Probably the most frustrating thing about being a fan of film and television is that you don’t always have a say in who plays the characters you love and cherish, from either adapted books and comics, or in the plethora of remakes filmed over the years.
Casting choices can make or break a movie in the eyes of fans, as can be remembered with the outcry of complaints when Ben Affleck was cast as Batman a few years back.
The Arrowverse can probably be considered a sub-universe of the DC Universe, as its characters stem from the DC world. The Arrowverse encompasses 7 shows airing on the CW television network and a few are in fact web series airing on CW Seed.
All 7 shows comprise of primary and secondary characters from the DC world giving viewers a lot to sink their teeth into, including The Flash, Supergirl, Vixen and Green Arrow.
In this article we here at TheGamer thought it would be interesting to showcase some great artwork from fans depicting who they felt would be better cast in certain roles in the Arrowverse, instead of who was actually cast. Well, as it turns out, some we agreed with, and some, well, you get the drift.
20 Better - Emma Watson As Supergirl
This one’s pretty impossible. We know that. But we have to give credit to Camo-Flauge for coming up with this one.
Emma Watson wowed us all as Hermione Granger in Harry Potter and does a great job in the multitude of other films she stars in and there are many. We’re sure she’d do nothing but add to the excitement that the TV show has to offer.
Nothing against current actress, Melissa Benoist, as she does an awesome job, it’s just that Emma Watson’s pretty incredible and she’s got a lot of fans that could only increase the success of the show.
She’s also in great shape and could no doubt handle the many stunts that are required of her. But enough daydreaming for now … as this isn’t likely to happen.
19 Worse - Aaron Taylor As The Flash
Former Glee star, singer and actor, Grant Gustin sure wasn’t many people’s first pick when it came to the iconic Flash character, but he’s what we were given. There are in fact many that believe that there are other actors who would have done a better job playing the fastest man in Central City.
In the 90s, the role was given to then heartthrob John Wesley Shipp, of Dawson’s Creek fame, who outweighed the current actor by almost a hundred pounds.
However, we feel that Aaron Taylor isn’t much more of a step in a better direction. Yes, he definitely has the musculature to play a superhero, and he did a phenomenal job in Kick-Ass, but we just feel he just doesn’t fit the epitome of Barry Allen.
(art: MarvelDCFancast)
18 Better - Matt Damon as Green Arrow
Now here’s one we most definitely can get on board with. Matt Damon is a phenomenal actor who has starred in some of the past few decades’ most important films: The Departed, Good Will Hunting and The Bourne Series, to name a few. We also know he has no problem coming in for a shoot in shape, as he has had a lot of training for many of his films, so the action scenes in Arrow would be realistic and in very capable hands.
But the likeliness of this happening is at zero percent, friends, so don’t get your hopes up. The show is doing quite well without any mega-stars attached and we imagine it will continue to do so in the upcoming future.
(artwork: Bosslogic)
17 Worse - Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Constantine
Keanu Reeves did a fine job in the 2005 film, we never thought we could picture anybody else playing the interesting role of John. But when the show started up and we were introduced to a newer version of this beloved character, a few were left disappointed.
Matt Ryan is a fine actor, but once again, we must ask … is he really fit to be a hero?
Of course there are many who would disagree with us, and that’s fine, but we just feel that he doesn’t quite have what it takes. But, by that same token, neither does actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau.
If they were going to cast the character, why not ask … no beg Keanu to reprise the role. His performance was epic and he no doubt would have brought on even more fans to the series.
(Artist Myths of Genesis)
16 Better - Eminem As Captain Cold
Eminem is a multi-platinum selling rapper and recording artist and arguably one of the absolute best in the business. He also has acted in films, specifically 8 Mile, a film that was almost semi-autobiographical in terms of story. In the film, Marshall Mathers (Eminem) proved that he actually did have the acting chops to carry a film almost by himself. He did a good job and fans everywhere weren’t disappointed.
This is why we feel that this fan casting hits the mark, as we too feel that he would make an exceptional Captain Cold.
Now, Wentworth Miller is a great actor, but we just feel that Eminem would sure bring with him that patent prison yard stare and an exceptionally icy exterior, and when it comes to playing a character like this, we would say that definitely would come in handy.
(artist: Ilvir Safin)
15 Worse - Charlie Sheen As Superman
Yikes!
I mean, can we say that enough? I kind feel like writing it again.
I promise, last time. But even Andy Dick would make a better Superman. Charlie Sheen was no doubt an icon. He was a great actor who starred in numerous hits over the last few decades, but in recent history, it hasn’t been as simple for him. His unfortunate manner of living and conducting himself would surely get in the way of any constructive work on his part.
This would cancel the show in the matter of a week, we’re almost positive. That’s all it would take … one single episode and it would be all over.
So to sum up … this idea is definitely not … winning!
