Superhero movies can often make or break the careers of their stars, but not every actor or actress walks away from their cape-wearing debut with a positive experience. Even the most famous stars of superhero movies have been a part of some comic book box office bombs, flopping due to either their own performance or other outside factors. In many cases, the lead roles of these films have outright publicly expressed regret at their participation in them.
This regret can be due to a number of reasons. Sometimes, actors or actresses take part in films that are bad due to reasons outside their own control, merely wishing they didn’t agree to the project or had better foresight as to the ultimate quality of the film. Other times, it can be more personal, with a performer taking full responsibility for their own poor performances. From the earliest DC movies to the acclaim of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, superheroes of all banners have come forward to express their sympathies to a disappointed audience.
10
Chris Hemsworth in Thor: Love & Thunder
Didn’t like the direction his character went in
The beating mythical heart of the original Avengers, Thor has had quite a journey throughout the MCU. Beginning with his third film, Thor: Ragnarok, the character became much more comedic, though struggled to maintain this tone through the dour events of the Infinity Saga. By this point, Hemsworth had expressed jealousy with the material his co-Avengers got to work with, stating “I would read everyone else’s lines, and go, Oh, they got way cooler stuff. They’re having more fun,” (via Vanity Fair).
Thor: Love and Thunder was the apex of this character degradation, as recognized by Hemsworth later on. The MCU star spoke with regret on the matter, admitting “I got caught up in the improv and the wackiness, and I became a parody of myself.” Chris Hemsworth is far from the only Marvel lover to identify Thor’s comedy problem, and his prescience in concisely identifying the issue says a lot about his understanding of the character.
9
Sally Field in The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Blamed her involvement in the critical flop on an industry connection
Finding an actor or actress willing to besmirch the reputation of an underwhelming superhero film they starred in is hard enough. What’s even rarer is finding a performer willing to make excuses for their involvement, explaining away their presence in a critical flop. Sally Field is one such actress with no issues doing so, actively finding ways to distance herself from Sony’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
Flopping hard enough critically to prematurely end Andrew Garfield’s tenure as Spider-Man, the second entry in the brief-lived franchise failed to learn any lessons from Raimi’s trilogy, overstuffed with villains, unnecessary cliffhangers, and awkward performances. Sally Field, who played Aunt May, has actively spoken about her dislike for the film, clarifying “It’s not my kind of movie,” (via Variety). Not only that, but she blamed her appearance on a favor she owed to producer Laura Ziskin.
8
George Clooney in Batman & Robin
Has admitted multiple times to being the worst Batman
When it comes to identifying the worst live-action Batman, George Clooney’s performance in Batman & Robin is a strong contender. In all fairness, Clooney isn’t to blame for the ridiculously campy direction the film went in, being given little to work with to hone a well-tuned Batman portrayal. Still, the movie star has spoken regretfully about his involvement in the project on multiple occasions, even outright apologizing for Batman & Robin.
Clooney has made no reservations about his performance as the Caped Crusader, stating “When I say ‘Batman and Robin’ is a terrible film, I always go, ‘I was terrible in it,” (via The Wrap). Yet in doing so, Clooney has also afforded himself to make good points about the movie’s other failures, most of all the atrociously corny dialogue, such as Mr. Freeze’s avalanche of puns. The late director Joel Schumacher also expressed a similar sentiment about his Batman failures, making Batman & Robin reviled even by its own creators.
7
Jeremy Irons in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice
Alfred wasn’t shy about his thoughts on the first DCEU Batman film
For all the issues Zack Snyder’s Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice had, Jeremy Irons’ Alfred certainly wasn’t one of them. Irons did an amazing job portraying a younger, spryer Alfred compared to the withered performances of Michael Caine or Michael Gough, stealing what few scenes he was in. Unfortunately, the film’s other faults weren’t lost on the distinguished Award-winning actor, who made no reservations about admitting the DCEU’s missteps.
Jeremy Irons has gone on record agreeing with the negative reviews received by Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. Irons clarified his own pain points with the film, calling it “sort of overstuffed…It was very muddled,” (via Collider). Agreeing with vocal critics, Jeremy Irons likely has no love lost for the DCEU’s gradual dissolution.
6
Halle Berry In Catwoman
Has felt guilty about the role for years
Despite being the only actress to play the feline femme fatale to get her own movie, Halle Berry has gone done in history as one of, if not the single worst, live-action Catwoman actresses. 2004’s Catwoman played with the character’s origins and motives, turning her from a mundane cat burglar to a magical vengeful anti-heroine with an affinity for milk. While Berry was fantastic as the mutant Storm in her other major superhero outing, the legacy of Catwoman is a tale of infamy.
