Spider-Man, Batman and other movie franchises in which multiple actors played one character

Sometimes it happens that viewers get used to an actor as a particular on-screen character. They are looking forward to the continuation of the movie, and the director makes such a move. However, in the new part, for some reason, the main character is played by another person.

OBOZREVATEL has compiled a selection of legendary film franchises in which one of the characters was played by several actors.

• Spider-Man

In 2002, Tobey Maguire played the main character, Peter Parker, in the Marvel movie Spider-Man. The actor was 27 years old at the time, and he had to become a teenager with glasses and a shy smile. As the first part was rapidly gaining popularity, Tobey was invited to play in the next two films, Spider-Man 2 (2004) and Spider-Man 3 (2007).

Then the director decided to replace the actor. The next superhero to play the role was Andrew Garfield in the films The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014). The new on-screen character became more sensual: sometimes it seemed that he was more concerned about his relationship with his beloved than about saving humanity from intruders. While the "first" Spider-Man appealed more to teenagers, the "romanticized version" attracted viewers of both young and old ages.

The next to play the iconic hero was 21-year-old Tom Holland. In fact, he grew up watching Marvel movies, so he immediately understood what the director expected from him. The actor got the role of Parker in the films Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) and Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019).

On December 16, 2021, there was a new part of the movie franchise, Spider-Man. No Way Home. Tom Holland played the lead role in it again.

• Batman

Batman, the DC comic book hero, first appeared in the movies in 1989. That was when Tim Burton's legendary Batman movie, starring Michael Keaton, was released. This movie was not quite a "superhero" one and was full of philosophy. Nevertheless, the actor was able to perfectly transform into the on-screen character.

The next superhero to play the role was Val Kilmer in Batman Forever (1995) and George Clooney in Batman and Robin (1997). Their performances were not as convincing as Keaton's. These films were directed by Joel Schumacher, but he failed to create profitable films. Kilmer seemed to be devoid of humanity, while Clooney was sophisticated, intelligent, and not at all heroic.

Next, director Christopher Nolan made The Dark Knight trilogy about Batman. He chose Christian Bale to play the lead role. His acting in the series of films about this superhero is considered to be the most successful to date.

• Harry Potter

While in the previous films it is immediately noticeable that actors are replaced, in the Harry Potter franchise it is not so obvious. Professor Albus Dumbledore was played by Richard Harris in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001) and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002). His performance was professional enough to continue filming. However, the actor had to be replaced by someone else because Richard died.

The next Albus was played by Michael Gambon from 2004 to 2011. This replacement was not noticed by the audience until the fight scenes, where his face was better visible.

• The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

In the movie The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, released in 2009, Heath Ledger played the lead role of Tony Shepard. This could have been a real triumph for the actor, but he died before the filming was completed. The official cause of death was an overdose of sleeping pills and tranquilizers. After the tragedy, the film crew decided to rewrite the script a bit because they had only managed to shoot a part of the movie with Heath.

As a result, Tony, the on-screen character played by Ledger, passes through Dr. Parnassus' "magic mirror" and his appearance changes. After the actor's death, his character was played by Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell. Upon completion of filming, all three refused royalties, which they handed over to the family of the deceased.