14 Better - Ryan Gosling As Green Arrow
As we’ve said earlier in this article, star power equals great ratings and Ryan Gosling is no doubt a huge star that would definitely bring in a lot of money.
Now, we know Stephen Amell does a great job as the character, but Ryan Gosling would bring his charm, acting ability and a throng of fans that would surely spruce up ratings, not that the show needs them though.
Deceptively, as he is still pretty young, he’s been acting for a long time, seeing that he got his start in showbiz at the tender age of 13 way back in 1993 on The Mickey Mouse Club. The Canadian actor went on to star in the Goosebumps TV show and as time went on would star in many significant films, most recently, Blade Runner, 2049.
(artist: Corrupted Mirror/Deviant art)
13 Worse - Matthew McConaughey as Reverse Flash
Alright! Alright! Alright!
More like Oh no! Oh no! Oh no!
He already had a rough time in the role of The Man In Black in 2017’s The Dark Tower, so what do fans expect he’ll do here?
We feel it’s rather safe to say that he’d have some trouble with this role as well, as he’d be way too interested in his delivery than the betterment of the whole show and Arrowverse.
What can indeed be said about this cast is that they know full well how to play together and work in ways that make the whole team shine. We feel that a character like Matthew’s would only bring the show down, as he’d definitely lose sight of the big picture.
(artist: skywalkerfx101)
12 Better - Tom Welling As Superman
For 10 seasons, Tom Welling played the character of Clark Kent superbly on the WB in Smallville. The show depicted the early years of Kent’s life, and the show was almost like Dawson’s Creek for comic book fans, the storylines centering more on his love life than anything deeper than that. Yet the show did well enough to keep around for 10 years now didn’t it?
Tyler Hoechlin plays Clark Kent in Supergirl and well, isn’t that just plain wrong? Seeing that Welling did the character justice, we feel he should have been asked back to play the role. Yes, the role is a secondary one, but in a show like Supergirl, you never know when a character might be expanded.
Maybe we’re just being a little nostalgic for Smallville. Looks like it’s time to dust off the old DVD collection once again.
(artist: spdrmnky xxiii)
11 Worse - Charlie Hunnam As Green Arrow
He played Jax Teller in the Sons Of Anarchy TV show on FX and he did the role justice, as millions of fans wore shirts, hoodies and jackets with his likeness strewn across the front or back as the show played on for the duration of seven seasons. The show was definitely a success, and the actor has a lot of projects to his name, including screenwriting endeavors as well.
But seeing Hunnam as Arrow just doesn’t really fit. In this case we’ll stick with Stephen Amell and not because Hunnam isn’t terrific. Not at all. Hunnam is a great actor, as he’s proven in his other work, like in Pacific Rim and the Papillon remake, in which the original starred Dustin Hoffman and Steve McQueen.
(art: Joey Paur)
10 Better - Topher Grace As The Atom
Topher Grace endeared himself to viewers everywhere in the Fox sitcom, That ’70s Show. The show was a hit and Eric Foreman and the whole gang were most definitely successful at a time when sitcoms were starting to make their leave in popularity—or rather sitcoms of the old sort, being replaced primarily by reality television, as this show was a departure from the old.
By no means is Topher Grace a sitcom actor alone.
He has had numerous film appearances, even acting alongside Tobey Maguire in the third installment of Spider-Man, though fans likely won’t want to discuss that too much.
This is why we feel his being a part of the Arrowverse shows would be an asset as opposed to a flaw. He’d bring his acting skills and originality to the character of The Atom.
(artwork: MarvelDCFancast)
9 Worse - Matt Barr As The Flash
The character of The Flash, like any other of the bigger names in heroic fiction, is a multifaceted one. He has characteristics and nuances that, if are overdone, can lead to disastrous results. For example, the viewer can lose sight of the character, the true meaning and delivery gets lost somewhere along the way, and let’s face it, with a character like this, that would be awful, as Barry Allen can at times be a barrel of laughs and at other times be as serious as they come.
Dynamics are what we’re looking for here.
This is why Matt Barr wouldn’t be a great fit here. His characters in the recent past have leaned more towards the antagonistic sort, so we’ll have you draw your own conclusions on this one.
(art: TrickArrowDesigns)
8 Better - Yvonne Strahovski As Supergirl
This one here is a rather interesting piece of fan casting and for one glaring reason. Yvonne Strahovski is an Australian actress who has starred in numerous TV series including, Chuck, Dexter and 24: Live Another Day. She has also starred in quite a number of films like Killer Elite and I, Frankenstein to name just a couple. But what’s very interesting about her is that she has voiced the character of Batwoman in the animated film, Batman: Bad Blood.
Yvonne Strahovski definitely has some cred in the superhero world.
She’s awesome and a great actress, so if for whatever reason the character needed to be re-cast, Yvonne would be an excellent choice.
