Bat To The Future: You Won't Believe What These Young Superhero Stars Look Like Now

While we prepare for probably another #Batman, let's remember that for every Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lawrence, and Chris Pratt, there is a child actor behind their superhero's origin scenes. So, let's raise a glass to the uncelebrated children from the #superhero genre of yesteryear.

You might remember them when they were slipping on their Superman pull-ups and still suckling at mommy's intergalactic teat, but where are the child stars of the #Marvel and #DC now? It is time for a trip down memory lane.

1. Young Superman In Man Of Steel (2013)

While there have been many stories of a young Clark Kent over the years — notably with Tom Welling putting on the tights in Smallville — the #DCEU gave us the bus-saving supes in #ZackSnyder's Man of Steel. Matching Henry Cavill's azure eyes, Dylan Sprayberry not only has possibly the coolest name ever, but he also went on to star as Liam Dunbar on MTV's Teen Wolf. Nice to see he has kept that Superman-esque chiseled jaw.

2. Young Mystique In X-Men: First Class (2011)

Blue's that girl? While Morgan Lily was barely recognizable under the heavy prosthetics to play Raven, her brief part in X-Men: First Class would grow into Jennifer Lawrence's nude illusion. Lily has enjoyed small roles on Chicago Med and four episodes of the US Shameless, in addition to appearing in archive footage for 2014's X-Men: Days of Future Past. She also took to Snapchat to recreate her child cameo using their handy Mystique filter.

3. Young Star-Lord In Guardian's Of The Galaxy (2014)

It may only have been three years since Wyatt Oleff ran out of the hospital to be abducted by spacemen, but it hasn't stopped both a growth and career spurt for small Star-Lord. The 13-year old just reprised his role as a young Peter Quill in #JamesGunn's #GuardiansoftheGalaxyVol2, appeared as a junior Rumplestiltskin in Once Upon a Time, and will put his fear of clowns to the test as Stan Uris in the upcoming #ItMovie remake.

4. Young Supergirl In Supergirl (2015)

Hmmm, where have I seen you recently? If you are scratching your head as to why Malina Weissman looks so familiar, it could be to do with Netflix's #ASeriesofUnfortunateEvents where she plays Violet Baudelaire. Her part as a young April O'Neil in 2014's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles may have got her noticed, but playing the child Kara on Supergirl was Weissman's breakout role. Expect to hear big things from the 14-year-old, especially with Unfortunate Events Season 2 well underway.

5. Young Batman In Batman Begins (2005)

We all remember the terrified Bruce Wayne from the first part of Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy. If having your parents gunned-down in front of you weren't bad enough, how about falling into a well full of bats? Unfortunately, Gus Lewis doesn't seem to be doing much acting these days, with his last credit being in 2012. However, he did review the Batman Arkham VR for Playstation and told GQ about his time on Nolan's set.

6. Kitty Pryde In X-2 (2003)

Katie Stuart was actually the second of the three women to play Kitty Pryde, a.k.a. Shadowcat in the #XMen series. While it is hard to remember a time in which Ellen Page didn't play the girl who could walk through walls, Stuart had a small part in the second entry. With an impressive resume of TV appearances, Stuart has steered away from big screen production in favor of the smaller scale. Most notably, she played original survivor Monroe on the first three season's of The 100.

6. Young Thor In Thor (2011)

Just how do you become the God of Thunder? Well, why don't we ask Dakota Goyo, who was certainly worthy to wield the hammer in 2011's Thor. While he might not yet have the rugged good looks of Chris Hemsworth, the 17-year-old is still acting his little socks off. He played Hugh Jackman's son in Real Steel, took on aliens in Dark Skies, and played a young Russell Crowe in Noah.

7. Young Jean Grey In X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)

In what was undoubtedly one of the biggest duffs in the X-Men universe, The Last Stand attempted to cobble together a Jean Grey backstory. While Sophie Turner and Fox's upcoming #DarkPhoenix film attempt to give it a second shot, let's not forget Haley Ramm, who played Jean in 2006's flop. Ramm landed roles in Flightplan, and played a young Jennifer Aniston in the maligned Rumor Has It. These days she guest stars in the likes of The Originals and Notorious.

8. Young Wolverine In X-Men: Origins Wolverine (2009)

Only just beating The Last Stand in fan hatred, X-Men Origins: Wolverine went back to the start as a precursor to James Mangold's Logan. Troye Sivan popped out his little bone claws for the start of the film before Hugh Jackman took over proceedings. Keeping himself busy, Sivan was on stage alongside Alessia Cara at the 2016 VMAs, has a huge YouTube following, and even made it to No. 5 on the US Billboard 200.

From tiny acorns do mighty heroes grow. While most of the above have only had minor parts in some of the biggest and best superhero films of the 21st century, most will be remembered for something different. However, we all have to start somewhere. So, if you ever want to cheer yourself up, just remember that the cute kid from Batman Begins turned out to be the evil Joffrey Baratheon from Game of Thrones — jeez, thanks for saving him, Batman!