Comic book moviesoften scramble for the same big-name actors, with both Marvel and DC movies sometimes booking the same actor as close together as the same year. Both themovies of the Marvel Cinematic Universeand adaptations of DC Comics rely heavily on recognizable stars to carry their films through sheer force of personality, with many familiar faces making their way through both universes. In some rare instances, both Marvel and DC manage to cast the same actor in different movie roles within the span of one year, filling their filming schedule.
It’s rare thatactors who star in both Marvel and DCmovies in the same year play a major character, with the amount of time needed to be on-set for even one such role, let alone two, being likely too great to schedule.Because of this, most actors that have found time to do so are usually slightly lesser known character actors that appear in supporting roles. However, rarely will a household name somehow find the time to appease comic book fans across the aisle with two separate performances in the big two’s movies debuting in the same year.
8Randall Park
2018
Randall Park is a name growing in popularity in the last ten years. Park got his big break in a cameo inThe Office,in which he helped Jim gaslight Dwight into believing he had always been Asian-American. Since then, he won over TV audiences with the 2015 sitcomFresh Off The Boat,playing the friendly father and restaurateur Loius Huang.This newfound popularity helped him book two comic book roles simultaneously in 2018, appearing in both the first Aquaman movie and the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Ant-Man and the Wasp.
Meanwhile,Aquamanposits him as Dr. Stephen Shin, a marine biologist whose obsession with Atlantis causes him to regretfully help the villain Black Manta in attacking the undersea society.
InAnt-Man and the Wasp,Park plays the affable FBI Agent Jimmy Woo, a well-meaning minor antagonist tasked with ensuring that Scot Lang doesn’t break the boundaries of his parole.Meanwhile,Aquamanposits him as Dr. Stephen Shin, a marine biologist whose obsession with Atlantis causes him to regretfully help the villain Black Manta in attacking the undersea society. Park performed in both roles well enough that he was asked back to both universes, reprising both characters inAquaman and the Lost KingdomandWandaVision.
7Ryan Reynolds
2011
For as successful as beloved funny man Ryan Reynolds' superhero career has been following the success of theDeadpooltrilogy, Reynolds' first few approaches to the genre seemed to end in disaster every time. In 2004, Reynolds debuted in the Marvel universe as a sort of proto-Deadpool character inBlade: Trinity, much to thefamous dislike of star Wesley Snipes.2011 saw him re-enter the genre in both Marvel and DC worlds, playing Hal Jordan inGreen Lanternand Deadpool for the first time inX-Men Origins: Wolverine.
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Sadly, both films were terrible misfires for Ryan Reynolds.Reynolds himself has gone on to publicly admonishGreen Lanternmany times, referring to the superhero movie as one of the biggest regrets of his career. While Hal Jordan remained a one-off role, Reynolds was at least able to redeem hisX-Men Origins: Wolverineversion of Wade Wilson in the soloDeadpoolmovies, earning Fox and later the MCU massive accolades. Of course, some of the series' fourth-wall-breaking humor is at the expense of both films, cheekily acknowledging Reynolds' comic book movie track record.
6James Marsden
2006
James Marsden has been a Hollywood staple since the early 2000s, providing a third point of the tumultuous love triangle inThe Notebookand embodying a typical prince charming inEnchanted.These days he’s best known as “Donut Lord” in theSonic the Hedgehogtrilogy, but he’s also quite accomplished as a superhero actor.His best known role in the comic book movie space is as the original version of Cyclops in the FoxX-Menmovies, playing the mutant strike team’s steadfast leader clad in a monocular visor.
However,Marsden also featured in the lesser-known DC film in the same year asX-Men: The Last StandwithSuperman Returns,in which he plays Richard White, the nephew ofDaily Planeteditor-in-chief Perry White and fiancé of Lois Lane following Superman’s absence.Between Cyclops, Richard White, andThe Notebook,Marsden in the early 2000s found himself unfortunately (and specifically) typecast as the handsome, “safe”, but always second-choice romance option of the female lead. At least he gets to hold down a solid on-screen marriage inSonic the Hedgehog.
5Tara Strong
2023
One of themost prolific voice actors of all time, Tara Strong needs little introduction for anyone remotely familiar with the medium of animation.Famous for cartoons likeFairly OddParents, The Powerpuff Girls, andMy Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Strong soon made a name for herself in DC animation as well. Strong appears as Harley Quinn in a wide variety of different projects, including the RocksteadyArkhamvideo game series, but has also filled in a wide variety of other roles for the company, including one that happened to coincide with one of her rare MCU appearances.
