After portraying the bad kid Ryan Atwood on “The O.C.,” Ben McKenzie portrayed James Gordon on the Fox series “Gotham.”
Ben McKenzie as Ryan Atwood in the fourth season of “The O.C.” Right: McKenzie as James Gordon in the fourth season of “Gotham.”
The CW; FOX Image Collection as provided by Getty Images
From 2014 to 2019, the show spanned five seasons and centered on McKenzie’s detective persona hunting down criminals in Gotham.
Adam Brody went from portraying the comics-obsessed Seth Cohen on “The O.C.” to playing a superhero in the “Shazam!” films.
Adam Brody as Seth Cohen in the fourth season of “The O.C.” On the right, Brody portrays Freddy Freeman as an adult in “Shazam!”
The CW, along with Warner Bros.
Brody makes his debut as the superhero version of Freddy Freeman’s (Jack Dylan Grazer) elder self “The 2019 DC Extended Universe (DCEU) film “Shazam!” features a character with the power to fly.
A sequel titled “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” will be released in theaters on March 17, 2023.
Peter Gallagher, who as Sandy Cohen, a public attorney, on “The O.C.,” also appeared in “The Gifted” on Fox and Marvel.
Left: Peter Gallagher as Sandy Cohen in the fourth season of “The O.C.” On the right, Gallagher as Benedict Ryan in “The Gifted” season two.
The CW and Fox
Gallagher portrayed Benedict Ryan, a television news anchor, in the second season of “The Gifted,” a mutant-centric television program.
Prior to portraying Thea Queen/Speedy on The CW’s Arrowverse, Willa Holland portrayed Marissa Cooper’s younger sister Kaitlin Cooper on “The O.C.”
Willa Holland as Kaitlin Cooper in the fourth season of “The O.C.” Holland as Thea Queen/Speedy in the third season of “Arrow.”
The CW (The CW); The CW
The CW’s “Arrow” ran for eight seasons, with Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen, Thea’s elder brother and the green-hooded archer.
Long before he joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Peter Quill/Star-Lord, Chris Pratt had a recurring part as Ché, a college student, in the fourth and final season of “The O.C.”
Left: Chris Pratt as Ché in the fourth season of “The O.C.” Pratt as Peter Quill/Star-Lord in “Thor: Love and Thunder,” on the right.
The CW; Marvel Productions
Ché met Summer Roberts (Rachel Bilson) during their time at Brown University. Pratt made his debut appearance on the show in the 2006 season four opener, which was ironically titled “The Avengers.”
In 2014, he made his Marvel debut in the film “Guardians of the Galaxy.”
Olivia Wilde, who had a recurring role as Alex Kelly in the second season of “The O.C. “, provided the voice of Lois Lane in the animated feature “DC League of Super-Pets” in 2022.
Olivia Wilde as Alex in the second season of “The O.C.” Lois Lane appears in “DC League of Super-Pets” on the right.
The CW, along with Warner Bros.
Wilde’s character had romantic ties with Seth Cohen and Marissa Cooper and worked at The Bait Shop (Mischa Barton).
Michael Cassidy, who portrayed Zach Stevens on “The O.C.,” appears in “Smallville” and “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” in 2016.
Michael Cassidy appeared in “The O.C.,” “Smallville,” and “Batman v Superman,” from left to right.
The CW; Warner Bros.; The CW.
In season seven of “Smallville,” starring Tom Welling as Clark Kent/Superman, he played Grant Gabriel, editor of the Daily Planet.
Years later, Cassidy appeared briefly as photographer and CIA spy Jimmy Olsen in Zach Snyder’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.”
Melinda Clarke, who portrayed Marissa and Kaitlin’s mother, Julie Cooper, on “The O.C.,” featured in three episodes of “Gotham” as Grace Van Dahl.
Left: Melinda Clarke from ‘The O.C.’ On the right, Clarke’s “Gotham” article.
The CW and Fox
Despite being on the same program years after “The O.C.,” Clarke and McKenzie did not appear in any sequences on “Gotham.”
Alan Dale portrayed Caleb Nichol on “The O.C.” and Rockwell in “Captain America: The Winter Soldier.”
Left: Alan Dale from “The O.C.” Dale is depicted on the right in “Captain America: The Winter Soldier.”
The CW; Marvel Productions
In the 2014 Marvel film, Dale was a member of the World Security Council.