Casting for comic book favorites is a difficult job, and we’ve probably seen more misses than hits - but who’s the best of the best?
Here are my picks! I narrowed them down by considering importance of the role to comic book fans, impact of the character on popular culture, difficulty of the role itself, accuracy in design and look and general performance. I really want feedback, let’s get our nerd on!
I also researched and designed the comparison graphic, so please give me your opinion of that as well!
10. Brandon Lee as The Crow (The Crow)
Why so low on the list? Because I don’t think it’s particularly hard to look like The Crow- black eye make-up, black clothing, dirty emo hair. Despite this, Brandon Lee did a great job bringing a cult comic into the mainstream and his mysterious death while playing the role sealed his association with the character.
9. Thora Birch as Enid (Ghost World)
Nerdy, artistic and angsty, Enid is the poster girl for alternative pop culture cool. Thora Birch pulled it off perfectly, from the scathing dialogue to the fangirl punk outfits. Unfortunately, she’s the only chick on my list!
8. Gerard Butler as King Leonidas (300)
300 kicked some serious ass and they couldn’t have chosen better that Gerard Butler to lead the bloodshed. He nailed it, and for better or worse had you and your friends screaming “This is SPARTA!” at any given moment.
7. Robert Downey Jr as Iron Man (Iron Man)
Robert Downey Jr revived his career with the role of this alcoholic billionaire in body armor. Iron Man is the type of movie that could very easily been another pile of comic based crapola, but well done special effects and fantastic casting saved it, especially with the RDJ at the helm!
6. Patrick Wilson as Nite Owl II (Watchmen)
Watchmen the movie may be highly debated among fans, but I’d be surprised to hear anyone say that Patrick Wilson didn’t portray Dan Dreisberg to a T- from impotent and geeky in the beginning of Watchmen to more self assured and strong when he reembraces his masked persona.
5. Patrick Stewart as Professor X (X-Men)
Professor X is the heart and soul of the X-Men- a bad casting choice could have easily left the entire movie in the trash. Fortunately we got bald and badass Patrick Stewart who turned us all into True Believers!
4. Mickey Rourke as Marv (Sin City)
Seeing the comparison between comic Marv and movie Marv makes you wonder if Frank Miller was writing the character for Mickey Rourke! He had the look and also the voice that we all imagined Marv would have while reading Sin City! Comic book fans are notoriously hard to please, but I know of very few fanboys who had bad words for Frank Miller’s masterpiece.
3. Heath Ledger as The Joker (The Dark Knight)
Some people think that Heath Ledger’s performance as Joker was over hyped due to his tragic death, but I’ll have to vehemently disagree! Heath did what very few actors can do with such an important comic book role- he took the main elements of what made The Joker the perfect villain, updated it for a modern audience and essentially reinvented the role! From the first “Do you want to see a magic trick?” scene to the last “I have a feeling we’ll be doing this forever”, Heath Ledger inspired a generation of Joker fans.
2. Hugh Jackman as Wolverine (X-Men)
Wolvie is THE quintessential badass character; he is an anti-hero, technically part of a Superhero team yet wild, rebellious and animalistic. He’s so important to the X-Men story and general fans that when barely known Hugh was first cast complaints like “He’s too tall” and “What about the hair?” were rampant. However there was no longer any doubts when the movie came out- Hugh Jackman IS Wolverine. The role made him an instant star and accomplished the daunting task of making fans -who had waited over a decade for the X-Men movie- happy!
1. Christopher Reeve as Superman (Superman)
Superman is probably the most well known comic book character in history; he’s globally recognized and loved! When it comes to movies, not just any Superman will do- Christopher Reeve is everyone’s definition of Superman from the geekiest critic to the general public. Not only was the first Superman a huge hit when it came out, it has retained it’s place among best comic book movies of all time (it even has a 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes!) No one has been able to touch Christopher Reeve’s portrayal of the number one Superhero in the world since he appeared on screen in 1978- and until they do, Christopher Reeve as Superman will stand as the number one BEST comic-to-movie character adaptation.
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