Djimon Hounsou has been seen in numerous comic book movies, in roles both major and minor. Withhehe popularity of comic book movies higher than ever, many big stars have joined Marvel and DC films. Even so, Hounsou might truly stand alone for how extensive his career in these universes has been.
Hounsou has portrayed a wide array of characters across different comic book movies, with his role in The King's Man even taking him outside of the traditional superhero parameters. While Hounsou's comic book movie roles have ranged from cameos to supporting roles to mentor figures, he's consistently been a powerful presence in every one of these films. Here is every Hounsou comic book movie, from weakest to strongest.
Captain Marvel (2019)
The final chapter of the MCU before Avengers: Endgame, Captain Marvel brings little of the vigor that Endgame did. In Captain Marvel, Kree soldier Vers (Brie Larson) comes to piece together her amnesia and learns her origin story as Carol Danvers. Once an American Air Force pilot, Carol was forcibly co-opted into the Kree in their war against the shape-shifting alien race known as the Skrulls. The MCU’s well-known interconnectivity sees Hounsou reprise his Guardians of the Galaxy role as Kree soldier Korath. Unfortunately, Captain Marvel doesn’t bring much to the table other than simply being an MCU puzzle piece.
For as much as Captain Marvel’s power scale impacts the MCU, the movie itself is one of the franchise’s blandest entries. With the film’s 1995 setting, Captain Marvel has some nostalgic fun with the dated technology and various paraphernalia of that time period, which sadly are more impactful than the film’s surprisingly flat action scenes. Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury also ends up being reduced to a bumbling buffoon, and the movie’s revelation of how he lost his eye is one of the MCU's most cringe-worthy jokes. Captain Marvel’s slogan might be Higher, Further, Faster, but Carol Danvers' MCU debut is a very casual cruise.
The King's Man (2021)
The runaway success of the Kingsman franchise unfortunately experienced a major dip with the 2021 prequel The King's Man, chronicling the origins of the clandestine British spy organization in the early 20th century with Orlando Oxford, a.k.a. Arthur (Ralph Fiennes). Hounsou portrays one of his close allies Shola, a.ka. Merlin, but the script gives the ensemble cast of The King's Man little to work with. Compared to the refreshing feel of the first two Kingsman movies, The King's Man is far more routine, with little of the zany fun its two predecessors brought.
That said, The King's Man is not a total loss, still making good on delivering the uniquely Jackie Chan-inspired action scenes of the franchise, with Hounsou and Fiennes teaming up in one of the standout fights of the film. However, The King's Man also lacks the same economical flow of the first two Kingsman movies, with its admittedly strong final showdown having to resuscitate the film. The King's Man might have opened the book on how the Kingsman program began, but the story inside is sadly not as lively as one would hope.
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
The Marvel Cinematic Universe finally went cosmic with 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy. Chris Pratt’s Peter Quill, a.k.a. Star-Lord, is introduced as an Earth-born space adventurer, with Hounsou’s Korath perplexedly replying “Who?” in a meta-commentary on the Guardians' at-best C-level status among the general public at the time. Writer-director James Gunn wrangles an entertaining ensemble of Star-Lord, Gamora (Zoe Saldaña), and Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista), along with the sharp-tongued Rocket Raccoon (voiced by Bradley Cooper) and talking tree Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel).
While the cast and character interplay of Guardians are plenty of fun, it also marked the point where the MCU began to over-rely on its famed sense of humor. Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace) is one of the MCU’s more disposable villains (though he’s a far stronger presence here than in Captain Marvel.) Still, Gunn and the cast knew they were making a wackier version of Star Wars, with Guardians transforming its assortment of anti-heroes into household names and Groot's perpetual exclamation of "I am Groot" into an instantly recognizable catchphrase. Guardians is a lightweight cosmic adventure, but still one with plenty of charm.
Black Adam (2022)
The Rock assured audiences around the world that the hierarchy of power in the DC Universe would change with Black Adam, and it delivered an action-packed adventure with Kahndaq's champion. Dwayne Johnson plays Teth-Adam, the ancient chosen champion of the Middle Eastern nation of Kahndaq, freed from a 5,000-year imprisonment to battle the sinister Intergang in modern day. However, Teth-Adam's return also puts the Justice Society of America swiftly on his case. Black Adam is pure, wall-to-wall superhero action of a 300 meets Man of Steel vibe. The movie’s near-constant battles between Black Adam and the Justice Society of America's heroes liberally integrate speed-ramping, a tool that greatly enhances the movie’s gorgeous cinematography.
