With a new superhero movie out this week, I've decided to compile a list on what I consider to be the best superhero performances. Keep in mind I'm mainly sticking to live-action performances here, nothing against voice acting, I just feel that's best left in a separate list. To start us off, HONORABLE MENTIONS!
-Ryan Reynolds, Deadpool.
Ryan came very close to being on the actual list, after all the love and devotion we saw from him during the production and release of Deadpool was admirable, but his first outing as the character was horrible, so sadly I had to cut him.
-Michael Keaton, Batman.
As far as I'm concerned, Keaton is still the best Batman we've seen on screen since the 80's, when you see him, you know he's Batman. The only thing keeping him from this list is that with so many Batmen, it became hard to justify my stance on Keaton as the defining Batman.
-Scarlett Johansson, Black Widow.
Everyone's been begging for her movie, I'm not quite on that train (though I certainly won't complain) but you know she must be good for that demand to even exist. I cut her largely because she did take a few movies to get that good in the role, but better late than never.
-Lynda Carter, Wonder Woman
As far as I'm concerned, no one else has played Wonder Woman as good as Lynda did, no one. She was close, but I just felt there wasn't enough justification to put her in, from my end at least, sure I love her work as the character, but she's sadly not among the actors that come right away when I think of as the best, lame reason is lame I'll admit.
-Tobey Maguire, Spider-Man
Tobey was, and remains to be the perfect Peter Parker, I'd even say he's great in the role of Spider-Man, yes he's not throwing a lot of quips, but every time I saw him on screen I believed I was seeing Spider-man, but I understand why others demand him to quip, so that's why he didn't make the cut.
-George Clooney, Batman
...............I just put him in to get you mad........
Anyway here's my list
5)Chris Evans, Captain America.
A lot of people used to consider Cap to be the most boring of the Avengers on screen, which is a big part why he gets the lowest spot here. Personally, Chris Evans remains to be my favorite of the Avengers cast, but, I can't really justify putting him higher solely based on how much I like him, audience feedback matters here, which means to many, he didn't get great till his second solo outing with The Winter Soldier. Chris perfectly captures the good, selfless nature of Cap, while adding to his humanity by showing how emotional and selfish he can get in regards to the people from his earlier days like Bucky. Of course what really makes Evans feel so right in his role, is seeing him actually being as kind and heroic as the character he plays, it's almost like he truly is Captain America.
4)Hugh Jackman, Wolverine.
I'm gonna piss off a lot of people here, but Hugh Jackman's Wolverine has never been in a great X-Men movie, outside of Logan. So why is he here? Because there's no denying that Jackman is perfect in the role, giving us exactly what we'd expect from the character, which I imagine is a major reason on why so many people love these movies, despite not being very good once all is said and done. I have a hard time picturing anyone else living up to his standard, which makes me all the more disappointed that he never got to play the role with a costume resembling his comic look, but for what it's worth, you know it's a damn good performance when the actor can rank among the best despite the movie's not being good enough to rank among the best.
3)Robert Downey Jr., Iron Man
There's just no denying that Iron Man has become the most beloved Marvel hero in recent memory, Robert Downey Jr. is perhaps the main reason why. While his solo sequels have been received with mixed responses, (for the record, I think 3 is the best of the bunch, come at me) Downey Jr. is often listed as the main reason to watch those, which to me says a lot about how good he is. Sure, as mentioned before, Evans is my favorite of the Avengers, but taking from an audience experience, Downey Jr. is the main reason why so many even watched these movies to begin with, plus there's just no denying that his personality in the films have helped shaped how most of the leading Marvel men are written, to an extent anyways. (Yes the heroes have different enough personalities to stand out from each other, but you can't act like they don't all start similar to Tony Stark in terms of approach)
2)Adam West, Batman.
Like it or not, Adam West is the defining live-action Batman. Is West silly? Sure, but for a large chunk of Batman's history, so was he, so this representation of the character feels accurate, maybe not of the modern day, but definitely of the classic interpretation. Part of West's appeal, at least for me, was that he always played it straight, he didn't wink at the audience while he ran around with a bomb, or fought an egg themed villain, West was Batman, camp and all, but the love and dedication was there. How beloved is West? Well, can you tell me any other actor who is so beloved that Warner Bros. went all in on reviving their interpretation for a comic and an animated film? (Yes they revived Lynda's Wonder Woman through comic, as well as plan for an animated feature for her, but realistically, that would not have happened without Batman's success)
1)Christopher Reeve, Superman.
Let's be real here, if Reeve were still alive, Warner Bros. would definitely be begging him to reprise Superman for an animated feature. Whether you like Superman or not, everyone knows this version, to pretty much everyone this IS Superman, the first feature after Reeve's last outing basically tried being a continuation of the Richard Donner Superman films and I guarantee you, the main reason why Superman Returns is even decent (again, come at me) is because it tried to be like those movies. Sure, the second half of the Christopher Reeve films aren't good, but if there's any redeeming factor its that he's still in those. What makes him all the better, is that Reeve was perfect as both Clark and Superman, as Clark, he was clumsy, shy, and almost naive, while as Superman he was brave, strong, completely transformed and different from his human persona, that balance, is something we rarely if ever see with many actors, in fact with most actors, if they're praised in both hero and civilian modes, it's because there's hardly a difference in either persona. Reeve was Clark, he was Superman, to this day, no one can say otherwise, and I'd wager that this performance along with the first feature, are the main reasons why studios ever saw potential in superhero movies being more than just kid films.
So, do you agree? Disagree? comment below I'd love to hear your feedback.
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Written by Octaviano Macias
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