Twenty years ago, who would have thought that we'd be sitting down to watch a movie like Avengers: Infinity War? To say this movie features an ensemble cast is an understatement. This movie is so jam-packed with stars that Marvel didn't even have room to put Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye in the latest poster. The recent Justice League movie at Warner can't possibly compare. That said, contrary to what you might think, there are still a FEW Hollywood celebrities who haven't donned superhero tights or capes. Yes, the list of superstars without superhero roles is certainly shrinking, but Marvel probably needs another Phase or two to get to the rest of them.
Since the dawn of time (or at least the internet), fans have taken it upon themselves to cast their favorite celebrities as big-screen superheroes. Think about how many times you've read that a certain actor or actress would be perfect for this hero or that. Better yet, some fans even go out of their way to create artistic depictions of what their favorite celebrities would look like as said heroes. The results are usually awe-inspiring. Just check out this list of 15 celebrities who have been transformed into superheroes:
15 DWAYNE "THE ROCK" JOHNSON AS THE HULK
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has gone from wrestling superstar to Hollywood superstar in the last decade. With a string of successful action movies to his name, including the revived Fast and the Furious franchise, it's really no surprise that big studios have been eyeing him for a superhero role. The Rock's even signed on to play a role in an upcoming comic book movie, but it's not a hero role at all!
The charismatic actor is set to become the DCEU's Black Adam, archnemesis to Shazam, who's also in the process of filming his own movie. The Rock will first star as Black Adam in a solo movie before challenging Shazam in a planned third movie. But we have to ask: what if Marvel had gotten a hold of The Rock first? Wouldn't he be a great candidate to play the Hulk? Just look at the picture above.
14 ALISON BRIE AS CAPTAIN AMERICA
Captain America is preparing to face off against the biggest threat he's ever faced. He's fought Red Skull, a corrupt U.S. government, his pal Bucky and half of the Marvel heroes, but he's never faced a danger quite like Thanos. As teased by the Avengers: Infinity War trailers, the Mad Titan is on the verge of collecting all of the Infinity Stones he needs for his gauntlet, and his search has led him to Earth.
Chris Evans has a heck of a fight ahead of him as Captain America -- a fight that will see him unite all of the Marvel heroes once again to save Earth from the alien threat. And while we love Evans in the role, some fans have imagined what it would be like to have a slightly different Captain America, a female version played by GLOW star Alison Brie. We can't argue: she looks awesome!
13 TOM CRUISE AS GREEN LANTERN
It's pretty surprising that no one has tapped Tom Cruise to play a superhero role yet, especially with all the star power going around at both the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the DC Extended Universe. Yet, no one is quite ready to bite when it comes to the Mission Impossible star. Some fans have imagined Cruise in one particular superhero role, though: Green Lantern. Could Cruise pull off a turn as an older Hal Jordan?
The Green Lantern franchise isn't the healthiest right now, of course. Ever since the Ryan Reynolds-led Green Lantern film bombed back in 2011, Warner Bros. has been in no hurry to make another film. That said, there is a GL movie on the DCEU slate, which could still happen. If it does, WB could consider Cruise or any number of actors for the role. Another favorite was Chris Pine until he appeared in Wonder Woman.
12 BEYONCE AS SPIDER-MAN
There were a few years there where fans were seriously worried about Spider-Man. Between Sam Raimi's atrocious third Spider-Man movie and the lackluster Amazing Spider-Man series, it seemed like the webslinger's days on the big screen were numbered. Certainly, we would have never have imagined that he'd be in a Marvel movie just a few years later. Of course, Tom Holland's turn as Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War completely changed the game.
Spider-Man: Homecoming continued the webslinger's streak on the big screen, with another fresh take on the hero's life. Holland plays a convincing high schooler and Michael Keaton is an excellent Vulture. Of course, things might have been very different had Marvel considered to make a radical change to the character for its movie universe. How about Beyonce as Spidey? She looks convincing in her costume!
