10 Actors Given A Second Chance In Superhero Franchises

The Failure(s) - Frank Castle/The Punisher – Punisher: War Zone (2008)

The Second Chance - Volstagg – Thor Series (2011-2017)

Another actor who had a crack at portraying Frank Castle was Ray Stevenson, who headed the cast for Punisher: War Zone in 2008. Almost completely unknown to audiences ahead of the film’s appearance in cinemas, he had never played the lead role in a film and was best known for co-starring in the BBC/HBO drama Rome.

Initially envisioned as a sequel to 2004’s The Punisher, which starred Thomas Jane in the title role and made a marginable impact at the box office, War Zone was quickly reworked into a reboot when Jane dropped out of the project, citing the poor quality of the script.

That should’ve been an early warning sign for Marvel, who thankfully opted not to incorporate the film into the fledgling cinematic universe they had established with Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk a few months prior. Instead they left the bulk of the control over the film to Lionsgate and it stands as their lowest grossing release of all time in America.

Stevenson must’ve made friends in the casting department, however, and returned to Marvel in Thor three years later. As one of the Warriors Three, he played a major supporting role in the first film, but was relegated to a bit-part in The Dark World and didn’t have any lines in Ragnarok. It is still perhaps the highest profile role of his career, however.