The Snyderverse will forever be remembered by DC fans not for what it was, but for what it could have been. With its flawless cast and perfect DC tone, the rushed production schedule to tie with Marvel’s own cinematic universe would cause Snyder’s efforts to implode before they could reach the same heights as the MCU. From Henry Cavill’s stoic Superman to Ben Affleck’s “Batfleck”, the Snyderverse was teeming with acting potential. Even the most overlooked roles were assigned to actors who gave their all playing secondary characters, just like Brandon Spink.
Spink didn’t play a “minor character” in Batman v Superman by most metrics. Playing Bruce Wayne in a major DC project is basically a dream come true for many actors. However, his role was relegated to flashback scenes, playing a younger version of Ben Affleck’s character.
Batman v Superman was Spink’s second feature film role, and easily the biggest project he’s been involved in so far. The movie did establish a trend in Spink’s career: he would become the actor filmmakers picked to play younger versions of established characters.
One year before Batman v Superman’s release, Spink was set to play a young Johnny Knoxville in an unreleased sitcom for ABC. He would again play younger characters in Fear Street: Part Two – 1978 (as a young, pre-1994 Will Goode) and, more recently, played the young Mike Franks in NCIS: Origins.
Following the modest success of Batman v Superman, Spink pursued high-profile roles in a couple of feature films. Later in 2016, he appeared in Patricia Riggen’s faith-based film, Miracles from Heaven. That same year, he also joined the star-studded cast of Mother’s Day.
After the 2016 wave of mainstream theater releases, Spink shifted his focus to TV, appearing in a series of high-profile productions that helped showcase his range. From procedural dramas to political thrillers, Spink was seemingly everywhere on television.
Spink started his career as a television actor, and that’s the medium where he was truly meant to shine. A year after Batman v Superman, he appeared in an episode of ABC’s Once Upon a Time, where he played – you guessed it – a younger version of an established character, Baelfire.
In 2017, he appeared in six episodes of the spy thriller Berlin Station. From then on, most of his roles have been in nuanced dramas or police procedurals, including his recent appearance on NCIS.
2021 saw Spink make a brief return to feature films with Fear Street: Part Two – 1978, the second film in Netflix’s horror trilogy. Following his work on The CW series All American, Spink remains focused on his acting work, sharing casual pics with fans on Instagram between casting seasons.
The DCEU and the Snyderverse might remain one of the industry’s biggest (and most regrettable) “What Ifs,” but it’s nice to see that actors like Brandon Spink took the chance to turn the franchise’s unrealized potential into a permanent Hollywood fixture. As he moves beyond “younger version” roles, his journey toward leading man status is clearly just beginning.
