7. Mark Strong
For DC: Numerically monikered youngest son and puppet swordsman Septimus in Stardust. Suggestively named mentor/aborted future nemesis Sinestro in Green Lantern
For Marvel: Superhero bothering crime lord and indulgent father Frank D'Amico in Kick-Ass
How did the change work out? Mark Strong has long since established himself as a go-to guy for impressive screen villainy. When Guy Ritchies former producer Matthew Vaughn left gangsters behind for comics, he took Strong along with him. Vaughn gave Strong the role of scheming seventh son Prince Septimus in the, quite loosely adapted, film of Neil Gaimans Vertigo comic Stardust. Strong is all scowls and sneers in a part that is very much a supporting villain, easily dispatched by Michelle Pfeiffers witch Lamia. In fact, Strongs best scene comes when Lamia uses him as a puppet to fight our hero Tristan. Strong showed enough quality, though, for Vaughn to use him again in his next movie. Kick Ass, based on the comic from Marvels Icon imprint, proved one of the most talked about comic book movies in years. Strong gave a decent turn as gang lord Frank DAmico, a guy whos not really ready to take any shit from superheroes, but his thunder was kind of stolen by the more out there roles for Chloe Grace Moretz and Nic Cage. Stepping up from playing the villain in cool little cult movies to playing the villain in blockbusters hasnt always worked out so well for Strong. Both his appearance in Warner Brothers ambitious failure Green Lantern and Disneys John Carter ended up being largely a set up for a potential villain role in a sequel that, in both cases, never materialised given the failings of the first movie.