15 of the Best Superhero Performances by Celebrities

Celebrities have cool jobs because every day is different. Every day they get to portray something new and exciting. Every role means something different for them. No two days at the office are the same. When a celebrity gets to have the honor of portraying a superhero, the job gets even cooler. After all, most of us do grow up wishing we could be superman or wonder woman or the Hulk. When you’re a celeb, you actually have a chance of making that dream come true. Read on to find out which celebrities played the best superheroes on television or in the movies.

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Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man

It’s so strange to think that Downey Jr. was pretty fresh out of rehab and trying to get his life back together and on track when he was given the role as Iron Man a few years back. He plays Tony Stark so well that he made something in the neighborhood of 500 times more money for the second Iron Man than he did for the first (he only got $500K for the first). He has the perfect look to play the character, which is probably why producers were willing to take a chance on an actor who had so many problems in the past.

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Hugh Jackman as Wolverine

He’s a good-looking man with some serious talent. He can take any role and turn it into a masterpiece. It doesn’t matter if he’s playing an X-Men or singing in Les Mis. He’s amazing. And when he took on the role of Wolverine in X-Men, there was no question about the fact that he’d make an amazing superhero. And lo and behold, we were right. It might help that he really fills out all that extra hair and those claws in the films, but we think his talent helped.

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Chris Hemsworth as Thor

Let’s all just take a minute to appreciate an amazing body and an Aussie accent; oh, and the brothers known as Hemsworth. You know Chris Hemsworth’s brother from several movies (ever heard of The Hunger Games?) and from his long romance with Miley Cyrus. You know Chris from his role as Thor. In the movie, he took on villains of all types. He rocked that heavy outfit like no one else could do, and the long hair wasn’t even a problem on this actor. As Thor, Hemsworth showed the world he’s more than just a pretty face (and accent).

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Christopher Reeve as Superman

There has never been another Superman as wonderful as Christopher Reeve. Despite the fact that he is remembered for his debilitating injury first and foremost, there is no denying the fact that he was the most incredible Superman of all time. He was the character for almost 10 years. He portrayed Superman and Clark Kent in four films in the late 70s and most of the 80s. He is, perhaps, the most iconic actor ever to portray Superman on television or in the movies.

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Michael Keaton as Batman

There have been so many Batman movies and franchises it’s almost impossible to figure out which one someone is talking about unless you mention a specific actor. When Tim Burton (movie making genius) created Batman films in 1989 and 1992, they starred the famous Michael Keaton. He was so amazing in the role that people actually look at him to this day and see Bruce Wayne. He’s scowl, the little bit of face you can see beneath Batman’s mask, is so on-target that no one else has been able to top that look.

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Michelle Pfieffer as Catwoman

Though Michelle Pfieffer wasn’t the first Catwoman, she was one of the best. She portrayed the role of the superhero in the Batman movies alongside Michael Keaton. In the early 90s, she was in her prime. She was young, gorgeous and great at her job. Her portrayal of Catwoman was phenomenal, and she was able to make her fans fall even more in love with her. Her role shot her even further into stardom and was part of the reason she is as successful as she has been throughout the past two decades.

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Ben Affleck as Daredevil

It’s not easy to portray a blind person. The simple fact is that not being able to see is not something that’s easily faked. However, Ben Affleck did a stellar job portraying Matt Murdock, the blind man who also turns into Daredevil in the 2003 film. It’s also where he met his future wife, Jennifer Garner, as she played his love interest in the movie. The purpose behind Daredevil’s journey is to work with his working senses, which are extremely heightened – which is actually true of most people who are down a sense.

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Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow

What’s awesome about Scarlett Johansson’s role as Black Widow is the fact that she was able to play the role in so many movies, and so well each time. She portrayed the superhero in Iron Man II, Captain America II and in Avengers. In each one she brought a no-nonsense attitude and a likeable personality to the screen. She made the character one people could relate to, but also one that people were certain could handle business without a second thought.

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Toby Maguire as Spiderman

When it’s time to play Peter Parker, few people did it as well as Toby Maguire. He’s just the right mixture of good-looking and geeky, which makes it easy for him to transform from Peter to Spiderman seamlessly. Maguire won’t play Spiderman again, but he was the superhero in three movies that were filmed from 2002 on. He did a stellar job playing the role of the boy who was bitten by a spider and became a superhero who saved the city and the girl of his dreams (who was played by Kirsten Dunst). The job is now held by Andrew Garfield.

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Val Kilmer as Batman

Though he’s not the same kind of Batman as Michael Keaton, it was Val Kilmer that took over the role of the mystery superhero when Batman Forever was made back in 2005. Much like Keaton, the actor does have a great face for the role. Since all you can see is the lips and chin of Batman, it helps to have a strong one with a very distinct look. Kilmer possesses that look, as did Keaton. He starred alongside actors such as Nicole Kidman and Tommy Lee Jones, as well as Jim Carrey. It was an ensemble superhero cast that made the movie phenomenal.

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Anne Hathaway as Catwoman

There are so many different aspects to Anne Hathaway. We all remember her most as a goofy, unsophisticated, uncool teen who finds out she’s actually the heir to the throne in some far away country and that her mom has been hiding this little fact from her for her entire life in The Princess Diaries. We also remember her as the dorky girl who gets a job at a high-end fashion magazine she views as beneath her in The Devil Wears Prada. Either way, she’s always amazing in everything she does. The award-winning actress also played Catwoman in The Dark Knight, and we can only hope to see her again.

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George Clooney as Batman

There have been so many Batmen. Following Val Kilmer’s portrayal of the Gotham City superhero in 1995, George Clooney took on the role in 1997 in Batman & Robin. The actor wasn’t as good – in most opinions – as Keaton or Kilmer, but he wasn’t bad at all. His face isn’t nearly as strong as his Batman predecessors, making him a little awkward in the suit, but the fact that he played the role so well makes up for it. He starred alongside Uma Thurman and Arnold Schwarzenegger, who both played his enemies in the film.

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Jessica Alba as Susan Storm

She’s the kind of actress people love because she’s just so gorgeous and she makes a great superhero. When she portrayed Susan Storm (the Invisible Woman) in the Fantastic Four, people were blown away by her performance. She’s one of the few actresses in Hollywood that make a great superhero even though she doesn’t come across in real life as the kind of woman it takes to do this kind of work. Perhaps it’s her incredibly fit body or her big personality, but she made a great superhero. In fact, I don’t think many superhero fans would be disappointed to see her return to the role at some point.

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Christian Bale as Batman

It seems Batman might be a favorite superhero if you count the sheer number of movies made about Gotham City’s own superhero. In the Dark Knight franchise it’s Christian Bale that plays the dark and mysterious, and very wealthy, Bruce Wayne. At night, he transforms from wealthy mystery man to superhero. He did a great job in the role, but it also helps when the rest of the cast is on point with their own roles. The Dark Knight is the role for which the late Heath Ledger was so often discussed in, and probably should have won an Oscar for.

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Jennifer Garner as Elektra

She’s always been a bit of a superhero in her roles. From the time she was kicking butt in Alias to the time she starred in two movies as Elektra, she was someone we all viewed as a superhero. When Jennifer Garner accepted the role of Elektra in Daredevil, she had no idea that movie would change her life. Not only would she star alongside the man who would become her husband only two years later, she would also get her own spinoff movie starring her character. That’s how good a job she did.

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