For rising stars and even established names, superhero roles are often highly coveted. If successful, they can skyrocket one’s fame to heights only previously dreamed of. By looking at films and television shows featuring super powered characters from the 1940s until today, it is easy to see just how much of an effect playing the part can have on an actor. With the popularity of comic book adaptations showing no signs of waning, the benefits of starring in them will only grow larger.

However, sometimes the role of a lifetime does not always work out in one’s favor. Occasionally what was supposed to be a blockbuster turns out to be a dud, badly damaging a performer’s career and reputation. Other times, an actor finds themselves being type cast or unable to play different types of roles because audiences and producers cannot separate them from the hero’s image. Whatever the cause, it is sad to think that one role can negatively impact a career for so long.

This list will take a look at those actors whose turn as a comic book hero did not reap great rewards other than the initial paycheck and publicity. Some of them are now in their twilight years, while others still have a chance to reignite their stardom before it is too late.

Here are 15 Actors Whose Careers Flopped After Becoming Superheroes.

Brandon Routh After Superman Returns

Look up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s a disappointing film that relies too much on the nostalgia of better movies. This was the general reaction to 2006’s Superman Returns, directed by Brian Singer. It’s not a horrible movie, but it failed to live up to the standard of Richard Donner’s Superman; that’s a problem when every moment reminds the audience of it.

The lukewarm reception turned what should have been Brandon Routh’s big break into a reminder of his inability to carry a movie on his shoulders. To his credit, he did everything that was asked of him with his performance. He looks exactly like Christopher Reeve and embodies the similar positive attitude, but it simply was not enough to grab viewers.

While Routh hasn’t found his place on the big scene, he has found a home in the Arrowverse. 

The years that followed were tough on the actor, with only minor roles sporadically coming his way, the most notable of which was in Edgar Wright’s Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World. Recently, however, things have started looking up for Routh, with a large role as the Atom within the Arrowverse. It may not be as big a role as the Man of Steel, but it will certainly keep the lights on in the house.

Wesley Snipes After Blade: Trinity

Even before X-Men, Blade proved that comic book movies could have some degree of success with a box office take of more than one hundred thirty million dollars off of an approximately forty five million dollar budget. It was rated R, so it could not reach quite the same audience as other comic book adaptations eventually did. But, the numbers were good enough to spawn two sequels.

Blade II proved just as successful and beloved as its predecessor, with Guillermo del Toro at the helm making sure it was quality adaptation. Blade: Trinity, on the other hand, was a jumbled mess marred with production problems that showed on camera. One of the biggest issues during filming was Wesley Snipes’ attitude on set. The actor often refused to shoot scenes or even speak with the cast and crew, meaning many of his scenes were shot with stand ins.

Blade has so far been the last big character Snipes has portrayed, but he has kept busy with smaller roles and even a three year stint in prison for tax evasion. He’s a talented well-known actor, so hopefully the future sends something bright his way. Until then, audiences can always enjoy his performance in the first two Blade films and avoid the third altogether.

Thomas Jane After The Punisher

The Punisher is a tough character to adapt to film. He is sympathetic and his motivations are understandable, but his actual methods and brutality turn off some audiences. The 2004 movie The Punisher softened some of the character’s edges while still keeping it rated R, but the move ultimately did nothing to bring audiences in. The violence and mature rating meant many families did not see it and the changes made to Frank Castle’s story turned off many fans of the comics.

Thomas Jane starred as Frank and though he was not initially a fan of The Punisher, he quickly grew enamored with the character and became deeply involved with the project. Despite the good intentions, the movie was panned and quickly fell into obscurity; Jane’s career was dragged along with it. Though he still starred in the unique and haunting horror film The Mist, other big parts did not come his way. Coincidentally, he also shared a scene with Brandon Routh in Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World.

However, there is some hope on the horizon for Jane’s status to level up. He is currently set to play in Shane Black’s The Predator and his career could take an upturn if that movie ends up being successful.

