10 British Actors Who Played American Superheroes
Several iconic superheroes have made it into the world of live-action both from the DC and Marvel universe, respectively. Whether it’s through the ongoing Arrowverse franchise on The CW, the still in-works DCEU or the over decade long universe that is the MCU, so many beloved heroes have been able to come to life. While many of the heroes that have been introduced are canonically American, there have been a big number of talented British actors to get cast in some of these roles. Some of them are even still playing these roles to this day.
For some of them, their time has come to an end with their respective character. But just because they have hung up their capes, they’re still remembered for their performances. Whether it’s on a TV show or in a film franchise, the DC and Marvel live-action universes have had several British stars portray American superheroes and these are 10 of them.
10 Finn Jones
As Netflix was bringing The Defenders to life as part of the MCU, Iron Fist was one of the series that would lead into the team-up series. For Danny Rand’s live-action debut, Finn Jones was picked to bring the character to screen. While the first season of the Marvel drama was not so well received, Jones’ time on the team-up series allowed Danny to grow as he joined the other heroes.
Even though Iron Fist season 2 ended up being the show’s final one before Netflix canceled it, it was Jones’ stronger season as it retained to Danny’s journey. Whether or not his Iron Fist will ever be seen again in the MCU remains to be seen.
9 Nicholas Hoult
While the original X-Men trilogy had its struggle after the third installment, the prequel series started solidly before X-Men. Dark Phoenix killed that franchise too. When it came to bringing Beast to life during his early years, Nicholas Hoult was given the job as he appeared as the blue-haired mutant in 4 films.
Throughout the series, his version of Beast had to go through a lot of struggle, especially as he was coming in terms with his mutant side in X-Men: First Class. Even if the later films struggled, Hoult’s performance was never an issue as he did a solid job as Beast.
8 Andrew Garfield
After Spider-Man 4 with Tobey Maguire was scrapped, Sony rebooted the web-slinger with Marc Webb’s The Amazing Spider-Man series. As the 2-installment series took Peter Parker back to high school, Andrew Garfield became the first British actor to ever play Spider-Man on the big screen. While his franchise was short-lived, his depiction of the iconic Marvel hero was unforgettable, especially as Garfield himself was a huge fan of the character growing up.
But with the news of Jamie Foxx’s Electro joining the MCU for Spider-Man 3, could Garfield’s web-slinger somehow be crossing over from one universe to another? Only time will tell, but a Spider-Verse event would certainly be something big for the MCU.
7 Jessica Henwick
Another huge character in the Iron Fist mythology that the Netflix series included was Colleen Wing, one half of Daughters of the Dragon and Danny’s closest ally. For that role, Jessica Henwick landed the part and actually ended up stealing the show multiple times. As the reception to Danny was mixed in the first season, Colleen was better received by the viewers.
The second season became a huge one for Colleen as she ends up getting the Iron Fist. That’s what made the cancellation even more frustrating as fans wanted to see more of Colleen with her new power.
6 David Harewood
Even though Supergirl’s Martian Manhunter comes from Mars, J’onn J’onzz has made himself look like Hank Henshaw, an American citizen. British actor David Harewood is the third actor to play the beloved DC hero in live-action and has been part of the Arrowverse drama since the first season. Throughout his time on the show, Martian Manhunter has gone from D.E.O. director to a private investigator while aiding Kara Zor-El and her team against their enemies. With the series set to end after its sixth upcoming season, fans can look forward to at least one more year with the incredible Martian.
5 Charlie Cox
Daredevil was the first series to kick-off The Defenders franchise for Netflix and to this day, is still considered the best one out of all of them. For three seasons, Charlie Cox played the iconic Marvel vigilante that ended up becoming one of the most well-received performances in the entire MCU. The positive reception became so high that fans are still demanding that the MCU movies bring Cox’s character in at some point.
Whether or not that will ever happen remains to be seen as the MCU’s focus on TV shows is mostly on all of their Disney Plus series. But after the way Daredevil ended with its third and final season, no one would be against the idea of seeing more of Cox’s Matt Murdock.
4 Benedict Cumberbatch
Another Marvel hero that had a talented British actor bring him to life was Benedict Cumberbatch who landed the iconic role of Doctor Strange, a hero many MCU fans had been waiting for. Ever since his first solo film, Doctor Strange has quickly become a major player within the cinematic universe, particularly through the last two Avengers films that changed the MCU forever. Cumberbatch’s next adventures will include appearing in Spider-Man 3 as well as starring in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
3 Tom Holland
Following Garfield’s portrayal of Spider-Man, the MCU ended up casting their Peter Parker with a British actor as well as Tom Holland won the role that has become a major part of this universe. It didn’t take long for Holland’s iteration to capture the hearts of millions of fans as his Spider-Man franchise has been a massive success as Peter is finally in the same world as the Avengers. Following the end of Spider-Man: Far From Home, Peter is facing his biggest challenge in the 3rd installment, hence why Doctor Strange is swinging by.
2 Henry Cavill
While many actors have played Superman on TV and film, Henry Cavill made history when he became the first British actor to be cast as the world’s most famous superhero. Being the kickstarter of the DCEU, Cavill has played the Man of Tomorrow in 3 DC films since Man of Steel. While it remains to be seen when/if he’ll be back as Superman, Cavill will next be seen in the real version of Justice League by Zack Snyder in 2021 on HBO Max. But given how well-received his portrayal of Superman has been, hopefully, the Snyder Cut won’t be the final time that fans get to see him in the suit.
1 Christian Bale
When it comes to Batman on the big screen, multiple actors have played the iconic DC detective, but only one has so far had a completely successful trilogy. For Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy, British actor Christian Bale brought the Caped Crusader to life in the iconic Batman reboot between 2005 to 2012. This version of the playboy billionaire who suits up as Gotham City’s protector at night was a more grounded depiction of him.
From seeing his origin story to his ultimate wars with The Joker and Bane, Bale’s Batman stands as one of the best versions that have ever been done in live-action. While Batman will be played by many actors in years to come, including Robert Pattinson in The Batman, Bale will always hold the title as one of the best Batmen in film.
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