10 Actors Given A Second Chance In Superhero Franchises

The Failure(s) - Frank Castle/The Punisher – The Punisher (1989)

The Second Chance - Nereus – Aquaman (2018)

There were a handful of superhero films released in the 12 years between Superman (1977) and Batman (1989), but the four entries in each of these franchises, which began well and got progressively awful over time, are all that most people remember from the period, with the likes of Swamp Thing (1982) and Howard The Duck (1986) all but forgotten (which is for the best given their mediocrity).

Three films have been made about The Punisher, all of which can be considered misfires. The first was a little-known vehicle for Dolph Lundgren in 1989, one of the many films that he made on the back of his memorable appearance in Rocky IV. Almost everything that made the comic character compelling was dropped, in favour of 90 minutes of plotless and poorly shot action sequences.

Although released theatrically in most of the world, The Punisher was the first of Lundgren’s films to go direct-to-video in the States. Over the next 19 years, this fate would befall almost all of his performances and his only appearances of note would be in the Expendables franchise.

That changed in 2018, with Lundgren returning to both the Rocky series (in Creed 2) and the world of comic adaptations, playing the supporting role of Nereus in the ridiculous but entertaining Aquaman. The door is open for him to reprise the role in sequels.