Top 15 Comic Book Hero Portrayals
By Connor Eyzaguirre and Caleb Leger
This is the age of the superhero movie. With Marvel's Cinematic Universe growing exponentially and DC laying the building blocks for their own, it's important to know which heroes to aspire to. These are Filmgazm's picks for the top 15 comic book hero portrayals of all time, be it big or small screen.
15.) Thomas Jane as The Punisher in The Punisher (2004)
14.) Wesley Snipes as Blade in Blade (1998)
Blade remains one of the most badass vampire flicks ever made, and most of that cult success is due to Wesley Snipes's portrayal of Blade. Snipes played the half-human, half-vampire warrior with silent gusto, making him a man of action (which is good because Snipes isn't the world's greatest actor). Blade spawned two sequels, one in 2002 and another in 2004. They might not have been as good as the first one, but Snipes remained a silent badass.
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13.) Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man in Spider-Man (2002)
Spider-Man was one of the films that started the superhero film craze of the 21st century and, in my opinion, it remains the best adaptation of the classic comic book (Sorry, Andrew Garfield). Maguire played the Web Slinger with the dorky hopelessness we all came to love before he f**ked it all up in Spider-Man 3. But for the first two, Maguire proved that superheroes could be relatable and even defeated at times. While Andrew Garfield proved he could pull off the role of Peter Parker, he's yet to prove his resilience as Spider-Man the way Maguire did.
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12.) Stephen Amell as Green Arrow in Arrow (2012-2020)
So far, Arrow has proved that big name superheros can be faithfully adapted to television. Stephen Amell's badass portrayal of Oliver Queen, the Green Arrow, has only gotten better with each season. With the show now entering its third season, fans are anxious to see what Oliver will be up to next. While Amell's performance may be engaging, the reason he makes this list is his ability to show the Arrow's vulnerable side and how he handles a crushing defeat. Not many TV actors can pull off so many sides of a character (I'm sorry, but it's true).
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11.) Kelsey Grammer as Beast in X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
Is it just me or did everybody else imagine Kelsey Grammer's voice whenever they read Beast's dialogue in an X-Men comic? Oh, really? It was everybody? Good to know. Casting Dr. Frasier Crane as Hank McCoy, the Beast, was a brilliant decision in an otherwise disappointing film. X-Men: The Last Stand was not the epic finale we wanted, but Grammer's performance stands out amongst the wreckage. I'm glad he was the one thing Bryan Singer salvaged for Days of Future Past.
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10.) Mark Ruffalo as The Hulk in The Avengers (2012)
Third time's the charm! After one horrible Hulk movie and one that admittedly could have been better, fans were hesitant to get excited about another recasting of Dr. Bruce Banner. Then we saw The Avengers. Mark Ruffalo won fans over the instant he appeared on screen and proved that the Hulk can be portrayed awesomely. Every scene with the Hulk is stellar, mostly because Ruffalo did motion-capture for the face of the Green Goliath. This is one Hulk who we do like when he's angry.
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9.) Jackie Earle Haley as Rorschach in Watchmen (2009)
Whether or not you love or hate Watchmen, you have to admit that Jackie Earle Haley played the definitive Rorschach. In a team of morally ambiguous superheroes, Haley's Rorschach was always the man you could count on to bust open some criminal skull and rip them apart with a chainsaw. Though he pushes the definition of hero, Rorschach will always hold a special place in our hearts as the one superhero who could (maybe) kick Batman's ass.
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8.) Karl Urban as Judge Dredd in Dredd (2012)
After the embarrassing Stallone flick, Judge Dredd, comic fans agreed it was time for an edgy reboot. And boy did we get it. 2012's Dredd is one of the most badass and brutal comic book films ever made. At the helm of this bloodfest? Bones McCoy himself, Karl Urban. Urban is an uber fan of the Judge Dredd comic and his love of the source material shows in his performance. He even refused to take off the helmet so as to preserve authenticity. When you sacrifice screen time for authenticity, you are the perfect person to play that character.
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7.) Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury in The Avengers (2012)
In 2008, when the credits of Iron Man ended and Tony Stark found himself facing a man with an eye-patch who told him about something called the Avengers Initiative, every comic book geek in the world had an instant Filmgazm. That man was Nick Fury, Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., and he was the man who brought the Avengers together. With cameo appearances in every film leading up to The Avengers, it was awesome for Jackson to finally get a bigger role in the big kahuna. He was the perfect person to play Fury and it is now impossible to imagine anybody else.
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6.) Ron Perlman as Hellboy in Hellboy (2004)
The comic book movie nobody expected to succeed became one of my all-time favorite movies and created an iconic film character in the titular Hellboy. Ron Perlman was the only man who could step into Big Red's shoes, and boy did he pull it off. Both Hellboy and Hellboy II are freakin' awesome mainly because of him and the incredible directing of Guillermo del Toro. Just look at that picture up there. That's the definition of a supernatural badass. When will we get that third movie!?
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5.) Christopher Reeve as Superman in Superman (1978)
1978's Superman was the first superhero blockbuster. Christopher Reeve remains the greatest Man of Steel of all time and it will be a long time before somebody even comes close. Superman and Superman II are some of the best superhero movies ever made (We don't talk about III and IV), and he is responsible for a lot of that critical and cultural praise. Coupled with John Williams's iconic score, the first two Superman films will forever be two of the most exciting movies. You will in fact believe a man can fly.
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4.) Patrick Stewart as Professor X in X-Men (2000)
X-Men was the beginning of the superhero craze, and it remains one of the best. Patrick Stewart was the perfect choice to play Charles Xavier, better known as Professor X. He was believable as a kind, gentle but powerful man who only wanted to help wayward mutant teens find a home. His chemistry with Ian McKellen's Magneto is a major part of what drives these films (it also helps that they're best friends in real life). Stewart has played Xavier five times on the big screen and his performance has never wavered. I can't wait for the next one.
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3.) Kevin Conroy as Batman in Batman: The Animated Series (1992-1995)
Quick, think of Batman's voice! I am 99% sure you just thought of Kevin Conroy's Batman. Conroy has voiced the Dark Knight in the animated versions of Batman, Superman, and Justice League, as well as Rocksteady's Arkham video game series. He is the best adaptation of Batman ever done, and I believe nobody will ever come close to how awesome his Caped Crusader is. The closest Hollywood has come to Conroy's Batman was 1989's Batman with Michael Keaton, but even he had his flaws. The animated Batman is heroic, dark, but also vulnerable sometimes. In the end, he is the quintessential Batman.
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2.) Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark in Iron Man (2008)
Talk about a comeback! Robert Downey Jr. is easily the best thing about the Marvel Cinematic Universe. His portrayal of Tony Stark is utter brilliance and just keeps getting better with each film. After Downey's fall from grace with drug addiction and jail time, fans were uncertain of whether or not he could carry a superhero movie, let alone play such an important character. We were all blown away by his performance and remain skeptical of whether Downey is actually acting. Maybe he really is Tony Stark. He certainly looks the part.
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1.) Hugh Jackman as Wolverine in X-Men (2000)
Taking the number one spot is Weapon X himself, Wolverine. When X-Men was released, fans were once again unsure whether an unknown Australian actor was the man to play Wolverine. Then they saw the movie. Hugh Jackman remains, in my opinion, the greatest comic book portrayal of all time. He has played Wolverine seven times, more than any actor has played a superhero and he shows no signs of stopping. Considering that Days of Future Past came out fourteen years after the first X-Men film, it's amazing that Jackman is still ripped and ready to go.
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