From perfect casting choices to brilliant creative decisions, superhero films have given us countless memorable moments. Join us as we celebrate the greatest achievements in comic book adaptations, from iconic performances to groundbreaking storytelling choices that changed cinema forever!
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the best creative choices
00:07made in superhero films.
00:09Oh, and spoiler alert, as we'll be diving into some big plot points in these films.
00:19Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy remains one of the best series of superhero films ever
00:34made, and one of the smartest things Raimi did was cast J.K.
00:38Simmons as Daily Bugle Editor-in-Chief J. Jonah Jameson.
00:46A sworn enemy of Spider-Man, Jameson attempts to ruin the web-slinger's reputation through
00:50the press.
00:51Simmons captures the essence of the character perfectly with his fantastic delivery, and
00:55provides some of the funniest and most memorable moments in the entire franchise.
01:05In fact, his performance was so good that Marvel Studios ended up bringing him back
01:09for the new films.
01:22We knew this film was going to have surprise characters, but we didn't think they'd
01:25be this crazy.
01:26Early in the film, we meet various inter-dimensional Wolverines, one of which includes the popular
01:31Cavill.
01:32Later, we see Chris Evans reprise the role of Johnny Storm from the Fantastic Four movies.
01:39Arguably the biggest surprise appearances are the Resistance, a team of heroes consisting
01:44of Daphne Keene's Laura, Jennifer Garner's Elektra and Wesley Snipes' Blade.
01:49Channing Tatum also finally got to portray Gambit, after his solo movie languished in
01:53development hell.
01:54These cameos were all a great homage to both the comics and the unforgettable history of
01:58Marvel Cinema.
02:13Many fans felt that 2013's Iron Man 3 didn't do this villain justice.
02:17In that film, the terrifying Mandarin is revealed to be a puppet for the real antagonist, Aldrich
02:22Killian, which many saw as a disappointing twist.
02:28Ben Kingsley's casting was seen as a waste, as fans wanted to see him duke it out with
02:35the armoured Avenger.
02:36Thankfully, Shang-Chi redeemed him.
02:38Tony Leung portrayed him as the powerhouse he is in the comics, while also giving him
02:43depth as a family man.
02:44Given the negative stereotypes surrounding the original depictions of the Mandarin, this
02:48is one of the best changes the MCU has made.
03:04The Civil War of the comics received mixed reviews for the political conflict that divided
03:08the Marvel Universe.
03:10While its depiction of security versus freedom was interesting, the filmmakers chose a slightly
03:14different route for the film adaptation.
03:16Instead of being mainly driven by political differences, the heroes choose their sides
03:20for deeply personal reasons.
03:28For instance, Black Panther is consumed by vengeance after his father's death, and
03:32Vision is driven by his desire to protect Wanda.
03:35Most importantly, the final fight hinges on Iron Man seeking vengeance for his parents'
03:39murder at the hands of Captain America's best friend.
03:48Civil War not only honoured the classic storyline, it made the characters' motivations more
03:52personal.
04:03Despite their faults, many agree that these films perfectly depicted Charles Xavier and
04:14Eric Lensherr.
04:15Patrick Stewart made for a perfect Professor X, and his chemistry with Ian McKellen created
04:19one of the best hero-villain dynamics ever put to screen.
04:33The prequel, first class, added more layers to their complicated friendship, as James
04:37McAvoy proved to be every bit as captivating as his older counterparts.
04:41And Michael Fassbender brought a rage and sadness to Magneto we hadn't seen yet.
04:51Their performances made their journey from best friends to bitter enemies incredibly
04:55emotional.
04:56Wolverine may have been the face of the X-Men, but Charles and Eric's relationship was
05:00the heart and soul of the franchise.
05:20The role of the first MCU's first black lead came with high expectations, as the King
05:25of Wakanda, T'Challa had to embody compassion, royalty and power all at once.
05:30Suffice to say, Chadwick Boseman more than delivered.
05:40He first wowed us with his portrayal of Black Panther in Captain America Civil War, before
05:44showing the character's struggle to be both a good man and a king in his solo film.
05:49Chadwick Boseman also trained his body for months before filming, and you can definitely
05:53tell by his physical performance.
05:59His commitment to the role made him and the character a modern-day icon, and his legacy
06:04will be remembered for years to come.
06:17We've had two attempted reboots of this franchise in recent years, yet the original
06:20live-action Hellboy seems irreplaceable.
