Next year will bring the final chapter in the Wolverine franchise, simply titled Logan. This will be Hugh Jackman's last appearance as the character, after portraying him for the past 17 years. While there are still some out there who believe that the actor's portrayal isn't true to the comics, managing to become the Wolverine for almost two decades is still an achievement.
Are there other actors who can say the same? Not that many, if any, considering that quite a few of them have portrayed both villains and heroes on the big screen.
This list is all about that - those actors and actresses who appeared on the big screen in comic book movies, as both heroes/anti-heroes and villains. So check it out!
Josh Brolin
Let's start with the big baddie of the MCU - Josh Brolin has appeared in movies since 1985, when he was in The Goonies. However, only recently has his career started to lift off. If I am to name that movie that changed everything, that movie must be No Country for Old Men.
This being said, in 2010 Josh Brolin starred in the critically panned Jonah Hex, as the DC anti-hero. A bounty hunter with a moral code, he is bound to protect and avenge the innocent. With a budget of $47 million and co-stars like Michael Fassbender, John Malkovich, Will Arnett, and Megan Fox, the Josh Brolin movie managed to make less than $11 million worldwide, while scoring just 12% on Rotten Tomatoes.
But then 2014 arrives and Brolin was cast as Thanos, the big baddie of the MCU. If he was an anti-hero in Jonah Hex, he'll be a straight-up villain in the Infinity War. And I can bet that this movie will enter the select $1 billion club.
So everything worked out just fine for Brolin.
To be noted, he also appeared in the Sin City sequel, having replaced Clive Owen.
Hugo Weaving
Known especially for his role in the Matrix trilogy (as Agent Smith), Hugo Weaving's career goes back as far as 1981. Besides playing the villainous role in the Matrix movies, he is also known for his role in both the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies, where he has portrayed Elrond.
His first role in a comic book movie was in 2005, when he appeared as the main character of V for Vendetta. Co-starring Natalie Portman, the movie managed to double its budget worldwide and scored very well with the critics.
While he was an anti-hero in a dystopian society in V for Vendetta, Hugo Weaving returned to the world of comic book movies in 2011, in Marvel's Captain America: The First Avenger. In this movie, he portrayed Red Skull, the main antagonist. In my opinion, the actor was a bit underused in the movie.
The rumor is that Hugo Weaving might return to the MCU at some point. But I wouldn't bet on it, given the huge number of characters already in existence.
Jim Carrey
Who would have thought that Jim Carrey would be an actor who can portray comic book heroes, villains, and anti-heroes with ease?
I guess everybody knows who Jim Carrey is. But I should say that his most prolific year was 1994, the year when he also became a superstar. In that year, the first Ace Ventura was released, as well as the first Dumb and Dumber. But 1994 was also the year when he appeared in The Mask as Stanley Ipkiss, his first comic book movie role.
A year later he returned to the world of comic book movies in Batman Forever, where he brought Riddler to life. I guess everybody knows how the Joel Schumacher era of Batman movies was"¦
Lastly, in 2013, Jim Carrey appeared as Colonel Stars and Stripes in the Kick-Ass sequel. To say that it was a disappointment is an understatement, especially since Carrey's role was way smaller than the marketing campaign led us to believe. But, for as long as it lasted, the actor proved that he can inhabit any kind of character.
Michael Clarke Duncan
Known for his imposing physique, the late Michael Clarke Duncan's most interesting (and famous) role was in the adaptation of Stephen King's The Green Mile, back in 2000 - a role for which he was also nominated for an Academy Award.
However, he appeared in quite a few movies after 1995, when he made his debut, most notably in Sin City (as a villain), Planet of the Apes (the Tim Burton one), and The Island.
Besides Sin City in 2005, the actor also appeared as the main antagonist of Ben Affleck's Daredevil in 2003. Obviously, you also know how that movie performed at the box office and with the critics"¦
In 2011, Duncan switched sides and appeared in a DC movie, one that was supposed to kick-start the DCEU. In Green Lantern, he portrayed Kilowog, one of the Green Lanterns with whom Ryan Reynold's character trains (for a couple of scenes).
It didn't work out too well for that movie…Warner Bros had to wait until Man of Steel for the DCEU to begin"¦
Samuel L. Jackson
The protagonist of the most unforgettable death scene of all time (Deep Blue Sea, and you cannot deny it), Samuel L. Jackson shot to fame in the "˜90's with a couple of secondary roles. Jules in Pulp Fiction wasn't one of those minor roles, but it was the one that turned Samuel L. Jackson into one of the coolest actors in Hollywood.
And, of course, everybody knows that he is Nick Fury, the former S.H.I.E.L.D. leader, who keeps all superheroes in check and who cheated death a couple of times.
But what you didn't know (or maybe you knew, but you repressed the memory) was that he also appeared as a villain in The Spirit. Namely, he was The Octopus, a mysterious and psychotic criminal mastermind. What can be said about that movie? Well, it was a bomb, from all points of view.
Jackson also appeared in Kingsman: The Secret Service as a villain, the very likeable (and weird) Valentine. For me, he stole the show each time he appeared on screen. Kingsman became a critical and a financial hit.
