The Most Prolific Actors in Comics-Based Movies
Using this list of movies, I’ve sorted out which actors have had the most roles in film adaptations of comics (comic strips, comic books, and graphic novels.)
Chris Evans - 6.5 roles in 15 movies
| Character | Movie(s) |
|---|---|
| Johnny Storm / Human Torch | Fantastic Four (2005) |
| ” | Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007) |
| Casey Jones (voice) | TMNT (2007) |
| Jake Jensen | The Losers (2010) |
| Lucas Lee | Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010) |
| Steve Rogers / Captain America | Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) |
| ” | The Avengers (2012) |
| ” | Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) |
| ” | Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) |
| ” | Ant-Man (2015) |
| ” | Captain America: Civil War (2016) |
| ” | Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) |
| ” | Avengers: Infinity War (2018) |
| Loki as Captain America (uncredited) | Thor: The Dark World (2013) |
| Curtis Everett | Snowpiercer (2013) |
Having been the King of Comic-Book Movies for some time, Chris gets awarded a half-role with his cameo portrayal of Loki pretending to be Captain America in the second Thor film.
Josh Brolin - 6 roles in 8 movies
| Character | Movie(s) |
|---|---|
| Jonah Hex | Jonah Hex (2010) |
| Young Agent K | Men in Black 3 (2012) |
| Joe Doucett | Oldboy (2013) |
| Dwight | Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (2014) |
| Thanos | Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) |
| ” | Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) |
| ” | Avengers: Infinity War (2018) |
| Nathan Summers / Cable | The Untitled Deadpool Sequel (2018) |
Josh has been climbing the ranks, with 3 new Comic-based roles since 2014.
Jason Flemyng - 6 roles in 6 movies
| Character | Movie(s) |
|---|---|
| Netley, the Coachman | From Hell (2001) |
| Dr. Henry Jekyll / Edward Hyde | The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003) |
| Malachi | Solomon Kane (2009) |
| Lobby Goon | Kick-Ass (2010) |
| Azazel | X-Men: First Class (2011) |
| Charlie | Gemma Bovery (2014) |
Jason’s “Lobby Goon” character from Kick-Ass is memorable enough to count as a full role.
Samuel L. Jackson - 5 roles in 12 movies
| Character | Movie(s) |
|---|---|
| Octopuss | The Spirit (2008) |
| Zog (voice) | Astro Boy (2009) |
| Nick Fury | Iron Man (2008) |
| ” | The Avengers (2012) |
| ” | Iron Man 2 (2010) |
| ” | Thor (2011) |
| ” | Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) |
| ” | Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) |
| ” | Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) |
| ” | Captain Marvel (2019) |
| Chaney | Oldboy (2013) |
| Richmond Valentine | Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015) |
Thomas Kretschmann - 5 roles in 6 movies
| Character | Movie(s) |
|---|---|
| Thagnar | Prince Valiant (1997) |
| Damaskinos | Blade II (2002) |
| Alcide Nikopol | Immortal (2004) |
| Cross | Wanted (2008) |
| Baron Wolfgang von Strucker | Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) |
| ” | Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) |
Scarlett Johansson - 4 roles in 10 movies
| Character | Movie(s) |
|---|---|
| Rebecca | Ghost World (2001) |
| Silken Floss | The Spirit (2008) |
| Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow | Iron Man 2 (2010) |
| ” | The Avengers (2012) |
| ” | Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) |
| ” | Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) |
| ” | Captain America: Civil War (2016) |
| ” | Thor: Ragnarok (2017) |
| ” | Avengers: Infinity War (2018) |
| Major Mira Killian / Motoko Kusanagi | Ghost in the Shell (2017) |
Doug Jones - 4+ roles in 7 movies
| Character | Movie(s) |
|---|---|
| Thin Clown | Batman Returns (1992) |
| Additional Ripper | Tank Girl (1995) |
| Yeti | Monkeybone (2001) |
| Joey | Men in Black II (2002) |
| Abe Sapien | Hellboy (2004) |
| ” | Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008) |
| Norrin Radd / Silver Surfer | Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007) |
Besides having 4 roles, he also has two roles as an extra in Batman Returns and Tank Girl.
