10 Wasted DC Movie Actors Who Deserve Another Chance

In the movie history of the DC Universe, there have been many actors who were wasted that thoroughly deserve to be given another chance. Even after the movies of the DCEU turned the characters and stories of DC Comics into a live-action shared universe, the franchise ultimately failed to find considerable success. Throughout the history of DC movies, this has all too often been the case, with specific characters and stories proving unable to live up to their potential.

In many cases – both as part of the DCEU’s movie timeline and in the years before – this extends to the actors brought in to play DC characters. Many DC movie actors were actually wasted in their roles, either due to limited screentime or the movie’s poor overall quality. As these actors have proven their talent in other roles, it seems all too clear that they deserve another shot. With that in mind, here are 10 wasted DC movie actors that deserve another chance.

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10

Halle Berry

Appeared in: Catwoman (2004)

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After earning a reputation as one of the worst DC movies of all time, 2004’s Catwoman has rightfully been forgotten as anything but a terrible film. However, the casting of Halle Berry in the lead role was initially a cause for much excitement, as she had, at the time, only recently won an Oscar for Best Actress. Her performance in the movie was met with critical backlash, though the poor script and filmmaking were largely to blame for Catwoman’s lack of quality.

In the years since Catwoman, Berry has not been prominently cast in another DC movie. However, considering her wealth of experience in action-based roles, as well as her proven skill at bringing drama to life, there are few actors who deserve another chance as much as Halle Berry. Whether she’s ever likely to be cast as the lead in another DC movie remains to be seen, but it’s undeniable that she was wasted by Catwoman.

9

Ben Mendelsohn

Appeared in: The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

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Many actors have been wasted by being cast in poorly-written DC movies, but few have been wasted in the manner of Ben Mendelsohn. Mendelsohn was featured in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, appearing in 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises as John Daggett. The character was loosely based on Roland Daggett, a business rival of Bruce Wayne. However, Mendelsohn was barely featured at all, being unceremoniously killed by Bane after just a few scant minutes of screen time.

Mendelsohn’s career credits have proven his talent in a range of genres and roles. Having since appeared in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Robin Hood, and as Talos in the MCU, Mendelsohn’s wide acting range speaks for itself. With his more recent credits in mind, his limited role in The Dark Knight Rises seems to have wasted him somewhat, proving that he deserves another shot in future DC movies.

8

Sasha Calle

Appeared in: The Flash (2023)

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Announced to be joining the DCEU in the cast of The Flash, Sasha Calle was not given much of a chance to shine in the franchise. Considering the DCEU was winding down at the time she made her debut, Calle’s turn as Supergirl was painfully short-lived, as she made only a single appearance in the role. Introduced in The Flash’s alternate timeline story, Calle’s Supergirl played only a supporting role in the movie, alonside Ezra Miller’s dual role and Michael Keaton’s Batman.

Even in her limited screen time, Calle demonstrated huge potential. Her Supergirl was one of the movie’s most interesting characters, although when it was announced that she would not be the Supergirl of the rebooted DC Universe, it became evident just how much she was wasted by the DCEU. As Calle delivered a valiant performance as the hero, she certainly deserves another chance in DC’s movie future.

7

Mark Strong

Appeared in: Green Lantern (2011), Shazam! (2019)

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There are very few actors who can boast having been wasted in multiple DC movies in different roles, but Mark Strong lays claim to that unfortunate accolade. Having appeared in 2011’s Green Lantern as Sinestro and then in 2019’s Shazam! as Doctor Sivana, Strong has played two prominent DC characters in live-action. However, both roles left much to be desired, and did little justice to Strong’s talents.

Throughout his career, Mark Strong has demonstrated a respectable acting range, though his talents were not adequately utilized by either of his DC movies. Green Lantern’s general lack of quality is well-documented, while Shazam! cast him as a decidedly shallow and uninteresting villain. Considering how good Strong can be in the right role, he definitely deserves another chance in future DC movie projects, on the condition that the character in question is appropriately written.

6

Uma Thurman

Appeared in: Batman & Robin (1997)

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As one of the most famous actors in Hollywood, Uma Thurman’s list of credits features a number of iconic roles. Perhaps the worst of them is Batman & Robin, as the 1997 movie was panned by critics and has been widely disliked by fans since its release. Thurman played Poison Ivy in the Joel Schumacher movie, serving as one of Batman & Robin’s two primary antagonists.