Jennifer Garner After Elektra

In the early 2000s Jennifer Garner seemed unstoppable. Alias was enjoying a successful stay on the airwaves, allowing audiences to tune in every week and see her kick butt, take names, and unravel insane conspiracies as Sydney Bristow. Many actresses, like her, often get stuck in the romantic comedy ghetto, but Garner was avoiding that and becoming an action heroine. There came a time when that image drastically changed and it was not long after the release of Elektra.

While Daredevil fared decently, Elektra was critically panned by both critics and audiences. 

The film was spin off of 2003’s Daredevil, whose reception can tell you a lot about how well Elektra fared when it hit theaters. Critics maligned the female led superhero film and it barely made more than its budget at the box office. Shortly after, Garner’s roles went from action films and thrillers to rom-coms that came and went. This change can’t be solely attributed to Elektra, since she was also getting married and starting a family.

Now at forty six years old, Garner seems ready to get back into the action and reignite her career. Her next big film will be the action drama Peppermint, directed by Pierre Morel, famous for Taken and District 13. Hopefully this project gets Jennifer back into the spotlight where she belongs.

Chris O’Donnell After Batman And Robin

Usually even playing second fiddle to the superhero means great things for one’s future in show business. Sure, it may not be top billing, but more times than not their name is still on the poster. For examples, Don Cheadle is more popular than ever after starring in Iron Man 2. Anthony Mackie is now known for something other than being the guy who Eminem destroyed in 8 Mile’s rap battle. The benefits of co-starring as a superhero are still numerous.

At least that is how it is when the movie is successful. If the movie sinks at the office, actors should expect their career to go down with the ship, since behind scenes producers and executives have already taken all of the lifeboats. This is precisely what happened to Chris O’Donnell, whose prospects were promising up until the catastrophe that was Batman & Robin.

O’Donnell’s career was enjoying momentum, until the film’s failure stopped everything in its tracks. Even George Clooney’s reputation was damaged, but his status was able to recover. The actor who played Robin, on the other hand, floundered in obscurity for over a decade until finally finding a comfortable spot as the lead on NCIS: Los Angeles. It’s good that he found his footing on television, but he could have achieved much greater heights if it weren’t for Batman & Robin’s disastrous release.

Halle Berry After Catwoman

With the plethora of superhero films making their way into theaters on a frequent basis, many actors end up playing in two or more of them, sometimes as two different heroes. Even before they were crowding multiplexes, Halle Berry managed to snag two roles of two different franchises. The first was as Storm in the X-Men films, a series that proved comic book films could find mainstream success among audiences and critics. The second was in Catwoman, which proved that comic book films could still be horrid, nearly unwatchable disasters.

Halle did receive criticism for her roll in Catwoman, but she was able to somewhat repair her career. 

Fortunately, Berry still had the role of Storm in her pocket for more X-Men films after Catwoman’s failure, otherwise she would have even less notable roles after 2004. She still played in some relatively large projects like Cloud Atlas and Kingsmen: The Golden Circle, but it is difficult to say if she’ll ever fully repair her reputation after her turn as the cat themed heroine.

Halle Berry’s career has not been a total bust since the movie, but nothing positive has come from it. One has to wonder if the producers of Movie 43 convinced her to do that film by saying “it won’t possibly be more embarrassing than Catwoman”. Audiences would have to judge whether it was or not.

Ioan Gruffudd After Fantastic Four

Having an easy to pronounce and memorable name is vital to an actor’s success. Before going to his first audition, Ioan Gruffudd faced an uphill battle on his journey as an actor. Early in his career he mostly had small roles, the most notable ones being in Ridley Scott’s Black Hawk Down and James Cameron’s Titanic. In 2005, however, that was all set to change when he nabbed the part of Reed Richards in Fantastic Four.

The film was a financial success, if not a critical one, and warranted a sequel. The second part, The Rise of The Silver Surfer, fared worse with both audiences and reviewers, stopping the franchise from becoming a trilogy. Ioan went back to what he did before his stint as Mr. Fantastic, having small roles in mostly forgettable productions.

