Plenty of superhero movies have fallen afoul of critics and fans over the years, with that sometimes enough to doom their chances of success. Then, there's been the rare occasion when someone directly involved with one of these adaptations has helped (inadvertently or otherwise) to tank them.
How could any of us forget Fantastic Four director Josh Trank disowning the reboot on Twitter in 2015? According to box office analysts, that and the press it received, were enough to shave as much as $10 million off the movie's opening weekend.
In this feature, we're concentrating on actors who caused irreparable damage to the superhero movies they starred in. Whether it was refusing to promote them, personal issues which killed fan interest, or even uncontrollable egos, we're sure you'll agree this lot did little to help.
To find out who we've singled out, simply tap on the "Next"/"View List" buttons below.
5. Jim Carrey
Kick-Ass generated controversy by having a child brutally kill gangsters and call one of them a "c**t." The sequel didn't feature anything as shocking, largely because it cut a gang rape from the comic which Jeff Wadlow was right not to adapt in any way.
The movie still wasn't very good but Jim Carrey's decision not to promote the sequel definitely hurt Kick-Ass 2's chances of box office success. After the Sandy Hook tragedy, the actor declared he could not, in good conscience, help market a movie featuring gun violence.
We completely respect Carrey's decision, but there had been similarly tragic shootings before he signed up to star in the project (he finished shooting his scenes a month before Sandy Hook) and his character, Colonel Stars and Stripes, never fires a gun.
Carrey turning his back on Kick-Ass 2 resulted in a lot of moviegoers doing the same. On the plus side, they didn't miss too much.
4. Ezra Miller
A series of controversies surrounded Ezra Miller (they/them) heading into The Flash, including accusations of grooming, assault, and burglary. Warner Bros. tried its best to ignore what was happening, only for the actor to eventually claim they were finally seeking help.
That was enough for the studio to forge ahead with releasing The Flash as planned, and a marketing campaign followed which saw them repeatedly try to convince fans they were going to experience "the greatest superhero movie ever made."
Miller was trotted out at a low-key premiere but otherwise wasn't available to promote the DC Comics adaptation.
They aren't exactly a big enough star for that to have hurt as much as Carrey's Kick-Ass 2 absence, but it still hurt. Ultimately, the bigger issue was months - if not years - of reports about Miller's abhorrent behaviour leaving a bad enough taste in the mouths of fans that they simply didn't want to watch this movie with them in it.
3. Edward Norton
Casting Edward Norton in The Incredible Hulk was a huge win for Marvel Studios. Heading into 2008, this movie was expected to be a much bigger hit than Iron Man, particularly with such a noteworthy leading man cast as Bruce Banner.
Throughout production, Norton got hands-on with shaping the movie and the still inexperienced Marvel Studios went with it. Until they didn't. During post-production, it was decided that enough was enough and The Incredible Hulk was finally taken out of Norton's hands.
The actor was furious and believed the studio had gone back on its word; as a result, he refused to promote a movie which desperately needed its leading man out there helping to spread the word.
The Incredible Hulk underperforming turned the Green Goliath into a supporting character in the MCU and cut this franchise off at the knees.
2. Jonathan Majors
Jonathan Majors didn't just damage a movie; he hurt an entire franchise. Marvel Studios continued its trend of signing up Hollywood's brightest stars when they cast Majors as the Multiverse Saga's Kang, and he impressed in Loki before being arguably the best part of Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania.
However, the actor's career reached a shocking end when he was found guilty by a New York jury of assaulting his then-girlfriend during a March 2023 altercation.
Marvel Studios decided not to fire Majors until the verdict came in and, by that point, we'd already seen him in Loki season 2 (his role was filmed before the incident took place). Now, though, the MCU finds itself without the actor the entire Multiverse Saga was supposed to be built around.
This Saga has already struggled, but to lose its Kang has left the franchise in a state of disarray. Avengers: The Kang Dynasty has reportedly lost its title and Kang's role moving forward has supposedly been pared down; only time will tell whether that's a good or bad thing.
1. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson vowed to change the hierarchy of power within the DCEU thanks to 2022's Black Adam. The movie was meant to be a fan-pleasing blockbuster which launched a new version of this shared world that, you guessed it, revolved around the former pro wrestler.
Johnson went behind the backs of executives to bring Henry Cavill back as Superman, refused to share the screen with Zachary Levi's Shazam, and fancied launching everything from a Justice Society movie to Hawkman as part of a slate he'd oversee.
Black Adam was a mess of a movie with murky visuals, hit-and-miss CGI, and The Rock basically just playing the same character as every other movie he's in.
Box office numbers weren't good, reviews were even worse, and Johnson ended up souring people on this already struggling franchise enough so that we can only conclude he was a major contributing factor in the DCEU's eventual demise.