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34 actors who have been in Marvel and DC movies
Kirsten Acuna,Olivia Singh  Â
- It's only a matter of time until actors appear in a Marvel or DC film.
- Now, it's increasingly more likely for actors to hop from one studio to the next and sometimes back.
- From Michael Keaton to Idris Elba, here are actors who have appeared in both universes.
Before David Harbour was Alexei Shostakov/the Red Guardian in "Black Widow," he appeared in 2016's "Suicide Squad."
He portrayed a national security advisor who supported the formation of Task Force X in "Suicide Squad."
In "Black Widow," Harbour starred as the Soviet Union's first super-soldier, who was convinced that he could have been more famous than Captain America.
David Dastmalchian has appeared in multiple Marvel and DC projects from "Ant-Man" to "The Dark Knight." He's finally playing a leading man in "The Suicide Squad."
If you don't recognize Dastmalchian's name, you'll definitely recognize him from his work as one of the Joker's goons in "The Dark Knight" to his turn as Kurt in Marvel's "Ant-Man" franchise.
In 2019, director James Gunn called up Dastmalchian to gather his interest in playing Abner Krill, aka the Polka-Dot Man, in "The Suicide Squad."
Dastmalchian is playing double duty this summer with DC as he also voiced another obscure Batman villain, Calendar Man, in the animated feature, "Batman: The Long Halloween."
You can read more of our conversation with Dastmalchian here.
J.K. Simmons was known for years as the man asking Peter Parker for photos of Spider-Man. He then appeared as James Gordon in the DCEU before reprising his role as J. Jonah Jameson.
J.K. Simmons played J. Jonah Jameson in the Tobey Maguire "Spider-Man" franchise for years before appearing as Jim Gordon in "Justice League."
To the surprise of fans, he reprised his role as Jameson in "Spider-Man: Far From Home" and is expected to be in the next film.
Jameson isn't leaving DC either. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Simmons is in talks to return as Gordon in an upcoming Batgirl movie.
Ben Affleck was Daredevil before he put on the cape and cowl to play Batman in a few DC movies.
Affleck famously played lawyer Matt Murdock in 2003's "Daredevil," where he starred alongside Jennifer Garner.
Over a decade later, Affleck starred as a new version of Batman in 2016's "Batman v Superman" and 2017's "Justice League."
He appeared as the Dark Knight again in "Zack Snyder's Justice League" and will reportedly reprise the role of Batman at least once more in the upcoming "Flash" movie.
Michelle Pfeiffer appeared in "Ant-Man and the Wasp" years after bringing the role of Catwoman to the big screen for DC.
Michelle Pfeiffer almost didn't play Selina Kyle in 1992's "Batman Returns."
Annette Bening was set to star as the famous Batman villain before dropping out after becoming pregnant.
It was a surprise to see Pfeiffer as Janet van Dyne, the first Wasp, in 2018's "Ant-Man and the Wasp."
Halle Berry made Storm an iconic X-Men character before trying her hand at a different version of Catwoman in a solo movie.
Berry starred as Ororo Munroe/Storm in four "X-Men" movies released between 2000 and 2014.
"Catwoman" was critically panned and, originally, Ashley Judd was reportedly cast to play the titular character.
While you probably remember James Marsden as Scott Summers/Cyclops in the "X-Men" films, he also appeared in "Superman Returns."
Marsden told Vanity Fair that he didn't know much about his X-Men character until he asked his comic-book-obsessed friends to give him the rundown prior to his audition. He landed the role after several auditions and appeared in four "X-Men" movies.
Between "X-Men" films, Marsden portrayed Lois Lane's fiancé in the 2006 film "Superman Returns."
Before Tom Hardy became Venom, he was unrecognizable behind a mask in "The Dark Knight Rises" as Bane.
Tom Hardy was unrecognizable as Batman villain Bane in "The Dark Knight Rises."
He's been playing Eddie Brock and the anti-hero Venom in Sony's movies since 2018. Hardy is reprising his role in a sequel this fall.
