The document provides a list of the top 10 comic book movie performances as well as an honorable mention. It summarizes each performance in 1-2 sentences. The number one performance is Heath Ledger as The Joker in The Dark Knight. In his chilling performance, Ledger completely loses himself in the role of The Joker. The only comic book movie performance to win an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man is number 3, perfectly embodying the role and making Iron Man one of the more popular superheroes. Christopher Reeve as Superman/Clark Kent comes in at number 2, with no more virtuous a hero portrayal and the standard that others are still measured against.

1. Top 10 comic book movie performances
Honorable Mention: Michael Fassebender as Magneto ("X-Men: First Class," 2011).
Fassbender provided a much different take on the X-Men's main adversary and made him
a cross between James Bond and Wolverine. He was knocking on the door of the Top 10
and with another round in "X-Men: Days of Future Past," he'll likely get a spot next time
I revisit this list.
10. Patrick Stewart (as Professor Xavier, 2000-present) I’m sure there’s other bald actors,
but from the moment the first “X-Men” movie was announced there was only one name
on everyone’s must-cast list and Stewart not just gave the X-films instant credibility, he
was every bit as great as we imagined he’d be as the leader of everyone’s favorite
mutants.
9. Wesley Snipes as Blade (1998-2004) Comic book films had fallen out of fashion
beyond a few Batman films and after "Batman & Robin," comic films had an awful
stigma. Enter Snipes, who made being a superhero cool again and arguably sparking the
comic renaissance we're still enjoying today.
8. Jack Nicholson (as The Joker, “Batman” 1989) The most quotable comic movie
character on my list. Nicholson seemed like he was having a ball. The main reason he’s
not higher is because he wasn’t doing anything that different from the TV Joker — Cesar
Romero — I grew up watching on syndication.
7. Tom Hiddleston (as Loki, 2011-present) You’re not supposed to be sympathetic to
Loki. He’s a jealous, spiteful jerk and in lesser hands, that’s just how we’d see Thor’s
step brother, but in Hiddleston’s command, Loki is a multi-faceted villain who if we can’t
cheer on at least we can understand. There’s nothing puny about his performance at all.
6. Terrence Stamp (as General Zod, “Superman II,” 1980) Stamp’s Zod is the main
reason why this is everyone’s favorite Superman film. While a lot of other comic movie
villains are psychotic or goofy, Zod is in many ways the perfect villain and Stamp’s
British accent gives Zod that air of superiority that will make anyone take a knee. Need
proof? Type in “Kneel” hit the space key and note the first thing that pops up.
5. Aaron Eckhart (as Harvey Dent/Two-Face in “The Dark Knight,” 2008) Heath Ledger
gets most of the attention for his performance, but Eckhart’s Dent has the far more tragic
and compelling story arc. Watching Dent’s descent into becoming the villain he despised
is fascinating and his final scene with Batman and Commissioner Gordon may be my
favorite of any comic movie.
4. Hugh Jackman (as Wolverine from 2000-present) Jackman became a star thanks to this
role and while he’s hardly the overcompensating shrimp he’s portrayed in the comic,
Jackman’s Wolverine was the perfect entry point for the new millennium superhero with
a cynical, bada$$ demeanor. Even with lousy Wolverine movies, Jackman remains above

2. all of it to the point that a 30-second cameo in “X-Men: First Class” is enough to have
fans roaring.
3. Robert Downey Jr. (as Tony Stark/Iron Man from 2008-present) You could make a
case for him being #1 on the list as it hardly seems possible for anyone to be able to fill
Downey’s armored shoes in making Iron Man one of the more popular superheroes
around. No other actor seems as comfortable in their character as Downey with Iron Man
and he makes it look effortlessly brilliant.
2. Christopher Reeve (as Superman/Clark Kent, 1978-1987) There is no more virtuous
hero portrayal than Reeve’s Superman. He’s not snarky and sarcastic, but he does a
tremendous job of making Clark look like a bumbling idiot and Superman so heroic. And
then Reeve showed further depth with his take as “Evil Superman” in “Superman III.”
The main reason Brandon Routh’s take on Superman didn’t connect was because decades
later, we still can’t imagine anyone else as Superman.
1. Heath Ledger as The Joker ("The Dark Knight," 2008) In this chilling performance you
don't see the guy who starred in "A Knight's Tale" or "Brockback Mountain." You just
see The Joker. This is the definition of losing yourself in a role and it's such a fantastic
performance that it has the distinction of being the only comic book movie to earn an
Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.