Fourteen articles on superhero cinema: The Avengers, Batman on screen and Constantine, plus the stars behind the masks, from Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Hemsworth to Christian Bale, Heath Ledger and Margot Robbie.
Superhero films have become the biggest blockbusters of the modern era, and behind every cape and shield there are stories of improvised lines, dangerous stunts and unlikely casting. This collection covers the two great franchises, Marvel's Avengers and Batman on screen, along with the cult classic Constantine, and follows the actors who brought these heroes and villains to life.
Many of the most famous moments were never in the script. Robert Downey Jr.'s hidden snacks made it into the final cut, the shawarma scene in The Avengers was filmed after the world premiere, and Tom Holland improvised Spider-Man's heartbreaking farewell. Marvel initially refused to cast Downey at all, and Chris Hemsworth nearly lost the role of Thor after an appearance on Dancing with the Stars.
The Batman films have their own legends: Jack Nicholson's Joker deal earned him up to $90 million, Michael Keaton could not turn his head in the 1989 suit, and Christopher Nolan directed every shot of Batman Begins himself. Christian Bale lost about 60 pounds for The Machinist and then rebuilt his body for Batman, while Heath Ledger designed the Joker's make-up with cheap cosmetics and became the first actor to win a posthumous Oscar for a superhero film.
Villains and antiheroes get their place too, from Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman and Joaquin Phoenix's Joker to Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn and Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool. Pick an article below and read fifteen facts about it.
Every item on this page, with the one fact most people get wrong about it.
| Name | Where you'll meet it | The fact worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| The Avengers | Marvel Cinematic Universe, 2012-2019 | The famous shawarma scene was filmed after the world premiere. |
| Batman on Screen | Gotham City, 1989-present | Jack Nicholson's Joker deal earned him up to $90 million. |
| Constantine | DC / Warner Bros., 2005 | Its vision of Hell was modelled on nuclear test explosions. |
| Robert Downey Jr. | Iron Man, Avengers | Mel Gibson paid his insurance bond when Hollywood considered him uninsurable. |
| Chris Hemsworth | Thor, Avengers | He beat his own brother Liam for the role of Thor. |
| Scarlett Johansson | Black Widow, Avengers | Her lawsuit against Disney changed Hollywood's streaming contracts. |
| Ryan Reynolds | Deadpool | Deadpool took more than a decade to get made. |
| Christian Bale | Batman, The Dark Knight trilogy | He lost about 60 pounds for The Machinist, then rebuilt his body for Batman Begins. |
| Heath Ledger | The Joker, The Dark Knight | He designed the Joker's make-up with cheap cosmetics. |
| Ben Affleck | Batman, Justice League | At 25 he became the youngest-ever winner of the Best Original Screenplay Oscar, shared with Matt Damon for Good Will Hunting. |
| Michelle Pfeiffer | Catwoman, Batman Returns | Her Catwoman suit had to be vacuum-sealed onto her. |
| Kim Basinger | Vicki Vale, Batman (1989) | She once bought an entire town in Georgia for $20 million. |
| Joaquin Phoenix | Joker (2019) | He wore the same tuxedo to every awards show in 2020. |
| Margot Robbie | Harley Quinn, Barbie | She won her breakout role by slapping Leonardo DiCaprio in her audition. |
Biggest Villain Payday
Up to $90 million
Jack Nicholson's profit-sharing deal for playing the Joker in 1989 became one of Hollywood's most lucrative ever. Batman on Screen
Heaviest Costume
90 pounds
Chris Hemsworth wore a 90-pound prosthetic suit to play "Fat Thor" in Avengers: Endgame. The Avengers
Most Takes
200+
Paul Dano performed more than 200 takes of a single scene as the Riddler in The Batman. Batman on Screen
Biggest Casting Call
4,000 children
Steven Spielberg picked Christian Bale out of about 4,000 child actors for Empire of the Sun. Christian Bale
Marvel Cinematic Universe, 2012-2019
Marvel's team-up films were full of improvisation, from Robert Downey Jr.'s hidden snacks to Tom Holland's farewell as Spider-Man. Chris Hemsworth wore a 90-pound suit for "Fat Thor", and Mark Ruffalo received a fake script in which the Hulk died. "I love you 3,000" was inspired by Downey's real children.
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Gotham City, 1989-present
Ivan Reitman almost made a comedic Batman starring Bill Murray, and Michael Keaton could not turn his head in the 1989 suit. Christopher Nolan directed every shot of Batman Begins without a second unit, and The Batman turned Liverpool into Gotham. Paul Dano did more than 200 takes of a single scene.
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DC / Warner Bros., 2005
In the comics John Constantine is a blond Liverpudlian, but Keanu Reeves played him as an American in this occult thriller. Tilda Swinton played the angel Gabriel as androgynous, and Peter Stormare shot his Satan cameo in two days. Despite mixed reviews it earned over $230 million.
