10 Superhero Movie Actors Who Didn't Return For The Sequel

2 hours ago 3

The superhero movies of the MCU and the DCU sometimes feature actors who choose not to return for the sequel. Though not all superhero movies are as successful as the movies of the MCU, the genre has still become the biggest in modern cinema. As superhero franchises grow, so too do their roster of actors, with many signing deals that contract them to appear in multiple movies across a specific comic book movie continuity.

However, this isn’t always what happens, as in some cases, actors actually decline to return for superhero movie sequels. The movie timelines of the DCEU and the MCU have seen many actors not reprise their roles for various reasons, with their absence in superhero sequels being noted to varying degrees. Whether due to scheduling conflicts, behind-the-scenes dramas, or the character being left out of future narratives, here are 10 superhero movie actors who didn’t return for the sequel.

10 Alan Cumming As Nightcrawler

X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)

Making his superhero movie debut in Fox’s X-Men movie franchise in 2003’s X2: X-Men United, Alan Cumming was praised for his performance as Nightcrawler. The film, which remains one of the best-loved in the entire X-Men franchise, made great use of Cumming as the blue-skinned teleporting mutant, with Nightcrawler becoming something of an instant fan favorite. Unfortunately, Nightcrawler’s future in the franchise did not involve Cumming at all.

When 2006’s X-Men: The Last Stand was in production, director Bryan Singer was replaced with Brett Ratner. Cumming had already expressed that he found the long hours in the make-up chair to play Nightcrawler difficult, and the change in director was enough for the actor to exit the sequel. However, by that time, Nightcrawler’s role in The Last Stand was reportedly minor, meaning that many factors were likely to have influenced Cumming’s decision not to return.

9 Shea Whigham As Detective Burke

Joker: Folie à Deux (2024)

Detective Burke and Garrity in Joker played by Shea Whigham, and Bill Camp

Todd Phillips 2019 movie Joker is widely celebrated as one of the greatest comic book movies ever made, earning particular praise for the performances of its cast. Among them was Shea Whigham, who appeared as Detective Burke, one of the police officers assigned to investigate the spate of murders in Gotham being committed by Arthur Fleck. Burke’s role in the movie is relatively small, but Whigham was still one actor who didn’t return for Joker’s sequel.

Considering that Folie à Deux follows Arthur Fleck’s time in Arkham following the murders and sees him placed on his trial for his crimes, Detective Burke’s absence is all the more notable. As one of the officers tasked with catching Fleck, Burke’s testimony could have been a crucial callback to Arthur’s crimes, but it wasn’t to be. Though the exact reason that Whigham did not return isn’t clear, Burke’s absence was somewhat conspicuous.

8 Nicole Kidman As Chase Meridian

Batman & Robin (1997)

After the departure of Tim Burton and Michael Keaton from the Batman franchise in the 1990s, they were respectively replaced by Joel Schumacher and Val Kilmer. With the latter cast as the Caped Crusader and the former at the helm, 1995’s Batman Forever was far from the most successful comic book movie of all time. Even so, the film’s remarkably talented cast featured none other than Nicole Kidman as Dr. Chase Meridian, the love interest for Bruce Wayne.

Though Kidman certainly isn’t an actor whose career was ruined by superhero movies, she did not reprise the role for the sequel. Despite being one of the few major characters not to have died or been otherwise incapacitated or recast, Kidman did not return for 1997’s Batman & Robin. For the sequel, Meridian was replaced by Julie Madison, a new love interest for Bruce Wayne, who played a considerably smaller role in Batman & Robin’s story.

7 Liev Schreiber As Sabretooth

The Wolverine (2013)

2009 saw the release of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, which, despite being a critical failure, boasted an excellent cast of actors. Among them was Liev Schreiber, who was cast in the prequel film as Sabretooth, Wolverine’s half-brother and long-time nemesis. Schreiber was one of the movie’s few good additions to the X-Men franchise, and he proved to be far more popular in the role than his predecessor, Tyler Mane.

In spite of that, Schreiber did not return to play Sabretooth in subsequent movies, including the immediate follow-up, 2013’s The Wolverine. In more recent years, Schreiber has made it clear that he has been reluctant to reprise the role due to its physical demands. Sabretooth’s absence from the movies after X-Men Origins: Wolverine was noteworthy, particularly after Schreiber’s performance definitively proved that the character had undeniable potential on the big screen.

6 Michael Pena, David Dastmalchian, & T.I.

Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania (2023)

2015’s Ant-Man introduced many important characters and ideas to the MCU. As well as the introduction of Scott Lang, Hank Pym, Hope Van Dyne, and Pym Particles, the movie introduced three of the MCU’s best supporting characters, Luis, Kurt, and Dave. Scott Lang’s former criminal friends first support him in stealing from Pym, and later begin to assist in his hero work, reprising their roles in 2018’s Ant-Man and the Wasp.

