Andre Braugher’s turn as Darkseid earned him praise from fans. In the comment section of a “Superman/Batman: Apocalypse” clip on YouTube, @JinLee8899 wrote, “Andre Braugher did such an amazing job voicing Darkseid. So deep and powerful.” Whether he used his booming voice for drama or comedy, Braugher always brought his A-game, which is probably why the animated DC movie wasn’t his first time being brought into the superhero fold.
In 2007, Braugher had a chance to star in a live-action comic book property — “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.” Similarly to how people may have overlooked his Darkseid role, it’s easy to forget he played General Hager years prior. It makes sense, given how “Fantastic Four 2” wasn’t exactly well-received when it came out, so the less said about it, the better. However, his role probably would’ve stood out more had Braugher played Nick Fury, which was the original plan if a deal could’ve been worked out with Marvel. Instead, Fury came to live-action a year later with Samuel L. Jackson in a post-credits scene for “Iron Man.”
Braugher definitely could’ve brought the intimidation factor to Fury. And given his comedic chops exemplified in “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” he even could’ve portrayed some of Fury’s sillier moments in various Marvel movies. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be, with Braugher having brief excursions into both the worlds of Marvel and DC.
