‘Elsbeth’s Wendell Pierce Reveals if ‘9-1-1’s Angela Bassett Gave Him Any Superhero Advice Before Joining the MCU and DCU

Wendell Pierce is about to embark on two superhero journeys. Pierce is starring as Perry White in the upcoming James Gunn film Superman and he’s also taking on Julia Louis-Dreyfus‘ Valentina Allegra de Fontaine in the upcoming Marvel film Thunderbolts*. But it isn’t the first time he has come face to face with Marvel heroes — he also starred opposite Angela Bassett in Waiting to Exhale. Pierce was at the premiere of Bassett’s new Netflix show Zero Day to support her and he spoke to Collider on the red carpet. He spoke highly of Bassett, celebrating her and her work, but we also asked if he looked to her her advice for taking on the superhero genre. Bassett is, after all, the queen herself, Queen Ramonda, in MCU movies like Black Panther and Avengers: Endgame.

“I did not. I did not,” Pierce told us. “I should have now come to think of it. I should have thought about that. I should have talked to the queen of Wakanda to know how to handle the Thunderbolts, you know? And Superman. So I’m just joining those worlds, so I’m looking forward to that.” Both films are coming out later in 2025.

Wendell Pierce Is Taking On Both Comic Worlds But He’s Not the First to Do It

Henry Cavill smoking a cigar as Wolverine in Deadpool & Wolverine — Image via Marvel Studios

Being in both the Marvel world and the DC Comics world is a dream come true for some fans. And when an actor gets to dive into both franchises, we get excited to think about the clashing titans of the comic-book movie industry. While Pierce playing roles in Thunderbolts* as well as Superman is exciting, he joins a long list of actors to take on both franchises.

Stars like Michael Keaton have played big heroes like Bruce Wayne in Batman and Batman Returns while bringing the villain of the Vulture to life in Spider-Man: Homecoming. We’ve also had actors taking on two heroes, like Ben Affleck playing Matt Murdock in the 2003 film Daredevil as well as briefly playing the DCEU’s Batman in films like Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice and The Justice League. More recently, we’ve had Henry Cavill diving into the Marvel world with a cameo in Deadpool & Wolverine, which starred another DC and Marvel actor, Ryan Reynolds.

Pierce is joining legends as he should be, and we can’t wait to see him take on Val in Thunderbolts* and give Superman his notes as Perry White! Stay tuned at Collider for more red carpet coverage and further MCU and DCU updates.