Wednesday, July 14, 2021

A Reel Opinion: The Top 10 Perfectly Cast Superheroes



With the release of BLACK WIDOW last week, (read Reel Speak’s review HERE) actress Scarlett Johansson made her ninth and perhaps final appearance as Marvel’s master-assassin and one of the anchors of the mighty Avengers. Since her explosive debut in IRON MAN 2 way back in 2010, she has elevated the character from the obscure pages of the comics to a cultural icon, becoming one of many actors and actresses to accomplish the feat. Of those many, Reel Speak has chosen the best to do so, leading us to The Top 10 Perfectly Cast Superheroes. 

 

When SUPERMAN first took flight in 1978, its inclusion of top-tier actors right away sent a signal that the caped genre could and should be taken seriously. Since then, award-winning actors and actresses have donned the tights and armor, with some giving the genre more legitimacy in even the stuffiest of film circles. The best casting decisions and performances were able to elevate the character into our culture, and become even more popular than their comic origins. These are the men and women who embodied their characters perfectly; so well that it’s impossible to imagine anyone else in the role. Superhero films require us to buy into a lot; and these are the ones who helped us to believe. 


And this list reflects the best pairings of actor and character, and not necessarily a ranking of the best super villains in film...because that is another story. 

 

 

 

So let’s don some capes and masks…

 

 

 

 

 

10. Michael Keaton as Batman

First Appearance: BATMAN (1989) 




This Blogger has always found Tim Burton’s BATMAN from 1989 to be vastly over-praised, with most of the love that it still gets rooted in nostalgia. But there is no denying the popularity Michael Keaton has in the role as Batman/Bruce Wayne. Keaton plays the part as an eccentric oddball; a clever diversion from the Bat persona…and his time in the suit does provide a presence that can felt over our shoulders every time he’s on the screen. 





 

9. Patrick Stewart as Professor X
First Appearance: X-MEN (2000)




Bryan Singer’s now 21-year-old X-MEN re-introduced the world to mutants, and kicked off the superhero genre that we are still enjoying today. Leading the way in X-MEN was Patrick Stewart, who was fresh off his run in STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION. Stewart plays the powerful telepath and leader of the X-Men, Charles Xavier…as a loving father figure, teacher, leader, and civil rights advocate. He radiates a warmness that was always missing from the comic version of the character, but for the big screen it works and it works well. 





 

8. Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow

First Appearance: IRON MAN 2 (2010) 





She can go undercover as an executive assistant and then kick you in the forehead before you knew what was coming. Scarlett Johansson’s role as Natasha Romanova, which has lasted over a decade, has seen the character go from international spy, to co-leader of the Avengers, to a faithful friend, to a loving adopted aunt to the Hawkeye kids. Her arc was one of the strongest of the massive Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), and many young girls had someone to relate to in an Avengers squad made up mostly of men. 





 

7. Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman

First Appearance: BATMAN V. SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE (2016)





Zack Snyder’s DAWN OF JUSTICE was supposed to be all about the slugfest between Superman and Batman, but when walking out of the theatre, all anyone could talk about was Gal Gadot’s debut as Wonder Woman. One year later she would lead her own film, and the character would become an instant icon for girls and women everywhere. 





 

 

6. Christian Bale as Batman

First Appearance: BATMAN BEGINS (2005)




Where Keaton played Bruce Wayne as an oddball, Christian Bale played the man as a tortured soul with a strong inner-core; a deadly combination for any adversary. As the lead in Christopher Nolan’s DARK KNIGHT TRILOGY, Bale matches the grounded trio of Batman films with grit, and his physicality leaps through the screen as one of the most brutal versions of The Bat we’ve ever seen. 





 

 

5. Chris Evans as Captain America

First Appearance: CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER (2011)




By 2011, the MCU had managed to bring us new versions of Iron Man, Thor, and Hulk with great success…but there were still doubts that the star-spangled man could be taken seriously on film. Those doubts were obliterated faster than a Hydra fort when Chris Evans started throwing that shield around. As the blue-eyed, blonde-haired kid from Brooklyn who called everyone “sir” and “ma’am”, Evans made Cap a national hero again, and over the course of nine years, seven films, and a few cameos, solidified the character as a film icon. 





 

4. Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther

First Appearance: CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR (2016)




No actor in the last 20 years has made a cultural impact the way the late great Chadwick Boseman has in his role as King T’Challa, the Black Panther. As the first superhero of African descent in American comics, Boseman undoubtedly felt the pressure of his role, and he accepted and carried it with honor and grace. After his show-stealing debut in CIVIL WAR in 2016, Boseman would play the character three more times, including his own solo film, the Oscar-winning BLACK PANTHER in 2018. 





 

3. Hugh Jackman as Wolverine

First Appearance: X-MEN (2000)




Hugh Jackman’s role as Logan/the Wolverine, the self-healing clawed mutant with the indestructible metal skeleton, lasted nearly 20 years over the course of eight films and one show-stealing fuck-yourself cameo. Jackman plays the character as an animal; raw and protective, and when unleashed throws awesome fear right through the screen. His presence in the X-MEN franchise was so heavy that the films without him sorely missed his claws. 





 

2. Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man

First Appearance: IRON MAN (2008)




Robert Downey Jr. was just making his way back up the Hollywood ladder when he was brought in as the lead in the first MCU film. As the billionaire, philanthropist, playboy Tony Stark, Downey put a lot of himself into the character, leading to an unpredictability that made us eager to see what he would do next. Downey would play the character in nine feature films with one cameo, acting as a co-leader of the Avengers, part-time adversary to Captain America, and eventual father-figure to Spider-Man. We loved and hated him, and his emotional exit in AVENGERS: ENDGAME (2019), still stings today. He is Iron Man. 





 

1. Christopher Reeve as Superman

First Appearance: SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE (1978)




No actor or actress in cinema has owned the role of a comic book character as well as the late great Christopher Reeve has with the Man of Steel; not in looks, stature, physicality, or longevity. Playing Superman requires double-duty; to play the noble hero and his nerdy alter-ego: mild-mannered reporter Clark Kent. Reeve switches between the two with ease, with one transition amazingly done right before our eyes. As Superman, he used his physicality to make the flying scenes believable, and with one look let us know that he was there to fight for truth and justice. Since 1978, several actors have played Supes on the big and small screen, and they are all reaching for the high standard set by Reeve. This is who we look to when we need to believe. 



Reel Speak's Top 10 Perfectly Cast Superheroes


  1. Christopher Reeve as Superman
  2. Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man 
  3. Hugh Jackman as Wolverine
  4. Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther
  5. Chris Evans as Captain America
  6. Christian Bale as Batman
  7. Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman
  8. Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow
  9. Patrick Stewart as Professor X
  10. Michael Keaton as Batman
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Read Reel Speak's Perfectly Cast Super Villains (HERE)





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