15 Parts Played by Different Actors Who Polished Every Aspect of Them

There are certain characters that keep on being portrayed in the cinema and on TV every time by different actors. In some cases, an actor will play a character for a number of movies and then give his place to someone else who will continue the character’s legacy. It’s unavoidable that there will be comparisons about who did a better job as an actor.

1. Wonder Woman

The current feminist hero in the cinematic world, Wonder Woman, is presented by Gal Gadot and also has one of the oldest predecessors. In the mid-’70s, actress Lynda Carter took on the role of Wonder Woman in the hit TV series that lasted 4 seasons. Pay attention to the costume — the fabric on it has changed to metal, representing the real power of the female hero.

2. Spider-Man

Spider-Man, otherwise known by his civilian name Peter Parker, is a superhero who was originally created for Marvel Comics back in the 1960s.

From 2002 to 2007, Tobey Maguire played the character on the big screen, with 3 Spider-Man movies being released during this time. Peter Parker returned to the theaters in 2012 in the franchise The Amazing Spider-Man, with Andrew Garfield playing him in 2 movies. In 2017, Tom Holland became the new Spider-Man as the movie Spider-Man: Homecoming was released as a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The recent movie for the Marvel franchise, Spider-Man: No Way Home, cast all 3 men to reprise their roles of Peter Parker. In an interview, Tom Holland said that since these actors are the only 3 people to play Spider-Man on the big screen, this feeling “creates this brotherhood, this friendship, that goes past just knowing each other.”

3. Catwoman

Not only has the Batman character been changed throughout time, but his female partner, Catwoman has too. The personality of Catwoman has been shaped over the ages by many writers’ interpretations as well as costume designs. Starting with a more revealing appearance, the outfit has changed to be more practical and comfortable. The last Catwoman, played by Zoë Kravitz, looks really stunning.

4. Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes holds the Guinness World Record as the character who has been portrayed the most often, with a shocking calculation of 254 times, by over 75 actors. While we can’t possibly mention all of them, we picked out the 4 most outstanding actors who have played him in recent years.

Robert Downey Jr. won a Golden Globe for playing Sherlock Holmes in the 2009 film with the same name. Its sequel came out 3 years later, and fans of Downey Jr.’s Sherlock can expect good news as part 3 of the franchise is expected to air soon with the actor reprising his role.

Actors Benedict Cumberbatch and Johnny Lee Miller both played Sherlock on TV shows: BBC’s Sherlock and Elementary respectively. Both series are set in the modern-day, but Elementary brought a new twist to the original character by placing him in the US instead of the UK.

In 2015, Sir Ian McKellen starred as Sherlock Holmes in the movie Mr. Holmes which received generally favorable reviews from critics.

5. Hannibal

Anthony Hopkins delivered an unforgettable performance as Hannibal Lecter in the thriller The Silence of Lambs, and he came back to reprise his role 2 more times in the movies Hannibal and Red Dragon. In 2007, the movie Hannibal Rising came out which is supposed to be a prequel to the 3 films mentioned above, however, this time around the main character was played by Gaspard Ulliel.

Mads Mikkelsen took over the role of Hannibal in 2013 for the TV series with the same name, which was on air for 3 seasons.

6. Zorro

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And last but not least, we have Zorro, who is portrayed as a dashing masked vigilante who defends people against villains. This hero without superpowers has also been played by multiple actors, but his appearance hasn’t changed a lot throughout the years — he was always in a black hat with a mask and a sword. In total, 10 actors have played Zorro, starting from 1920 all the way to 2015.

7. Snow White

When hearing the name Snow White, the animated character from a cartoon movie might come to your mind. However, some live-actions of the Snow White story have been created all over the world. The character was most notably portrayed by Kristen Stewart in the fantasy film Snow White and the Huntsman in 2012. That same year, Lily Collins also played Snow White in the movie Mirror Mirror.

8. Batman

Not only has Batman’s costume undergone evolutionary changes, but the actors who played him have too. The first movie about Batman was released around 60 years ago. The first debut was made by Adam West and, through time, the legendary “dark mask” has been passed to the hero of the current times, Robert Pattinson.

9. Spock

Spock was originally played by Leonard Nimoy in Star Trek: The Original Series. The actor reprised his role many times in other projects of the Star Trek franchise. He has also voiced the character in the animated series.

Zachary Quinto was cast as young Spock for the 2009 movie Star Trek, which was the first movie of his career. He reprised this role for 2 more movies and a video game.

10. Willy Wonka

Willy Wonka, a character from children’s novels, was first portrayed by Gene Wilder in the 1971 movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. It remains one of his most iconic roles, and the actor received a Golden Globe nomination for it.

In 2005, the movie was rebooted as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with Johnny Depp playing Willy Wonka. And soon we can expect another actor to join this list — Timothée Chalamet is set to play the character in the 2023 movie Wonka, which should focus on Willy Wonka’s backstory.

11. Grand High Witch

Not everyone knows that the recently released movie, The Witches, has an older adaptation made in 1990 with Anjelica Huston playing the Grand High Witch. As you see from the collage, the appearance of the lead role has been changed drastically. But Anne Hathaway did a great job playing this new version of the Grand High Witch.

12. Carrie

The character Carrie originally comes from Stephen King’s horror novel of the same name. On the big screen, she was portrayed by at least 3 actresses: Sissy Spacek in 1976, Angela Bettis in 2002, and Chloë Grace Moretz in 2013. The original movie and the following reboots all have the same title — Carrie.

13. Joker

Heath Ledger’s Joker appears in the 2008 movie The Dark Knight, which is considered one of the best movies from the 2000s. Ledger’s performance earned him a posthumous Oscar in the category of Best Supporting Actor.

Joker returned to the big screen with Jared Leto playing him as a part of the DC Extended Universe. The actor said that he wants to continue playing this role (more than any other role) because it is so “creative and imaginative.”

In 2019, the movie Joker with Joaquin Phoenix playing the main role came out. The actor won an Oscar for it in the category of Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role.

14. Sabrina Spellman

And there is another witch on our list, the teenage witch, Sabrina Spellman, who was portrayed on-screen in a TV show produced in 1996-2003. At that time, the character was played by Melissa Joan Hart. Recently, fans welcomed a modernized adaptation and more feminist version of Sabrina, played by Kiernan Shipka. Although the appearance of the witch has changed a little, there is one thing that didn’t change at all — her cat, Salem.

15. Lara Croft

Lara Croft debuted on the big screen with Angelina Jolie playing her in the movie Lara Croft: Tomb Raider in 2001, and its sequel which came out 2 years later. In 2018, the franchise was rebooted and a new Lara Croft movie came out, Tomb Raider, with Alicia Vikander playing the main role.

The 2 actresses seem to respect each other’s work: in an interview, Vikander said that she thinks of Jolie as “an incredible actress,” and Jolie, in her turn, took all her children to see the premiere of Vikander’s version of Tomb Raider.

Who do you think did a better job at portraying these characters? Or were they all equally good and charming?