Michael Keaton plays Vulture in the Spider-Man franchise now, but first, he played one of the greatest incarnations of Batman.
Michael Keaton played the Caped Crusader in 1989's "Batman" and 1992's "Batman Returns."
Keaton later took to the skies in Sony and Marvel's "Spider-Man: Homecoming" where he played Adrian Toomes aka the Vulture. He'll put on the cape and cowl again for DC in "The Flash" movie.
Idris Elba went from playing Heimdall in the MCU to being a leader of the Suicide Squad in James Gunn's film.
Elba was the man in charge of the rainbow bridge guarding entry to Asgard in the "Thor" movies, "Avengers: Infinity War" and "Endgame." Now, he's leading a group of DC villains as Robert DuBois, aka Bloodsport, in James Gunn's "The Suicide Squad."
As a bonus, Elba was also in two other Marvel and DC movies. He was Moreau in "Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance" and Roque in "The Losers."
Before Ryan Reynolds played the delightful miscreant Deadpool, he starred as Green Lantern in one of the worst comic-book adaptations.
Reynolds made his debut as Wade Wilson/Deadpool in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," but it would be years before fans saw his Marvel return.
"Deadpool" actually took 11 years to make and Reynolds described that period to the Los Angeles Times as "the worst relationship I've ever been in: on-again, off-again, occasionally sleeping together, which just causes more pain."
"Green Lantern" might have been slammed by critics and Reynolds himself, but the film introduced the star to now-wife Blake Lively.
"Thor: Ragnarok" director Taika Waititi voiced Korg in the MCU after he appeared in "Green Lantern" years prior.
Waititi will return to direct and star in the upcoming fourth "Thor" film, too.
In "Green Lantern," he starred as an aviation technician and friend of Hal's named Tom Kalmaku. Waititi and Reynolds have both joked about not remembering their work in the movie.
Willem Dafoe played one of the most iconic Spider-Man villains before being a mentor to Aquaman.
In Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man" film, Dafoe's Norman Osborn/Green Goblin famously told Peter Parker that he considered himself to be "something of a scientist" as well — a quote that's since become a meme.
The actor played a much less menacing character in 2018's "Aquaman," as he taught the titular character how to swim and fight.
Dafoe also told CinemaBlend that his experience working on the DC film in comparison to "Spider-Man" was "very different."
"They're working with different materials, they're working with different intentions," he said. "But that's OK! I like to mix it up because that way you don't get stuck."
Joe Manganiello was Spider-Man's high-school bully before appearing as Deathstroke in the DC universe for Zack Snyder.
Manganiello starred as Flash Thompson in "Spider-Man" and returned for "Spider-Man 3."
He made his DCEU debut as Slade Wilson/Deathstroke in the end-credits scene of 2017's "Justice League" and also appeared in Zack Snyder's 2021 version of the ensemble film.
Fans will recall that at one point, Manganiello's character was supposed to play the antagonist in a standalone "Batman" film starring and directed by Affleck, which didn't come to fruition. There were also talks of a movie centered on Deathstroke's origin story, but that was scrapped too.
Before Michael Fassbender played the perfect young Magneto, he appeared in "Jonah Hex."
Fassbender starred as a villain named Burke in "Jonah Hex."
But comic-book fans are probably more familiar with his role as the menacing mutant with a tragic backstory named Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto in the "X-Men" franchise.
Josh Brolin has run the gamut. Though you may remember him as Thanos or Cable in Marvel movies, he first played Jonah Hex for DC.
After playing the titular bounty hunter in 2010's "Jonah Hex," Brolin took on roles as villains in Marvel movies.
He portrayed the Mad Titan named Thanos as part of the MCU's Infinity Saga for several films and also played Nathan Summers/Cable in "Deadpool 2."
After playing badass Domino in "Deadpool 2," Zazie Beetz caught Joker's eye in WB's Oscar-winning film.
