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Who would Glen Powell play in the MCU or DCU? No one, says The Running Man star
Don't get us wrong - Glen Powell has nothing against Marvel or DC's cinematic universes. It's just that the Chad Powers prefers chads without, well, powers

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The Glen Powell train is flying full-steam ahead. Once a character actor appearing in minor parts in films like The Dark Knight, Powell has risen to action hero stardom, championing films like Hit Man, Twisters, and very soon, the Edgar Wright-directed adaptation of Stephen King's The Running Man. Naturally, much of the online discourse surrounding the billion-dollar actor is who he might play in the world's most billion dollar franchises - that is, the superheroic Marvel Cinematic and DC Universes - but according to the actor himself, he doesn't see himself in tights.
Or in any DC or Marvel role, for that matter.
The quote comes from a recent interview Powell did with Collider, and we're going to tell you right now - what this interview amounts to is not the Top Gun: Maverick star simply bashing Marvel & DC's movies. He doesn't even mind superhero stories, really, it's just that, once that person passes through their origin story (think Peter Parker getting bit by that radioactive spider), Powell starts to lose his emotional connection to the them.
"The thing about superhero stories that I've always loved," said the Hit Man star, "Is it's like the early days of something, building something. I don't feel, as a person, like a superhero. Once someone becomes super, I sort of kind of tend to no longer feel, I don't know, the same emotional connection."
Again, Powell's not trying to cast any shade over the superhero films currently dominating this cinematic moment. he expressly says that he loves both Marvel and DC, and that "I think what they're doing is great." But what draws him to roles, especially one like Ben Richards, main character of the Running Man, is that they stand up against the odds without powers.
"The thing [I love] about Running Man," Powell continued, "is it's an ordinary guy against extraordinary odds. You know? I think those underdog stories are the movies that got me into this business [...] the stories that at least get me inspired, the stories that I've always wanted to be a part of, are these movies that you saw in the ‘80s and early ‘90s, early 2000s, where it's like these are truly Man Against the System movies, these David and Goliath stories where no one's super. For me, it's a different feeling of leaving the theater and being like, ‘Oh, that could be me.’"
"If you just summon enough strength," the actor concludes, "If you just summon enough energy, ‘That could be me.’ So, I think that's the difference. I just don't feel that superhero stories really apply to me the same way that an underdog story does."
The Running Man dashes into theaters, sans superpowers, November 14.
Enjoy our guides to how to watch the recent DCEU, the Arrowverse, and James Gunn's upcoming DCU. Oh, and don't forget our guide to what's coming up for DC projects on the big and small screens.
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