The 10 Best Castings in DC Movies
5. Christopher Reeves– Superman
Sometimes the original is the best. While Henry Cavill might be the current Man of Steel, but he had to step into a pretty big pair of boots in order to wear the iconic “S.” Christopher Reeves was everything that audiences could want from Superman. The way he managed to go back and forth between Clark Kent and Superman was almost unnatural. Everything about him changed, almost as though he were a completely different person. Yet, he managed to make the characters two sides of the same coin. He was one of the first heroes to appear in DC movies, but he is the very definition of a hero.
4. Tom Hardy– Bane
The DC movies by Christopher Nolan are the definitive superhero trilogy. The reason why is because the villains were just so incredible. Bane was the man who broke Batman in the comics and Tom Hardy’s take on the character made him the biggest threat the Dark Knight could have ever faced. To say that Hardy didn’t devote himself entirely to the role would be an understatement. With half his faced covered, it was up to Hardy’s eyes to show everything that was going on in the keen mind lurking beneath that muscle-bound body. While it might not have been the best of the Batman movies, Hardy was the perfect villain to give The Dark Knight the fight of his life.
3. Gal Gadot– Wonder Woman
While Batman v Superman might have been about the two big boys of the DCU trading blows, it was Gal Gadot who left the biggest impact on audiences. Not only that, but the success of the Wonder Woman movie rests squarely on her shoulders as the mighty Amazon who says more with an arch of her eyebrow than Batman and Superman put together. Gadot uses her grace to create a woman who is clean, efficient, and almost beautiful in her method of dispatching villains. Not only that, but her keen sense of humor managed to keep her from being taken too seriously. There’s little doubt that she’s going to be one of the best parts of Justice League and I look forward to it.
2. Anne Hathaway– Catwoman
Michelle Pfeiffer might have been the first Catwoman, but she was far from the best (not as far as Halle Berry was though). Anne Hathaway proved to be a true femme fatale as she took over the role of cat burglar extraordinaire in the DC movies most recent version of the character. Everything about her fit the role perfectly, the way she would slink through a room, the way she seemed to dance through her fight sequences, the attitude that made her seem completely untouchable. If Catwoman ever does join the DCU, let’s hope that Hathaway comes back, because the next version is going to have her work cut out for her trying to follow that performance.
1. Heath Ledger– The Joker
Heath Ledger’s take on the Joker is why I do not make snap judgments about hero or villain casting announcements anymore. I remember how the internet insisted he was much too pretty and just didn’t have the chops to pull off the character. Well, he proved them all wrong in the end. His performance is the absolute best we’ve ever seen in all the DC movies. The detailed work he put into his performance made him the Joker. The facial ticks he suffered from, the improvisation, the fact that he made the character an absolute force of nature. It’s no wonder that he won an Oscar for the performance.
Honorable Mention: Joaquin Phoenix– Joker
I said there could only be one of each character on the list and while Heath Ledger might be my favorite movie Joker of all time, I have to give a shout out to Phoenix. Joker was a performance-driven film left in the capable hands of a man who had a brilliant take on the character. There have been so many great versions over the years that it’s a daunting task to try to stand out, but he definitely turned in an incredible portrayal of one of the greatest villains ever to appear in DC movies.
Those are the best we’ve seen in DC movies over the years, but with so many in various stages of production, this list is bound to change a great deal over the years. What do you think of the list though? Were there any performances that should have been on there that I didn’t mention? What’s been your favorite so far? Be sure to leave some comments below, because I love a good old-fashioned geek debate!