10 Actors Whose Careers Were Helped By Superhero Movies

Many actors have had their careers helped by starring in Marvel or DC movies, and some of them had quite impressive success stories after joining a superhero franchise. While there has been talk about superhero fatigue over the past couple of years, films like Spider-Man: No Way Home and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which are both among the MCU’s best movies, show that, as James Gunn put it, the problem is “bad superhero movie fatigue.”

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Gone are the days when simply being in a superhero movie would be guaranteed success, which seemed to be the case when the MCU was firing on all cylinders. However, as Marvel continues working on the MCU’s slate of projects and James Gunn’s DC Universe gets off the ground, one thing has not changed. Marvel and DC’s upcoming projects star a mix of smaller names and Hollywood stars. That balance has led to many actors’ careers being helped by superhero movies in different ways, and a few of them were very successful.

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10

Tom Holland

Spider-Man – MCU

Starting the list, which is in no particular order, is one of the actors who had their whole life completely changed from one day to the other. Tom Holland plays Spider-Man in the MCU, the hero who is Marvel’s most popular and might even surpass DC’s Batman and Superman nowadays, at least where live-action adaptations are concerned. Holland was only 19 when he was cast to play Peter Parker in the MCU, taking over the role played by Andrew Garfield.

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At that point, Holland had already appeared in a number of movies and theater productions. His biggest role had been in The Impossible, where Holland showed his dramatic skills from a young age. However, playing Spider-Man elevated him to a Hollywood star at only 19. After joining the MCU, Holland transitioned into a leading man in several movies.

9

Dave Bautista

Drax – MCU

Dave Bautista recently ended his journey in the MCU. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 should be his last time as Drax, though the actor, who has since slimmed down considerably, still hopes to follow director James Gunn into the new DCU. Bautista first became famous for his wrestling skills. As “Batista,” the wrestler would make a name for himself in the WWE, going up against future superheroes like John Cena and The Rock.

Despite his fame and success in the WWE, joining Marvel completely changed — and perhaps saved — the actor’s life. Speaking with IGN (via MovieWeb), Bautista claimed he was broke before landing Drax in Guardians of the Galaxy. According to the actor, he had issues with the IRS, his house was foreclosed, and more. Still, he chose not to go crawling back to wrestling, and his dream of being an actor paid off, with Bautista now starring in action-heavy and dramatic films, such as the prestigious Dune franchise. Check out the full quote below:

“For people to really understand how much my life has changed, they would have to understand where I came from, what I went through when I was in wrestling, what I left behind to take a chance on going into acting.

And when I got the role of Drax in Guardians, I barely worked in three years. So I’d really left wrestling behind and I could have gone back with my tail between my legs, but I still [would] have been just stuck in a place that I never would have gone any further, but I just took a chance. And then when I got [cast], not only because I was broke, [everything changed]. When I say broke, my house was foreclosed, I had nothing, man. I sold all my stuff. I sold everything that I made from [when] I was wrestling. I had issues with the IRS. I was just lost in everything.

So Drax didn’t just change my career. It literally changed the trajectory of my life. My life just got better and I just became more successful. And that’s when things really just started to seem like surreal. It wasn’t many years [earlier] when I was just like borrowing money to pay for food, pay for rent. Borrow money to buy my kids Christmas presents. It wasn’t long before all that stuff [had happened]. So it happened for me fast, which made it seem even that much more surreal. But it did, it changed my life. It gave me a life.”

8

Chris Evans

Captain America – MCU

Chris Evans is one of the faces of the MCU. Before joining the franchise, Evans was mostly known for smaller comedies, always delivering charismatic performances in whatever movie he appeared in. The actor had the chance to play a Marvel hero for the first time as Johnny Storm in two Fantastic Four movies. While Evans’ Human Torch was perfect, his films are not on the same level.

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Perhaps that was one of the things that made Evans refuse to play Captain America many times. The actor has expressed his doubts about how he thought the MCU role could cause problems for his career, like preventing him from doing other films he wanted to. However, Evans now calls playing Captain America the best decision he ever made. As one of the faces of the MCU and most popular actors in Hollywood, it sure paid off for the star.

7

Sebastian Stan

Bucky Barnes – MCU

Sebastian Stan is one of the actors who has been with the MCU for the longest time. Born in Romania, Stan would go live in the United States when he was 12. The actor first appeared in multiple TV shows, such as Gossip Girl and Once Upon a Time, in supporting roles. Slowly, Stan’s acting skills started to get noticed, but it was not until Captain America: The First Avenger that his life started to change.

Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, the Bucky Barnes actor even revealed that his first MCU role did not get him set for life at once. Stan explained that he was still scraping by to pay rent after his first time as Bucky. However, with one of the largest contracts in the early MCU — Stan signed on for nine movies despite not leading a franchise — he would cement himself in Hollywood and go on to win awards for his talents.

6

Gal Gadot

Wonder Woman – DCEU

Marvel is not the only comic book giant to change actors’ lives. DC has also done that for several stars over the years, and even though the old DCEU had its faults, the franchise did help multiple actors establish themselves. Gal Gadot played one of the most iconic superheroes of all time, Wonder Woman. Before joining DC, the actress’ biggest role had been as Gisele, a supporting player in the Fast & Furious franchise.

