The superhero genre has quickly become the most popular movie genre today, sprouting blockbusters likeDeadpool & WolverineandAvengers: Endgame. These movies are some of the biggest box office successes ever, partly due to the big names attached to them and the sheer spectacle that accompanies them, which helps draw a crowd.
Depending on how the character is adapted, these castings can help make or break a movie. While fans are privy to many perfect superhero castings, there are just as many horrible castings, which have fans questioning what the studios were thinking. Whether it be controversy, lousy adaptation, lack of style, or just plain poor casting,these actors were not the right choice for their roles in some of the most notorious superhero movies.
10Ezra Miller as The Flash
Film Debut: ‘Justice League’ (2017)
Despite being the fastest hero alive, the Flash sure took his time getting on the silver screen.Ezra Millerplayed the Scarlet Speedster inJustice League, an otherwise disappointing movie somewhat salvaged byZack Snyder’s director’s cut. The controversial actor made their final appearance as the character in the standalone filmThe Flash, which is known forits awful, uncanny cameos, among other things.
There is one giant, glaring reason why Miller was a horrible casting choice, and that is because of their off-screen controversy. Thescandals instantly made them unlikable, sabotaging the Flash in all future appearances. Setting aside the actor,the character didn’t even feel like Barry Allen, with manic twitches and mannerisms that made him annoying. It’s a shame because Miller did provide glimpses of great acting inThe FlashandJustice League, but their controversy and annoying characterization make them a pretty bad casting choice.
Justice League
9Jessica Alba as Sue Storm
Film Debut: ‘Fantastic Four’ (2005)
As one of Marvel’s biggest franchises, fans were excited for 2005’sFantastic Four. Sue Storm, also known as the Invisible Woman, is a staple character of Marvel’s First Family, with solid themes and a strong characterization behind her. Despite the first movie’s failure, Marvel released a sequel two years later, which was somehow lazier.Jessica Albapraised the character but mentioned herfrustration with the adaptation and the director.
The depth, importance, and story behind Sue Storm were utterly lost inFantastic Four,relegating her character to a piece of eye candythat was unfortunately commonplace in early 2000s movies. While it isn’t necessarily Alba’s fault,her performance was flat and hard to take seriouslyas she did not feel like what the character was supposed to be like. WithVanessa Kirbytaking up the mantle, fans hope she can stay true to the character.
Fantastic Four
8Samuel L. Jackson as The Octopus
Film Debut: ‘The Spirit’ (2008)
Before his proper entry into the superhero world as Nick Fury at the end ofIron Manin 2008,Samuel L. Jacksonwould try his hand as the villain in thisSin Citywannabe. Many fans are probably unaware of this role inThe Spiritor might not even know about the movie at all. After the success ofSin City,Frank Millerdecided to have the mastermind and master of disguise, The Octopus, play the main villain inThe Spirit.
Jackson has many great roles and movies, but The Octopus andThe Spiritare not one of them.The character is loud and annoying while trying to be cool, all things that genius characters are usually not. While The Octopus did have some style and fit well into the world, Jackson’s jarring and overly dramatic character made the movie a slog, resulting inone of his worst movie performancesthat’s best left in the void.
The Spirit
7Topher Grace as Venom
Film Debut: ‘Spider-Man 3’ (2007)
Sam Riami’sSpider-Mancould have been the greatest superhero trilogy of all time, butSpider-Man 3lets the previous installments down despite featuring one of the franchise’s most famous villains, Venom. Fans were excited about the movie’s premise; with Venom, Sandman, and the Green Goblin, things were heading in the right direction. However, fans were left scratching their heads when they announcedTopher Graceas Venom.
Unlike Sandman, theunderrated villain inSpider-Man 3, Venom doesn’t live up to expectations. Known for his comedy work inThat ’70s Show, Grace was an odd choice to deliver a menacing performance as an envious jock. While he did nail the envious part, at no point did many fans view him as a genuine threat,lacking the imposing build of Eddie Brock. His performance wasn’t awful, but hesimply wasn’t a good fit for this role.
Spider-Man 3
6Seth Rogen as Green Hornet
Film Debut: ‘The Green Hornet’ (2011)
AlthoughThe Green Hornetisn’t the most well-known hero, the character and franchise were still popular enough to remain in people’s minds. Introduced as a radio show in the 1930s, the character would receive multiple TV and film adaptations,including one withBruce Leebefore the 2011 movie.Seth RogenandJay Choustar in the forgettable film, where their talents are severely wasted.
