Marvel Actors You Didn't Know Were Also In DC Movies

Before moving over to Marvel, three of today's biggest stars all appeared in a little known DC movie called The Losers. Mostly derided by critics, The Losers is a quirky action-comedy based on Andy Diggle's graphic novel for DC's Vertigo imprint. Jeffrey Dean Morgan—a steadfast DC presence who appeared in Watchmen, Jonah Hex, and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice—stars as Lt. Col. Franklin Clay, the leader of an elite black ops team tricked into setting up an air attack that kills innocent civilians. In response, these super soldiers fake their deaths and seek revenge because that's what movie mercenaries do.

Backing Morgan up are Chris Evans, Idris Elba, and Zoe Saldana, all three who went on to become big stars in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Evans, who started out with Marvel in 2005's Fantastic Four but later landed the part of Captain America, plays the team's adorkable hacker, Jensen. Elba would join the Thor universe as the Asgardian sentry Heimdall after playing Roque, the Losers's explosives expert. And of course, before painting her skin green and picking up a sword as Gamora, Saldana played Aisha, a mysterious badass who certainly knows a thing or two about firearms. True, they're not quite The Avengers, but these guys might give the Guardians of the Galaxy a run for their money.

You probably don't recognize Doug Jones, but you have almost definitely seen one of his movies. With over 150 credits to his name, Jones is a multi-talented character actor who often shows up in small or unrecognizable roles. One of his most memorable characters was Abe Sapien, the telepathic fish-man from Dark Horse Comics's Hellboy and Hellboy II: The Golden Army. (It should be noted that David Hyde Pierce provided Abe's voice in the first film, but it's all Jones in the sequel.)

But in addition to his Hellboy performance, Jones has popped up in a number of Marvel and DC properties. In 1992, he appeared as an evil clown in Batman Returns, and he also showed up in the DC TV universe, playing Deathbolt in both Arrow and The Flash. However, his Marvel role was a little more prominent, as he played the titular skyrider of the spaceways in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. Unfortunately for Jones, he was once again dubbed over, this time by Laurence Fishburne. But then again, he was probably cool with it, as everybody wants to sound like Morpheus.

Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje has had two very important but unrecognizable roles in the Marvel and DC franchises. The Lost actor first popped up in Thor: The Dark World as Algrim, an evil elf with icy blue eyes and blond hair. Of course, we didn't get to see his face for long, as the actor quickly morphed into Kurse, a tusked monster who goes toe-to-toe with the god of thunder. Similarly, Akinnuoye-Agbaje was unrecognizable in DC's Suicide Squad, in which he played Killer Croc. While the film was savaged by critics, Suicide Squad did pick up an Oscar for its make-up, so it makes sense that his scaly look is incredibly convincing. However, some fans might not know that Akinnuoye-Agbaje reportedly came close to playing another very important role in the MCU. The actor told MTV News at Comic-Con in 2009 that he was in talks with Marvel about Black Panther, a role that eventually went to Chadwick Boseman.

Tilda Swinton's introduction into the MCU drew quite a bit of criticism, with the white actress signing on to play the traditionally Asian character of the Ancient One in Doctor Strange. Marvel, Swinton, and others involved with the film all responded to the controversy at various points, arguing the title of the Ancient One was passed down to different characters over time, allowing for this iteration to be Celtic. However, there were still many who were upset over Swinton's inclusion, putting a shadow over the film.

Her role in the DC universe, on the other hand, was less controversial...but also seen by way fewer people. The actress appeared in 2005's Constantine as the angel Gabriel. The film, while it made its money back, never had a sequel, and the property eventually made its way to TV. Unfortunately, the short-lived 2015 series quickly got the ax, damning any future Constantine projects to an eternity in development hell.

While he had a small role as Jor-El in The CW's Smallville, Terence Stamp is best known in the DC universe for his portrayal of General Zod in the Christopher Reeve Superman films, famously uttering the line, "Kneel before Zod." It's an unforgettable role, setting a standard by which all Superman villains (and all superhero villains) would later be judged. However, while Stamp's DC appearance is a classic, even comics fans may have blocked out his Marvel appearance.

In the Marvel universe, Stamp went majorly under the radar, appearing as Stick—Jennifer Garner's mentor—in 2005's oft-forgotten Elektra. The movie, which earned only a ten percent on Rotten Tomatoes, has been largely written off in favor of Netflix's Daredevil, where Elektra was played by Elodie Yung and Stick was played by Scott Glenn. And no offense to Terrence Stamp, but if he were to throw down with Glenn, well, our money is on Stick 2.0.

While they're forever separated by copyright ownership, Michael Fassbender and Josh Brolin play key roles in the complicated universe of Marvel movies. Working for Fox, Fassbender was widely praised for his performance as a young Magneto in X-Men: First Class, a role which he has since reprised in X-Men: Days of Future Past and X-Men: Apocalypse. Brolin, meanwhile, is a big deal at Disney, playing Thanos in Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War.

But before either actor joined forces with Marvel, they both played roles in a little DC film called Jonah Hex, a bizarre western starring Brolin in the title role and Fassbender as one of the villain's henchmen. (Oddly enough, the movie would also feature Will Arnett, who voiced an animated Batman in The Lego Movie and The Lego Batman Movie.) The movie failed at the box office, making only $10 million on a $47 million budget, and it didn't fare well with critics either, earning a measly 12 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Looks like Jonah really was hexed after all.