Best Performances In A Comic-Based Film

You can do Top 3, Top 5, Top 11 - whatever.

Although I will specify this is ONLY live-action movies. We all know Kevin Conroy is the best Batman and hell, I'd even put Will Friedle's Terry McGinnis up there, but I want to see opinions on the aforementioned live-action movies.

I dunno if this is necessarily my list but a few names that might not be considered without helping people remember....

Brendon Lee's The Crew
Michael Gough's Alfred
Aaron Eckhart's Two-Face. Best part of TDK.
Mickey Rourke as Marv

I could name a lot... But I think I'll just mention Chris Hemsworth because he's usually ignored. He doesn't get all the funny lines or the crying scenes, but he does take a totally ridiculous character and sells it. His acting isn't noticed because he makes it look easy, I think.

I know a lot of people would disagree with me, but the guy playing Peter Parker/Spider-man in the new movies (I'm too lazy to look up his name) is excellent. Most of the issues I may have with him involve the writing more than anything, but he is excellent at being the witty Spider-man I've grown to love over the years. From what I remember, I felt he was pretty great at the emotional moments in general. Honestly, everyone was excellent in the newest film I thought.

His name is [Something] Garfield but I honestly have not seen any criticism of his acting or portrayal. In fact, Toby Maguire was usually the thing most people hated about the old Spidey films so this new Spidey, more wisecracking and true to the comics, was greeted very warmly.

It's just the other things people tend not to like. Kinda the opposite of the old trilogy where it was everything besides Spiderman people tended to like.

Edward Norton will always be Bruce Banner, Gary Oldman will always be Commissioner Gordon, Heath Ledger will always be The Joker; and RDJ does an excellent job of playing himself, as always.

Adam West - Batman

Heath Ledger > everyone else

I love Andrew Garfield as Spiderman, though I will say that while he's Peter Parker he's a bit too... cool. Peter is spoice to be a bit nerdier outside of his Spiderman Persona, but I digress. It was still excellent.

Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner (The Avengers)
Tom Hardy as Bane (The Dark Knight Rises)
Gary Oldman as Commissioner Gordon (The Dark Knight trilogy)
Stephen Rea as Eric Finch (V for Vendetta) (I just love Stephen Rea, okay)
Billy Crudup as Dr. Manhattan (Watchmen)
Clive Owen as Dwight McCarthy (Sin City)
Benecio Del Toro as Jackie Boy (Sin City)
Willem Dafoe as Norman Osborn (Spider-Man)
Jeffrey Dean Morgan as The Comedian (Watchmen)
Heath Ledger as The Joker (The Dark Knight)
Hugo Weaving as V (V for Vendetta)

And I'll second Mickey Rourke as Marv for Sin City. He was so, so perfect. I haven't seen The Wrestler and I've heard that was his best performance, but man, him as Marv was great.

I think Toby McGuire played a good dweeby little geeky Peter Parker, which was kindof how I always imagined him. I don't particularly like Toby McGuire, though, and I don't think he particularly played his Spidey parts well. And also the movies weren't that great.

I'm sick to death of Iron Man. Sue me.

RDJ is a big part of why I found The Avengers a very meh movie. "He's the Snarky One! Hahaha!" Yeah...been seeing that for a couple movies now...it's not so funny anymore.

Also why does no one ever appreciate how great Eckhart was? Dent is a three-dimensional, interesting character, who has to run a very wide range of emotions to fulfill his part - and he pulls it all off perfectly. Ledger just had to play a cartoon character.

Aaron Eckhart was great and I love Two-Face as a Batman character, but his performance was too short-lived as Two-Face. He spent the majority of the movie as Harvey Dent, Gotham's White Knight for me to appreciate his character development into his couple minutes of Two-Face, and that's how he fell short for me, I guess.

(PS non-related my dad went to BYU film school with him and they were kinda buds)

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Ledger was great, Nicholson was better.



Also love Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, Hugo Weaving as V from 'V for Vendetta' and Jackie Earle Haley as Rorschach.

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Originally Posted by Forsaken Lover

Aaron Eckhart's Two-Face. Best part of TDK.

