Best adaptation of a Comic book character in live action?

Which adaptation do you think absolutely embodied the spirit of a comic book character in TV or film? Or maybe they weren't like their comic book counterpart but were just absolutely amazing. Who is your personal favourite?

So let's all agree to get the big man out of the way and move on from there.

Actually, I'm not big on Ledger Joker compared to other, lighter adaptations. But I do admire the character for what it was. I prefer that film's Harvey Dent as far as embodying the spirit of the original character goes.

Bane went very well up until the movie's endgame. Then he dropped off a bit.

Ian McKellen made for an awesome Magneto, I must say. He was badass. Him and Jeff Dean Morgan as The Comedian are tops in my books.

As far as original creations go, I have to give props to Loony Bin Jim, even though the War Zone film gets a lot of hate. Campy performances are always welcome in movies that are already bad, and I thought that Doug Hutchison was one of the few in the film who got that and at least made it bearable with his fun performance and character.

@mightyrearranger: Yeah but loads of people are going to say Joker, better to just cross him off. Loony bin Jim was viscerally painful to watch in my opinion, though I quite liked the film as a whole. The concept of Bane being subservient in a manner such as that sickens me.

Maybe it's just that I have a soft spot for Hutchison ever since The Green Mile. But yeah, acting styles like his can be very polarizing amongst people. At least he was a fresh character and didn't have any expectations to live up to.

It's a shame because while it was a nice touch to see Bane humanized at the end of that film, I feel like it could have been handled better and without sacrificing anything from his origin.

RDJ as Iron Man

@mightyrearranger: The altering of origins didn't phase me so much as his willingness to die and do pretty much anything for a woman who saw him as nothing more than a teddy bear [Pun intended] to use and throw away when she didn't need it any more. Bane should have more self respect than that in my opinion. But like you said until the final act Bane was great, it's akin to how they ruined Irene Adler in he final act in Sherlock.

True. However, I do have to note that my favorite Bane in writing was Gail Simone's Secret Six continuation of the character. One could compare his willingness to die for Talia to his willingness to do anything for Scandal, but that was Bane at a totally different point in his life, ergo it worked for the Secret Six comic.

Agreed. One can't forget how awesome he was in that role and how great that role was for him on a personal level.

Yes, RDJ, just, yes. He was born to play that role, and his personal demons only furthered his suitability.

Daredevil

RDJ for iron man

Patrick wilson as nite owl

Liev schrieber as sabretooth

Tobey maguire as spiderman

Willem dafoe as norman osborn

Edward norton as bruce banner

Ledger Joker and RDJ Iron Man

@dondave:

Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne

Edward Norton as Hulk

The guy who played Rorschach in Watchmen. The Comedian too.

RDJ as Iron Man.

And who could forget Kingsley as The Mandarin....

Willem was always pretty damn good as the Goblin, but I always hoped and prayed for this guy in Norman's role and I continue to be disappointed that he never got the chance:

1. Robert Downey Jr. - Iron Man
2. Heath Ledger - Joker
3. Hugh Jackman - Wolverine
4. Jackie Earle Haley - Rorschach
5. Jeff Dean Morgan - The Comedian
6. Chris Hemsworth - Thor

@mightyrearranger said:

@queencorp15 said:

Willem dafoe as norman osborn

Willem was always pretty damn good as the Goblin, but I always hoped and prayed for this guy in Norman's role and I continue to be disappointed that he never got the chance:

I don't see Dr. Cox being a good Norman/Goblin, personally. He's too...Coxy.

Human Torch : Chris Evans (yeah suck it cap)

Edward Norton : Hulk

More or less in order. These are people who I felt were perfect in their roles.

@jedixman said:

More or less in order. These are people who I felt were perfect in their roles.

That's perfectly in order for me. Only Molina is probably my 3rd.

Chris Hemsworth: Thor

Tom Hiddleston: Loki

George Clooney

Robert Downey Junior for Iron man

Chris Hemsworth for Thor

J.K Simmons for J. Jonah Jameson

Heath Ledger as Joker

Hugh Jackman as Wolverine

Agreed!

Rorschach

The Man-Thing

Nah, just Joking. Seriously though, Patrick Stewart as Professor X and Sir Ian Murray McKellen as Magneto was pretty EPIC!!

Heath Ledger as Joker
Christopher Reeve as Superman
Wesley Snipes as Blade
RDJ as Iron Man
Gary Oldman as Commissioner Gordon
Ron Pearlman as Hellboy
Tom Hiddleston as Loki
Ian McKellen as Magneto
Patrick Stewart as Professor X
Hugh Jackman as Wolverine
Mickey Rourke as Marv
Jackie Earle Haley as Rorschach
Jeff Dean Morgan as The Comedian
Michael Clarke Duncan as Kingpin
Michael Caine as Alfred
Karl Urban as Judge Dredd
Thomas Jane as Punisher

This and only this..

Ray Stevenson saw a good Punisher just was not in a very good movie.

Robert Downey Junior for Iron man

Chris Hemsworth for Thor

Patrick Stewart as Professor X

Ron Pearlman as Hellboy

Tom Hiddleston as Loki

I get where you're coming from. Like a lot of character actors, he does bring a couple common traits and characteristics to every character he plays. It would be hard to see him as anyone other than Dr. Cox. However, I do think he speaks from time to time with a kind of neurotic tone that would fit Osborn well (eg: a few of his scenes in Get Carter). He also has some solid psycho-personality in the movie Intensity. And his monologue during Highway, though not Norman-esque in it's content, has a low-key and dense atmosphere to it, sounding totally different from his "Coxian" phrasings from Scrubs.

If they ever do another Joker i would like it to be Garrett Hedlund.

Wait........What?

For what it was worth in adapting the silver age nature of his role, Christopher Reeve made an absolutely perfect Clark Kent and a wonderful Superman.

Robert Downey JR as Iron Man

Ian McKellen as Magneto

Patrick Stewart as Professor X

Hugh Jackman as Wolverine

Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury

Edward Norton as Hulk

Chris Hemsworth as Thor

Tom Hiddleston as Loki

Heath Ledger as Joker

Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man

Henry Cavill as Superman

Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor

Russel Crowe as Jor-El

and finally

@lvenger said:

For what it was worth in adapting the silver age nature of his role, Christopher Reeve made an absolutely perfect Clark Kent and a wonderful Superman.

For me its, in order (Still have yet to see Watchmen of course),

1. Heath Ledger as Joker
2. Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/Hulk
3. Hugh Jackman as Wolverine
4. J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson
5. Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man
6. Gary Oldman as Commissioner James Gordon
7. Patrick Stewart as Professer X
8. Tom Hiddleston as Loki
9. Tom Hardy as Bane
10. Chris Hemsworth as Thor
11. Chris Evans as Captain America
12. Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor
13. Anne Hathaway as Selena Kyle/Catwoman
14. Ian McKellan as Magneto
15. Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler

I really liked Mark Ruffalo's Hulk.

Chris Evans is really growing on me as Cap...

Magneto, Dr X and Ironman.

Andrew Garfield IS Peter Parker/Spider-Man and I won't let anyone convince me otherwise.

Besides the obvious choices (aka @manneffest's entire, very solid and totally correct list which is unfortunately missing Reeve's Superman/Hackman's Luthor), I'd say Jackie Earle Haley's Rorschach is incredible, the shining point of the entire film. Every time he's on screen, you can't help but be drawn in entirely.

Adam West.

/thread

@mild_karl: Oh shoot I knew I forgot someone! Reeve goes in at number 12 for me with Hackman at 15.