11 RYAN GOSLING AS DOCTOR STRANGE
Doctor Strange is one of the weirder additions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While most of the characters exist in the world of conventional superheroics -- things like super strength, the ability to fly, or general dogoodedness -- the Doctor deals in magic, and ever since Benedict Cumberbatch was cast in the role, the Doctor has been in. Shining a light on a different corner of the Marvel Universe, Doctor Strange will make a great ally for the Avengers in the coming battle against Thanos.
While Cumberbatch is a fan favorite, in no small part due to his turn as Sherlock Holmes, fans still like to imagine other actors in the role of Doctor Strange. One fan even took the time to paint a portrait of Ryan Gosling as Doctor Strange. We have to agree that Gosling definitely looks the part here.
10 EMMA STONE AS BATGIRL
No one can deny that Batgirl has grown in popularity over the years, especially in the last few years at DC. She's gone from supporting character to the star of her very own corner of the DCU. Batgirl's such a big character for DC that WB is currently considering bringing her to the big screen in her own solo movie. Until recently, that film was being developed by Joss Whedon, who helmed the reshoots on Justice League last year.
While that's no longer the case, it doesn't mean that a Batgirl movie has been scrapped altogether. In fact, WB can probably take its time with a Batgirl movie, especially since Matt Reeves' Batman film is still in development. The studio will likely want to release the Dark Knight's own adventure first before exploring his extended family. When the time does come, might WB consider Emma Stone for the Batgirl role?
9 EMMA WATSON AS SUPERGIRL
Melissa Benoist has done a wonderful job as the Girl of Steel in the past few years, perfectly embodying the goodness of the character. In fact, her turn as the heroine might be the best to ever appear on the small or big screen. Certainly, we've come a long way since the regrettable 1984 movie from Cannon Films. While there was a moment of panic when it seemed that CBS might not renew the show for a second season, Supergirl found a new home on The CW.
Were Supergirl to ever return to the big screen, it's likely that Warner Bros. would opt to cast an actress with a much higher profile than Benoist. After all, Ezra Miller plays the Flash in the movie universe even though Grant Gustin has been doing a great job in the TV universe. Might WB consider Emma Watson as the DCEU's Supergirl?
8 JAKE GYLLENHAAL AS BATMAN
Who will be the next Batman? That's the big question surrounding the DC Extended Universe at the moment. While current incumbent Ben Affleck has been pretty wishy-washy about leaving the role, there's a pretty strong indication that he won't be wearing the cape and cowl again after Justice League. That said, nothing has been confirmed by WB just yet, so it could go either way.
When it is time to recast the role -- probably when Matt Reeves' work on The Batman begins in earnest -- there are quite a few actors who will be interested in it. One name that's been thrown around in recent months is Jake Gyllenhaal, who is one of the few male superstars yet to appear in a superhero movie. Might Batman finally be the right time for Gyllenhaal to wear some tights?
7 JON HAMM AS SUPERMAN
Fans have also been wondering whether Henry Cavill will stick around as the Man of Steel for much longer. After all, he's appeared in three DCEU movies at this point, none of which have been major hits for Warner Bros. or highly praised by critics. Might the studio be looking to recast the hero in a full refresh of its two biggest heroes before moving forward with another Justice League team-up (which itself seems unlikely now that it's the DCEU's lowest grossing film)?
Like Batman, there's no shortage of big-name actors who could play Superman in future DCEU movies. Some fans even believe they've found the right man for the role: Mad Men's Jon Hamm. We know this guy can do drama and comedy, but can he also deliver the kind of performance needed for an action-packed Superman movie?
6 RIHANNA AS STORM
Storm is one of those big X-Men characters who's never really had a chance to shine on the big screen. Halle Berry played the character for the original series of films led by Bryan Singer, and even returned to the role for Days of Future Past, which connect the original movies to the prequel films starring James McAvoy and Jennifer Lawrence. Then Alexandra Shipp played the character in Apocalypse and will reprise the role in Dark Phoenix.
