We like to focus on the positives within nerd culture, however some times that can be a difficult thing to do. When it comes to films based on comic books, casting is key. If Robert Downey Jr was not casted to play Tony Stark, would the MCU be as successful as it is? Heath Ledger as the Joker in The Dark Knight was a masterclass of perfect casting. For the most part, casting directors and studios do a decent job at representing characters with their casting. These 10 casting choices are the opposite of good casting; instead these choices makes one wonder what the hell the casting director was thinking. Let’s get into it!

10) Topher Grace as Eddie Brock/Venom in Spider–Man 3 (2007)

While watching Sam Rami’s final film in the Spider-Man trilogy, it’s easy to sense a disconnect between the film and the inclusion of Venom. Peter Parker in the black suit looked amazing! However, once the That 70’s Show actor dons the symbiote, Venom becomes a joke. Topher Grace’s performance only seems to get worse especially when comparing it to Tom Hardy’s version of the character that would get his own trilogy. The one trend that this list will feature is lack of believability, and Grace is not believable as Eddie Brock.

Why is it at 10? Despite him not being believable, Grace is simply miscast as Eddie Brock. He does not fit in well with a powerful performance by Thomas Haden Church as The Sandman and already established characters in the franchise. This is simply the wrong actor for the role. Even though future versions of Venom would be played for laughs, seeing Grace trying to be a badass character was unexpectedly hilarious.

9) Megan Fox as April O’Neil in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014) and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out Of The Shadows (2016)

In 2007, Michael Bay introduced us to Megan Fox in the blockbuster film Transformers. She became a sex symbol for nerd culture after that. I was 15 when Transformers came out, I could not take my eyes off of Fox. She would arguably have her best role in Jennifer’s Body in 2009 by parodying her sex symbol status. So when Michael Bay produced a live action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, it was no surprise when it was announced that Fox would be involved. Unlike the casting of Judith Hoag in the 1990 classic adaptation of the Mirage Studios Comic. Fox is not playful as April O’Neil, she was just there as eye candy amongst computer generated turtles. April O’Neil should be identifiable upon first glance, instead we just got Megan Fox in a yellow jacket.

Why is it at 9? Truthfully, all the humans suck in the Michael Bay films. It was a coin flip between putting Megan Fox here or Stephen Amell as Casey Jones. Amell joined the cast for the sequel and it was heartbreaking to see two fan favorites not be properly adapted. I do understand the reason to cast Fox as at the time it was a casting decision that got butts in seats, well mainly teenage boys and their dads. However, it’s a classic tale that looks do not make for good casting.

8) Tommy Lee Jones as Harvey Dent/ Two-Face in Batman Forever (1995)

A common trend I found myself doing for this was comparing characters that have been done multiple times in film. One of those characters is Harvey Dent, and Tommy Lee Jones could have been a good Dent in a serious film. In this Joel Schumacher adaptation of Dent, Tommy Lee Jones is playing opposite to Jim Carrey’s The Riddler and that is where this casting goes sideways. As a former District Attorney who is disfigured by acid and embraces the evil side of his split personality, Dent has been portrayed as a complex character in the right hands. Jones tries to match Carrey’s antics which works for the Riddler but not Two-Face.

Why is it at 8? Unlike most on this list, Tommy Lee Jones is a proven actor with an academy award and nominations over the course of his career. This is bad casting as the script did not play to the strength of the actor and within the first 45 minutes of the film, it was easy to see that he was overshadowed by Jim Carrey. Batman Forever is a casting nightmare, Nicole Kidman is just did for a paycheck, Chris O’Donnell is too old to play Robin and that creates an odd dynamic between him and Val Kilmer’s Batman. Although this would only be the beginning of dark times for the caped crusader, as we will revisit the franchise later in the list.

7) Vinnie Jones as Cain Marko/ Juggernaut in X–Men: The Last Stand (2006)

For a comic book film and the last of a trilogy, X-Men: The Last Stand has a short runtime of 104 minutes. Brett Ratner and Fox Studios decided to jam that short runtime with mutants galore. One of the mutants (in this case, I think he is considered a mutant) that they introduced was Cain Marko AKA Juggernaut. The decision to cast Vinnie Jones was ambitious, to say the least. Jones is not a good actor when its outside of his comfort zone, but put him in a Guy Ritchie movie, we get an entertaining character. Put Jones in a comic book film and we get really bad cosplay. This only intensified when seeing Ryan Reynolds’ version of the character in Deadpool 2.

Why is it at 7? “I’m the Juggernaut, Bitch!” that is why I cannot have this casting any lower because the rest of the casting decisions are unforgivable. Jones left us with a meme worthy performance and the character was not used properly in the film. When watching X-Men: The Last Stand it feels like a mash up of all the things that make X-Men great and throw it into a blender. Outside of Beast and Wolverine, the film misuses every character.

6) Shira Haas as Ruth- Bat Seraph in Captain America: Brave New World (2025)

This is the most recent entry on the list, as 2025 was a great year for introductions and reintroductions to superheroes. We got the brilliant casting across the board in James Gunn’s Superman, finally capturing the true essence of the first family of Marvel with Fantastic Four: First Steps and casting Lewis Pullman to play the Sentry in Thunderbolts*. Casting was one of the many things that made Captain America: Brave New World the weakest of new comic book movies last year. Harrison Ford as President Ross/ Red-Hulk kind of felt like stunt casting by putting him in a MCU film, but the worst casting belonged to the character of Ruth Bat-Seraph. Unlike most characters on this list, this is a character that I lack knowledge on. In the comics, Ruth is known as Sabra, but looking at the petite frame and performance by Shira Haas, it was difficult to suspend disbelief that she was a bad ass. Haas just seems like a tiny henchmen and nothing else in the story.

