One of the Best Western Movies of All-Time Has Major Comic Book Movie Connections

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James Mangold consistently delivers high-quality films, even though he works across many different genres. You can always expect a certain standard from his projects. While some felt *Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny* wasn’t needed, it ultimately provided a fitting conclusion to Harrison Ford’s iconic role and helped redeem the previous film, *Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull*. Even his less successful movies, like 2003’s *Identity*, often find an audience and are appreciated over time.

He truly excels at Westerns, having created two modern classics in the genre. His first attempt was a traditional Western, *3:10 to Yuma*. The second, while technically a superhero film, was strongly influenced by Western themes – we’ll discuss that shortly. Interestingly, *Yuma* features an unusually large number of actors who have appeared in Marvel and DC superhero movies. Let’s take a closer look at who they are.

Which Comic Book Movies Have Featured the Stars of 3:10 to Yuma?

Following films like *Girl, Interrupted*, *Kate & Leopold*, *Identity*, and *Walk the Line*, director James Mangold proved his versatility with this Western. Many considered it his best work at the time, and it paved the way for a similar, ambitious project: *Logan*. Like *Yuma*, *Logan* fully immerses viewers in its story through beautiful visuals and strong acting.

Following the success of *The Wolverine*, director James Mangold and Hugh Jackman truly outdid themselves with *Logan*. The film was deliberately crafted to evoke the feel of classic Westerns, like those starring Clint Eastwood and films such as *Shane*. It’s a successful homage, and it feels like Mangold’s experience directing a highly-regarded Western earlier in the 2000s was key to making *Logan* as strong as it is.

Russell Crowe, like many of his co-stars in *3:10 to Yuma*, has appeared in superhero films. Six years after *Yuma*, he played Jor-El in *Man of Steel*. Following a brief, uncredited role in *Zack Snyder’s Justice League*, Crowe returned to the genre with a lighter role as Zeus in *Thor: Love and Thunder*. More recently, two years after *Love and Thunder*, he took on a darker role as Nikolai Kravinoff, the intimidating father of the main character in *Kraven the Hunter*.

Christian Bale is well-known for starring in Christopher Nolan’s *The Dark Knight* trilogy. Remarkably, a decade after that series ended, he appeared in another superhero film, *Thor: Love and Thunder*. Although he and Russell Crowe didn’t act together in that movie, it was actually their second time working on a project together – and remains their most recent collaboration.

There’s also a connection to the *Ghost Rider* films. Peter Fonda, who played Mephisto in the original movie, is now portrayed by Sacha Baron Cohen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. *Yuma* also stars Johnny Whitworth, who previously played Blackout, an enemy of Nicolas Cage’s character in the 2011 film *Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance*.

Joining the cast of *Yuma* is Kevin Durand, known for playing The Blob in *X-Men Origins: Wolverine*. Also starring is Alan Tudyk, who voiced Alistair Krei in *Big Hero 6* and has appeared in several animated DC films, as well as playing Superman Robot 4 in James Gunn’s *Superman*. Tudyk also made a brief live-action appearance as Luke the Redneck in *Deadpool 2*.

Ben Foster, who stood out in *Yuma*, also has a history with Marvel films. He played Spacker Dave in *The Punisher* (2004) and Angel in *X-Men: The Last Stand*. He also appeared as The Stranger in *30 Days of Night*. Meanwhile, Luke Wilson ventured into the DC universe with a role as S.T.R.I.P.E. on the show *Stargirl*.

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2025-09-14 21:52