After that? Who knows what's in store for the X-Men on the big screen, especially now that it seems Marvel has re-acquired the movie rights to the fan-favorite mutant team. Will Marvel recast all of the X-Men for a new series of films? It sounds like some fans think Rihanna would be perfect.
5 TARON EGERTON AS NIGHTWING
A Nightwing movie is currently in development at Warner Bros. That's no surprise since the character is a big property for DC. It was only a matter of time before we saw Dick Grayson back on the big screen as his own man. It'll probably be a few years before we see Nightwing on the big screen, as WB hasn't given it a spot on its slate yet, but that doesn't mean fans haven't busied themselves with figuring out who would be perfect for the role.
Taron Egerton is definitely a candidate to play the young hero, at least for one fan, who took the liberty to design a costume for the young actor. Egerton is best known as the rebellious and stylish young spy from the Kingsman movies. Rebellious and stylish are just right for Nightwing.
4 CHRISTINA RICCI AS HARLEY QUINN
Despite the fact that Harley Quinn has been a pretty popular character since her original appearances in Batman: The Animated Series, it took the villain a long time to finally make it to the big screen. In fact, Margot Robbie only just starred as Harley Quinn in 2016's Suicide Squad. Now, it seems that Harley is going to be in tons of future DCEU movies, including a solo film, a Gotham City Sirens movie and a Suicide Squad sequel.
Harley was bound to appear on the big screen -- Joel Schumacher had plans to include her in his third Batman movie before Batman & Robin proved to be such a disaster -- but what if another actress had been cast over Robbie? The faux poster above makes a pretty good case for why it should have been Christina Ricci.
3 ELIZA DUSHKU AS CATWOMAN
Batman and Catwoman are near inseparable in the comics, on TV, in cartoons and even in the movies. No matter the medium, these two are eventually going to cross paths. Heck, they're even engaged to be married in the comics at the moment. While the Tim Burton movies had a Catwoman and Christopher Nolan also included the Cat in The Dark Knight Rises, the DCEU still doesn't have its version of the feline thief.
That said, we're sure she'll return to the big screen sooner rather than later. Might she even show up in Matt Reeves' The Batman? When the time does come, WB could consider Eliza Dushku, a fan favorite who has yet to grace the screen as a comic book character. She certainly looks goth enough in the costume.
2 JADEN SMITH AS ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN
Jaden Smith was destined for stardom and has quickly solidified his status as an up-and-comer. He has his own fashion line, a promising career as a musical artist and has starred in a few movies already. There's not much this wunderkind can't do. It's only a matter of time before he gets a role in a superhero movie -- a big stepping stone for any Hollywood actor these days.
Who do fans want to see Smith play? None other than Miles Morales, the Ultimate Spider-Man. The character made huge waves when he became the new Spider-Man of the Ultimate Marvel universe -- the first Spidey of color. Smith could be perfect for the role, but he faces stiff competition from another A-lister, Donald Glover, who is also a fan favorite.
1 KATEE SACKHOFF AS CAPTAIN MARVEL
Captain Marvel is making her big screen MCU debut next year in her own solo film. It stars Brie Larson as one of Marvel's most important female superheroes. Then we'll see her in the Avengers film slated for 2019 -- the one in which Thanos will probably finally be defeated and we can move on from the whole Infinity Stone saga. Larson is an Academy Award-winning actress and a huge get for Marvel Studios. It is lucky to have her.
But there's one actress the internet has been fancasting as the character for quite a long time: Katee Sackhoff, best known as Starbuck from Battlestar Galactica. Ever since Sackhoff starred in the Syfy revival series, fans have been clamoring to see her in a superhero film. Hopefully, we'll finally see Sackhoff in a superhero movie one of these days. So say we all.