Comics/Graphic Novels

Harry Potter Actors Turned Superheroes

Kay Taylor Rea

Staff Writer

Kay Taylor Rea is a bi lady nerd who’s unduly obsessed with: diverse media of all sorts (with special fondness for comics, romance, SFF, and YA), orange foods, Hamilton, and hockey. She grew up in the Pacific Northwest, but currently lives in the dystopian hellscape of modern-day Phoenix. Kay is a writer, a Slytherin, and an amateur hermit. When she’s not tweeting or reading submissions for Uncanny Magazine, she’s blogging about her feels, favorite books, and fanfiction at read, rec, write, repeat. Rea rhymes with Kay. If you were curious. Twitter: @kaytaylorrea

News recently broke that Tom Felton, an actor best known for his portrayal of Harry Potter’s Draco Malfoy, will be joining The CW’s The Flash as a series regular. There aren’t a lot of details on the role yet, a series original character named Julian Dorn, but it got me thinking. What would be fun superhero roles for other Hogwarts alumni? Here are a few of my ideas for the kids of Harry Potter, grown up and swapping their robes for capes.

Emma Watson: Zatanna Zatara

Zatanna’s a DC superheroine and this feels like a bit of a cheat because she has magic powers she uses as both a stage magician and a real magician. Plus, she’s DC’s first legacy hero and hasn’t gotten a live-action adaptation since a recurring stint on The CW’s Smallville. Watson has taken on a variety of roles as she moves past her Harry Potter days, but this is a different enough magical spin that she might be interested.

dream comics zatanna

Daniel Radcliffe: Peter Parker/Spider-Man

This one is also a bit of a cheat because this character’s been cast already. (Everybody has been cast as Spider-Man. Everyone.) It’s also a bit of a cheat because Harry Potter himself, Daniel Radcliffe, has stated he’d like to play Spidey and he’s gone incognito at SDCC dressed up as Spider-Man.

Daniel Radcliffe Spiderman

Rupert Grint: Red Hood/Jason Todd

This would be playing wildly against type, but after seeing Grint’s portrayal of an assassin-in-training in Wild Target I think he could pull off DC’s favorite resurrected redhead Jason Todd. Todd’s one of the Bat-Family members most likely to bend the rules if it means eliminating the real bad guys, not unlike a certain Weasley.

jason todd red hoodRupert Grint

Alfie Enoch: Patriot/Elijah Bradley

Eli Bradley comes from a family of superheroes (he’s the grandson of Captain America Isaiah Bradley) and is a founding member of the Young Avengers as Patriot. Alfie Enoch’s currently busy getting away with murder on ABC, but if his schedule freed up he’d be a great addition to any Young Avengers adaptation.

Patriotalfie enoch

Matthew Lewis: Captain Britain/Brian Braddock

There are few things I’d enjoy more than Matthew Lewis getting to play Captain Britain’s origin story. Brian crashes his motorcycle while escaping an attack on the nuclear research center where he’s a fellow and is given the Amulet of Right by Merlyn to save his life and transform him into Captain Britain.

captain britainmatthew lewis

Evanna Lynch: Namora/Aquaria Nautica Neptunia

Namora’s a Marvel superheroine who’s sometimes a cousin of Namor the Sub-Mariner and sometimes an alternate version of Namor. Evanna can do serious and seriously weird with great charm: ideal for an Atlantean warrior.

namoraevanna lynch

Bonnie Wright: Batgirl/Barbara Gordon

I’ve always loved the ladies of the Bat-Family, but the recent Burnside run featuring Barbara Gordon Batgirl has me longing for an adaptation. Bonnie Wright is mostly writing and directing these days, but she’s sharp, funny, and one of the few Harry Potter who could still get away with playing a character as young as Babs.

Barbara "Babs" Gordon aka Batgirl. Batgirl #35. October 8, 2014.

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Katie Leung: Silk/Cindy Moon

Cindy Moon’s a newer addition to the Spider-Verse, but she’d be a great character for exploring a new universe. Basically raised in a bomb shelter she’s ecstatic about her freedom and excited to explore New York. Katie Leung can work the perfect mix of wide-eyed and butt-kicking.

silk katie leung