7 Worse - Josh Holloway As Deathstroke
One would think that the TV show Lost left a rather bad taste in a lot of people’s mouths and primarily because of the way it ended. No worries, there won’t be any spoilers here, but the ending doesn’t live up to the hype… trust us on that one.
So maybe that’s why seeing Josh Holloway represented in this great piece of art by Ilvir Safin, depicting the actor as Deathstroke, just rubs us the wrong way. He’s by no means a terrible actor, but as Deathstroke? We’re not so sure.
TV seems to be his main domain as he’s acted considerably on the small screen over the last few years and currently works on Colony, in which he plays the lead. His last film came in 2014, when he starred alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in Sabotage.
(art: Ilvir Safin)
6 Better - Adam Brody As The Flash
Yup … that’s right, that’s Seth Cohen from The O.C., the Fox prime time melodrama. The show ran for four seasons and was quite popular. We know what you’re thinking: Really? A prime time soap actor as The Flash? But please, bear with us, we have a point.
Apart from his work on TheO.C., Adam has had significant work in film and other TV shows and his range is obvious and apparent. He has a likability that comes to the surface almost instantly and, as well as being quite funny, he can act with the best of them. So when we say he’d make a decent Flash, trust us on that one.
If you’ve missed some of Adam’s work, check out Welcome To The Jungle and the work he did on Gilmore Girls.
5 Worse - Michael Rosenbaum As Reverse Flash
This would be just too weird. He played Lex in Smallville and despite the fact that he’s let his hair grow out, his face still screams “Lex” to many fans.
In fact, many have expressed chagrin to the fact that many actors have played two superheroes in different films. It is quite strange to know that Chris Evans played both The Human Torch and Captain America, Ben Affleck played Daredevil and Batman, and Halle Berry played both Storm and Catwoman.
It’s not that it’s confusing; it’s just that it just rubs some people the wrong way. The face of a character lives on in the memories of many and if the audience is remembering the same face for different pivotal characters, that kind of ruins the legacy of those characters in our collective minds, now doesn’t it?
(art: Spider-maguire)
4 Better - Natalie Dormer As Black Canary
Born in Reading, England, her claim to fame came in 2005 in Casanova, starring opposite the late, great Heath Ledger. She has gone on to play in Captain America: The First Avenger, Game of Thrones and The Hunger Games, Parts 1 and 2.
She could play anything she puts her mind to and this is why when we came across this piece of fan casting art, we totally agreed that she would most definitely make an excellent Black Canary.
Heck, there’s still a chance if anyone is down to write up a script for the Black Canary feature film. Now if that project ever does come to fruition, we’d hope that Natalie Dormer is at least considered for the film.
(artist: spdrmnkyxxiii)
3 Worse - Dan Stevens As Reverse Flash
Dan Stevens is an incredible young actor of feature films and television shows, and he most definitely deserves praise for the work he’s done on all stages, big or small. Who can forget his portrayal of Matthew Crawley in Downtown Abbey? We’re sure no one, as they shouldn’t. He was indeed terrific in his portrayal. He currently stars in Legion and it’s having a decent start as well. His films are also rather successful and most recent work includes: Kill Switch and The Man Who Invented Christmas in which he plays Charles Dickens himself. He also has done a lot of work on the stage.
Now, when we think of him as Reverse Flash… uh, it just doesn’t seem right at all. We can’t help it, it just doesn’t fit.
(art: Bosslogic)
2 Better - Liam Neeson As Ra’s Al Ghul
This fantastic piece of anonymous fan art pokes fun at the possibility of Liam Neeson playing the enigmatic character of Ra’s Al Ghul on the Arrow television show. What is of course most interesting about this is that Neeson played the mysterious villain in Batman Begins with Christian Bale.
As is the case with most of his performances, his portrayal as the leader of the League Of Shadows was spot on and he had audiences captivated in Christopher Nolan’s trilogy of epic films.
The idea of him returning to reprise his role is the stuff that dreams are made of, but like dreams such as these, in Hollywood, they don’t often come true, no matter how much magic Hollywood promises. Too bad.
1 Worse - David Boreanaz As Bruce Wayne
Who didn’t love Angel, the spin-off show to Buffy The Vampire Slayer? David Boreanaz was excellent in that role. The nuances and other characteristics he added were more than endearing and no one could have played the role better. He truly became the character, as is often said in Hollywood.
But by no means does that mean that he can go and play one of the most iconic comic book characters of all time. That’s reserved for the likes of Christian Bale and Michael Keaton alone. Many others have tried and many have failed, and we fear that Boreanaz would unfortunately be another failure on that front.
Just look at the portrayal of the character by Ben Affleck. After Christian Bale’s performance, it would’ve been tough for anyone and that’s been the case so far.
