The comics world was abuzz with the announcement that Aaron Taylor-Johnson would play long-time Spider-Man villain Kraven the Hunter. It marks the third time the actor has played a prominent, live-action, comic book role, having previously starred as the titular character in Kick-Ass and as the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s version of Quicksilver in Avengers: Age of Ultron.
He joins an elite but surprisingly robust club of actors who have played three or more characters in live-action comic book projects. The others are growing in prominence and include some of the biggest actors working today, and ten of the most prolific are listed below, in order of the number of pertinent roles they have played from least to most.
10. Michael Jai White - 3 Roles
White is an avowed comic book fan with numerous animated voice-over characters to his credit in addition to his live-action roles. He first gained prominence for playing the title character in 1997 's Spawn, though his best-known appearance now is likely Gambol, one of Gotham City’s crime lords slain by the Joker in 2008’s The Dark Knight. More recently, he's had a recurring role as the Bronze Tiger on the CW’s Arrow – appearing 10 times in the course of the series.
9. Tommy Lee Jones - 3 Roles
Jones began his comic book run with a misfire, playing Harvey Dent in 1995’s Batman Forever. The film made money, but it has since been reviled, and Jones’ hammy, over-the-top portrayl as Two-Face ranks as one of the few poor performances in his long, storied career. He quickly rebounded in 1997’s Men in Black, as the irascible Agent K in pitch perfect opposition to Will Smith’s Agent J. He also graced the beginning of the MCU as Colonel Phillips in Captain America: The First Avenger, and his performance quietly became one of the strongest elements in the film.
8. Jim Carrey - 3 Roles
Carrey also had the bad fortune to star in Batman Forever, though his version of the Riddler played to his strengths, and he came through the experience in better shape than his co-villain. He famously disowned his performance as Colonel Stars and Stripes in Kick-Ass 2, calling the film too violent in the wake of a mass shooting shortly before the movie opened. His first and best comic book performance more than made up for both with Stanley Ipkiss and his Tex-Avery-infused alter ego in 1994’s The Mask. Along with Ace Ventura, the role helped make Carrey a star, and it still stands out as a high point on his resume.
7. Samuel L. Jackson - 3 Roles
It feels like Jackson should have a higher count than three, and in some ways, he does, but at least one of his "comic book" roles – Elijah "Mr. Glass" Price in the Unbreakable movies – was an original creation written directly for the screen. The same applies to his hero Frozone in The Incredibles. That leaves three legitimate comic book characters: 2008’s The Spirit in which he played the villainous Octopus, 2014’s Kingsman: The Secret Service where he played the equally sinister Valentine and Nick Fury in a considerable number of MCU films.
6. Brandon Routh - 4 Roles
Routh starred as The Man of Steel in 2006’s Superman Returns, and while that film continues to cause debate among DC fandom, the actor’s turn was strong and memorable. He since returned to DC in the Arrowverse, most notably Legends of Tomorrow as another staple of their roster: The Atom. On the indie comics level, he appeared as the lead in 2010’s Dylan Dog: Dead of Night based on the Italian comic, and he nearly stole the show in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World as a vegan-empowered Evil Ex, Todd Ingram.
5. Ryan Reynolds - 4 Roles
Reynolds was so utterly perfect for Marvel’s Deadpool that he played the role twice, first in 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine, which inexplicably sewed his mouth for the bulk of his screen time. He rebounded admirably with 2016’s Deadpool, which not only reset the character, but it gave Reynolds a chance to mock the earlier incarnation. He also tore into his infamous starring role in 2011’s Green Lantern, one of DC’s more notable flops. He was also in 2013’s R.I.P.D., where he played Nick, a detective brought back from the dead, and he was in Blade: Trinity as vampire hunter Hannibal King.
4. Scarlett Johansson - 4 Roles
Black Widow may end up being Scarlett Johansson’s signature role, but her turn in comic book adaptations started at a very different point in her career. 2001’s Ghost World came amid her period as an indie darling, and her turn as the alienated Rebecca sped her ascent to the top of the A-list. Her other efforts in the comic genre range from the deeply regrettable to the simply forgettable. The latter, Silken Floss in 2008’s The Spirit, vanished without a trace. The former, the heroine Major in 2017’s Ghost in the Shell, arrived amid credible claims of whitewashing the part and was regarded as unworthy of the manga that inspired it.
3. Doug Jones - 5 Roles
The versatile Doug Jones has found his way into a number of noted comic book movies. The first two were tough to spot, as he played one of the Penguin’s henchmen in 1992’s Batman Returns, as well as Pencil Head, one of the would-be heroes in the 1999 satire Mystery Men. He made a much bigger splash in an equally brief role as Joey Ramone in Men in Black II, followed by the Silver Surfer in the second Fantastic Four movie, in which his physical performance was added to Laurence Fishburne’s voice. The same thing happened on one of his best roles: Abe Sapien in 2004’s Hellboy. His vocal performance was removed there as well, in favor of David Hyde Pierce’s. Del Toro corrected the overstep, and Jones got to voice and perform Abe in Hellboy II: The Golden Army.
2. Josh Brolin - 5 Roles
Like most performers on the list, Brolin is a veteran with a wide array of roles stretching out over decades. He made an indelible impression as Thanos in the MCU’s Infinity Saga, as well as appearing as the mutant Cable in Fox’s Deadpool 2. On the DC side, he starred as Jonah Hex in the 2010 movie of the same name: a critical and box office bomb. On top of that, he played a younger version of K in 2012’s Men in Black III and Dwight in 2014’s Sin City: A Dame to Kill For.
1. Chris Evans - 6 Roles
It’s hard to conceive of it now, but when Evans was first cast as Captain America, some fans were concerned because he already played the Human Torch in two Fantastic Four movies. Evans was no stranger to comic book roles and assembled a number of them before his iconic turn as Steve Rogers. This includes Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, where he played a skateboarding Evil Ex, Lucas Lee. He was also Jensen in 2010’s The Losers and Curtis in the acclaimed Snowpiercer. Finally, he was Nick Gant, the leader of a band of super-powered runaways in 2009’s Push, which was released in conjunction with a Wildstorm comic.