History Main / ComicBookFantasyCasting

* [[TheLittleMermaid Ursula]] was based on, of all people, drag queen and JohnWaters regular Divine.

* [[IronMan Tony Stark]] is not only drawn to look like RobertDowneyJr in ''WesternAnimation/AvengersEarthsMightiestHeroes'', but sounds like him, too. You could be forgiven for thinking that his voice actor, Eric Loomis, doing a pretty good inpression of him, but as it turns out, [[http://marvel.com/news/story/15715/the_avengers_earths_mightiest_heroes_voicing_iron_man that's actually Loomis's normal voice]]

* [[IronMan Tony Stark]] is not only drawn to look like RobertDowneyJr in AvengersEarthsMightiestHeroes, but sounds like him, too. You could be forgiven for thinking that his voice actor, Eric Loomis, doing a pretty good inpression of him, but as it turns out, [[http://marvel.com/news/story/15715/the_avengers_earths_mightiest_heroes_voicing_iron_man that's actually Loomis's normal voice]]

* The eponymous hero of the Italian comic ''DylanDog'' is based on Rupert Everett. Among the other characters, Kim is based on Kim Novak, and Professor Adam on Sean Connery.

Fantasy casting can also occur in non-visual media such as (unillustrated) novels, but can be harder to spot unless WordOfGod acknowledges it, or the character is [[{{Expy}} closely based]] on a particular role the actor is associated with.

* Supposedly, JKRowling based Hagrid on Robbie Coltrane when she was writing the first ''HarryPotter'' book. When [[Film/HarryPotter the movies]] rolled around, she insisted that Robbie Coltrane was the only choice for the part of Hagrid and, fortunately for her, they got him.

* ''LeftBehind" makes frequent references to Nicohale Carpathia's resemblance to Robert Redford. Vernon Billings is briefly described as having a "Henry Fonda" quality to him.

* John Romita stated in an interview that he had been thinking of Ann Marshall when he first drew Mary Jane Watson.

* Masayuki Ozaki has confirmed that several characters in ''TigerAndBunny'' are supposed to resemble certain famous individuals. So far, the fandom's located RobertDowneyJr, StephenSpielberg, Forest Whitaker, Macaulay Culkin, and Barack Obama.

* In Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean's ''Black Orchid,'' Carl Thorne looks like the young Marlon Brando, while Lex Luthor often looks like the older Brando (especially when he's on the videophone--he seems to be based on Brando in ''Apocalypse Now'' then).

* Hal Jordan and Sinestro in ''GreenLantern'' have respectively been claimed to have been based on Paul Newman and David Niven.

For when the character is a direct impression or parody of a celebrity's public persona, see NoCelebritiesWereHarmed. For when an animated character is designed to resemble the real-world voice actor, see InkSuitActor. Not the same thing as when a comic book or animation is spun-off from an earlier live-action film or TV show and the characters inevitably are drawn to look like the live-action actors, which would be Reality Casting. However, sometimes there are borderline cases where a comic or animation is adapted into a live-action medium and artists start drawing a character to look like the actor in the adaptation.

** That's standard procedure at Bonelly Comics. Mystic shaman Magico Vento is DanielDayLewis, Ken Park is RobertRedford, Nick Raider is RobertMitchum (and his sidekick is Eddie Murphy), Legs Weaver is SigourneyWeaver and Julia Kendall is AudreyHepburn (her maid is WhoopiGoldberg, her boss/romantic interest is JohnMalkovich and her best friend is JohnGoodman).

* [[http://www.marveldirectory.com/individuals/n/numinus.htm Numinus]], an obscure ''PowerPack'' character who looks like a bright-red Whoopi Goldberg in [[JackKirby Kirbyesque]] "cosmic" armour.

* Maybe it was my imagination, but in one ''{{Batman}}'' comic I own from 1994, The Joker looks almost ''exactly'' like Jack Nicholson in one panel - and from then on, never again.

** TimothyDalton was used as Tony Stark at one point (for many years, if this troper remembers correctly).

** This has also been reflected in other media has well, as DavidKaye in ''XMenEvolution'', TomKane in ''MarvelUltimateAlliance'', and Jim Ward in ''WolverineAndTheXMen'' and ''TheSuperHeroSquadShow'' all have emulated Stewart in their turns as Xavier. Adverted in several ''X-Men'' video games as they did actually get Patrick Stewart to reprise the role in them.