Sadly, Berry has had something of a guilty conscience over her involvement in the travesty of a film. She expressed as much in an interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, stating “for all these years, I have carried the weight of that film. And whatever success it had or didn’t have somehow seemed like it was all my fault,” (via Independent). Still, Halle Berry has the good sense of humor to look back on the experience and laugh, even being one of the few movie stars to accept a sarcastic Razzie award in-person.
5
Ryan Reynolds In Green Lantern
Before he dressed in red, Reynolds had a disastrous outing in green
These days, Ryan Reynolds’ star power is nearly unmatched, especially in the superhero space as the wise-cracking anti-hero Deadpool. But before coming into his own as the merc with a mouth, Reynolds was the lead of the disastrous 2011 DC adaptation Green Lantern, in which he played Hal Jordan. Full of underbaked CGI and phoned-in performances, Reynolds will be the first one to admonish the film for its missteps.
From the moment he saw Green Lantern for the first time at its premiere, Reynolds had regrets, recalling “sitting in that premiere, watching that… oh my God, it’s tough,” (via Independent). Since then, he’s gone on to satirize Green Lantern in his other superhero movie appearances. In Deadpool, Wade Wilson pleads with the Weapon X agents not to make his super suit green or animated, while in Deadpool 2, Deadpool himself shoots his actor in the head while reading the script to Green Lantern.
4
David Harbour In Hellboy
Has the right regrets for the wrong reasons
Despite the character’s popularity among comic readers, there haven’t been all that many Hellboy movies. David Harbour’s take on the character in 2019 had big shoes to fill from Guillermo del Toro’s original duology, which so effectively captured the gothic vibes of the original comic’s stunning artwork from creator Mike Mignola. Yet the film was a disappointment to both returning fans and newcomers alike, being critically panned while losing big at the box office.
Harbour certainly seems to regret his involvement in Hellboy, but not for the right reasons. The Stranger Things star seems to blame fans who were too attached to the original films for the reboot’s failure, explaining “I think it failed before we began shooting because I think that people didn’t want us to make the movie,” (via Variety). This response could be seen as something of a cop-out, shifting the very real failures of the film onto a sentiment of sanctity for Guillermo del Toro’s original Hellboy films.
3
Dakota Johnson In Madame Web
Did little to hide her distaste for the film
One of the most disastrous receptions for a superhero film in recent years, Sony’s Madame Web failed by nearly every conceivable metric. Shunned by movie critics, comic book fans, and general audiences alike, Madame Web was one of the worst financial flops in Sony’s history. At the center of it all was star actress Dakota Johnson, who has made no secret of her distaste for the experience.
Johnson describes Madame Web’s sign-on process in which she was misled as to what kind of film the project would ultimately end up being, sympathizing with viewers that “it’s not nice to be a part of something that’s ripped to shreds, but I can’t say that I don’t understand.” Even before the film was released, Johnson was famously ambivalent in the press tours leading up to the premiere, mustering little enthusiasm for the Spider-Man IP. Regarding superhero films, Johnson has since asserted that “I don’t make sense in that world. And I know that now.”
2
Jessica Alba In Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer
One of the saddest experiences with superhero stardom
Superhero movies can certainly leave a negative impact on their stars, but it’s rare that a performer will nearly quit acting over them. This very scenario happened with Jessica Alba thanks to her terrible experiences in filming Fox’s Fantastic Four duology, in which she played Sue Storm, a.k.a. The Invisible Woman. In particular, it was the filming of a certain scene in Fantastic Four: Rise of the SIlver Surfer that nearly caused Alba to quit movies altogether.
Alba described a scene in which her character had to cry, being given the note from director Tim Story to “cry prettier.” The actress was deeply upset by the direction, later stating that she asked herself “Are my instincts and my emotions not good enough? Do people hate them so much that they don’t want me to be a person?” upon hearing Story’s direction. It’s a shame that Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer was more concerned with Alba’s looks than her character work.
1
Chris Hemsworth (Again) in Thor: The Dark World
Has had doubts about his place in the MCU for a long time
Thor: Love and Thunder and Avengers: Infinity War were far from the only times Chris Hemsworth questioned his role at the helm of one of the MCU’s most important franchises. As early as Thor: The Dark World, the Australian actor has been hyper-critical of his own performances as the God of Thunder. The 2013 Thor sequel is indeed regarded as one of the lower-ranked Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, a fact Hemsworth seems to be painfully aware of.
The actor summed up his feelings on his efforts in the film succinctly, admitting “I was a little disappointed in what I’d done. I didn’t think I grew the character in any way, I didn’t think I showed an audience something unexpected and different,” (via Business Insider). Granted, Thor’s character in Thor: The Dark World is far from the film’s only issue. But it’s fascinating to hear from the other side of a failed superhero movie, and Chris Hemsworth seems to be all too aware of his failures as Thor.
Sources: Vanity Fair, Variety, The Wrap, Collider, Independent, Business Insider
