10 DC Movie Actors Who Admitted Their Regrets About Their Comic Book Movies

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The cinematic history of DC has 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 the movies of the DCEU were making divisive creative decisions about beloved comic book characters, there were DC movies that prompted negative feelings even for their stars.
Just like some Marvel 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.
10 Nic Cage Regrets Not Getting To Play Superman (Properly) Cage's Dream Superman Role Never Truly Came To Fruition Close 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, titled Superman 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 a brief cameo in 2023’s The Flash.
Cage described Superman Lives being scrapped as one of the biggest regrets of his career in an interview at 2023"s Red Sea Festival (via ComicBook). 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. As Superman Lives ultimately 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.
9 Christian Bale Was Disappointed With His Batman Performance Bale Felt He Was Outshined By His Talented Co-Star Close Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy is widely considered the pinnacle of superhero cinema, with 2008’s The Dark Knight heralded 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 in The Dark Knight in an interview with Yahoo by 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.
8 Christopher Reeve Wished He'd Stopped At Two Superman Movies Reeve Hated Both Superman III and IV Close Christopher Reeve’s turn as Superman is still considered an iconic benchmark in superhero cinema. Richard Donner’s 1978 movie Superman brought 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 both Superman III and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace in 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 of Superman and Superman II, it’s easy to see where Reeve was coming from in his harsh assessment of his final two Superman movies.
7 Henry Cavill's Big DC Regret Is Incredibly Small Cavill Would Change One Particular DCEU Moment Close As the first movie in the DCEU’s movie timeline, 2013’s Man of Steel carried 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 that Henry Cavill regrets most in Man of Steel wasn’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.
6 Halle Berry Remains Conflicted About Catwoman Berry Regrets Catwoman's Poor Quality, But Not The Payday Close 2004’s Catwoman is 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 told Far Out that she considers it “a piece of s**t, god-awful movie”. Her scathing indictment of Catwoman would 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 making Catwoman, 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 over Catwoman, it’s clear that she has specific regrets about her role in the film.
5 Ryan Reynolds Poked Fun At Green Lantern’s Failings 2011's Green Lantern Was Criticized By Its Star Close 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 Lantern cast 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 at Green Lantern and its failings. A meta joke in the Deadpool movies referenced the film’s poorly-received CGI suit, with another showing Deadpool killing Reynolds to prevent him from making the movie. Though Ryan 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.
4 George Clooney Described His Batman Movie As “So Bad” Clooney Publicly Denounced His Own Movie Close 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’s Batman & Robin. George Clooney has spent many years since Batman & 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 in Batman & 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.
3 Dwayne Johnson Was Upset By The Reaction To Black Adam Johnson Blamed DC's Handling Of The DCEU Close 2022 saw the release of Black 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 about Black Adam speculated that the movie "got caught in a vortex of new leadership," raising the impending DCU reboot as one reason for Black 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 release and potential for sequels. Though Johnson didn’t regret the movie itself, the overall circumstances of and response to Black Adam appears to have complicated his overall perspective on the release and its place in DC"s cinematic history.
2 Brandon Routh Regretted Not Getting To Make A Superman Returns Sequel Routh's Biggest Regret Was Not Returning Close In 2006, Brandon Routh was cast as Superman, and Superman Returns was created seemingly to resolve Christopher Reeve’s own regrets. Disregarding the events of Superman III and IV, Superman Returns was 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 about Superman 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 making Superman Returns.
1 Josh Brolin Brutally Assessed Jonah Hex Brolin Despises The Comic Book Western Close 2010’s Jonah Hex is 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, with Jonah Hex’s star, Josh Brolin, being one of the most vocal among its detractors.
Brolin is quoted as describing Jonah Hex as a “sh***y" movie in an interview with GQ, 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 over Jonah Hex are some of the most substantial in the history of DC movies.

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