Which actor has played the most superheroes?
The superhero cinema craze has been on the rise for over two decades now. With so many movies showcasing our favourite comic book heroes, it’s not surprising to spot some familiar faces in multiple roles. Perhaps an actor didn’t strike the right chord in their first superhero venture, or maybe they’re ready to switch up roles once a character’s storyline concludes. Whatever the case, spotting these recurring actors in various superhero outfits has become a fun pastime for fans.
Willem Dafoe is one such actor who’s been in the superhero limelight more than once. In 2002, audiences were treated to the maniacal, comical and downright terrifying Green Goblin from Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man. Fast forward 16 years to his role as Vulko in Aquaman, and you see a much more subdued performance, a stark contrast to his flamboyant portrayal of Marvel’s Norman Osbourne. While his role in the DC Extended Universe has yet to be as prominent, which may have been a disappointment to Dafoe fans, his return to the part of the Green Goblin in 2021’s No Way Home was met with universal acclaim. He was widely regarded to be the best villain of the MCU Spider-Man trilogy; considering the character wasn’t even technically part of that ‘universe’, that’s saying something about the passion Dafoe puts into the character.
Then we have Michael Keaton, who shot to fame with his memorable Batman portrayal in Tim Burton’s 1989 film and its sequel. Keaton’s take on the Caped Crusader helped reintroduce Batman to mainstream audiences, garnering widespread praise. Years later, Keaton hopped over to the Marvel camp to play the winged menace Vulture in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Although he’s left a strong imprint as the Vulture, Keaton is still widely remembered as Batman. With Andy Muschietti helming the new DCEU film, which sought obvious inspiration from the ‘multiversal’ nature of the most recent Spider-Man film, The Flash took the liberty of bringing back Keaton as the Batman to utterly rapturous applause from fans of the original Dark Knight films. Based on the success of this appearance alone, it’s safe to bet that Keaton might be donning the cowl again very soon.
But the actor who holds the record for the most superhero roles to his name? The one and only Ryan Reynolds. However, Reynolds’ superhero journey has had its fair share of ups and downs. It began with the 2011 film Green Lantern, where he played the lead role in what one might generously call ‘mixed reviews’. His next outing was as Deadpool in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, but again, this character version didn’t go down well with fans, with many rightfully questioning why the ‘Merc with a Mouth’ had his mouth literally stitched up. Before any of these, however, the actor had his first superhero stint as Hannibal King in Blade Trinity, the third film in the fantastic Marvel trilogy, which hit theatres long before the Disney MCU was an established brand.
However, in the 2016 Deadpool standalone movie, Reynolds finally hit the bullseye. A smash hit, it catapulted Reynolds to new heights in the superhero world, with most fans agreeing that the actor was born for the role due to their shared quick wit and dry sense of humour. The two Deadpool films were so successful that his character was the only one integrated into the MCU – so far. With the announcement of Hugh Jackman’s return as Wolverine in Deadpool 3 fuelling the fire, fans eagerly await Reynold’s third (or fourth, depending on how you look at it) outing as the eponymous assassin.
