MCU Vs DCEU: The Definitive Comparison (So Far)

This is harder to compare that you might think, as both studios have proven to be equally guilty at wasting fantastic actors in throwaway roles, while the jury is still out on a large amount of the DCEU's casting choices given such limited screentime.

However, at the very top of the pile we have Robert Downey Jr. Without him, there is no MCU. Iron Man instantly became a cinematic icon thanks mostly to the actor's phenomenal performance, a turn so composed and assured that it laid the foundation for the next decade of movies. And remember, casting Downey Jr. ten years ago as the lead in a studio blockbuster was a massive gamble.

Of the rest of the core Avengers, the Chrises have fared very well with Evans, Hemsworth and Pratt perfectly inhabiting their characters and added levels of depth that aren't found in the script. Mark Ruffalo has also been great, Clark Gregg turned Agent Coulson into a fan-favorite, Chadwick Boseman created a cultural icon... the list goes on and on.

Ironically, the casting of Ben Affleck as Batman was hugely controversial at the time, but he has turned out to be one of the highlights of the DCEU so far. Gal Gadot's perfectly-pitched performance as Wonder Woman created a role model for an entire generation, and Henry Cavill is still waiting on the right material to definitively prove himself as a great Superman. Hell, Suicide Squad even managed to produce that rarest of things; an entertaining Jai Courtney. And make no mistake, Margot Robbie is Harley Quinn.

Despite these successes, both studios have been guilty of hiring A-listers merely to fill spots without giving them much to do. Laurence Fishburne, Amy Adams, Jeremy Irons and J.K. Simmons are all great casting choices but haven't been given much to do, Will Smith was apparently hired to be Will Smith and Jared Leto's Joker has been... divisive, to put it lightly.

Over the years Marvel have roped in the critically-acclaimed likes of William Hurt, Robert Redford, Idris Elba, Jeremy Renner, Chiwitel Ejiofor, Michael Douglas, Mads Mikkelsen and more, and not really given them much to do.

In short, just because you can hire the best of the best it doesn't mean that you should, at least not if you don't have anything more meaningful for them to do than play a bit-part character or half-baked villain.