Stallone and Schwarzenegger teaming up with rising stars, with each entry, several performers found themselves in roles that failed to capitalize on their unique skills.

From martial arts icons to new actors, these performers deserved better than their brief or underwhelming appearances in the franchise. Whether limited by screen time, poor character development, action sequences that failed to showcase their abilities, or no action sequences at all. These stars represent missed opportunities in a series built on celebrating action cinema.

7 Jet Li

Expendables' Fight Scenes Wasted The Martial Arts Icon

The acclaimed martial arts legend's involvement in The Expendables series stands as one of the franchise's greatest mishandlings of talent. Yin Yang, Li's character, received minimal screen time and even less opportunity to demonstrate the incredible fighting prowess that made him an international star. Despite his reputation for some of the best fight scenes in martial arts movies like Once Upon a Time in China and Fist of Legend, Li's action scenes in the franchise were largely reduced to basic gunfights and brief hand-to-hand encounters.

The situation worsened with Li's drastically reduced role in The Expendables 2, where he appears briefly at the beginning before departing from the story entirely. This early exit deprived audiences of seeing one of cinema's most skilled martial artists integrated fairly into the star-studded ensemble. For a series that promised to celebrate action stars, the failure to properly showcase Li's exceptional martial arts abilities represents a significant missed opportunity, especially because Li was among the cast's younger who could still perform incredible stunts.

6 Chuck Norris

Norris' Cameo Was Fun But Too Short

The martial arts icon Chuck Norris appeared in The Expendables 2 as Booker, nicknamed "The Lone Wolf," but his much-hyped inclusion amounts to little more than an extended cameo. Despite Norris's extensive action movie history, particularly in the 80s, and legitimate martial arts background, his character appears only briefly to help the team at convenient moments, even referencing the famous "Chuck Norris facts" memes rather than establishing a meaningful presence in the story.

His limited appearance feels more like stunt casting designed to capitalize on his renewed popularity as an internet meme rather than a genuine attempt to showcase the skills that made him an action star in the first place.

Instead of utilizing Norris's proven ability to carry extended fight sequences, as demonstrated throughout his career in films like Way of the Dragon and Missing in Action, the franchise reduces him to a deus ex machina plot device. His limited appearance feels more like stunt casting designed to capitalize on his renewed popularity as an internet meme rather than a genuine attempt to showcase the skills that made him an action star in the first place.

5 Bruce Willis

Willis Eventually Exited The Franchise

The iconic Die Hard star's appearance as Church in The Expendables series exemplifies how the franchise consistently underutilized major talent. Initially positioned as a mysterious CIA operative who could add intrigue to the series, Willis's role devolved into brief exposition scenes and terse exchanges with Stallone. The electricity and charisma that made John McClane a legendary action hero are nowhere to be found, with Willis appearing visibly disengaged in his limited screen time.

Rather than developing Church into a complex character worthy of Willis's capabilities, the series treated him as little more than a plot device.

Willis's departure from the franchise before The Expendables 3 raised questions about why Mr. Church didn't return, reportedly over salary disputes, further highlighting the superficial nature of his involvement. Rather than developing Church into a complex character worthy of Willis's capabilities, the series treated him as little more than a plot device. His time in The Expendables feels particularly wasteful for an actor known for bringing wit, vulnerability, and intensity to his action roles in a film that desperately needed his best qualities.

4 Arnold Schwarzenegger

The Terminator Was Reduced To One-Liners

Despite his status as one of action cinema's biggest stars, Schwarzenegger's role as Trench in The Expendables franchise never rises above extended cameo status. The franchise seems content to trade on Schwarzenegger's iconic presence rather than utilize the charisma and commanding screen presence that doesn't just make him an iconic action hero but qualities that make him the action hero. Instead, audiences get forced one-liners referencing his earlier work and brief action sequences that fail to capture the grandeur of his heyday.

Perhaps most disappointing is how the series squanders the potential of having Schwarzenegger and Stallone share significant screen time. While their brief scenes together offer nostalgic value, the franchise never fully capitalizes on the opportunity to develop a meaningful dynamic between these action legends who were so often rivals in the 80s action movie franchise ecosystem.

For a series built on celebrating action stars, the superficial handling of one of the genre's greatest icons feels particularly egregious. Throughout his career, films like Commando and Total Recall built entire set pieces around his larger-than-life presence, creating memorable action sequences that played to his strengths. The Expendables, by contrast, seem content to simply have him appear, toss out a familiar catchphrase, and occasionally fire a weapon.

3 Iko Uwais

Raid Star's Expendables 4 Action Disappointment

The Indonesian martial arts sensation's casting in Expendables 4 initially promised to inject fresh energy into the aging franchise. Known for his explosive fight scenes in The Raid films, Uwais seemed poised to bring his dynamic combat style to the series. Instead, his role as Rahmat provides frustratingly few opportunities to showcase the intricate choreography and athletic ability that made him an international action star.

While the franchise has historically struggled to utilize its martial arts talent properly, Uwais's case feels particularly egregious given his recent prominence in modern action cinema. Rather than building extended fight sequences around his incredible abilities, as seen in The Raid 2, the series wastes his talents on standard gunfights and brief combat encounters that any action star could have performed.

Films like the John Wick franchise demonstrate how to showcase international martial arts talent properly, building extended fight sequences that highlight their unique abilities. Uwais's involvement in Expend4bles should have followed this template, especially given the franchise's goal of celebrating action cinema.

2 Glen Powell

Top Gun Star's Early Expendables Mistake

The rising star's appearance in Expendables 3 came before his breakout role in Top Gun: Maverick. However, the franchise still failed to capitalize on his charisma and screen presence. Cast as hacker Dave, Powell finds himself relegated to a forgettable ing role that gives him little opportunity to develop a memorable character or showcase his action capabilities.

The mishandling of Powell's talent becomes even more apparent in retrospect, given his subsequent emergence as a charismatic leading man.

While the film attempts to inject youth into the franchise with its newer cast , it never provides Powell with material worthy of his abilities, which is one of the reasons he didn't end up returning for Expendables 4. His character remains confined mainly to technical rather than being integrated into the film's major action sequences.

1 Harrison Ford

Indiana Jones Grounded To Desk Duty

The inclusion of Indiana Jones himself should have been a major coup for The Expendables 3, yet Ford's role as Drummer amounts to little more than a replacement for Bruce Willis's departed Church character. Despite Ford's legendary status and proven ability to bring gravitas to action roles, the franchise reduces him to delivering exposition and occasional helicopter piloting, never fully utilizing his considerable screen presence or action experience.

The wasted potential becomes even more apparent considering Ford's history of bringing depth and humanity to action heroes. Instead of capitalizing on the qualities that made characters like Han Solo and Indiana Jones iconic, the franchise gives Ford little to work with beyond basic plot advancement. The superficial use of Ford becomes even more frustrating when considering his continued ability to deliver compelling action performances well into his later career.

His return as Indiana Jones in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and Dial of Destiny, whatever their other merits, still provided Ford with opportunities to bring his trademark mix of physical presence and world-weary charm to the action scenes. For an actor who helped define what an action hero could be, his underutilization in The Expendables series stands as a particularly disappointing missed opportunity.