06:28Jeremy Renner was considered for the role early on, with Renner turning it down due
06:32to a lack of connection to the material.
06:35Director Guillermo del Toro and Hellboy creator Mike Mignola wanted someone who could perform
06:39with prosthetic make-up, and del Toro campaigned for his friend and collaborator, Ron Perlman
06:44for seven years.
06:50Most fans agree that Perlman's working-class persona was perfect, and the red demon make-up
06:55didn't hinder his acting at all.
06:57We felt every bit as emotional for Hellboy as we would for any other character, and that's
07:01no small feat.
07:08Hugh Jackman's Wolverine is easily one of the most violent superheroes in film.
07:17However, many fans felt that he was held back in the PG-13 rating of the X-Men films, which
07:21made his fights relatively bloodless.
07:24That finally changed with 2017's Logan.
07:31Fox greenlit the film with an R rating, and gave audiences the brutality and violence
07:36they'd been wanting to see.
07:37The adult rating also allowed for more mature themes to be explored, with the film drawing
07:41inspiration from westerns and noir, genres that suited the character perfectly.
07:46After so many years of waiting, Jackman finally got to unleash the Wolverine we know from
07:50the comics, and it was absolutely worth the wait.
08:05While other films featuring the Dark Knight shine in their own ways, Matt Reeves' vision
08:09takes things to a whole new level.
08:11The Batman is known for its dark atmosphere and thrilling mystery.
08:14Everything from the brooding monologues to the eerie serial killer villain felt inspired
08:19by film noir.
08:26More importantly, perhaps, it felt authentic to Batman's roots.
08:30For long-time fans of the character, a movie about the world's greatest detective doing
08:34detective work felt long overdue.
08:41The way Reeves merged the gothic style of Tim Burton's Batman films with the realistic
08:45approach of Christopher Nolan's felt quintessentially Batman.
09:03This animated Spidey film gave us a whole new perspective on what it means to be a superhero.
09:07It feels like a comic book brought to life, with an art style that includes Kirby crackle,
09:12on-screen lettering and comic panel layouts.
09:18However, what really makes this movie special is its portrayal of Miles Morales, his awkwardness,
09:26individuality and charm making one of the best legacy characters in the Marvel Universe.
09:30Miles shows us that even someone who doubts themselves can rise to the occasion and become
09:34a superhero.
09:40The idea that anyone with power and a sense of responsibility can be Spider-Man is a great
09:44expansion upon Uncle Ben's famous quote.
09:53When director James Gunn initially showed the soundtrack to Marvel Executives, many
10:06questioned why he was using songs from the 1970s.
10:09Some even suggested that it might alienate kids.
10:12But Gunn stuck to his guns, and kept his choices for the tunes.
10:21The result was a phenomenal soundtrack that helped make Guardians one of the biggest movies
10:25of 2014.
10:26Artists like David Bowie, The Runaways and The Jackson 5 featured on the soundtrack,
10:30and helped it become the first one to top the album charts, despite not having a single
10:34new song.
10:38At this point, is there anyone alive who doesn't
10:53know the origins of Batman?
10:54That may be a slight exaggeration, but the point is that the story of how Bruce Wayne
10:58becomes Batman is pretty well known.
11:00Christopher Nolan's version, however, really stresses the motivations behind Bruce's
11:03decisions to fight crime, moving past just the murder of his parents.
11:14We see Bruce struggle to come to terms with his parents' death, and even see him consider
11:18murder at one point, before deciding to abandon his fortune and live on the street.
11:23Nolan explores these points in detail, and the result is a well-rounded and well-developed
11:27character.
11:43One of the main reasons why the Marvel Cinematic Universe is so successful is because it features
11:47strong characters with clear motivations.
11:49At the same time, however, these characters are quite different from each other.
11:53The action sequences involving Captain America are exciting to watch, but it's the themes
11:57underneath the action that make us care about the character.
12:09The second and third films did a terrific job of capturing Cap's distrust of the government,
12:14a major theme in the comics.
12:16This of course contrasts with his unwavering patriotism and desire to always do the right
12:21thing.
12:25It's this arc that made his conflict with Iron Man in Civil War so believable, and so
12:34effective.
12:47The Joker's sidekick was an incredibly popular character even before she debuted in live
12:51action.
12:52She's a villain who can be pretty sinister, but beneath her harlequin persona, has the
12:56potential to be a hero.
