Playing a superhero is a dream that every actor secretly nurtures. Some are lucky enough to get to realise it, while others fail their suits. However, some actors in Hollywood have got an opportunity to don more than one superhero suit/cape. Here are the ones who stood out in the crowd.
BEN AFFLECK
DAREDEVIL AND BATMAN
Ben Affleck played Daredevil in the year 2003. That was his big outing as a superhero, who by daytime is Matt Murdock, a blind lawyer fighting for justice in the courtroom while at night, he is a masked vigilante on the streets of New York. However, the movie proved to be a big disappointment. Today, he has made two outings as Batman. While speculations are rife that Ben may not have a solo outing as the Caped Crusader in filmmaker Matt Reeves’ next film after Justice League’s underperformance at the box office, he may be seen as Batman in Flashpoint based on the life of another superhero, The Flash.
CHRIS EVANS
HUMAN TORCH AND CAPTAIN AMERICA
It’s impossible to think of Chris Evans as anyone other than Captain America. However, fans of superhero movies will remember that a younger Chris has also played the cocky Human Torch in Fantastic Four (2005) and Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007). Though that too was appreciated, it was his turn as Captain America that gave his career a major boost.
HALLE BERRY
CATWOMAN AND STORM
She set the temperature soaring high in an orange bikini as the Bond girl. No wonder, she is one of the few actresses who has the panache to carry two superheroine suits. She was seen on the big screen in a leather suit as Catwoman (2004). However, the film was called the worst movie of all times. That resulted in Halle having to hang up her leather suit. She then turned into a mutant and joined the X-Men as Storm, who could play with the weather.
WILL SMITH
HANCOCK AND DEADSHOT
Right when he played Agent J in Men in Black (1997), one knew that Will Smith had the potential to play a superhero. But unlike other actors, he opted to play a darker character — Hancock — who came across as a loser with superpowers. Though the first half of the movie, which released in 2008, was great, it lost steam towards the climax. No wonder, it did not get a sequel. Will was recently seen in Suicide Squad (2016) as Deadshot/Floyd Lawton where he rocked the show alongside Margot Robbie.
RYAN REYNOLDS
GREEN LANTERN AND DEADPOOL
Very few superhero films have received the kind of criticism as Green Lantern (2011) did. The film obviously failed at the box office, which ensured Ryan never got to wear his suit again. He then went on to play Wade Wilson/Deadpool in X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), but it took many years for the actor to get a full-fledged movie as the character. He did a great job as the motor-mouth superhero in Deadpool that released in 2016. The highly-anticipated sequel is likely to release next year.
BRANDON ROUTH
SUPERMAN AND THE ATOM
Brandon was a worthy successor to Christopher Reeve as the man from Krypton in Superman Returns (2006). However, the movie got an underwhelming response at the box office, which ensured Brandon’s flight as the superhero was aborted immediately. Luckily, the actor is now playing scientist Ray Palmer, who becomes the shrinking/flying superhero The Atom in the Legends of Tomorrow (2016). And looking at the response that his role has got, he definitely isn’t going to hang up this suit anytime soon.