Why is it at 6? The Marvel Cinematic Universe is known for top tier casting, its been its strength for years, so not really sure what happened here. The inclusion of the character was controversial due to the Gaza-Israel conflict and Haas seems to be a capable actor in other projects. This comes down to believability, even in a universe with talking racoons and trees, I did not believe that Haas could stand toe to toe with Captain America.

5) Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor in Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

This is the one character on this list that has been portrayed the most, so to make this list of worst casting is truly special. Jesse Eisenberg as villain is not a terrible idea because he is a great actor, but this was a misfire. So much so that I never saw Lex in Eisenberg’s performance, it was basically Mark Zuckerberg pissed off he was not a god. Eisenberg was creepy but never a threat to Superman. Zack Snyder creates a Lex Luthor that is identified with jelly beans and a jar of piss.

Why is it at 5? The argument I use for not having Jared Leto’s Joker from Suicide Squad, can be used Jesse Eisenberg…. The script sucks! Zack Snyder created a universe that had more missed opportunities opposed to bad casting. Eisenberg was not Lex Luthor and after James Gunn’s Superman with Nicholas Hoult as Lex, it only confirms how poor Eisenberg was as Lex.

4) Ian McShane as Professor Bloom in Hellboy (2019)

I’ll never understand how bad this casting was. After two films of John Hurt’s brilliant performance as Professor Bloom, the father figure to Hellboy. We got the badass actor Ian McShane to play the character in the new adaptation and it was nothing like we expected. McShane was never a father figure to David Harbour’s Hellboy and that destroys the connection. This could have been a totally different character or even cut from the film, it was useless casting with a very weak performance from the actor.

Why is it at 4? Truthfully the film is forgettable and would not be surprised if some people forgot that Ian McShane was in a Hellboy movie. It was one of the first times while watching a movie that I said “No, this isn’t right?” I don’t hate this version of Hellboy, but it was drowned in bad acting from Ian McShane and Milla Jovovich, lack of direction and all hinged on David Harbour to carry the film. Although the film does need a shoutout for the perfect casting of Thomas Haden Church as Lobster Johnson.

3) Will.i.am as John Wraith in X–Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)

The next two entries for worst casting in a superhero film are due to stunt casting of non actors being casted. For X-Men Origins: Wolverine, there is not much going on for it. Sewing Ryan Reynolds mouth shut as Deadpool, a forgettable version of Gambit, choppy special effects and the casting of the Black Eyed Peas’ Will.i.am as John Wraith. A character that is not prominent in the comics, so Will.i.am had the opportunity to carve out a standout performance. His line delivery and being a teleporting mercenary for Weapon X program are not believable. Wraith plays a very small part in the film and the comedic relief for Wolverine’s origin, which this could have been a good character with the right actor.

Why is it at 3? Most of the films on this list are considered among the worst in the super hero genre and X–Men Origins: Wolverine is one of the weakest in the X-Men franchise. When watching this film, I find myself laughing at some of the line delivery from Will.i.am especially during his fight with Sabretooth. Looking at his filmography, Will.i.am never acted, outside of voice acting, after this. Wraith could have worked in the hands of a better actor, but its also in a film of missed opportunities.

2) Shaquille O’Neal as John Henry Irons/Steel in Steel (1997)

Just look at that image of Shaq as John Henry Irons, it does not feel right. By the time that Steel came out, the character was still fairly new appearing in The New Adventures of Superman #500 in 1993 and this film would come out 4 years after that. This gave Warner Brothers an opportunity to cast an actor to accurately capture this character that proved to be important in The Death of Superman comic storyline. Instead, it was another case of stunt casting with Superman himself, Shaquille O’Neal. Over the last thirty years, Shaq’s acting choices have mainly been comedic, with his lack of skills.

Why is it at 2? Its just bad across the board in this film and it hinged on Shaq’s charisma. But the costume design and changes to the characters made the film feel like an original character. This is the definition of stunt casting gone wrong and created one of the worst comic book films of all time. I do hope that we get Steel in another live action film, as he is a great character.

1) The Whole Cast of Batman & Robin (1997)

1997 was not a good year for superhero films. Batman & Robin is the perfect example that appearances does equate to good casting decisions. Lets start with Robert Swanson as Bane, he may have looked like Bane in the comics but the character was dumbed down to the point that appearance was the only identifier he was Bane. (Another character that Tom Hardy would save in a future film) Alicia Silverstone as Batgirl, but not Barbara Gordon, she was Barbara Wilson the niece to Alfred. It stripped away the character plot and just gave the viewers a glimpse of what Batgirl could have been. Uma Thurman was hot as Poison Ivy, but that was all the character was, just selling sex. Chris O’Donnell was still too old to be playing Robin and would be more realistic as Nightwing at this point in the franchise. Finally lets get to the two leading roles in this film, Batman and Mr. Freeze.

Batman is played by George Clooney, who is not bad as Bruce Wayne but once he dons the Bat cowl he puts in his worst performance. Clooney is a great actor, very much like Tommy Lee Jones earlier in the list, he has proven that outside this film. Clooney is wooden as Batman with all the things that make him work as an actor hidden behind the cowl. Finally, there is Arnold Schwarzenegger as Mr. Freeze that is by the far the worst casting of the film. Mr. Freeze is supposed to be a former doctor that has a heart as cold as ice. Schwarzenegger plays the character as if he was the villain of the week along with Adam West in the 60s Batman television show. I do hope one day we get a true adaptation of Mr. Freeze, because he could be unforgettable. Just look at his character in Batman The Animated Series. Everything about the cast for Batman & Robin was wrong.

If you disagree with any of the castings on this list, please come to the defense and let’s talk about it.