13:04Despite the less-than-perfect track record for the film she appears in, most would agree
13:07that Margot Robbie was absolutely perfect in the role.
13:10She gave us all new reasons to sympathise with Harley in every appearance, from her
13:14becoming more independent to making friends with fellow vigilantes.
13:20She's also an incredible physical performer, with some badass action scenes.
13:27The old DCEU may be a thing of the past, but Margot Robbie's nuanced and comedic performance
13:32will always be iconic.
13:48As with Batman, Spider-Man's origins are pretty well-known at this point.
13:52The thing that Sam Raimi was able to get perfect, however, was the motivations behind why Peter
13:56Parker becomes Spider-Man.
14:04When he first discovers he has powers, he's selfish and uses them to make money to impress
14:08Mary Jane.
14:09When he realises that his selfishness results in the death of Uncle Ben, however, he commits
14:13his life to fighting crime, learning the important lesson that with great power comes great responsibility.
14:25Many believe the subsequent Amazing Spider-Man film franchise flubbed this all-important
14:29part of the story, and failed to truly capture the essence of Peter Parker and his decision
14:34to become Spider-Man.
14:35So, the fact that the Raimi trilogy nailed it, stands out even more.
14:48Christopher Reeve as Superman, Superman franchise.
15:00Some actors seem to fit their roles perfectly.
15:03In Christopher Reeve's case, he was born to play Superman.
15:11Released in 1978, Superman was DC's first big-budget superhero film, and it wouldn't
15:16hold up nearly as well without its lead actor.
15:18Arguably no-one has better embodied the hero's kindness and earnestness since.
15:27Sure, his crazy powers stretch his believability, but Reeve sold the character's tragedy and
15:35charm so well that it's impossible not to root for him.
15:38Just as the movie's tagline says, Christopher Reeve did the impossible and made us believe
15:42a man can fly.
15:56Before making the sequel to Batman Begins, Christopher Nolan turned to the comics.
15:59Taking inspiration from The Long Halloween and The Killing Joke, Nolan crafted what is
16:03arguably the best superhero movie of all time.
16:06One of the main reasons why the film was so successful and well-received is because
16:09of the relationship between Batman and the Joker.
16:12These two have a far more complicated relationship than simply hero and villain.
16:17Essentially, two sides of the same coin.
16:19The Joker only exists because Batman exists.
16:29Nolan does a phenomenal job capturing the subtleties of the two characters, and the
16:33result is an outstanding film.
16:52An iconic character can be made or broken by the casting choice.
16:55With Wolverine, they got it absolutely perfect, but only by luck.
17:00Nolan's choice for the part was actually Russell Crowe, who wasn't interested.
17:03But, he told director Bryan Singer to check out his friend, a then-unknown actor by the
17:08name of Hugh Jackman.
17:17After Dougray Scott was cast and backed out, Jackman got the role.
17:20The result was magic, making Wolverine come to life while simultaneously launching Jackman's
17:29He's brilliant at capturing Logan's anti-hero persona, and his conflicting desire to be
17:35left alone, but also help people.
17:37While the X-Men films have had their ups and downs, you can always count on Jackman to
17:41deliver an outstanding Wolverine.
17:54Although still overwhelmingly popular, the abundance of superhero films in the early
17:5821st century has brought on some criticism that the genre may be in danger of growing
18:03stale.
18:04Then, Deadpool was released.
18:13After years of development difficulties, Ryan Reynolds was finally given the chance to portray
18:17the real Deadpool, and he delivered flawlessly.
18:21He did an especially outstanding job breaking the fourth wall.
18:28What could have been a dumb or annoyingly repetitive gimmick, quickly became the highlight
18:31of the movie, and worked in seamless balance with the rest of the film's jokes.
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18:54It's amazing to think that had the first Iron Man film been a failure, the Marvel Cinematic
19:10Universe may never have existed.
19:12Although Iron Man had his fair share of fans, he was previously considered a B-list character
19:17and didn't hold the weight of a Spider-Man or a Batman.
19:24Director Jon Favreau immediately tapped Robert Downey Jr for the part, as his past shared
19:28some similarities with the backstory of Tony Stark.
19:31And, of course, our DJ absolutely nailed it, delivering one of the best performances of
19:37his career.
19:41He quickly became the face of the MCU, as witnessed by his appearance in so many of
19:46its films.
19:51So what do you think should have made the list?
19:53Let us know down in the comments.