Best Comic Book Character Portrayals

[Diesel]

Who do you guys think played the best comic book character in a film/tv show/cartoon?

Answers can be based on faithfulness to the source material, your favorite comic book movie character, seemed tailor made for the actor, etc.
However you want to make your pick.

If you can't narrow it down to 1 single choice, feel free to select a top 5 or whatever.

For me it is Bale as Batman because i loved the Wayne/Batman he played much more so than any previous version, I thought the character was great and he seemed perfect for the role.

Honorable mention goes out to Jackman for Wolverine and RDJ for Tony Stark.

Edit: I know comic book topics tend to be a touchy subject for the comic fans vs the just movie fans
so lets keep the personal taste bashing down

[Batman1980]

The late Heath Ledger for his dead-on impression of the insanely brilliant Joker in Dark Knight. Truly one of the best performances I've ever seen in a movie, not just a comic book film.

[Blu Titan]

RDJ for Iron Man, did not think the ole boy had it in him.

[newtype]

RDJ/Tony Stark.

[assydingo]

[Rblu-Dblu]

Ben Affleck as Daredevil and Jennifer Garner as Electra!!!


j/k dont hate me.

[assydingo]

Originally Posted by Rblu-Dblu

Ben Affleck as Daredevil and Jennifer Garner as Electra!!!


j/k dont hate me.

Na, they were semi-decent.

[jadedeath]

Marky Mark as Max Payne...

What do you mean it's not a comic book movie?

You're KIDDING!

Boy is MY face red.

Logan

[andyman1970]

Robert Downy Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man...It almost seems RDJ's drug problems paralleled Stark's battle with alcoholism.

Also have to agree that Christian Bale is by far the best Bruce Wayne/Batman and that Heath Ledger was definitely the best Joker.

[hardcorefrokid]

Of course Heath Ledger for Joker. Robert Downey Jr. for Iron Man, he was perfect. And Hugh Jackman for Wolverine was great, the writers just need to get their shizz together.

[Offender_Mullet]

My favorite portrayals:

Ron Perlman as Hellboy.

Mickey Rourke as Marv.

Ray Stevenson as the Punisher.

Jackie Earle Haley as Rorschach.

Christopher Reeve as Superman/Clark Kent.

[p4poetic]

On the top of my head.

Superman - Christopher Reeve
Clark Kent - Dean Cain
Young Clark Kent - Tom Welling
Lex Luthor - John Shea
Perry White - Lane Smith
Jimmy Olsen - Michael Landes
Lois Lane - Teri Hatcher (Margot Kidder is a close second, and Erica maybe Durance if the writers hadn't upped the snark so much).
The Joker - Heath Ledger, Jack Nicholson and Caesar Romero. It just really depends on what version you prefer.
Spider-Man/Peter Parker - Tobey Maguire
Wolverine - Hugh Jackman
Batman - Christian Bale, Michael Keaton
Bruce Wayne - Christian Bale, Michael Keaton

Originally Posted by Blu Titan

RDJ for Iron Man, did not think the ole boy had it in him.

Not like we have any other actor to compare him to...?

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by Rblu-Dblu

Ben Affleck as Daredevil and Jennifer Garner as Electra!!!
j/k dont hate me.

Think you meant Michael Clarke Duncan as the Kingpin, and THEN we can forgive you.

Originally Posted by Offender_Mullet

Jackie Earle Haley as Rorschach.

...AND Jeffrey Dean Morgan as The Comedian:
You take the Gen-Y wishful fanboy-fantasy character, I'll take the text-perfect cast one.

[Lepidopterous]

Clark Kent - Christopher Reeve takes my pick, hands down.

Honorable mention to:

V (V for Vendetta) - Hugo Weaving
Leonidas - Gerard Butler
Joker - Heath Ledger
Marv (Sin City) - Mickey Rourke

[p4poetic]

I keep forgetting Gary Oldman as Jim Gordon. Perhaps because for the first time, he actually plays a significant role in the Batman movies and really shows character.

[brewp13]

Here's my top 10 in no particular order.
wolverine-hugh jackman
batman-michael keaton
penguin-danny deveto
punisher-ray stevenson
iron man- robert downey jr
lex luthor-gene hackman
magneto-ian mckellen
professor X-patrick stewart
catwoman-michelle phieffer
thing-michael chiklis

[Afrobean]

Originally Posted by Wolverine1980

The late Heath Ledger for his dead-on impression of the insanely brilliant Joker in Dark Knight. Truly one of the best performances I've ever seen in a movie, not just a comic book film.

