9 Actors Who Played Both Iconic Super Heroes And Villains

Jim Carrey had a banner year in 1994, where he was launched to the top of the A-list thanks to Dumb And Dumber, Ace Ventura and The Mask. The latter movie has probably aged the worst of the bunch, but at the time, its mix of Carrey’s rubber-faced antics and early CGI lured in audiences.

The Mask was based on a cult comic that was darker in tone than the movie, and Carrey was maybe the only actor who could have brought the creative anarchy of the role to life; the Carrey-less Son Of The Mask proved that.

Carrey soon followed it up with maybe his ultimate flailing limb performance as The Riddler in Batman Forever. At the time, people were still in love with his hyperactive style but looking back his performance is immensely irritating, consisting of silly voices, acting quirks and pulling faces; and worst of all, it seems to be the basis for Jesse Eisenberg’s performance in Batman V Superman.

Both of the films have aged poorly, but The Mask comes out the winner since at least he got to portray a human being for long stretches of it.

Can you think of any other actors who’ve played both superheroes and villains throughout their careers? List your favourites in the comments thread.