Chris Hemsworth Claims it’s ‘Illegal’ for MCU Actors to Take DC Roles

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has a plethora of stars who make regular appearances in non-Marvel films, but according to Chris Hemsworth, it’s “illegal” for them to take DC roles. As long as Disney/Marvel Studios and Warner Bros./DC Films are making movies, there will continue to be some sense of rivalry with the fans, even if it’s debunked by the franchise figureheads. While studio heads may take the approach that iron sharpens iron, fans have oftentimes make it seem as though people have to choose between which universe to pledge their loyalty to. That is definitely not reality for fans as they can see as many and whichever films they want, but actors do have to choose apparently.

Hemsworth debuted as Thor back in 2011 and has made multiple appearances as the God of Thunder ever since. As his and fellow MCU actors see their stardom rise, it would make complete sense for their “competition” to try and get them. Well, Hemsworth seems to claim that is basically impossible.

The Thor actor was on hand at the Supernova Comic-Con in Australia this weekend, and according to Tyler James on Twitter, he said during his panel that it’s “illegal” for him, or any other MCU actor, to get a role as a DC character.

While the specific context around the quote, the question he responded to, or further elaboration is not available (beyond the use of the word “illegal”), this statement by Hemsworth directly contradicts what Kevin Feige said about Marvel contracts when Thanos actor Josh Brolin signed on to play Cable in Deadpool as a part of the X-Men universe.

Clearly, the Brolin scenario is different as his second superhero related gig was with Fox and not WB/DC, but Feige stated their contracts don’t have any restrictions for what roles actors can take. As the president of Marvel Studios, Feige’s word on any non-compete clauses in the contracts of MCU contracts is likely definitive, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a strong unwritten encouragement for actors to stay in-house, meaning Hemsworth may have been more hyperbolic with his use of the word “illegal”.

After all, there’s already been crossover between the two franchises. Suicide Squad cast Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Killer Croc a few years after he played Algrim the Strong in Thor: The Dark World. What this ultimately means is fans that are still campaigning for Idris Elba to play John Stewart in Green Lantern Corps can hold out hope as it’s unlikely that he’s legally bound to the MCU outside of scheduling commitments. The same goes for Bradley Cooper, the voice of Rocket Raccoon, who’s been rumored as a top pick for the role of him playing Hal Jordan for DC.

At the end of the day, Hemsworth’s comments don’t not change much. Regardless of what Marvel contracts say about other franchise roles, it would be rather surprising to see one of the central actors from one major comic book movie franchise join another, when the actors themselves are a big part of these brands. Both studios like to lock actors down for multi-picture deals, so seeing one actor agree to two five or six picture deals would be quite a load. So while the contracts might not explicitly outlaw the possibility of double dipping in these shared universes, you can expect actors like Brolin, Ryan Reynolds, and Akinnuoye-Agbaje to be rare exceptions, with Hemsworth and others being the norm. Fortunately, there are more than enough Chrises to go around.



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