"Dead-on" isn't the right word for his portrayal. It was masterful and a great performance, but "dead-on" it was not. It was a unique take on the character, clearly inspired by some of the comic source, but also original nonetheless. Then again, a direct translation of the character probably wouldn't have worked in Nolan's grounded World he'd painted, so there's that, but I just don't like when people look at Ledger's amazing performance and assume it's "dead-on" just because it's a good act.

Also have to agree that Christian Bale is by far the best Bruce Wayne/Batman and that Heath Ledger was definitely the best Joker.

I disagree. The characters as portrayed in the DCAU are better in my opinion. Only sad point of contention is that they had to tone down the violence from the Joker, so brutal murders were few and far between. Check out the original cut of Batman Beyond Return of the Joker for an excellent take on the Joker as I'd say he should be. I really hope they get around to doing some DCAU direct-to-video stuff like they said they were gonna. Hearing Kevin Conroy in the Gotham Knight video was great, but I gotta have the Joker, and it's gotta be Mark Hamill. Really looking forward to the game they've got coming with these voice actors reprising their roles.

As for the topic, I'm going to give the easy answer of Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury. Come on. In reality though, all film portrayals vary from the source material, so I find it hard to judge them on that alone. If judging solely based on the independent portrayal in the film, I'd say nearly all are good, with obvious clunkers like Catwoman, Steel, and almost the entire cast of Dragon Ball Evolution.

[Kyo28]

I think the following pretty nailed the personality of their comic book counter part:

- Toby McGuire as Peter Parker (all Spider-Man movies)
- Robert Downey Jr as Tony Stark (Iron Man)
- Hugh Jackman as Wolverine (all X-Men movies)
- Patrick Stewart as Professor X (all X-Men movies)

and in the manga/anime category:
- Tatsuya Fujiwara as Light Yagami (Death Note movies)
- Rena Tanaka as Nekomusume (Gegege no Kitaro movie)

I have to agree that Heath Ledger's Joker was a wonderful performance but indeed more of a personal take on the Joker. I saw in it more of a modern re-imagining of the Joker (and a brilliant one at that) than a carbon-copy of the comic version. Please note that I'm saying this is a bad thing, quite the contrary, but it's indeed not a literal translation of the Joker.

[dvd_mazter]

Some of my favs:
Heath Ledger - The Joker (Absolutely chilling performance)
Christian Bale - Bruce Wayne / Batman
Ron Pearlman - Hellboy
Aaron Eckhart - Harvey Dent / Two Face
Gary Oldman - Comissioner Gordon
Alfred Molina - Doc Octopus
Tobey Maguire - Peter Parker / Spider-man
Cillian Murphy - Dr. Crane / Scarecrow
Jack Nicholson - The Joker
Mickey Rourke - Marv

[PA_Kid]

This is an odd one to pick for me - as some people seem born to play a character, and I'm not sure they should be given credit for just matching up.

As much as I love RDJ and Stewart, they were no-brainers for the roles. They did great jobs though so they are probably high on the list.

I probably would have to give Jackman the top spot - if you told me prior to the X-men movies that Jackman would be a pitch-perfect wolverine I would have laughed - especially looking at his body of work. But he really has done a spectacular job with the role. It's a case where the acting sells it as much or more than the look.

The guy who played Rorschack was pretty spot on too.

One guy that I haven't heard mentioned was Alfred Molina. Personally I find his take on Doc Ock was better than anything I've ever seen - including the comics. He took a character that always seemed like a joke to me and actually made him seem like a credible threat.

Edit:

As for the topic, I'm going to give the easy answer of Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury. Come on. In reality though, all film portrayals vary from the source material, so I find it hard to judge them on that alone. If judging solely based on the independent portrayal in the film, I'd say nearly all are good, with obvious clunkers like Catwoman, Steel, and almost the entire cast of Dragon Ball Evolution.

You do realize that the version of Nick Fury that Sam Jackson was playing in IM was actually modeled after Sam Jackson, right? Not sure you should give a guy credit for playing himself.