The Law & Order Alum You Might Not Have Known Played Superman

Dun-dun. All it takes are those two simple sounds for people to immediately think of "Law & Order," the long-running police procedural that got its start in the halcyon days of 1990. Known for its New York City setting and bevy of compelling characters, the original run of the series had an extensive and ever changing cast featuring famous actors like Jerry Orbach, Dennis Farina, Sam Waterston, Benjamin Bratt, S. Epatha Merkerson, and Chris Noth, just to highlight a few of the big names that have been attached to the show.

Of course, while many of those actors are synonymous with their "Law & Order" characters among fans of the series, that doesn't mean they all haven't had other iconic roles. Take, for instance, the character of Superman. Generally known as Clark Kent and/or Kal-El, there are actually several different versions of the character, due to the existence of a multi-verse in the popular comic world(s) shared with the likes of Batman, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman (via CBR). One of the stars of the original "Law & Order" actually played one such alternate version of the Man of Steel who was quite different than the bespectacled reporter from the Daily Planet.

Benjamin Bratt co-starred in "Law & Order" as Rey Curtis, and he also lent his skills to the animated movie "Justice League: Gods and Monsters." This particular film flips the proverbial script on many of the DC characters, with the title of Superman passing to the son of General Zod, Hernan Guerra (Bratt). As a refresher, General Zod is a famous Superman villain who will be best known to many thanks to the live-action portrayals from Terence Stamp and Michael Shannon, as well as the often-quoted phrase, "Kneel before Zod!"

The plot of "Justice League: Gods and Monsters" follows this alternate variation of the Justice League, with even the monikers of Wonder Woman and Batman being assumed by characters like Bekka (Tamara Taylor) and Kirk Langstrom (Michael C. Hall). As this Justice League is led by the son of General Zod, they are known for their lethality and are viewed with suspicion by the general public. Unfortunately, this Justice League is framed for several deaths, and it is up to these new heroes to uncover the truth, and perhaps earn some redemption in the process.

What makes this version of Superman different, besides being the progeny of a villain, is that instead of crash landing in the Midwest, he lands in Mexico and is raised by farmers, which is illustrated by his change of name and biography. Hernan is a conflicted character in "Justice League: Gods and Monsters," but he generally wants to help humanity, much like his namesake's original calling. Ultimately, "Gods and Monsters" proved to be a hit with critics, with the movie earning an 88% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes.