PHOTO GALLERY: Actors Go From Comic Book Superheroes to Broadway Stars

Looks like the Black Widow and Hawkeye might be coming to Broadway. "Avengers" stars Scarlett Johansson and Jeremy Renner are nearing a deal to star in a revival of Tennessee Williams' "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof."

"I’m exhilarated, I’m terrified — but I think in a good way," Johansson, a Tony Award-winning actor for “A View From the Bridge,” told the publication. She would take on the role of Maggie, while Renner would play Brick.

Superheroes and Broadway actors have a lot in common, and though real superheroes might have some trouble flying across a Broadway stage (Spider-Man, anyone?), actors who play superheroes definitely have the chops. Johansson and Renner wouldn’t be the first ones to make the move from film superhero to stage star.

Here are the top five reasons comic books superheroes can make great Broadway stars.

Superheroes Have Muscles


Those washboard abs and toned biceps are going to prove mighty useful when covering a whole stage, running, singing, tapping, spinning, and jumping. Look no further than Wolverine on Broadway. After appearing in “X-Men” (2000), “X-Men: The Last Stand” (2006), and “X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), Hugh Jackman’s record-breaking one-man show, “Hugh Jackman, Back on Broadway” ran for 10 weeks. Its wild success seems to have sparked another round on Broadway for the Tony Award-winning actor. He’s set to play the title character of “Houdini” in the 2013-14 season. The original musical will have a book by Aaron Sorkin, and will feature a score by Stephen Schwartz. Jack O’Brien will direct. He will also be honored with a special Tony Award this year, raising his statue count to two. His first was for “The Boy From Oz” in 2004.

Superheroes Already Know How to Look Good in a Costume


Looking the part is part of the battle in a Broadway production. Superheroes wear the costumes; they don’t let the costumes wear them. Just look at Jennifer Garner. Garner played the female ninja assassin in 2003’s “Daredevil,” and met her husband, Ben Affleck, on the project. She also starred as the title role in “Elektra” in 2005. While the film bombed at the box office, Garner surprised audiences with her quality performance in “Cyrano de Bergerac” in 2007, a play about a self-conscious cadet in the French Army, pining for his distant cousin Roxane, played by Garner.

Superheroes are Team Players

The majority of the superheroes have teamed up with other superheroes at one point or another throughout their careers. They kick butt together, take names together, and look great doing it. Johansson and Renner are the perfect example, here. They fight together in “Avengers,” and their combined star power is sure to pummel the Broadway box office. Avengers, assemble!

Superheroes Fight Through the Pain

If “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” is any example to lead by, it’s one of “fighting through the pain.” Despite the production’s mishaps, the longest-running preview time in Broadway history, injuries, and a mounting debt, the show seriously went on. If you twist your ankle while doing a dance move during a performance, what are you going to do? You’re going to smile and keep going until your number’s up, baby! He may not be a superhero, but stuntman Christopher Tierney fractured his skull and broke three vertebrae and four ribs when he fell 35 feet from a platform in “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.” But he got up and returned to the show after just a few months.

Superheroes Never Give Up

All the years of fighting bad guys can be taxing, and if you’re going to make it on Broadway, or even as an actor, you need to be one tough cookie. Chances are exhaustion, rejection, and feelings of hopelessness are somewhere lurking in the near future. You have think like Batman does when he and Robin are trapped in quicksand while the Joker is robbing all of Gotham blind and all hope is seemingly lost and Robin asks that familiar question, “What are we gonna do, Batman?!” We’re going to make it. Though Christopher Reeve was mocked by his Julliard peers when he took on the role of Superman in 1978, he achieved career success in his iconic role. The legendary actor first appeared on Broadway alongside Katharine Hepburn in “A Matter of Gravity” in 1967.