* Before the movies, [[Comicbook/{{X-Men}} Charles Xavier's]] only distinguishing characteristics were baldness and long, thin, arching eyebrows that looked like Kirby-esque thought rays attached permanently to his head. In several Comicbook/{{X-Men}} books since the movies, though, Professor Xavier has noticeably been drawn more like Patrick Stewart.

* ''RurouniKenshin'' creator NobuhiroWatsuki voiced his whole-hearted approval for actor Takeru Satoh's being cast as Kenshin for the LiveActionAdaptation, saying his name was the first his wife suggested when he asked who could play the role. However, Kenshin isn't modeled after Satoh, who got his big break a decade after the series ended.

** Antryg Windrose of The Windrose Chronicles is basically [[DoctorWho the Fourth Doctor]] as a wizard. Reportedly, Hambly even said she mentally cast him as played by TomBaker.

* Jenny Sparks in ''{{Stormwatch}} / TheAuthority'' is a double for the model Kate Moss.

** Spike also bears quite a resemblence to a young Bob Dylan, who was Jewish.
** The couple in the first episode were based on Antonio Banderas and Selma Hyak. The doctor [[spoiler: also known as a conman]] who revives Faye is based on George Clooney. The bounty hunter in "MushroomSamba" is based on Pam Grier. ''CowboyBebop'' liked this trope.

* {{Eyeshield 21}} has some really strange ones considering all the characters are high school football players. Shin (especially in the early days) was pretty much Bruce Lee in football gear, Aoyanagi is Weird Al on steroids, Bud Walker is Johnny Depp, and Shinryuuji has players that resemble Gandhi, Richard Nixon, and the Dalai Lama.

* {{Yami no Aegis}}'s Zero ''really'' looks like Leon from TheProfessional. They're also both assassins, and aside from the hats (Zero wears a baseball hat) they dress identically.

* Jenny Sparks in {{Stormwatch}}/''TheAuthority'' is a double for the model Kate Moss.

* Wesley and the Fox in ''{{Wanted}}'' are overtly based on Eminem and Halle Berry, in what was seen as a deliberate attempt to angle for a film adaptation. In the eventual film the roles ended up being played by James [=McAvoy=] and Angelina Jolie.

** NYPD Detective Paul Budiansky, a one-arc character from The Punisher MAX is also modeled after Sam Jackson.

* The original ''Comicbook/{{X-Men}}'' Hellfire Club line-up were all based by John Byrne on actors he admired. Sebastian Shaw was based on Robert Shaw, the Black Queen (Jean Grey) on Diana Rigg ([[Series/TheAvengers Emma Peel]]), Mastermind/Jason Wyngarde on Peter Wyngarde (Jason King in ''Department S''), Harry Leland on Orson Welles ([[TheThirdMan Harry Lime]]), and Donald Pierce on Donald Sutherland (film version of [[Film/{{ptitleg61am70o3b3w}} Hawkeye Peirce]]).

* In John Byrne comics, [[FantasticFour Mr Fantastic]] is based on Jeffrey Hunter, [[Comicbook/TheAvengers Wonder Man]] on David Prowse, Dr Strange on Richard Boone, the Scarlet Witch on Playmate Julia Lyndon, Desmond Marrs on Rocco Siffredi, Polaris (in ''X-Men: The Hidden Years'') on Jennifer Aniston.

* Similarly, Gary Frank draws Superman to look like Christopher Reeve.

* There are a number of examples in ''GlobalFrequency'', DependingOnTheArtist. In certain issues, Miranda Zero looks almost exactly like Michelle Forbes, who was later cast as her in the abortive TV pilot. In issue 4, the English gunwoman looks like KateMoss (something of an in-joke, as WarrenEllis's ''{{Stormwatch}}'' and ''{{TheAuthority}}'' leading character Jenny Sparks was famously visually based on her). And in issue 5, the magician Alan Crowe looks exactly like [[ThemedAliases Alan Cumming]].

* Disney/{{Aladdin}} was based on TomCruise.

* {{Anastasia}} is a combination of Audrey Hepburn and her voice actress, Meg Ryan, making her both this trope and InkSuitActor.