Johnson is electrifying as Black Adam from the moment he unleashes his internal electricity on some unfortunate Intergang soldiers, while Aldis Hodge and Pierce Brosnan are equally scene-stealing as Hawkman and Doctor Fate respectively. Hounsou also returns as the wizard Shazam in flashbacks to Black Adam’s origins, further establishing the history uniting the two movies. Meanwhile, after his obscured cameos in Shazam! and Peacemaker, the third time was finally the charm for Henry Cavill’s Superman return, with him and Black Adam meeting in a cheer-worthy end-credits scene, which marked the end of Cavill's time as the Man of Steel. Though Hounsou's minor role in the film prevents it from being higher on the list, Black Adam is a major DCEU world-builder and an enthralling popcorn blast, one that hopefully presages more such fireworks in the DCU’s future.
Aquaman (2018)
Arthur Curry became DC’s box office king with the 2018 holiday season release of Aquaman, with James Wan doing some of his craziest direction yet, horror-related or otherwise. To prevent a war between Atlantis and the surface world, the human-Atlantean hybrid Curry must find the fabled Trident of Atlan with the help of his ally Mera (Amber Heard) to usurp the throne from his war-mongering half-brother Orm (Patrick Wilson). As the film's leading man, Jason Momoa is charming as ever as the gruff but lovable Aquaman, with some re-interpretation from the comics.
Aquaman’s visual effects and action scenes bring the underwater DC Comics world gorgeously to life with the film’s aquatic effects and the seven kingdoms of Atlantis, with Hounsou leading the Fishermen tribe as the Fisherman King. Aquaman also marked a major rebound for the DCU after the failure of Justice League in 2017 (with Momoa taking a chance to beat the eventually-answered Snyder Cut drum on the press tour). As Curry's first big-screen adventure as the lead hero, Aquaman is as wild a comic book adventure as they come.
Constantine (2005)
Two years after defeating Agent Smith in The Matrix Revolutions, Keanu Reeves was saving the world again in Constantine, which released a decade too soon but nonetheless would develop a cult following since its debut. Reeves portrays demon hunter John Constantine, who uncovers a demonic plot to birth the son of Lucifer (Peter Stormare) on Earth and bring about Armageddon. Rachel Weisz takes on nearly as rugged a character in his ally Angela Dodson, with Hounsou adding an edge to the film as Papa Midnite, host of a safe house where the forces of Heaven and Hell can peacefully meet.
Though Constantine significantly re-imagines its character’s backstory, including dropping his Cockney accent for an American one, it was a worthwhile trade-off for the gravitas Reeves brings. Furious at God for what he feels is a raw deal, Reeves’ Constantine is darker than most of his heroes, with Reeves thriving in portraying Constantine’s inner battle between bitterness and heroism. Constantine's ending spiritually invigorates Reeves's protagonist with a new outlook and perspective, while the recent, belated greenlighting of Constantine 2 has set up the Reeves renaissance to continue going strong.
Shazam! (2019)
Every kid dreams of becoming a superhero, and the young Billy Batson (Asher Angel) is the rare one to have his wish granted when the wizard Shazam passes his powers onto him in order to capture the demonic entities known as the Seven Deadly Sins. Though outwardly a family-friendly superhero movie, Shazam! is surprisingly somber, with Billy’s ongoing quest to find his estranged mother and the heartbreaking resolution that eventually comes of it. At the same time, director David F. Sandberg balances that with the fast-talking, fanboy humor of Billy’s adopted friend Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer), and the gleefully kid-like Zachary Levi as Billy’s massively powerful Shazam form.
Mark Strong’s villainous Dr. Sivana fittingly mirrors Billy’s tragedy in the life-long rejection he's dealt with, and Hounsou makes the wizard himself jump right off the screen with the exuberant urgency of his performance. A headless Superman cameo (owing to Cavill’s five-year suspended animation as the Man of Steel) admittedly waters down the film's ending, but Shazam! is nonetheless a stupendously fun superhero and Christmas movie combo. With that, and Hounsou's standout performance as the Wizard Shazam the most unforgettable of his comic book roles, Shazam! earns the distinction of Djimon Hounsou's best comic book movie.