When it comes to movie casting, none are more anticipated or criticized than superhero casting. Sometimes, the obvious choice is the perfect one, like David Corenswet as Superman or Ron Perlman as Hellboy. And sometimes, fans react positively to casting news… only to change their minds and try to rewrite history and pretend they weren’t excited at all. Remember when people changed their opinion on Brie Larson as Captain Marvel after the Academy Award winner called out overt male bias in film criticism? There is no shortage of obvious fancasting that lacks imagination. The best example is Bryan Cranston calling otu people who want him to play Lex Luther just because he played an evil bald man on Breaking Bad.
However, it’s always fascinating when fans immediately reject an out-of-left-field casting choice… and embrace it when the film finally comes out. While many of these casting decisions were controversial at the time, now that audiences have widely embraced them, they have had a lasting impact on the characters. Not every wild swing works (like Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor or Miles Teller as Mister Fantastic), but much of superhero movie history has always been bold. Sometimes, fans don’t always know best, and sometimes we need to wait to see the filmmaker’s vision.
Colin Farrell (The Penguin in ‘The Batman’)
When news broke that Colin Farrell was cast as The Penguin in The Batman, many fans were taken aback by the decision. Jonah Hill had seemingly been director Matt Reeves’s first choice before ultimately dropping out to play The Riddler. Farrell’s casting was far from the obvious pick for The Penguin, particularly when compared to the likes of Paul Dano as The Riddler or Jeffrey Wright as Gordon. Some fans were worried that The Batman would have a “hot Penguin.”
However, the first trailer for The Batman showcased an unrecognizable Farrell, with impressive makeup that blended the comic-book design of Penguin with a semi-grounded aesthetic. Farrell steals nearly every scene he is featured in The Batman. Despite hesitation about whether the character could carry his own TV series, HBO’s The Penguin is one of the best DC adaptations. While Farrell was not the obvious pick for The Penguin, the actor has redefined the character for a new generation and reminded fans why The Penguin is one of Batman’s most iconic foes.
Joseph Quinn (The Human Torch in ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’)
For nearly a decade, people theorized who would play the Marvel Cinematic Universe incarnation of The Fantastic Four. On Feb. 14, 2024, Marvel announced the full cast, and for some reason, the one that drew the most outcry was Stranger Things star Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/The Human Torch. Part of the backlash could be because future MCU legends Chris Evans and Michael B. Jordan played two previous characters. There was a great deal of pressure behind this particular casting choice.
There was also the fact that fans had spent years fantasizing about actors like Zac Efron, who had aged out of the part, or Quinn’s fellow Stranger Things co-stars, Joe Kerry and Darce Montgomery. However, in July 2024, at the Marvel San Diego Comic Con panel, anyone in attendance will remember the scream of excitement when Joseph Quinn appeared in The Fantastic Four: First Steps sizzle reel. Quinn’s performance was a real highlight of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which showed a new side to Johnny Storm and cemented him as an MCU fan-favorite for years to come.
Anne Hathaway (Catwoman in ‘The Dark Knight Rises’)
When Anne Hathaway was cast as Selina Kyle, aka Catwoman, in 2011, fans had mixed reactions. Despite her strong, diverse performances in movies like Brokeback Mountain, The Devil Wears Prada, Rachel Getting Married, and Love and Other Drugs, most comic book fans could only see Hathaway as a Disney star in family-friendly movies like The Princess Diaries and its sequel, A Royal Engagement. Even with Hathaway having previously been attached to Sam Raimi’s canceled Spider-Man 4 as a drastically reimagined version of Felicia Hardy/Black Cat, the initial reaction to her Catwoman announcement wasn’t positive.
Cut to July 2012, and Hathaway’s performance as Catwoman was universally the most loved aspect of the third entry in The Dark Knight trilogy, one that was more polarizing than its predecessor. 2012 marked a huge year for Hathaway, not only starring as Catwoman in The Dark Knight Rises but also closing out the year playing Fantine in Les Misérables, a role that would ultimately earn her an Academy Award for Best Actress. While Hathaway might not have replaced Michelle Pfeiffer as the best Catwoman, she more than held her own and proved everyone who doubted her wrong.
Mark Ruffalo (Hulk in ‘The Avengers’)
In July 2010, Marvel Studios united the cast of The Avengers on stage at San Diego Comic-Con for the first time. While the overall reaction was positive, some fans booed when they heard the announcement that Mark Ruffalo would play Bruce Banner/The Hulk, replacing Edward Norton from The Incredible Hulk. While Ruffalo as Norton’s replacement already ruffled some feathers, there was also the fact that the actor did not seem to match the traditional mild-mannered “nerd” image from the comics.
However, that break from convention was part of why Joss Whedon cast Mark Ruffalo as The Hulk. The actor wasn’t timid; he looked like he could hold his own in a fight, which made his unassuming nature as Bruce Banner all the more concerning. The other characters and audiences would ask what exactly he is hiding. The Hulk became the breakout character of The Avengers, which was a soft relaunch for the character. Many praised Ruffalo, whose Bruce Banner called back the everyman attitude of Bill Bixby with a soft-spoken nature that made him a great comedic foil for Robert Downey Jr.’s wisecracking Tony Stark. Ruffalo has since played Bruce Banner/The Hulk in 10 MCU titles, with the actor set to return in Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
Chris Evans (Captain America in ‘Captain America: The First Avenger’)
The casting search for Steve Rogers/Captain America was the most intense process for the Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase 1. Actors such as John Krasinski, Garrett Hedlund, Glenn Powell, and even future U.S. Agent Wyatt Russell were all considered. In the end, Chris Evans was chosen to play Captain America. Now, it’s difficult to imagine anyone else as the star-spangled man with a plan. In 2010, many fans weren’t pleased with Evans’s casting. That was partly because he had already played Johnny Storm/The Human Torch in Fantastic Four and its sequel, Rise of the Silver Surfer.