While Tara Strong is best known in the MCU for voicing Miss Minutes, the spunky A.I. in the form of a cartoon clock utilized by the TVA ofLokifame, she also took over for Miley Cyrus as the voice of the robot Ravager Mainframe inGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
The overlapped with the release of a little-known superhero pet movie,Scooby Doo! and Krypto Too!, which saw everyone’s favorite mystery-solving great dane team up with Superman’s beloved animal companion.Here, Strong lent her talented voice to Lois Lane.
4David Harbour
2025
Relatively late into his acting career, David Harbour became a household name thanks to his gruff, yet lovable persona as the small-town Sheriff Hopper in Netflix’sStranger Things.This led him to several comic book movie opportunities, including as the Russian Captain America knock-off Red Guardian inBlack Widowand as the titular paranormal investigator in 2019’s disastrously-receivedHellboy.In the coming year, David Harbour will be double-dipping in both the MCU and DCU, balancing two superhero roles at once.
David Harbour is set to reprise his role as Red Guardian in the upcoming MCU movieThunderbolts*, set to release in 2025.Technically, this will also coincide with the final episodes of the DCU’s first animated series,Creature Commandos, which will release in January. Harbour lends his husky voice to the cast of oddball monsters as Frankenstein’s monster, who, in this continuity, simply takes the last name of his creator on for himself.
3David Dastmalchian
A dedicated character actor, David Dastmalchian is one of the few well-known Hollywood performers who can be said to have slowly accrued fame thanks to a number of supporting roles in comic book movies. Dastmalchian appeared as Thomas Schiff in Christopher Nolan’sThe Dark Knight,collaborating with the lauded director again recently withOppenheimer.He also lent his dry sense of humor to the cast of the first twoAnt-Manmovies as Kurt, an illicit hacker and friend of Scott Lang’s.
Dastmalchian also provided his vocal talents to the DC animated filmBatman: The Doom That Came to Gothamonly a month later that same year, playing a macabre version of Mr. Freeze that inhabits the film’s 1920s vision of Gotham City.
InAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,however,David Dastmalchain was instead recruited as a brand-new character, Veb, a bizarredenizen of the Quantum Realmwho is able to bridge the gap of communication between the dimension’s races with his bodily fluids.Dastmalchian also provided his vocal talents to the DC animated filmBatman: The Doom That Came to Gothamonly a month later that same year, playing a macabre version of Mr. Freeze that inhabits the film’s 1920s vision of Gotham City.
2Jennifer Holland
Though she isn’t a big-name actress outside of her superhero movie contributions, Jennifer Holland quietly became one of the most impressively decorated performers in the DCEU thanks to her role as Emilia Harcourt.Harcourt first appears inThe Suicide Squadas a subordinate of Task Force X leader Amanda Waller, eventually betraying her boss after learning of her treachery. Holland made further appearances as the character inBlack Adam, Peacemaker,and, most recently, a mid-credits scene inShazam! Fury of the Gods.
The same year as the release ofShazam! Fury of the Gods,Jennifer Holland also appeared inGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3as the minor character, Kwol.Kwol is an employee of OrgoCorp, where she works as the administrator of their company headquarters, the Orgoscope, where she has an encounter with the Guardians of the Galaxy. Considering how minor both appearances were, it’s easy to see how Jennifer Holland squeezed them both into the same working year.
1Djimon Hounsou
2019
Another background player who has become well-known for his minor superhero role, Djimon Hounsou is a familiar face in the comic book movie circuit.Hounsou initially came into fame thanks to his role in 2006’sBlood Diamond,but quickly endeared himself to comic book movie audiences as Korath the Pursuer inGuardians of the Galaxy,making an excellent scene partner for Peter Quill in his very first Marvel Cinematic Universe scene. However, it wouldn’t be until 2019 that Djimon Hounsou would enjoy dual roles in both Marvel and DC projects.
As a prequel,Captain Marvelsaw the return of Korath the Pursuer in his early days as a soldier for the Kree Empire, facing off against and eventually losing to Carol Danvers. The same year, Hounsou also received the honor of starring inShazam!as the titular wizard who grants Billy Batson his powers, presiding over the mysterious magical realm he finds himself in. Hopefully, future comic book movies can find additional roles for the talented Beninese actor.
