After the endless number of times Karl Urban’s Billy Butcher has described someone as a “supe freak” during The Boys, we’re indeed thrown for a loop upon seeing Butcher have powers of his own in the season 3 trailer. The memorable “supe freak” line is just one example of how the New Zealand actor can flawlessly step into a juicy role and make it both iconic and scene-stealing.
Urban’s first Hollywood role was in the 2002 horror film Ghost Ship. Since then, he has appeared in many high-profile movies, including the second and third installments of The Lord of the Rings trilogy in the role of Éomer. From there, he became a household name in Hollywood. In celebration of the highly anticipated third season of The Boys, here’s a closer look at Karl Urban’s best performances to date.
5 The Bourne Supremacy
Universal Pictures
This critically and commercially successful sequel to The Bourne Identity brought acclaimed filmmaker Paul Greengrass into the picture. Then, there was no definitely stopping this gritty, beloved franchise spawned from Robert Ludlum’s hit novels. In The Bourne Supremacy, Matt Damon’s Jason Bourne moves from city to city with Marie (Franka Potente), trying to remain one step ahead of the threat implicit in every unexplained stranger’s glance, every “wrong number” phone call — that, at any second, without any warning, he might get pulled back into the world he hopes he left behind.
Urban plays Kirill, a Russian Federal Security Service agent hired to take Bourne down. His character’s moment of glory comes during a daytime chase sequence in Goa, India, that leaves a central character unexpectedly dead. It’s a thrilling sequence that shows off Urban’s skills as a menacing action villain, even if he’s not really saying much.
4 The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers & The Return of the King
New Line Cinema
In the original trilogy, Urban plays Éomer, a Man of Rohan and brother to Éowyn (played by Miranda Otto). The epic battle scenes Urban’s heroic character led in The Two Towers and The Return of the King solidified Urban’s status as a true action hero. The portrayal certainly kick-started his Hollywood career with more central turns in future films.
3 Dredd
Entertainment FilmsUnited International
In this gritty retelling of the 1996 film that starred Sylvester Stallone and Rob Schneider, Urban dons the helmet in this futuristic siege film. Dredd nixes the cheesy comedy from the original film, while bringing in an imposing villain played by Lena Headey. Urban’s Judge Dredd is a law enforcer given the power of judge, jury and executioner in a vast, dystopian metropolis called Mega-City One that lies in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Dredd and his apprentice partner, Judge Anderson (Olivia Thirlby), are forced to bring order to a 200-storey high-rise block of apartments and deal with its resident drug lord, Ma-Ma (Headey). It’s a fun ride from start to finish.
“I turned on to Dredd when I was about 16, working in a pizza parlor in Wellington,” Urban once told EW. “The manager switched me on to it. It was kind of ironic at the time because most teenagers do rebel against everything to do with authority and the law and all that sort of stuff. I really gravitated towards this ultra brutal representative of the law. I just loved it. I’ve always had a passion for science fiction. Blade Runner is one of my favorite films. Star Trek. Star Wars. I grew up with that stuff. I love comics. It’s just a wonderful form of escapism.”
Speaking of Star Trek, that brings us to the next top-notch performance on our list…
2 Star Trek
Bad Robot Productions
“I may throw up on you.” Let’s not forget Bones’ first line to Kirk in JJ Abrams’ 2009 Star Trek film, the 11th in the franchise. The wildly successful reboot features the main characters of the original Star Trek TV series portrayed by a new cast. The film follows James T. Kirk and Spock aboard the USS Enterprise as they combat a Romulan from their future who threatens the United Federation of Planets. The story takes place in an alternate reality because of time travel — also a behind-the-scenes attempt to free the film and the franchise from established continuity constraints while simultaneously preserving original story elements. The end result was a box office success, grossing more than $385 million worldwide against its $150 million production budget. It was followed by the sequels Star Trek Into Darkness and Star Trek Beyond, with a fourth Star Trek film now in the works as well.
Urban plays Dr. Leonard H. McCoy, AKA “Bones,” with the perfect balance of humor and grit. His bromance chemistry with Chris Pine saves the films before they ever try to take themselves too seriously. We can’t wait to see another scene-stealing turn in a fourth installment, despite the fact that Urban doesn’t know much about it. “I haven’t seen a script, I know nothing," Urban told Variety. “But I would love to work with those guys again, so much fun, the best hang. We’ll see.”