She starred as an extremely lucky character named Domino in "Deadpool 2" and portrayed an acquaintance of Arthur Fleck named Sophie Dumond in "Joker."
Beetz spoke about the differences between the two projects during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, calling them "inherently completely different in terms of production and how everything came together."
"It's genre-bending and not prescribing the idea of a comic book story to be one thing," she said. "They traditionally do span a great spectrum. There's a lot of adult comics; there's also very neutral comics."
Bryan Tyree Henry has shown up in pivotal roles in both "Into the Spider-Verse" and "Joker." He'll next appear in Marvel's "Eternals."
He voiced Miles Morales' father Jefferson Davis in the critically praised animated movie "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse."
In "Eternals," he'll play an immortal named Phastos, who's fast and can fly.
In DC's "Joker," Henry played an Arkham Asylum clerk named Carl.
Angela Bassett joined the MCU as royalty after playing a version of Amanda Waller in DC's "Green Lantern."
Angela Bassett has starred as Queen Ramonda in "Black Panther" and "Avengers: Endgame." She'll return for the upcoming Marvel sequel, "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever."
Back in 2015, Bassett reflected on her role in "Green Lantern" and told IGN that she "enjoyed" working on the film despite the poor reception.
"Of course you wish it had been bigger and more successful," she said. "But you just don't know. I know we put a lot of work in and I thought it was well done."
You may not have realized Chris Pine voiced Peter Parker in the excellent "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" in between his time as Steve Trevor in the "Wonder Woman" franchise.
Pine brought Wonder Woman's love interest to life in the DC Universe. What you may not have realized is that in between the two films, Pine voiced Peter Parker in the Oscar-winning animated feature "Into the Spider-Verse."
Pine told Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest when he first saw the visuals for the movie he had "never seen anything like it before."
Though he's known for dishing out card tricks in the MCU, Randall Park was also Dr. Stephen Shin in "Aquaman."
Randall Park first appeared in the MCU as Scott Lang's parole officer named Jimmy Woo in 2018's "Ant-Man and the Wasp." In 2021, he reprised his role for "WandaVision" on Disney+, much to the delight of fans.
The same year that the "Ant-Man" sequel was released, Park popped up in "Aquaman" as a marine biologist.
When asked by Insider's Jason Guerrasio if he'll return for the upcoming "Aquaman" sequel, Park coyly said: "I don't know if I can talk about that."
Tilda Swinton played a gender-swapped Ancient One in "Doctor Strange" after her role in "Constantine."
Swinton's casting as the Ancient One in the MCU was controversial and Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has since said that he regretted whitewashing the character.
Years prior to playing the Ancient One, the Scottish actress portrayed an androgynous half-breed angel named Gabriel in "Constantine." The film starred Keanu Reeves as the titular supernatural detective.
Rachel Weisz also jumped to the MCU years after appearing in "Constantine."
She portrayed a spy and scientist named Melina in "Black Widow."
Years before her Marvel role, Weisz starred as twins named Angela and Isabel Dodson in "Constantine."
We know Ben Mendelsohn as the friendly Skrull Talos now, but before that, he appeared in "The Dark Knight Rises."
After playing a greedy businessman named Daggett in "The Dark Knight Rises," Mendelsohn jumped over to the MCU.
He first portrayed the shape-shifting Skrull named Talos in "Captain Marvel" and reprised the role for "Spider-Man: Far From Home." He's set to star alongside Samuel L. Jackson and Emilia Clarke in Marvel's upcoming Disney+ show "Secret Invasion."
Zachary Levi was one of Thor's friends before becoming the leading man of DC's "Shazam!"
Fandral was introduced to the MCU in the first "Thor" movie as part of the Warriors Three with Volstagg and Hogun — but the character was played by "Once Upon a Time" star Josh Dallas.
The role was recast for the "Thor" sequels due to Dallas' scheduling conflicts, which led to Levi joining the franchise.
Fandral was killed off quickly by Cate Blanchett's Hela in "Thor: Ragnarok," and Levi has since spoken about feeling underused in the movies.