Was it entirely the Fantastic Four’s lack of success that failed to escalate Gruffudd’s status as an actor, or was there some other reason as well? It’s impossible to know, but having a name that most western audiences cannot spell or properly remember certainly did not help matters any. On the other hand, we respect him for keeping his birth name when so many people change theirs to something more marketable.

Miles Teller After Fantastic Four

Looks like there may be something of a curse surrounding anyone who plays Mr. Fantastic. We’d add Alex Hyde-White to the list as well, but there was really nothing there to flop after Roger Coreman’s 1994 Fantastic Four. Miles Teller, conversely, already had won acclaim with his performance opposite J.K. Simons in Whiplash and more success seemed to be on the horizon.

Unfortunately, his turn as Mr. Fantastic in Josh Trank’s Fantastic Four in 2015 has slowed down his climb to stardom. He was also simultaneously acting in the Divergent series, whose popularity was dwindling with each successive entry. These two blights also came combined with revelations and rumours that he has a generally off putting personality.

The curse of Mr.Fantastic returns. 

At the same time, he was still doing some projects with integrity such as Bleed for This and War Dogs. In the past couple of years, however, those roles have dried up. He currently is in the television series Too Old to Die Young and will have a voice role in The Ark and the Aardvark. These are a far cry from the roles that initially got his name recognized by the public, but only time will tell if he can redeem himself.

Tom Welling After Smallville

Having the lead on a long running television show can be both a blessing and a curse. It’s a blessing because of the job security, something that is difficult to come by for an actor, but a curse because it does not allow one to take on other projects and it runs the risk of an actor being type cast. Financially speaking, being type cast is not a problem if the royalties keep rolling in and you have a good accountant, but actors who are in it for the art have trouble with being pigeon holed.

It is difficult to say where Tom Welling fits in with those ideas, but it is easy say that his career has stalled since Smallville went off the air in 2011. According to IMDB, Welling acted in three movies since the hit show’s ending and now is on the show Lucifer. Ending up back on a television show certainly is not a bad thing, but one would have hoped for a film career to take off after such a successful show.

What does the future hold for Welling? Nobody knows, considering the multitude of universes featured in the Arrowverse, perhaps his version of Clark Kent will show up on one of those series some day (even if there is already a Superman).

Helen Slater After Supergirl

Most actors’ first roles are nothing special and often not reflective of the quality of their overall filmography. They can sometimes be downright embarrassing and something the actor would like to forget, but it usually does not end up hurting the performer’s career at all. Sometimes, unfortunately, that first big screen debut can be heavily marketed and end up a huge critical and commercial dud.

Before starring in Supergirl, despite getting second billing to Faye Donaway, Helen Slater had only appeared in an ABC Afternoon Special. After the superhero movie’s failure, Helen continued acting, but did not get any roles as big as a comic book heroine. Recently she has fallen into a role that has gained recognition, playing Supergirl’s adoptive mother on the Supergirl television series.

Many actors may be reluctant to perform in a role that calls back an earlier project, especially if said project was not beloved. We believe Helen made the right call by not hiding from her past and becoming a part of a television continuity that grows with every season. Now she won’t just be remembered for a mediocre film, but also as a part of quality television. With the series’ multiple universes, she’ll even end up donning the suit again one day.

John Wesley Shipp After The Flash

With the current success that superhero television shows have been enjoying in recent years, it is hard to imagine a time when many of them fell flat on their faces. Whether it be the lack of believable effects or audiences reluctance to accept comic books as believable mature stories, the beloved characters often just could not sustain a presence on the small screen for very long. While they now are enjoying a surge of popularity, it was tough for the actors who took part in these short lived shows to find big roles afterwards.

John appears on the Arrowverse Flash television shows. It must be fun to be a speedster again. 

A fine example of this is John Wesley Shipp, who starred as the titular character in 1990’s The Flash. The show only lasted one season and quickly faded into obscurity. John also did not manage to nab any other large roles, but still kept working. Like several of the actors on this list, he has managed to regain some pedigree by having a part in the successor to the 1990s television show. On the current The Flash series,  the more than sixty-year-old actor portrays Barry Allen’s father, Henry Allen, and Jay Garrick. We’re starting to notice a trend here with Arrowverse shows, but it is a good one.