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I wholeheartedly disagree. This is a popular opinion, but it's also the correct one: Heath Ledger's The Joker is the best thing about that film. He is my favorite in terms of realistic portrayals for comic book characters go. He managed to take a campy character and make him more believable which I don't think Nicholson accomplished. I also love Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man and Jackie Earle Haley as Rorschach. Perfect casting on both of those.

Wow you're all arguing about irrelevancies because the greatest performance in a comic-based movie is Arnold Schwarzenegger as Mr. Freeze.

Karl Ubran as Judge Dredd was pretty damn great too.

Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne
Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman
Gary Oldman as Jim Gordon
Heath Ledger as The Joker
Mickey Rourke as Marv
Clive Owen as Dwight
Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark
Jackie Earl Haley as Rorschach
Micheal Fassbender as Magneto
Patrick Stewart as Charles Xavier
Chloe Moretz as Mindy McCready
Micheal Cera as Scott Pilgrim
Ellen Wong as Knives Chau

I liked Ron Perlman as Hellboy. Maybe I just like Ron Perlman. I'd never even heard of the character before I saw the movie.

Health Ledger is so far and above everyone else, that the real battle is for second best performance. For me, those contestants are:

RDJ as Iron Man
Jackie Earl Haley as Rorschach
Hugo Weaving as V

Possibly some others I'm forgetting. And even though it was a less serious role, I have to give credit for J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson (the best part of the original Spider-Man trilogy).

Oh yeah! J.K. Simmons really was the perfect J. Jonah Jameson. They really couldn't have casted anyone better. Reminded me of the carton version of him

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Originally Posted by Shiny

Oh yeah! J.K. Simmons really was the perfect J. Jonah Jameson. They really couldn't have casted anyone better. Reminded me of the carton version of him

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Yeah that's my second place winner. Perfectly acted. They should have just got him to play JJ in the second set of films.

Say what you will about the films but I'll throw my hat in the ring and say that Hugh Jackman makes a great Wolverine.

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Originally Posted by Del Murder

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Shiny

Oh yeah! J.K. Simmons really was the perfect J. Jonah Jameson. They really couldn't have casted anyone better. Reminded me of the carton version of him

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Yeah that's my second place winner. Perfectly acted. They should have just got him to play JJ in the second set of films.

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Agreed. There will never be another actor who plays JJ as well. If that's the only criteria, Simmons is certainly up there with the best of them.

Heath Ledger -- The Joker
Michael Keaton -- Batman
J.K. Simmons -- J Jonah Jameson
Evan Peters -- Quicksilver
Ryan Reynolds -- Deadpool
Hugh Jackman -- Wolverine
Kelsey Grammer -- Beast
Patrick Stewart -- Charles Xavier
Ian McKellen -- Magneto
Robert Downey Jr -- Ironman
Mark Ruffalo -- Bruce Banner
Andrew Garfield -- Spider-Man

Okay, this was a little more X-Men heavy than I was expecting.

Sorry Heath, Wincott as Top Dollar beat you by a good few years.

1. Heath Ledger as the Joker
2. Tom Hardy as Bane
3. Jackie Earl Haley as Rorschach
4. Christian Bale is Batman
5. J. K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson
6. Patrick Stewart as Professor X
7. Chris Evans as Captain America
8. Robert Downey, Jr. as Iron Man
9. Gary Oldman as Commissioner Gordon
X. Hugh Jackman as Wolverine
11. Michael Fassbender as Magneto
12. Mark Ruffalo as Dr. Bruce Banner
13. Chris Hemsworth as Thor
14. Anne Hathaway as Catwoman
15. Tom Hiddleston as Loki
16. Liz Lemon's husband as Cyclops
17. Willem Defoe as Green Goblin
18. Famke Janssen as Jean Grey
19. Andrew Garfield as Spiderman
20. Tobey Maguire as Spiderman
21. Jeffery Dean Morgan as the Comedian
22. Alfred Molina as Doc Ock
23. Rebecca Romijn-Lettuce as Mystique

How could I forget Gary, Anne and Tom? *goes in the dark corner*