Despite making two appearances in the MCU’s movie timeline, they did not return in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. There were no major dramas involving the actors that contributed to their absence, but rather Quantumania’s story simply shifted to Kang and the Quantum Realm, and there was no way to organically include the characters in the movie. Though Michael Peña, David Dastalmachian, and T.I.’s characters provided some of the best moments of comedy in previous movies, they were not ever planned to be part of Quantumania.

5 Daniel Kaluuya As W'Kabi

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Throughout the 2010s, Daniel Kaluuya’s career was on a meteoric trajectory that saw him go from an unknown to one of the best-known talents in Hollywood. Kaluuya’s role in Black Panther in 2018 came shortly after the success of 2017’s Get Out, and despite his relatively limited part in the story, he remained an exciting part of the hero’s mythos. However, W’Kabi was not a part of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and Kaluuya did not return for the sequel.

Kaluuya announced ahead of the film’s release that he was not returning due to a scheduling conflict. At the time, he was filming Jordan Peele’s Nope, and could not reconcile the two productions. Furthermore, W’Kabi was exiled from Wakanda after the events of the first movie, meaning that his return would have had to be specifically written into the story, making his absence less noticeable in a narrative sense.

4 Willem Dafoe As Nuidis Vulko

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023)

Aquaman is widely considered one of the best movies in the DCEU, thanks in part to its excellent cast. As well as the likes of Patrick Wilson, Nicole Kidman, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Willem Dafoe appeared in the 2018 movie as Nuidis Vulko, Arthur Curry’s mentor. Dafoe’s role as Vulko proved vital as part of Aquaman’s story, but the character was not included in the 2023 sequel, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.

The reason for Dafoe not returning was simply down to scheduling conflicts with multiple projects. However, the DCEU’s handling of his absence left much to be desired, as it was explained that he was killed off-screen due to poisoning as a result of human pollution. Though Dafoe’s inability to return was entirely understandable, the treatment of the character was unnecessary, particularly after he played such a major role in the first movie.

3 Natalie Portman As Jane Foster

Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

As one of the MCU’s earliest supporting characters, Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster was set to play a particularly influential role in the franchise. Introduced as a love interest for Thor and a narrative reason for the Asgardian to become invested in the fate of Earth, Foster was a key part of both 2011’s Thor and its 2013 sequel, Thor: The Dark World. When it came to 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok, Jane Foster was nowhere to be seen.

The reason for Portman’s absence was reportedly due to creative differences with Marvel Studios. As very little of Ragnarok was set on Earth, but rather on Asgard and Sakaar, Jane Foster not being a part of its story wasn’t too jarring, especially as she returned in 2022’s Thor: Love and Thunder in an even bigger role. Even so, Portman’s departure from the franchise was once well-publicized, making it particularly noteworthy.

2 TJ Miller As Weasel

Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)

TJ Miller might not be the most high-profile Marvel movie actor, but his departure from the Deadpool movies was decidedly acrimonious. The actor played Weasel, Wade Wilson’s best friend, in both Deadpool and Deadpool 2, offering an element of grounding to the superhero story. Weasel was generally popular, with the character cited as working particularly well alongside Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool. Miller did not reprise the role in Deadpool & Wolverine, seemingly for multiple reasons.

Ahead of the third movie’s release, Miller publicly slated Ryan Reynolds, and alleged that the star was incredibly difficult to work with. He leveled various accusations at his former co-star, and insisted that he wouldn’t return as Weasel even if asked. Additionally, Miller faced assault allegations and legal troubles around this time, potentially contributing further to his absence from the third Deadpool movie.

1 Will Smith As Deadshot

The Suicide Squad (2021)

As one of the most divisive movies in the DCEU, 2016’s Suicide Squad was not a hugely popular film, despite introducing many beloved elements to the franchise. Among the movie’s cast was Will Smith as Deadshot, who served as one of Suicide Squad’s protagonists alongside Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn and Joel Kinnaman’s Rick Flag. Despite negative reviews, a sequel was quickly announced, and Smith was initially attached to reprise his role.

However, Smith was not present at all in the finished film, 2021’s The Suicide Squad. The reason was simply that Smith had an especially busy schedule at the time, and was unable to make himself available for the James Gunn movie, though many assumed that it was down to the largely negative reception to the first film. Instead, Will Smith’s absence in The Suicide Squad was simply another instance of an actor not returning in the MCU or DCU for a superhero movie sequel due to a scheduling conflict.