Ron Perlman - 4 roles in 6 movies
| Character | Movie(s) |
|---|---|
| Boltar | Prince Valiant (1997) |
| Reinhardt | Blade II (2002) |
| Hellboy | Hellboy (2004) |
| ” | Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008) |
| Shoggoth | Howard Lovecraft & the Frozen Kingdom (2016) |
| ” | Howard Lovecraft & the Undersea Kingdom (2017) |
Ryan Reynolds - 4 roles in 6 movies
| Character | Movie(s) |
|---|---|
| Hannibal King | Blade: Trinity (2004) |
| Wade Wilson / Deadpool | X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) |
| ” | Deadpool (2016) |
| ” | Untitled Deadpool Sequel (2018) |
| Hal Jordan / Green Lantern | Green Lantern (2011) |
| Nick Walker | R.I.P.D. (2013) |
Bruce Willis - 4 roles in 6 movies
| Character | Movie(s) |
|---|---|
| Det. John Hartigan | Sin City (2005) |
| ” | Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (2014) |
| RJ (voice) | Over the Hedge (2006) |
| Tom Greer | Surrogates (2009) |
| Frank Moses | RED (2010) |
| ” | RED 2 (2013) |
Will Arnett - 4 roles in 5 movies
| Character | Movie(s) |
|---|---|
| Lieutenant Grass | Jonah Hex (2010) |
| Agent AA | Men in Black 3 (2012) |
| Vernon Fenwick | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014) |
| ” | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (2016) |
| Batman / Bruce Wayne (voice) | The Lego Batman Movie (2017) |
Alan Cumming - 4 roles in 5 movies
| Character | Movie(s) |
|---|---|
| Wyatt Frame | Josie and the Pussycats (2001) |
| Kurt Wagner / Nightcrawler | X2 (2003) |
| Loki | Son of the Mask (2005) |
| Gutsy Smurf (voice) | The Smurfs (2011) |
| ” | The Smurfs 2 (2013) |
Rosario Dawson - 4 roles in 5 movies
| Character | Movie(s) |
|---|---|
| Valerie Brown | Josie and the Pussycats (2001) |
| Laura Vasquez | Men in Black II (2002) |
| Gail | Sin City (2005) |
| ” | Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (2014) |
| Batgirl / Barbara Gordon (voice) | The Lego Batman Movie (2017) |
Clint Howard - 4+ roles in 5 movies
| Character | Movie(s) |
|---|---|
| Mark | The Rocketeer (1991) |
| Stalin | Fist of the North Star (1995) |
| Schmitz | Barb Wire (1996) |
| Dogcatcher | Addams Family Reunion (1998) |
| Gordon Eldridge | Sparks (2013) |
Clint’s “Dogcatcher” role doesn’t qualify as a full character.
John Hurt - 4 roles in 5 movies
| Character | Movie(s) |
|---|---|
| Prof. Bruttenholm | Hellboy (2004) |
| ” | Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008) |
| Chancellor Adam Sutler | V for Vendetta (2006) |
| Gilliam | Snowpiercer (2013) |
| Cotys | Hercules (2014) |
Christina Ricci - 4 roles in 5 movies
| Character | Movie(s) |
|---|---|
| Wednesday Addams | The Addams Family (1991) |
| ” | Addams Family Values (1993) |
| Kathleen ‘Kat’ Harvey | Casper (1995) |
| Trixie | Speed Racer (2008) |
| Vexy (voice) | The Smurfs 2 (2013) |
Terence Stamp - 4 roles in 5 movies
| Character | Movie(s) |
|---|---|
| General Zod | Superman (1978) |
| ” | Superman II (1980) |
| Willie Garvin | Modesty Blaise (1966) |
| Stick | Elektra (2005) |
| Pekwarsky | Wanted (2008) |
Mark Strong - 4 roles in 5 movies
| Character | Movie(s) |
|---|---|
| Frank D’Amico | Kick-Ass (2010) |
| Sinestro | Green Lantern (2011) |
| Hamish Mycroft / Merlin | Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015) |
| ” | Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017) |
| Doctor Thaddeus Bodog Sivana | Shazam! (2019) |
Juno Temple - 4 roles in 5 movies
| Character | Movie(s) |
|---|---|
| Celia | St. Trinian’s (2007) |
| ” | St Trinian’s 2: The Legend of Fritton’s Gold (2009) |
| Jen | The Dark Knight Rises (2012) |
| Alice | The Brass Teapot (2012) |
| Sally | Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (2014) |
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje - 4 roles in 4 movies
| Character | Movie(s) |
|---|---|
| Robert Nkomo Morel | Bullet to the Head (2013) |
| Algrim / Kurse | Thor: The Dark World (2013) |
| Waylon Jones / Killer Croc | Suicide Squad (2016) |
| Nash | Annie (2014) |
Ewen Bremner - 4 roles in 4 movies
| Character | Movie(s) |
|---|---|
| Junior Angel | Judge Dredd (1995) |
| Graeme Miller | AVP: Alien vs. Predator (2004) |
| Andrew | Snowpiercer (2013) |
| Charlie | Wonder Woman (2017) |
Clancy Brown - 4 roles in 4 movies
| Character | Movie(s) |
|---|---|
| Meacham | Cowboys & Aliens (2011) |
| Parallax (voice) | Green Lantern (2011) |
| Archer | Sparks (2013) |
| Surtur (voice) | Thor: Ragnarok (2017) |
Jennifer Connelly - 4 roles in 4 movies
| Character | Movie(s) |
|---|---|
| Jenny Blake | The Rocketeer (1991) |
| Betty Ross | Hulk (2003) |
| Karen / Suit Lady (voice) | Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) |
| Chiren | Alita: Battle Angel (2018) |
Sam Elliott - 4 roles in 4 movies
| Character | Movie(s) |
|---|---|
| Thaddeus E. “Thunderbolt” Ross | Hulk (2003) |
| Carter Slade / Phantom Rider | Ghost Rider (2007) |
| Chupadogra (voice) | Marmaduke (2010) |
| Fleetwood Yak (voice) | Rock Dog (2016) |
Eddie Izzard - 4 roles in 4 movies
| Character | Movie(s) |
|---|---|
| Tony P | Mystery Men (1999) |
| Prosit | Blueberry (2004) |
| Angus (voice) | Rock Dog (2016) |
| Voldemort (voice) | The Lego Batman Movie (2017) |
Holt McCallany - 4 roles in 4 movies
| Character | Movie(s) |
|---|---|
| Sam Whitemoon | Creepshow 2 (1987) |
| Wade Travis | The Losers (2010) |
| Hank Greely | Bullet to the Head (2013) |
| Burglar | Justice League (2017) |
I gave Holt full credit for his “Burglar” character from the beginning of Justice League.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan - 4 roles in 4 movies
| Character | Movie(s) |
|---|---|
| Edward Blake / The Comedian | Watchmen (2009) |
| Jeb Turnbull | Jonah Hex (2010) |
| Franklin Clay | The Losers (2010) |
| Thomas Wayne (uncredited) | Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) |
Temuera Morrison - 4 roles in 4 movies
| Character | Movie(s) |
|---|---|
| Axel Hood | Barb Wire (1996) |
| Runi | Blueberry (2004) |
| Abin Sur | Green Lantern (2011) |
| Thomas Curry | Aquaman (2018) |
Karel Roden - 4 roles in 4 movies
| Character | Movie(s) |
|---|---|
| Kounen | Blade II (2002) |
| Strucker | Bulletproof Monk (2003) |
| Grigori Rasputin | Hellboy (2004) |
| Mikhail Korsky | The Heir Apparent: Largo Winch (2008) |
Karl Urban - 4 roles in 4 movies
| Character | Movie(s) |
|---|---|
| William Cooper | RED (2010) |
| Black Hat | Priest (2011) |
| Judge Dredd | Dredd (2012) |
| Skurge | Thor: Ragnarok (2017) |
(All data was compiled from http://themoviedb.org and pictures are from IMDb.)
Written on March 7, 2018