How many 007 actors also starred in comic book movies?

On Tuesday, the long-awaited trailer for the upcoming DC Comics movie Black Adam was released to the masses. This spectacular movie stars Dwayne Johnson as the titular “antihero,” along with a supporting cast consisting of Aldis Hodge, Noah Centineo, Sarah Shahi, and Pierce Brosnan.

The trailer was received well by the public, but it was Brosnan’s appearance as Doctor Fate, a member of the Justice Society of America (JSA) in the DC Comics universe that stands out the most above anything else in the trailer. He is also an integral part of this upcoming movie’s plot, hence his obvious appearance. Not to jump to serious conclusions but from the trailer, it appears as if Doctor Fate has a considerable role in Black Adam becoming the character that he’s known to be.

Brosnan is already getting high marks for what looks to be a spot-on portrayal of Fate and perhaps this will be a role he’ll be remembered playing for many, many years. However, most people — if they’re old enough — will absolutely remember him for playing one of the greatest action heroes in cinema history, 007 himself, Bond … James Bond. In four films, spanning from 1995’s GoldenEye, to Die Another Day in 2002, Brosnan wore the classic tux, equipped with the standard-issue Walther PPK, and stylishly brought the British super spy out of the Cold War era into the 21st century.

But did you know he’s not the only Bond actor to have a role in a comic book movie during his career? Below are the rest of the men who donned the most famous tuxedo in movies and also played movie characters who originated straight from the pages of comic books.

Daniel Craig — ‘Cowboys and Aliens’ and ‘The Adventures of Tintin’

The most recent actor to play Bond has been Daniel Craig, who appeared in five 007 adventures from 2006 to 2021. During his tenure saving the world for Queen and country, Craig appeared in two movies that were based on comics that are considered lesser-known than most of what the public has seen from Marvel or DC Comics projects.

After his first two outings as Bond, Casino Royale (2006) and Quantum of Solace (2008), Craig starred in Cowboys and Aliens. This 2011 sci-fi western was based on a graphic novel written by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg in 2006. Craig was cast alongside Harrison Ford and Olivia Wilde in a story about three unlikely people who band together to save a group of citizens from an alien abduction, set in the old west.

The movie did as well as expected at the box office but is considered by many to be a box office flop since it actually didn’t make back all the money spent in its production budget. Overall, Craig would be remembered for his portrayal of a rugged character, which was a sharp contrast to the lavish lifestyle of 007.

Also in 2011, Craig displayed his voice acting talents as the main antagonist in the computer-animated adventure The Adventures of Tintin. The movie was based on the comic book series of the same name, written by the cartoonist Hergé. Craig was cast as the villainous Ivan Ivanovitch Sakharine, alongside Jamie Bell, Nick Frost, and Simon Pegg.

The film was a general success and rightly so since Steven Spielberg directed and produced it. It even won him a Golden Globe that year for Best Animated Feature Film.

Timothy Dalton — ‘Flash Gordon,’ ‘Brenda Starr’ and ‘The Rocketeer’

Before he was cast as James Bond, Dalton first made an appearance in the classic eighties space opera Flash Gordon. This movie from 1980 was based on the 1930s comic strip drawn by Alex Raymond. Dalton was featured in a supporting role as Prince Barin, an ally of the titular character. The movie’s abundance of campiness resulted in a poor showing at the box office back then but has become a cult classic over the years.

A year before he would take the role as Bond in 1987’s The Living Daylights, Dalton would be cast as Basil St. John in Brenda Starr. The movie was based on the 1940s Chicago Tribune comic strip written by Dale Messick. Apart from the fantasied plot of the film, the production of it is actually more interesting. Dalton shot his scenes before ever appearing as Bond and because of lengthy litigation involving the filmmakers, the film wasn’t released until about the time Dalton’s second outing, Licence to Kill, was out in 1989. In fact, the movie wasn’t finally released in America until 1992, about two years before Dalton would eventually step away from playing 007.

In 1991, Dalton appeared in a supporting role as Neville Sinclair in the 1991 Disney live-action adventure The Rocketeer. The movie is based on Dave Stevens’ comic book character of the same name, originally first seen in 1982, though set during the 1930s through the 1950s. Dalton’s take on the suave yet sinister Sinclair went over well in an otherwise decent-at-best production that didn’t cash in at the box office, even though the critical response was moderately positive overall. Dalton was still technically holding on to Bond’s tux at that time, giving him lasting star power to carry this movie, though he would never wear it again in another 007 adventure after 1989.

Sean Connery — ‘The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen’

The one, the only, the closest real-life embodiment of Bond himself, the legendary Sean Connery starred in this 2003 superhero film that was based on the Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill comic book series of the same title. At this point in time, he was long finished with playing Bond, even if you count the unofficial 1983 James Bond film, Never Say Never Again. Also attached as one of the film’s producers, Connery played Allan Quatermain, the main protagonist. Of course, having his name billed at the top of the cast resulted in box office success despite less favorable reviews from critics.

This movie would be Connery’s last role in a theatrical live-action film, before retiring from acting three years later, in 2006.