The actor’s history of comedic performances, like Not Another Teen Movie and Cellular, gave many a narrow-minded view of the actor, amplified by the fact that he played the comic relief character in The Losers, which opened one month after this Captain America casting broke. Evans quickly proved everyone wrong, becoming the heart of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Since many associate Evans with the good-guy role of Captain America, the actor’s post-Avengers: Endgame career is filled with villainous performances in Knives Out, The Gray Man, and Honey Don’t! Evans isn’t done with the role that made him a household name, as he will return as Steve Rogers in Avengers: Doomsday.
Robert Pattinson (Batman in ‘The Batman’)
Most DC fans likely remember where they were on May 16, 2019, when they heard the news that Robert Pattinson would be playing Bruce Banner / Batman in Matt Reeves’ highly anticipated The Batman. Even though he used his Twilight status to land roles in acclaimed titles like The Lost City of Z and Good Time, and is set to star in upcoming films by acclaimed directors like Robert Eggers’ The Lighthouse and Christopher Nolan’s Tenet, some still associate the actor with Edward Cullen. In fact, some would never let it go that the actor dared to star in a series of popular films that they didn’t like.
In March 2022, when The Batman hit theaters, it’s safe to say that Pattinson won over most audiences. The Batman is regarded by many as one of the best depictions of the Caped Crusader, and much of that is owed to Robert Pattinson’s brooding, intense performance. Not only is Robert Pattinson Batman for an entire generation, one that was born after Twilight‘s popularity, but he is to many one of the best actors to play Batman.
Hugh Jackman (Wolverine in ‘X-Men’)
2000’s X-Men helped kick off the 21st-century superhero movie boom, and with it, the time-honored tradition of online fans being upset about casting news without context before changing their minds after seeing the performance. Hugh Jackman was a last-minute replacement as Wolverine, and he stepped in for actor Dougray Scott, who had scheduling conflicts with Mission: Impossible – II. At 6 ft 2 inches, Jackman was a far cry from the 5 ft 3 inch Wolverine from the comics. The fact that Jackman was also best known as a musical theater actor, rather than an action hero, made many fans confident that Jackman would ruin the character… because they assumed an actor who sang on stage would sing in a movie? Wonder if they also thought Christian Bale would bring his Newsies training to Batman Begins?
Jackman might not have been the comic-accurate image of Wolverine, but the second he showed up on screen, he perfectly captured the character’s attitude and bravado. X-Men and the character Wolverine made Jackman a movie star, and now the character and actor are forever linked. His 2017 film Logan was an emotional swan song, with his return in 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine a blockbuster event. Now the Marvel Cinematic Universe faces the tricky task of recasting Jackman as Wolverine. Jackman as Wolverine is the best example of what matters in casting: whether the actor can tap into the essence of the character, rather than superficial elements like physically matching a comic drawing.
Heath Ledger (Joker in ‘The Dark Knight’)
Heath Ledger’s Joker is one of the greatest performances in any comic adaptation. From the second audiences got a glimpse of him in the first trailer for The Dark Knight, Ledger’s Joker became iconic and part of the cultural zeitgeist, emphasized by the actor’s tragic passing. When he posthumously won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, he was the first actor to do so for playing a comic book villain. Even for the few who are not a fan of The Dark Knight trilogy, it’s hard to deny how momentously fantastic Ledger’s Joker is.
It’s important to never forget the backlash Ledger’s casting caused back in 2006. Movie fandom and comic book fandom tend to have a history of bigoted, racist, and homophobic behavior, so many were far from chill when the star of Brokeback Mountain was set to play the Clown Prince of Crime. The name “Jokeback Mountain” became a punchline for many. Despite Ledger’s Joker becoming a cultural icon who still packs as big a punch as he did 18 years ago, the lesson of not immediately making sweeping doom judgment calls still persists today, with so many casting announcements, first images, and trailer reveals.
Michael Keaton (Batman in ‘Batman’)
In terms of “comic fans react poorly to casting only to be proven wrong,” there is no greater case than Michael Keaton in Batman. The fan backlash around his casting broke the internet before the internet even existed. Best known for movies like Mr. Mom and Beetlejuice, Michael Keaton’s casting as Batman sparked a massive letter-writing campaign from fans to Warner Bros.. The controversy surrounding Keaton’s casting as Batman was front page news.
However, all the letters were for nothing. Batman went forward as planned, and it was the biggest movie of 1989, kicking off a phenomenon known as Batmania. Many of the people who doubted Keaton could pull off playing Batman quickly changed their tune as the actor showed he was more than a comedic actor. For an entire generation, Keaton is their Batman and one who set the template for future actors like Bale, Affleck, and Pattinson. It has been nearly 40 years since Keaton’s Batman controversy turned out to be a silly case of audiences making a snap judgment call. Maybe after all this time, there is a lesson to be learned.
Which superhero casting choice was your favorite? Let us know in the comments!
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