The movie’s many shortcomings have been well-documented, though Thurman’s performance itself is not one of them. However, Batman & Robin’s script was largely poor, and Poison Ivy proved not to be a particularly interesting character. Considering Thurman’s status and wide range of talent, it would be widely celebrated to see her cast in another DC role in the future, giving her another chance to bring a DC story to life on the big screen.

5

JK Simmons

Appeared in: Justice League (2017)

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Of the many actors cast in the DCEU, only a select few have had careers as successful as JK Simmons. Though his most iconic comic book movie role came in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy, he was cast as Commissioner James Gordon in 2017’s Justice League, offering him another chance to bring an important comic book character to life. Unfortunately, the DCEU wasted Simmons in the worst way possible.

JK Simmons was given the briefest of appearances in Justice League, and subsequent DCEU movies did not afford him an opportunity to return. An actor of Simmons’ broad and undeniable talent deserved a far more substantial role, though this wasn’t something the DCEU was able to offer. As he never really got a chance to properly bring Gordon to life on the big screen, Simmons deserves another go in upcoming DC movies, either as Gordon or another character.

4

Peter Sarsgaard

Appeared in: Green Lantern (2011)

One of Hollywood’s most prolific and often underrated stars, Peter Sarsgaard has featured in a wide range of movies over the course of his career. 2011’s Green Lantern was among them, where he played the DC villain Hector Hammond. The movie explored his origin as a villain, establishing him as a considerable antagonist ahead of his death in Green Lantern’s climactic battle. Despite his relatively large role, he was still wasted in the movie.

Sarsgaard’s career has demonstrated how broad his acting range is, with the actor having played leading men, villains, and everything in between in a variety of genres. Green Lantern simply didn’t utilize his talents effectively, wasting him with its poor script and dull CGI. The negative reception of the movie also did nothing to help Sarsgaard’s profile, though he undoubtedly deserves another chance to prove himself in another DC movie.

3

Pedro Pascal

Appeared in: Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)

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There are very few actors working in Hollywood today as popular as Pedro Pascal. The actor’s colossal following and general popularity has stemmed from his own personality as well as his body of work, with a number of high-profile roles establishing him as a major star. His DC movie debut came in Wonder Woman 1984, where he was cast as Maxwell Lord, but the DCEU sequel ultimately wasted him.

Pascal’s talent was evident in the movie, though its uninspired script did little to showcase his abilities. Despite being one of the movie’s biggest positives, the role turned out to be a one-off, as the DCEU ended before he had any chance to return. Considering his impending MCU debut and significantly bigger public profile, Pedro Pascal is another actor that thoroughly deserves another shot at a major DC role.

2

Jeffrey Dean Morgan

Appeared in: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

The DCEU featured many great actors, but it wasted few as flagrantly as Jeffrey Dean Morgan. Appearing only once in the franchise for an all-too-brief moment, Morgan played Thomas Wayne in a flashback depicting the murder of Batman’s parents. The actor’s glorified cameo did not afford him any real opportunity to impress in the DCEU, despite him already having turned in an excellent performance in a previous DC adaptation, Watchmen, in 2009.

Considering Thomas Wayne’s traditional DC story, the ways in which the DCEU could have brought Morgan back were already extremely limited. The most obvious would have been a Flashpoint adaptation, which it opted not to do, and the franchise subsequently ended before Morgan could reappear. As an actor of such undeniable talent in the superhero genre, it’s painfully evident just how badly the DCEU wasted Jeffrey Dean Morgan by casting him in such a minor role.

1

Karen Fukuhara

Appeared in: Suicide Squad (2016)

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Karen Fukuhara might not be the most well-known actor, but her DCEU role actually wasted her in a major way. Making her movie debut in the cast of 2016’s Suicide Squad was a major breakthrough for Fukuhara, but the movie’s presentation of the character did her very few favors. As a mostly silent member of the team, Katana was one of Suicide Squad’s less memorable characters, although Fukuhara’s more recent credits have established how much the DCEU wasted her.

As Kimiko in The Boys, Fukuhara has earned herself much greater popularity despite not having a speaking role. Fukuhara’s role is a complex one, and her performance makes Kimiko an outstanding character. As she has since proven herself hugely capable within the genre, her previous DC Universe role seems to have wasted Karen Fukuhara by failing to showcase her talents.

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Category: Entertainment