I don’t feel, as a person, like a superhero

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Credit: Paramount Pictures

Glen Powell might be a favorite fan pick for some Marvel and DC heroes, but the former Top Gun and soon-to-be new Running Man has made it clear that he’s not chasing a hero role any time soon.

Currently starring in Chad Powers, which he co-created with Avengers: Doomsday scribe, Michael Waldron, the football comedy series sees Powell as a down-and-out football player who finds a second life on the field through a new identity and some carefully placed prosthetics. When breaking down the part, Powell compared his new character to a well-known superhero who spends his nights beating up thugs while wearing pointy ears, instead of dodging tackles and ensuring his fake nose doesn’t fall off.

“Michael Waldron and I created Chad Powers, and we always conceptualized that as a superhero story,” Powell explained to Collider. “There’s very much a Batman/Bruce Wayne thing going on there. There’s the super version of you and then there’s sort of the version that you can kind of hide from the world.” But while he might be taking on the traits of some legendary day-savers, Powers’ interest in comic book heroes only goes so far.

“I love the duality of superhero stories. I love the idea of secret identities. I love all that, but I can’t say that there’s one superhero in particular I’m chasing,” assured Powell. “Look, the thing about superhero stories that I’ve always loved is it’s like the early days of something, building something.”

Sure, everyone loves an origin story. Heck, even Powell’s has been a great one, stealing the show in Top Gun: Maverick, to now taking tips from Tom Cruise himself for The Running Man in Edgar Wright’s new film. As for costumed heroes, though? There’s something that doesn’t quite click with Powell. “I don’t feel, as a person, like a superhero. Once someone becomes super, I sort of kind of tend to no longer feel, I don’t know, the same emotional connection.”

Of course, all it takes is one perfect part to get Powell interested; it’s just a matter of who it could be. Waldron himself has suggested that the star of his show would be a perfect pick for cosmic hero Richard Rider, aka Nova, one of the legendary members of the Nova Corps (via The Playlist), but given that plans for that show have been halted recently, we shouldn’t expect that to happen any time soon. For now, we’ll just have to see how he handles standing on his own two feet and sprinting like his life depended on it when The Running Man makes his way into theaters on November 14.

Also, besides Chad Powers on Hulu, here are the 10 best shows you can watch on the streaming service now.