Christopher Reeve After Superman IV

Christopher Reeve was on top of the world after the release of Richard Donner’s 1979 epic Superman. He helped us a believe a man could fly in one of the first quality superhero films and also delivered a stellar performance as the Man of Steel that many would argue has yet to be rivaled. Like the classic saying goes, all good things come to an end, but nothing deserves to end as terribly as the Superman film series did with the release of Superman IV: The Quest For Peace.

The fourth and final installment is a special kind of terrible that defies all logic and leaves the viewer in awe and bewilderment, as to how the movie was ever approved for release. With the end of the franchise being so disappointing, Reeve had to tackle with not being typecast. Unfortunately, tragedy struck Reeve in 1995 when a horse riding accident left him paralyzed from the neck down.

While he may not have had any roles bigger than Superman, Christopher Reeve left an impact on the world akin to that of a real life superhero with his activism for those with paralysis. Ultimately, his legacy went far beyond acting and the part of Superman.

David Hasselhoff After Nick Fury: Agent Of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Everyone loves the Hoff, with his popularity soaring during his television years with Knight Rider and Baywatch. Despite this fascination many people have with him, almost no one would ever tell you he is a good actor. One lesser known project of his was the 1998 television movie called Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. The people who do know about it were less than impressed, since it currently sits with a sixteen percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Samuel L. Jackson even said, “I watched David Hasselhoff… and decided I was not going to do any of that,” when he was asked how he prepared his own version of Nick Fury. Maybe the film had something to do with the downward turn in his career.

The 2000s and on were not kind to Mr. Hasselhoff. Those years mostly consisted of bit parts and cameos as himself.

Will Hasselhoff ever regain the fame he once had in the eighties and early nineties? Probably not, but he still has a recognizable name and is hugely popular in Germany, so there are worse fates former television stars can have. If producers are bold enough, maybe he could even show up on the final season of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Matt Salinger After Captain America

Matt Salinger’s last name is no coincidence, he really is the son of legendary writer J.D. Salinger whose most prominent work was The Catcher in the Rye. Not intent to follow in his father’s footsteps, Matt took up acting and had his first part in 1984’s ethically questionable Revenge of the Nerds (because of that one scene involving a Darth Vader Costume). After that, small roles followed until he was cast as the main hero in the 1990 version of Captain America.

Considering how unknown that movie is, readers can guess to how well it was received when it first hit theaters. It’s worth watching as a curiosity, but as a film it is mediocre at best. Some moments are really dark with innocent people being cut down by Axis powers, then there are tonally incongruous comedic moments and an overly flamboyant hammy portrayal of the Red Skull. In short, the whole thing is a mess.

After Captain America, Matt continued working but never had any recognizable roles.

Could the dreadful superhero film be the cause his career didn’t take, or maybe it is just the path his career was meant to take. At least he’ll always be the heir to one of the most renowned writers of all time.

Michael Gray After Shazam

Shazam is one of the oldest superheroes and also one of most underrepresented ones on screen. That’s all about to change in less than year with the upcoming Shazam, starring Zachary Levi. Prior to the new film, the character had only been portrayed twice; once in a 1940s serial, then in a 1970s television show. Neither of them have really stood the test of time, but there is something more peculiar about the latter.

Michael Gray, who played the boy who has the ability to transform into the superhero by uttering the word “Shazam”, starred in the series from 1974 until the end of its run in 1976. After that, there was nothing for almost forty years until he played himself on a two part episode of the animated raunchy comedy Archer. He had a sizeable handful of television roles before acting on Shazam, so it really is a mystery why he went dark for so long. Michael still appears at comic cons and makes other live appearances.

Time will tell if a similar fate befalls any of the cast of the upcoming Shazam, which is slated to be a part of the DCEU. Zachary Levi himself has already found considerable success, but the smaller names will have to be cautious, especially the actor who ends up playing Billy Batson.

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Did we miss any actor whose career’s flopped after portraying a superhero? Tell us in the comments below!