15 Perfect Superhero Casting Choices Wasted On Terrible Comic Book Movies

7. Jeremy Irons As Alfred - Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice

Jeremy Irons Alfred
Warner Bros.

When he was cast in the role, Jeremy Irons should've joined the likes of Michael Gough and Michael Caine as one of the great British thespians to have portrayed Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce Wayne's loyal butler. Sadly, while Irons' performance in Batman V Superman was spot-on, the film was pretty much the opposite.

Irons' Alfred is perfect whenever we get to see him, providing a sardonic wit to counteract the grim machismo of Ben Affleck's Dark Knight, but he should've featured in a better film.

Zack Snyder's DC sequel has already been dragged to Hell and back, so there's no point in going over its faults again, but they do exist, are glaring enough that they detract from the otherwise brilliant talent on display, and impart the sense that the film squandered an obviously excellent opportunity.

With Matt Reeves reportedly eyeing a younger Batman for his new film, one would hope that Irons will be able to reprise the role of Alfred. Put a little colour in his hair, and you have a younger version of the character ready and raring to shine across several Bat-productions.

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WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well. In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.