Chris Evans
What can be said about Chris Evans, the star of the hottest MCU solo franchise of the moment? The actor has appeared in quite a few comic book movies until now, besides the Captain America one.
Thus, in Snowpiercer (one of the better movies of the past years) he played the main role (a heroic one, even if the character's past was more than shady); in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World he was a straight up villain (with superpowers and all); and he also portrayed Johnny Storm.
So he's had quite a few roles in this genre until now. Considering that his first movie credit came in 1997, this is something to talk about.
What will Chris Evans do after his MCU contract is over? Well, he has said it in the past: He is interested in stepping behind the camera instead of being in front of it. He has already directed a movie, called Before We Go, so it can't be said that his career will be over.
MCU made it, but he is quite a talented actor.
Brandon Routh
Brandon Routh's biggest chance to become a superstar came when he was cast as Superman in Bryan Singer's Superman Returns in 2006. Meant to be a sequel to the Richard Donner films, Superman Returns didn't meet the expectations of the fans or of the critics.
With a bloated budget of $270 million and returns of just $391 million worldwide, it is understandable that Zack Snyder rebooted the franchise.
As a villain, he appeared in 2010’s Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, where he played one of the superpowered boyfriends. His superpower? He was vegan - however, since he indulged himself on repeated occasions with meat and other products, his powers were stripped away.
Since then, Brandon Routh's big screen career has fizzled out. However, he has become The Atom in the Arrowverse, so at least he has that working for him"¦
Terence Stamp
Speaking of the Donner Superman films, Terence Stamp has been a magnificent Zod in the second Man of Steel of that era. The actor, who had been active since 1962, commanded the screens in 1980 and made Superman kneel before him. Of course, he also cameoed in 1978 in the first Superman, but that was just a minor role.
Fast-forward to 2005, when Terence Stamp was cast in the Daredevil spin-off Elektra. In that horrendous movie he portrayed Stick, a role owned in the Netflix shows by Scott Glenn. The aging actor couldn't do anything to save that mess of a movie (really, why did Elektra happen at that time?)
But, nonetheless, I guess nobody remembers the 2005 movie, as opposed to Superman II. And we also have Netflix to thank for this, since this new version of Elektra is way better than the Jennifer Garner one (of course, she could be better).
Ray Stevenson
From the comic book point of view, Ray Stevenson is best known for portraying Volstagg, an Asgardian with a huge appetite, in the Thor franchise. However, this isn't the actor's first role in a superhero flick.
Before that, Stevenson appeared as Frank Castle in Punisher: War Zone, a box office flop panned by the critics. However, the movie did gather a following afterwards - and I believe it was because of the likeable (and over the top) portrayal of Jigsaw by Dominic West.
The first villainous comic book character portrayed by Ray Stevenson was in 2013's GI Joe: Retaliation, in which he became Firefly. While the movie didn't score too well with the critics, it did manage to almost triple its budget, thanks to Dwayne the Rock Johnson.
Ray Stevenson is already confirmed to appear in Thor: Ragnarok, most likely for the last time.
Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett Johansson is one of the most talented actresses in Hollywood. However, despite memorable roles in movies such as Lost in Translation, The Prestige, Ghost World, and quite a few others, her star began to shine brighter than ever when she was cast as Black Widow in the MCU.
As mentioned, this wasn't her first comic book movie appearance (Ghost World was the first one). Before becoming Natasha Romanoff, she also appeared with Samuel L. Jackson in a villainous role in The Spirit. That movie did no good for its actors.
The rumor is that Black Widow will finally get her own solo movie in the MCU. But, until then, we'll see her starring in Ghost in the Shell. Hopefully, it will be a movie that makes the most of her acting skills.
Michael Keaton
Michael Keaton seemed to have lost his way as an actor after the Tom Burton Batman movies. Known for his comedies before becoming the Dark Knight, the actor struggled until 2010, when he scored a couple of awesome roles (including in The Other Guys).
2014 brought him an Academy Award nomination for Birdman, in which he played the role of a washed-up superhero actor. In 2015, he impressed yet again, this time in the drama Spotlight. And now there are rumors that Beetlejuice 2 is going to happen.
So where is his villainous role? Well, it hasn't happened just yet. However, in Spider-Man: Homecoming he will become the main antagonist, Adrian Toomes, aka the Vulture, a villain we haven't seen yet on the big screen.
Hopefully, he won't be killed in his first MCU outing, as it happens so often with the Marvel villains"¦
Ryan Reynolds
Ryan Reynolds is quite an unfortunate guy, as far as comic book movies are concerned. Until Deadpool, he tried several of them, with no success. His role in Blade: Trinity was just like the movie itself (disappointing); the Green Lantern project failed to launch the DC Shared Universe; and his evil Deadpool from X-Men Origins: Wolverine was the worst thing to happen to that movie (and this says something, given how the flick was panned).
And then came Deadpool - the real one. R-rated, filled with action, with a sex montage like no other, it became a hit, making everybody wonder why the studios don't make more R-rated superhero flicks. So it appears that Ryan Reynolds was born to portray Wade Wilson.
Deadpool 2 will most likely arrive in 2018, and it will bring Cable, another superhero for whom the fans have waited too long.
