Pow! Splat! Kablam! Stars Who Failed as Superheroes

June 27, 2006 — -- If Superman got in a fight with Batman and Green Lantern, who'd win? If these playground arguments fascinated you as a child, perhaps it's time to consider which star looked the silliest as a superhero.

Was it Halle Berry in her sadomasochistic Catwoman outfit or George Clooney as a nipple-accentuated Batman?

When movie stars need to boost their careers, they often pull on a mask and cape. Sometimes, however, a seemingly can't-miss blockbuster ends up a colossal embarrassment that's hard to live down.

"It seems almost wrong to cast a big star as a superhero because celebrities are insiders and superheroes are outsiders who come out of nowhere," said science fiction and fantasy historian Bob Madison of Dinoship publishing.

"We know too much about a George Clooney or a Halle Berry to accept them in such a role, and so it's a tough sell for an audience to accept them in these roles," Madison said.

"The audience ends up saying, 'Oh, that's George Clooney as Batman' or 'That's Sylvester Stallone as Judge Dredd.' … And in the end, it becomes a major fiasco," he said.

Brandon Routh flies into theaters on Wednesday in "Superman Returns" -- and like the late Christopher Reeve, he takes on the role of the Man of Steel as a virtual unknown.

Brendan Fraser, Jude Law and Josh Hartnett had reportedly been considered for the role. Nicolas Cage had long talked about starring as Superman, and is such a fan of truth, justice and the American Way that he named his newborn son Kal-El, which, according to the comic book legend, is Superman's birth name.

Given some of the celebrity superheroes who found bad reviews and moviegoer scorn more lethal than kryptonite, we all may be better off with newcomer Routh.

Now, take a look at some of the most regrettable big screen adaptations of a comic book legend (PHOTOS | VOTE), and the stars who looked all-too-mortal in their performances.

Berry in "Catwoman" -- Berry went from Oscar winner in "Monster's Ball" to theatrical kitty litter, snapping a whip in a skimpy cat suit, to fight Sharon Stone, who played an evil cosmetics executive. Berry had success as the mutant Storm in the "X-Men" movies. "Catwoman," though, took in half of its $85 million at the U.S. box office and had the dubious distinction of winning Razzie awards for worst picture, worst director, worst screenplay and worst actress. Meow.

Clooney in "Batman & Robin" -- Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, and, more recently, Christian Bale had success bringing the Caped Crusader to the big screen. Clooney's "Batman & Robin" in 1997 gave the blockbuster franchise the Mr. Freeze treatment.