The cinematic history ofDChas seen several actors admit their regrets about their comic book movie past. The superhero genre has been around for decades, and over that time, DC properties have been adapted to the big screen. Long before themovies of the DCEUwere making divisive creative decisions about beloved comic book characters, there were DC movies that prompted negative feelings even for their stars.
Just like someMarvel actors expressed MCU regrets, actors who have found themselves on the DC side of comic book movies have had their own regrettable experiences. Some actors have bristled at behind-the-scenes drama or studio interference, while others have been incredibly critical of their own work within their movies. Though being part of a superhero world would widely be considered a dream come true, here are 10 times that DC actors voiced their regrets about their comic book movies.
10Nic Cage Regrets Not Getting To Play Superman (Properly)
Cage’s Dream Superman Role Never Truly Came To Fruition
Nicolas Cage’s history with DC movies is somehow both incredibly short and deceptively long. After the success of Tim Burton’s Batman movies, an attached Superman movie, titledSuperman Lives, was planned, with Nicolas Cage set to star as the Man of Steel. As one of the most high-profile actors in the world, Cage would undoubtedly have brought something unique to the character, particularly as his own love of Superman is well-known. Though the film went unmade, Cage was able to appear as Superman in abrief cameo in 2023’sThe Flash.
Cage describedSuperman Livesbeing scrapped as one of the biggest regrets of his careerin an interview at 2023’s Red Sea Festival (viaComicBook). He revealed that he was fully committed to the role, and that he had even approached David Bowie about recording a theme song for the movie. AsSuperman Livesultimately never made it to the big screen, Cage’s DC movie history consists of a simple Multiverse cameo, and it’s one of his big career regrets.
9Christian Bale Was Disappointed With His Batman Performance
Bale Felt He Was Outshined By His Talented Co-Star
Christopher Nolan’sDark Knighttrilogyis widely considered the pinnacle of superhero cinema, with 2008’sThe Dark Knightheralded as its crowning jewel. Despite it being considered one of the best movies ever made,The Dark Knight’s star, Christian Bale, has expressed regret over his performance in the film. Bale believes that his performance was lacking, particularly in comparison to one of his co-stars in the movie.
Bale described his performance inThe Dark Knightin an interview withYahooby saying that he “didn’t quite nail it”.He compared his own performance to that of Heath Ledger as the Joker, positing that he was unable to reach the level of Ledger’s performance. Though many would wholeheartedly disagree that Bale’s performance was subpar, the actor himself has clearly expressed his own regrets about the quality of his work on the groundbreaking DC movie.
8Christopher Reeve Wished He’d Stopped At Two Superman Movies
Reeve Hated Both Superman III and IV
Christopher Reeve’s turn as Superman is still considered an iconic benchmark in superhero cinema. Richard Donner’s 1978 movieSupermanbrought the hero to life on the big screen in the modern age, with its 1980 sequel every bit as staggering as its predecessor. However,Christopher Reeve regretted making more Superman sequels, lamenting bothSuperman IIIandSuperman IV: The Quest for Peacein the years following their release.
Reeve frankly assessed both of his final appearances as Superman as lacking in general quality, expressing his own distaste with both films. He clearly indicated that he would have rather never made either of the two final sequels, as he felt they disappointed fans who expected a certain level of quality. Considering the huge success ofSupermanandSuperman II, it’s easy to see where Reeve was coming from in his harsh assessment of his final two Superman movies.
7Henry Cavill’s Big DC Regret Is Incredibly Small
Cavill Would Change One Particular DCEU Moment
As the first movie in theDCEU’s movie timeline, 2013’sMan of Steelcarried a huge weight of responsibility. This is something that its star, Henry Cavill, shouldered remarkably well, though the franchise’s handling of his character in subsequent movies left much to be desired. Despite being generally popular with audiences, Henry Cavill expressed one major and entirely self-critical regret about his performance in the film.
The moment thatHenry Cavill regrets most inMan of Steelwasn’t anything major, or indeed anything that most viewers are likely to have noticed.Cavill regrets a single facial expression in a late scene during a conversation with his on-screen mother, Diane Lane’s Martha Kent. As the DCEU treated Cavill particularly unfairly, his only regret about the franchise being so self-critical seems especially heartbreaking.
6Halle Berry Remains Conflicted About Catwoman
Berry Regrets Catwoman’s Poor Quality, But Not The Payday
2004’sCatwomanis widely considered one of the worst comic book movies ever made, and even its stars don’t contest the movie’s unfortunate claim to fame. However, Halle Berry has expressed regret over the film, once having toldFar Outthat she considers it “a piece of s**t, god-awful movie”. Her scathing indictment ofCatwomanwould seemingly indicate that she wished she had never made it at all, though she later clarified otherwise.
Based on later statements,Halle Berry doesn’t regret makingCatwoman, as it remains one of her biggest career paydays. However, she still refused to defend the movie in any real sense, dismissing it as a dark but profitable chapter in her successful career.Conflicted though Halle Berry may seem overCatwoman, it’s clear that she has specific regretsabout her role in the film.
