Andre Braugher Played A Huge Supervillain In A Batman Movie You May Have Missed

Andre Braugher was an incredible actor with an impressive range, from gritty procedurals like "Homicide: Life on the Street" to the hilariously stone-faced Raymond Holt on "Brooklyn Nine-Nine." With his signature thunderous voice, he commanded authority regardless of the role, and some fans may be surprised to hear he put that voice to good use portraying one of the most fearsome antagonists in the DC universe.

Audiences can hear Andre Braugher as Darkseid in 2010's animated film, "Superman/Batman: Apocalypse," a highly rated Superman movie on IMDb. The film sees Batman (Kevin Conroy) and the Man of Steel (Tim Daly) team up when the latter's cousin, Kara (Summer Glau), lands on Earth. Along with some other superpowered buddies, they try to train Supergirl, but her presence also catches the attention of Darkseid, who believes she could lead his Furies.

Andre Braugher's Darkseid even exchanges blows with Batman toward the end of the film, with the Dark Knight ultimately outsmarting the lord of Apokolips. It's a stellar turn, with Braugher bringing just enough authority and menace to make Darkseid a formidable threat that comes to respect Batman's actions by the finale. 

Andre Braugher's turn as Darkseid earned him praise from fans. In the comment section of a "Superman/Batman: Apocalypse" clip on YouTube, @JinLee8899 wrote, "Andre Braugher did such an amazing job voicing Darkseid. So deep and powerful." Whether he used his booming voice for drama or comedy, Braugher always brought his A-game, which is probably why the animated DC movie wasn't his first time being brought into the superhero fold. 

In 2007, Braugher had a chance to star in a live-action comic book property — "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer." Similarly to how people may have overlooked his Darkseid role, it's easy to forget he played General Hager years prior. It makes sense, given how "Fantastic Four 2" wasn't exactly well-received when it came out, so the less said about it, the better. However, his role probably would've stood out more had Braugher played Nick Fury, which was the original plan if a deal could've been worked out with Marvel. Instead, Fury came to live-action a year later with Samuel L. Jackson in a post-credits scene for "Iron Man."

Braugher definitely could've brought the intimidation factor to Fury. And given his comedic chops exemplified in "Brooklyn Nine-Nine," he even could've portrayed some of Fury's sillier moments in various Marvel movies. Alas, it wasn't meant to be, with Braugher having brief excursions into both the worlds of Marvel and DC.