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After joining DC as Wonder Woman, Gadot would cement herself as a leading actress. Action movies, murder mysteries, animated films, spy thrillers, and more are among Gadot’s busy schedule after she became known worldwide. Now that she is no longer playing Wonder Woman, the actress retains her status, appearing as the Evil Queen in Disney’s live-action adaptation of the classic Snow White.

5

Chris Hemsworth

Thor – MCU

Liam Hemsworth, Chris’ younger brother, originally got closer to the Thor role than he did. However, since Liam was deemed too young, Chris was called back, and the actor managed to convince Marvel that he was the right fit for Thor. Before joining the MCU, Hemsworth was virtually unknown outside Australia. In his home country, the actor made a name for himself in the popular soap opera Home and Away.

Chris Hemsworth has led 4 Thor movies and co-led as many Avengers films.

Hemsworth appeared in 189 episodes of the soap before bowing out. While he played George Kirk in 2009’s Star Trek, the small role was not responsible for his meteoric rise; 2011’s Thor was. After joining the MCU, Hemsworth has cemented himself as a movie star, going from action films to more dramatic roles and even some comedies sprinkled throughout his career. The actor holds the record for most MCU solo movies.

4

Chris Pratt

Star-Lord – MCU

Chris Pratt is one of the stars whose MCU debut really turned their career around. Before getting cast as Peter Quill in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, Pratt was known for his comedic roles. Those extended between movies and TV alike, with Pratt’s time as the hilarious Andy Dwyer in Parks and Recreation being his most famous non-MCU role. Marvel Studios saw the potential to add a new side to Pratt’s acting career.

As Star-Lord, the actor got to keep his comedic skills sharp as James Gunn delivered Marvel’s funniest franchise. However, the role also brought forth a major career change for the actor. Pratt underwent a massive physical transformation to play Peter Quill. After achieving his superhero physique, Pratt never looked back, becoming an in-demand action star and the male lead of the Jurassic World franchise.

3

Tom Hiddleston

Loki – MCU

Tom Hiddleston had mostly appeared in British TV films before he joined the MCU. The actor worked with Thor director Kenneth Branagh on two projects, Ivanov and Wallander, before he was asked to audition for the MCU’s first Thor movie. While Hiddleston failed to become Thor like he initially set out to do, the actor would be cast as Loki, and the rest would be history.

Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, Tom Hiddleston explained the doors that opened to him after playing Loki, saying, ” It was massive, and it’s completely changed the course of what is available to me to do. Ken gave me my break.”

As the main villain of the first Avengers movie, Hiddleston established his name early in the MCU’s run. The actor made his character someone who had different shades to him, leading to fans wanting more of Loki, to the point that he stopped being a villain, becoming an anti-hero, and then a full-on hero who saved the multiverse. The MCU allowed Hiddleston to lead several movies and TV shows outside Marvel.

2

Joaquin Phoenix

The Joker – DC

Joaquin Phoenix is a curious case. The actor’s career can be described as both helped by and hurt by his superhero movies. Phoenix was already a popular star before joining DC, but his turn as Batman’s main villain in 2019’s Joker, which reimagined the character with a tragic backstory, gave his career its biggest wins. Besides becoming the highest-grossing R-rated movie ever for years, Joaquin Phoenix won the Best Actor Oscar for Joker.

This was the first time an actor in a superhero movie won that category at the Academy Awards. This helped Phoenix’s career, with the actor entering a state of prestige coming off the movie. However, 2024’s Joker: Folie à Deux crashed and burned at the box office. Phoenix’s once successful role has now led to a project that sits near the bottom of his filmography.

1

Robert Downey Jr.

Iron Man – MCU

Finally, no other actor faced a bigger career change after joining a superhero movie than Robert Downey Jr. While RDJ already had a storied career years before his first appearance as Tony Stark, the actor had been involved in multiple controversies over the years. Downey’s prison bout and drug problems had become well-known in both Hollywood circles and among the general audience. His career was, at that point, deemed unsalvageable by many.

However, Iron Man director Jon Favreau and Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige bet on him. After realizing that Downey was the perfect pick to play Tony Stark, they faced all the risks involved with his casting. It paid off in a historical way, as Robert Downey Jr. became perhaps the most popular movie star in the world, the face of the MCU, and eventually won his first Oscar outside the franchise before returning in a new role. These success stories show how Marvel and DC movies can help actors’ careers.

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Marvel Cinematic Universe

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a multimedia superhero franchise that began in 2008 with Paramount’s Iron Man starring Robert Downey Jr. The franchise quickly grew in popularity, with Disney eventually buying out Marvel Entertainment in 2009. The MCU consists of dozens of movies and TV shows, most notably Avengers: Endgame, WandaVision, and Loki.
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DC Universe

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The DC Universe is one of the biggest comic book franchises and often competes with Marvel. DC Comics started as National Allied Publications, founded by Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson in 1935. Since then, the franchise has exploded with thousands of comic books, movies, TV shows, and video games. 2013 marked the beginning of the most recent iteration of the superheroes, with Zack Snyder introducing Henry Cavill as Superman. After several movies with mixed reviews, DC underwent a soft reboot under the helm of James Gunn and Peter Safran.