Rogen has proven himself an iconic comedic actor, but like Grace,he wasn’t the right choice forThe Green Hornet. The character is supposed to be taken seriously as a crime-fighting masked vigilante, but Rogen’s lack of dramatic experience is evident.His acting is disingenuous and does not fit the character, holding down the rest of the movie.The Green Hornethad potential, but it couldn’t live up to it. Now, fans still hope for another revival of the series to make up for this lackluster adaptation.
The Green Hornet
5Jared Leto as The Joker
Fans and critics alike often viewthe Joker as one of the greatest villainsever, highlighted byHeath Ledger’s performance inThe Dark Knight. Even in TV and comics, the Joker is incredibly iconic, lending him a role inSuicide Squad, a movie that takes a group of villains and sends them to do the dirty work.Jared Leto, known for his weird and over-the-top roles, which makes fans wonder whether he is actually a good actor, took the reigns as the Joker, and it didn’t really work out.
While fans like to see films try new things, Leto’s take on the Joker is something no one ever wants to see again.Suicide Squadturns the Joker into a typical psychopath gangster whofeels more like a wannabe Jokerthan an actually terrifying threat. Unlike theperfectly cast Harley Quinn, the Joker feels like a joke with uncharacteristic jewelry and tattoos paired withpoor writing and acting.
Suicide Squad
4David Hasselhoff as Nick Fury
Film Debut: ‘Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ (1998)
It may shock many fans that Samuel L. Jackson wasn’t the first actor to play Nick Fury or thatDavid Hasselhoffbrought the character to live-action first. Before being theiconic in-universe architect in the MCU, Nick Fury had a live-action movie in 1998.Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.aired straight on TV and DVD, hoping to serve as a backdoor pilot for a potential TV series. Unfortunately, the horrible reviews prevented that from ever happening.
While the movie’s Fury is accurate to the comic adaptations in appearance,Haselhoff’s performance feels like that of a cheesy action star. The actor also lacked the physicality for such a role and would have been better suited to planning, not on the front lines. The writing is far from a masterpiece, but Hasseflhoff’s version of Nick Fury didn’t salvage the character and instead made him forgettable.
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3Jared Leto as Morbius
Film Debut: ‘Morbius’ (2022)
Yikes. Leto doing another comic book movie where he seems miscast clearly indicates a pattern, probably, that he shouldn’t be in any more superhero movies.Morbiusfollows Dr. Morbius, born with a rare disease, who takes drastic measures to avoid meeting a gruesome fate. Through an experiment, Morbius gains supernatural abilities reminiscent of those of a vampire, which he uses to fight his brother, who underwent the same process.
Unfortunately for Leto, it’s not Morbin’s time, as he plays theworst Marvel characterfans have ever seen in apitiful performance of edginess and cringe. The best thing to come out ofMorbiusis the memes, which is frankly the reason the movie has stayed in the limelight. With a horrible plot and dialogue, Morbius' character feels hollow and awkward, and Leto delivers astrange performance that only makes everything worse.
2Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor
Film Debut: ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’ (2016)
Lex Luthor is the iconic villain known for making Superman’s life a living hell with a burning rage for the character. Many of Luthor’s live-action appearances have been good, but fans were stunned after seeingJesse Eisenbergas Lex Luthor inBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Eisenberg is a fantastic, Oscar-nominated actor who has starred in movies such asThe Social NetworkandNow You See Me.
However,nothing about Eisenberg or his performance gives fans the impression that he is Lex Luthor. He is erratic and nerdy andlacks any authority and confidence Lex is known for, making him a weak villain. Snyder is known for his different portrayals of DC characters, most of which fans were not pleased with. Most importantly, he has hair!Nicholas Houltwill play Lex LuthorinJames Gunn’s upcomingSupermanin 2025, leaving fans optimistic about the character’s future.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
1Shaquille O’Neal as Steel
Film Debut: ‘Steel’ (1997)
Steelis a DC character created duringThe Death of Superman, who protected Metropolis during Superman’s absence after being saved by him. Steel is an inventor whose projects are often used for war, including the power suit, which he eventually wears with his sledgehammer when he becomes Steel. The movie went under the radar, which is surprising considering NBA superstarShaquille O’Nealis the star.
O’Neal is known for his charisma on TV and during commercials, buthis adaptation ofSteelwas sorely missing those things. What makes O’Neal a horrible casting is simple: he isn’t an actor.His performance is dry and dull, not offering much to the characterbesides his imposing size, which still doesn’t give the character a significant presence. The movie and casting were just a cash grab, making O’Neal arguably the worst case of superhero casting in a long time.