5Ryan Reynolds Poked Fun At Green Lantern’s Failings
2011’s Green Lantern Was Criticized By Its Star
Ryan Reynolds may have found his specific superhero movie niche with his Marvel role as Deadpool, but 2011 saw him attempt to tackle an iconic DC hero.Green Lanterncast Reynolds in the lead role, with the actor tasked with playing Hal Jordan on the big screen. The movie’s critical and commercial failures cemented it as a bomb, with Reynolds distancing himself from the project after its release.
Ryan Reynolds has spent years poking fun atGreen Lanternand its failings. A meta joke in theDeadpoolmovies referenced the film’s poorly-received CGI suit, with another showing Deadpool killing Reynolds to prevent him from making the movie. ThoughRyan Reynolds typically hides his regret behind jokes at the movie’s expense, these riffs make it clear that he wishes it had better adapted the source material and earned its own success.
Clooney Publicly Denounced His Own Movie
Joel Schumacher’s Batman movies in the 1990s are often cited as the worst adaptations of the Dark Knight. This harsh analysis isn’t limited simply to audiences or even critics, but it was also echoed by the star of 1997’sBatman & Robin. George Clooney has spent many years sinceBatman & Robin’s release poking fun at the movie and insulting it in various ways.
The actor’s willingness to publicly speak out against his own movie certainly didn’t help its reputation. Clooney has been quoted as describing himself as the worst Batman, and having made numerous derogatory remarks about the reviled movie.It’s evident that Clooney regrets his role inBatman & Robin, as well as the general handling and response to the movie in the years since its release, making him another DC actor to speak out about his comic book movie regrets.
3Dwayne Johnson Was Upset By The Reaction To Black Adam
Johnson Blamed DC’s Handling Of The DCEU
2022 saw the release ofBlack Adam, introducing the eponymous anti-hero and supervillain into the DCEU. Starring Dwayne Johnson as Black Adam, the movie received a huge amount of hype from media outlets, fueled in part by Johnson himself. However, the film’s release saw it struggle at the box office and with critics, and plans for future movie appearances for the character were swiftly scrapped. Johnson wasn’t quiet about his disappointment, either.
Dwayne Johnson’s statements aboutBlack Adamspeculated that the movie “got caught in a vortex of new leadership,” raising the impending DCU reboot as one reason forBlack Adam’s failings.Johnson continued to assert how proud he was of the movie, though expressed his regrets about the studio’s handling of its releaseand potential for sequels. Though Johnson didn’t regret the movie itself, the overall circumstances of and response toBlack Adamappears to have complicated his overall perspective on the release and its place in DC’s cinematic history.
2Brandon Routh Regretted Not Getting To Make A Superman Returns Sequel
Routh’s Biggest Regret Was Not Returning
In 2006, Brandon Routh was cast as Superman, andSuperman Returnswas created seemingly to resolve Christopher Reeve’s own regrets. Disregarding the events ofSuperman IIIandIV,Superman Returnswas written to be the sequel Reeve would have wanted. Routh’s turn as the Man of Steel was faithful to the source material and generally enjoyable, though it failed to achieve success at the box office.
Routh has since explained his regrets aboutSuperman Returns’ performance. The actor explained the reasoning behind the lack of a sequel, and said that he regretted being unable to reprise the role on the big screen.The potential of Routh’s Superman was clear, so his regrets are more than justified, particularly as he was incredibly diplomatic in his comments about his personal DC movie regrets over makingSuperman Returns.
1Josh Brolin Brutally Assessed Jonah Hex
Brolin Despises The Comic Book Western
2010’sJonah Hexis one of DC’s most forgettable movies. Despite a noteworthy cast and an interesting premise, it failed to earn the respect of critics or audiences, and severely underperformed at the box office. The negative press generated by those involved with the movie ultimately proved as substantial as the movie itself, withJonah Hex’s star, Josh Brolin, being one of the most vocal among its detractors.
Brolin is quoted as describingJonah Hexas a “sh***y"movie in an interview withGQ, pointing blame in various directions over its failures.The one consistent in Brolin’s comments on the film is his regrets about the way it turned out, particularly as he felt it did no justice to his talented co-stars. Considering its general failure and lack of popularity, Josh Brolin’s regrets overJonah Hexare some of the most substantial in the history ofDCmovies.
DC Universe
The DC Universe is one of the biggest comic book franchises and often competes with Marvel. DC Comics started as National Allied Publications, founded by Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson in 1935. Since then, the franchise has exploded with thousands of comic books, movies, TV shows, and video games. 2013 marked the beginning of the most recent iteration of the superheroes, with Zack Snyder introducing Henry Cavill as Superman. After several movies with mixed reviews, DC underwent a soft reboot under the helm of James Gunn and Peter Safran.