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Iron Man, Avengers
Robert Downey Jr. made his acting debut as a puppy and was once a cast member of Saturday Night Live. Marvel initially refused to cast him as Iron Man, but he went on to become one of the highest-paid actors in the world. He won an Oscar for playing Lewis Strauss in Oppenheimer.
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Thor, Avengers
Before fame, Chris Hemsworth cleaned breast pumps at a pharmacy and starred in the Australian soap Home and Away. His Hollywood break was a five-minute cameo in Star Trek, and he nearly quit acting just before landing Thor. He later played the villain in Furiosa.
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Black Widow, Avengers
Scarlett Johansson has a twin brother who is a foot taller than her and was named after the heroine of Gone with the Wind. CGI and stunt doubles hid her pregnancy during an Avengers shoot. She became the first woman to voice Kaa in The Jungle Book.
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Deadpool
Ryan Reynolds failed his high-school drama class and met his wife on a failed superhero film. His Maximum Effort agency reinvented marketing, and he helped revive the Welsh football club Wrexham. His long-running fake feud with Hugh Jackman delights fans.
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Batman, The Dark Knight trilogy
Steven Spielberg picked Christian Bale from about 4,000 child actors for Empire of the Sun. He kept his character's accent during press tours, ate live maggots for Rescue Dawn and spent 16 years building a foster-care village in California. He also voiced Howl in Studio Ghibli's Howl's Moving Castle.
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The Joker, The Dark Knight
Named after Heathcliff, Heath Ledger was a junior chess champion in Western Australia and turned down the lead in Spider-Man. He kept a disturbing Joker journal and skateboarded around the set in full costume. He was the first actor to win a posthumous Oscar for a superhero film.
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Batman, Justice League
Ben Affleck started out in children's television and became an Oscar-winning writer and director. He prepared for Argo with CIA operatives and is a skilled card player. He underwent an intense physical transformation to play Batman.
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Catwoman, Batman Returns
Michelle Pfeiffer decided to act while working as a supermarket cashier and accidentally injured Al Pacino during her Scarface audition. She mastered real whip tricks for Batman Returns and is a skilled oil painter. She returned to comic-book films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
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Vicki Vale, Batman (1989)
Kim Basinger overcame severe shyness and agoraphobia, and a lawsuit later forced her into bankruptcy. She played a Bond girl in Sean Connery's final 007 film, recorded a secret album with Prince and won an Oscar for L.A. Confidential. She washed her hair with dish soap before her Batman audition.
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Joker (2019)
Joaquin Phoenix spent his early childhood in the Children of God cult and once called himself Leaf. His extreme weight loss for Joker affected his mental health, and Johnny Cash approved him for Walk the Line. The day after winning his Oscar, he rescued a cow and her calf.
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Harley Quinn, Barbie
Margot Robbie earned a trapeze certificate at eight and can hold her breath underwater for nearly six minutes. She kept Jared Leto's gift of a live rat and plays amateur ice hockey. Her company LuckyChap produced the record-breaking Barbie.
Read the full article →8 questions, every answer is somewhere above.
1. When was the famous shawarma scene in The Avengers filmed?
2. Which comedy star nearly played Batman in an Ivan Reitman film?
3. Who paid Robert Downey Jr.'s insurance bond when no one else would?
4. Who did Chris Hemsworth beat for the role of Thor?
5. What did Heath Ledger use to create the Joker's make-up?
6. Which character did Scarlett Johansson become the first woman to voice?
7. What did Margot Robbie do to Leonardo DiCaprio in her Wolf of Wall Street audition?
8. What did Michelle Pfeiffer learn to do for Batman Returns?
Among the actors covered here, Michael Keaton wore the cape in 1989, Christian Bale in Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy and Ben Affleck in the DC films of the 2010s. Ivan Reitman once considered a comedic Batman starring Bill Murray.
Jack Nicholson played him in 1989, Heath Ledger won a posthumous Oscar for The Dark Knight, and Joaquin Phoenix won the Best Actor Oscar for the 2019 film Joker after a drastic weight loss.
No. Marvel Studios initially refused to cast him because of his troubled past, and he had been uninsurable until Mel Gibson paid his insurance bond. He later returned to Marvel as Doctor Doom.
It is based on a DC comic but is closer to dark occult fantasy. Mixed reviews at release did not stop it from earning over $230 million, and its cult following led to a sequel being announced 17 years later.
Margot Robbie is known for doing many of her own stunts and holds a trapeze certificate from childhood circus school, while Michelle Pfeiffer mastered real whip tricks for Batman Returns. Christian Bale, however, was kept from driving the Tumbler at high speed because of heat and noise.
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