studios to find exactly the right actor to guide a well-loved character off the comic book page and bring them to life. The fans are notoriously very protective over their favourite heroes/villains and any poor casting choices will be heavily scrutinized. Naturally, then, Hollywood has fumbled the ball many a time over the years and seriously miscast certain superheroes or supervillains. While that is sad enough in itself, it's even more infuriating when a much better fitting actor is out there for all the fans to see. So, on that note, here are our picks for eight of the most heinously miscast actors in superhero movies, as well as some suggestions for who should have been cast instead. As always, if we've missed anyone on the list, or you have another idea for a replacement, let us know in the usual place below. 8) George Clooney – Batman & Robin Why are they miscast? Let’s start with an obvious one. Though Batman & Robin is awful to its core and its failure can’t be rested solely on his shoulders, it's a fact that George Clooney was not a great fit for the Caped Crusader. Even the actor himself has said so. The silver fox, then fresh from his hunky doctor role on E.R., was just not the go-to guy to play a tragic hero like Batman. If he had played up the camp it might have worked, but Clooney just looks embarrassed for the entirety of the film. Who should have replaced them? This is a difficult one, as it would have been tough for even the greatest actor to have given a good performance in that film. Pierce Brosnan was linked to the role of Batman around this time, though, and if anyone can get through a campy mess with some sort of dignity, it's him. He did star in Die Another Day, after all. 7) Halle Berry – Catwoman Why are they miscast? Like Clooney, Halle Berry had the misfortune to find herself stuck in a very bad film with 2004’s solo Catwoman movie - but that still doesn’t entirely absolve her of her terrible performance. Far away from the scene-stealing antics of Michelle Pfeiffer and Anne Hathaway, Berry’s Catwoman (who isn't even called Selina Kyle, rather she is artist Patience Phillips) is a walking charisma vacuum in a ridiculous costume. Who should have replaced them? In an ideal world, Catwoman would have seen Michelle Pfeiffer return to the role she nailed in Batman Returns. This was the original plan for it, after all, but the film was stuck in development hell for so long that it was forced to disconnect itself from the Tim Burton Batman movies and became this travesty instead. 6) Ioan Gruffudd And Jessica Alba – Fantastic Four Why are they miscast? 2005’s Fantastic Four and its 2007 sequel Rise of the Silver Surfer were a sadly botched attempt to bring Marvel’s First Family to the screen. While Tim Story’s direction leaves a lot to be desired, it doesn’t help that two of the franchise's stars are seriously miscast. Gruffudd’s dull-to-watch Reed Richards is not someone who really deserves the title Mr. Fantastic, while Jessica Alba – who can be a decent actress – is reduced to eye candy as the Invisible Woman. Who should have replaced them? Before Story landed the job, future Ant-Man director Peyton Reed was attached to helm, and we kind of like his planned casting choices. Reed wanted to cast Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s Alexis Denisof as Mr. F and Charlize Theron as Sue Storm. Denisof could have been good but Theron definitely would have been a more interesting choice for Sue than Alba. 5) Vinnie Jones – X-Men: The Last Stand Why are they miscast? In the comics, Juggernaut is a brilliant character – the step-brother of Professor X himself, Cain Marko has a personal hatred of the X-Men that makes him a fascinating and formidable foe. Vinnie Jones’ Juggernaut in X-Men: The Last Stand, however, is a poor excuse for comic relief known for creating an internet meme. Who should have replaced them? After he already played an evil relation of Patrick Stewart (well, a clone) in Star Trek: Nemesis, Tom Hardy should have been a natural choice for Juggernaut in The Last Stand. Even back then, before he achieved Hollywood fame, Hardy had the acting chops to prevent the character becoming a joke and he certainly had the physique. This one could actually still work, so let’s hope the actor is cast as a rebooted Juggernaut sometime in the future. 4) Nicolas Cage – Ghost Rider Why are they miscast? The core facet of Johnny Blaze’s character is that he's a young hothead. It was in no way a good move, then, to cast the then 43-year-old Nicolas Cage in the role. A lifelong Marvel fan Cage may be, he sadly gives one of his famed off-key performances in Ghost Rider and makes the character laughably weird. Who should have replaced them? After the actor himself expressed an interest in the part, the fan favourite choice to play Ghost Rider in a new adaptation is The Walking Dead’s Norman Reedus. If we’re honest, though, he might be a little too old as well. What would have been the best move for 2007's Ghost Rider would have been to have cast a pre-Hawkeye Jeremy Renner. We imagine he would nail the character brilliantly. 3) Natalie Portman – Thor Why are they miscast? Natalie Portman can be a very fine actress, but it was clear from the off that she was not giving her best work in the Thor movies. Her chemistry with Chris Hemsworth is non-existent and it's pretty hard to buy her as an astrophysicist. After her recent declaration that her time with Marvel is up, the franchise is now left with the awkward task of sweeping Thor’s apparent one true love under the carpet. Who should have replaced them? In hindsight, Marvel should have set their sights away from an A-lister and secured an actress who would be willing to stay with them long-term. One idea might have been to cast Sif actress Jaimie Alexander as Jane instead. She probably has better rapport with Hemsworth, after all, and is largely wasted in her current role. 2) Toby Kebbell – Fantastic Four Why are they miscast? Toby Kebbell is actually a talented upcoming actor, but he was not who we wanted to see play arguably Marvel’s most iconic supervillain in 2015’s Fantastic Four reboot. He is so far removed from the classic version of the character that he is almost unrecognizably the same being. Besides that, the film serves him terribly, forcing him into generic apocalyptic bad guy for the third act. Who should have replaced them? If Fantastic Four had answered fans’ prayers and actually been a more accurate version of the characters from the comics, they would have done well to have cast Mads Mikkelsen as Doctor Doom. The Danish actor who specializes in menacing roles would have been perfect as the powerful king of Latveria. At least we'll get to see him as another Marvel villain in the upcoming Doctor Strange. 1) Jesse Eisenberg – Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice Why are they miscast? You can’t have failed to miss the hate flung at Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor when BvS arrived a few months back. Not to kick a guy when he’s down, then, but it is hard to defend such a ludicrously misjudged casting decision. With his twitchy, neurotic ways, the actor would have made a terrific Riddler, but Lex Luthor he most certainly is not. Who should have replaced them? After Eisenberg was cast, it came out that Zack Snyder initially courted the idea of going with a more typical, older Luthor - and his top choice to play him was Tom Hanks! We’ll now never know for sure, but we are pretty darn sure that Hanks would have been terrific as Superman’s nemesis. Imagine how much more gravitas BvS would have had with him on board.