"I knew that the Warriors Three could be really fun characters if they ever developed them. They just didn't," he told Screen Rant.
Levi has far more screentime in the DCEU thanks to his part as Shazam, and will return as the character for a sequel called "Shazam! Fury of the Gods."
Jared Leto's becoming a Marvel vampire after playing DC's most iconic Batman villain.
Jared Leto is going to play the dying biochemist, Dr. Michael Morbius, who transforms into a vampire in order to survive in Sony's "Morbius."
Previously, Leto famously played a very different incarnation of the Joker in 2016's "Suicide Squad."
Zack Snyder convinced Leto to reprise his role as the Joker briefly for a scene between the Clown Prince of Crime and Ben Affleck's Batman in his cut of "Justice League" for HBO Max.
Christian Bale is playing an MCU villain after starring in "The Dark Knight" trilogy.
Nearly a decade after playing the Caped Crusader in Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight" trilogy, Christian Bale is heading to the MCU.
He'll play a villain named Gorr the God Butcher in 2022's "Thor: Love and Thunder."
Sean Gunn pulls double duty in both the MCU and DC universe.
Not only does Gunn play Kraglin in "Guardians of the Galaxy," but he's also the stand-in on set for Rocket Raccoon.
In "The Suicide Squad," you may not catch that Gunn is playing dual roles again. This time around he plays a giant, goofy, child-killing weasel (named Weasel) and a mean, tattooed Calendar Man who taunts Polka-Dot Man.
Gunn reprises his role as Kraglin in Marvel's "What If...?"
Michael Rooker also appears in both the "Guardians of the Galaxy" franchise and "The Suicide Squad."
Rooker plays the Ravager with a soft spot, Yondu, who became a fan-favorite after "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2."
He then joined his longtime friend and collaborator James Gunn to play Savant in "The Suicide Squad." Rooker reprises his role as Yondu in Marvel's "What If...?" animated series on Disney+.
Director James Gunn also brought Sylvester Stallone into both his Marvel and DC films.
Stallone is one of the many surprise appearances in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" as Stakar Ogord, a leader of the Ravagers.
Gunn told CinemaBlend that he asked Stallone to voice King Shark in "The Suicide Squad" after writing the role for him and hiring three other people who just weren't working in the role.
Before Laurence Fishburne was doing experiments in the MCU, he was Lois Lane's editor in the DCEU.
Fishburne went from playing Perry White at The Daily Planet in "Man of Steel" and the DCEU to playing scientist Bill Foster in "Ant-Man and the Wasp," who, at one time, could grow large to become the character Goliath.
If you're a big Marvel fan, you may also recognize Fishburne as the voice of the Silver Surfer in "Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer."
In addition to playing Korath in the MCU, Djimon Hounsou has also portrayed three different DC characters.
He played Kree operative Korath in "Guardians of the Galaxy" and "Captain Marvel."
Hounsou also played nightclub owner Midnite in "Constantine," voiced an Atlantean named King Ricou in "Aquaman," and starred as the Wizard in "Shazam."
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje has looked unrecognizable in his Marvel and DC roles.
In 2013, he portrayed a dark elf named Algrim, who sacrificed his body to become Kursed. Akinnuoye-Agbaje told Collider that his transformation into Algrim took about two and a half to three hours, while the Kurse disguise took about an hour and a half.
Three years later, Akinnuoye-Agbaje landed a role as DC comics character Killer Croc in "Suicide Squad." His full-body makeover, which involved prosthetics and paint, took over five hours.
Tommy Lee Jones appeared as a colonel in "Captain America: The First Avenger." But more than a decade earlier, he played one of Batman's most notorious foes.
Jones played Harvey Dent/Two-Face in the 1995 movie "Batman Forever," which starred Val Kilmer as the Caped Crusader.
Then, he portrayed Colonel Chester Phillips in the MCU's first "Captain America" movie that was released in 2011.
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