Ten Actors Who Could Play Famous Comic Book Superheroes

The thing about having a ton of comic book heroes and villains to get acquainted with is that it essentially gives us the opportunity to act as an informal casting director whenever we’d like to, just for fun. Normally, characters who pop up on our TV screens or down at the movies are strangers to us, so we never really get the chance to have our say in who should have had the opportunity to play them. I’m not someone who typically thinks that the public should make demands when it comes to a production team’s casting choices, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have some fun coming up with our own Justice League dream team. I’ve never read nor will ever think about reading 50 Shades of Grey, but all of the chaos surrounding the initial casting of Charlie Hunnam (of Sons of Anarchy fame) kind of pissed me off because of the ridiculous outrage and petitioning to have him removed from the production. That’s kind of where I began to drum up the idea for this article in the first place. There aren't many guidelines to this. I just didn't focus on any big heroes or villains who're currently being portrayed in a way that we have a particular entertainer ingrained in our brains. Stephen Amell, your job on Arrow is safe. Also, I like to stray away from the obvious. I like when characters are taken in new directions. Of course, nothing will ever top Heath Ledger's Joker, and nobody saw that one coming.

Here are some personal picks for actors who could play famous DC Comics heroes or villains. Share any of your own in the comments section below, and don't feel like you need to stick to DC characters just because that's where my mind went!

Aquaman:

Image: DC Comics

Image: Pacific Rim

Charlie Hunnam – The Sons of Anarchy star has proven that he has the dramatic chops to handle an iconic character, but he also has the rugged edge that is needed for folks to take Arthur Curry seriously. Aquaman seems to live in extremes when it comes to fan approval. One of the latest takes, the version of Arthur in Injustice: Gods Among Us, had enough edge to make him a fan favorite.

Image: Socialite Life

Chord Overstreet – In place of a rugged edge, a sense of humor could work wonders. The Glee star certainly has the right look to fill the role of a young Aquaman if there ever is a need for such a part to play.

Cyborg: 

Image: DC Comics

Image: Salon.com

Michael B. Jordan – Star of Fruitvale Station and the upcoming That Awkward Moment, Michael B. Jordan is an acting force to be reckoned with. He’s got a lot of buzz going for him right now, and he more than deserves it. Funny enough, I just learned that he leant his voice to the animated version of Cyborg in Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox!

Poison Ivy:

Image: DC Comics

MTV "Teen Wolf"

Holland Roden – Status as stunning red head aside, this ginger has proven that she has the sex appeal to bring Ivy to life through her role on MTV’s Teen Wolf. In addition, the fact that she can also pull off portraying genius-level smarts is a massive plus.

Image: HDWallpaperzon

Emma Stone - Man, I feel like I'm having Emma Stone withdrawals lately. Although she's currently doing a stellar job of portraying Gwen Stacy in the The Amazing Spider-man series, if she should ever turn her back on Marvel for DC, she should gun for the role of Ivy.

Shazam:

Image: Injustice: Gods Among Us

Showtime "Shameless"

Ethan Cutkosky - The hero formerly known as Captain Marvel is Billy Batson, a 12-year-old boy from the streets who’s granted the ability to transform into a superhero by merely shouting out the name of the wizard who has granted him the gifts. “Shazam!” Cutkosky plays the ultimate badass youngster as Carl Gallagher on the Showtime hit Shameless.

Image: Biography.com

Mark Wahlberg – Billy Batson needs to have a brawny superhero alter ego, and I don’t believe Wahlberg has ever tried his hand at a comic book character role. Also, Shazam needs to maintain Billy’s childish charm as a full-grown adult superhero, and the action star isn’t afraid to get goofy and show his sense of humor. Ted certainly proved that. Plus, he's totally believable as a grownup Ethan Cutkosky. We love you, Wahlberg, but nobody tops Cutkosky!

Harley Quinn: 

Image: Injustice: Gods Among Us

ABC Family "Pretty Little Liars"

Ashley Benson – The Pretty Little Liars star often acts as the comedic relief on a show that can get pretty suspenseful and, oftentimes, downright scary. The thing about Harley is that her sense of humor renders her almost untouchable, even as a supervillainess. I believe she was once killed off only to be written back into the script out of sheer guilt on the writer's part. Everybody loves Harley, and Ashley could breathe some life into a character who’s never really been brought to life in live action.

Image: Pure Jadore

Taylor Momsen – I’m not sure if the former Gossip Girl star has any interest in ever acting again now that she’s fronting the successful hard rock group The Pretty Reckless, but if they ever needed a darker version of Harley to pop up, a version that is more akin to the character of the comics rather than that of the animated series, Momsen could be good.

The Flash: 

Image: DC Comics

Fox "New Girl"

Max Greenfield – Okay, so Barry Allen is usually a blond, but the New Girl star carries the same endearing comedic charm off the show as he does as Schmidt. Of course, all of the equally entertaining put-on douchey qualities are dropped. Max Greenfield has just the right vibe to pull off the lovable Flash.

Image: The CW "Arrow"

Grant Gustin – Keep doing your thing, Grant. We’re all looking forward to the Flash spinoff of Arrow here!

That's all for me, folks! Do you have any superheroes whom you'd like to see brought to life by some of your favorite actors? How about supervillains? Also, if you're interested, be sure to check out my plea to the writers of Arrow to make Harley Quinn happen!