Who was/is the best portrayal of a comic character?

[kept back]

Tell me who you think has done the best jobs at portraying a comic character on screen. Television counts, but I feel animated would be it's own thing. You could pick Val Kilmer as the best Batman, but Kevin Conroy has to be disqualified due to the fact that all we got was his voice.

On your mark...

get set...

GO!

[The Toyroom]

Christopher Reeve as Superman from "Superman:The Movie" only (Superman II not so much with the love thing with Lois)

[HardyGirl]

Adam West/Burt Ward: Batman & Robin
Christopher Reeve (RIP): Superman

[shellhead]

Adam West !!!!! For Batman and Robert Downey Jr. for IronMan !

[BlackKnight]

Toby McGuire } Spidey
Downey JR. } Ironman
Chris Reeves } Superman
Huge Jackman } Wolvie
& The Guy Who just played Johnny Storm.... I forgot his name,... However his character of the Human Torch was great imo...
I also liked Picard as the Professor-X & Norton as Banner .

[Megospidey]

I'm partial to Toby McGuire in Spiderman - couldn't have picked a more loveable geek!

[Bo8a_Fett]

Bill Campbell....Rocketeer
Ron Perlman....Hellboy
Chris Reeve...Superman
Chris Bale....Batman
Patrick Stewert....Prof X
Micky Rourke......Merv

[bobbait]

Lou Farigno (sp) as the Hulk

[toys2cool]

Toby McGuire } Spidey
Downey JR. } Ironman
Chris Reeves } Superman
Huge Jackman } Wolvie
& The Guy Who just played Johnny Storm.... I forgot his name,... However his character of the Human Torch was great imo...
I also liked Picard as the Professor-X & Norton as Banner .

That's exactly what I was thinking :grin:

[The Bat]

Here's Mine:

Chris Reeve-Superman
Chris Bale-Batman
Gary Oldman-Com.Gordon
Michael Caine-Alfred
Morgan Freeman-Lucis Fox
Aron Eckart-Harvey Dent
Heath Ledger-The Joker
Liam Neeson-Ra's A' Goul
Cillian Murphy-Scarecrow
Patrick Stewart-Prof X
Ian McKellan-Magnito
Hugh Jackman-Wolverine
Famke Janson-Jean Grey
Robert Downey Jr.-IronMan
Alfred Molina-Doc Ock
Willem Dafoe-Norman Osboure
Micky Rourke-Marv
Chris Evans-Johnny Storm(even though the Movies SUCKED!)

[thunderbolt]

Adam West/Burt Ward for the Batman/Robin combo
Ron Perlman Hellboy
George Reeves for Supes(Chris or Brandon never did it for me)
Burgess Meredith Pengy
The guy that was V
Gary Oldman for Gordon
Frank Gorshin for the Riddler
and by a hair, Cesar Romero on the Joker, Heath is a very close second.
Hackman for Luthor
The guy that was JJJ in Spider-Man
Hugh Jackman Wolvie
Julie Newmar...MEOWWWWWW!!!!!!!

[HardyGirl]

Oh, y'know I thought you meant faves, but there's more I'll point out:

Lynda Carter- Wonder Woman
Lou Ferrigno- The Incredible Hulk
Bill Bixby- David Banner
Rick Springfield- Christopher Chance (the Human Target)
Van Williams-The Green Hornet

and the villains:
Julie Newmar- CatWoman
Cesar Romero-The Joker
Burgess Meredith- The Penquin
Frank Gorshin- The Riddler

[The Toyroom]

Oh yeah Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman! How could I forget her?:drool_y:

[Earth 2 Chris]

My absolute favorite is Reeve as both Superman AND Clark Kent. Unlike any other actor before or after him, he made the conceit work., which is no easy task. He also portrayed Superman's "boy scout" virture sincerely, and in a way that didn't make him look like a collosal dork in a cynical world. Again, not easy to do.

Also dig Bale for the modern Batman, West and Ward for the Silver Age Dynamic Duo, and Carter, Maguire, and Jackman for their respective roles.

Chris

[goldenryan]

1.heath ledger-joker
2.alfred molina- doc oct
3.patrick stewart-charles xavier
4.huge jackman-wolverine
5.cillian murphy-scarecrow

i like robert downey jr as ironman too.

[Werewolf]

Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman.

[goldenryan]

Here's Mine:

Chris Reeve-Superman
Chris Bale-Batman
Gary Oldman-Com.Gordon
Michael Caine-Alfred
Morgan Freeman-Lucis Fox
Aron Eckart-Harvey Dent
Heath Ledger-The Joker
Liam Neeson-Ra's A' Goul
Cillian Murphy-Scarecrow
Patrick Stewart-Prof X
Ian McKellan-Magnito
Hugh Jackman-Wolverine
Famke Janson-Jean Grey
Robert Downey Jr.-IronMan
Alfred Molina-Doc Ock
Willem Dafoe-Norman Osboure
Micky Rourke-Marv
Chris Evans-Johnny Storm(even though the Movies SUCKED!)

i take it you like the dark knight (alot)

[BlackKnight]

i take it you like the dark knight (alot)


Yeah,.. Dane's Higher than Eagle ******** on the Batman Movies. :smiley1:

[BlackKnight]

& BTW,... I never knew Rick Springfeild Was a Super Hero. I guess you learn something new everyday,... whether or not you needed too. :sarky:

[HardyGirl]

& BTW,... I never knew Rick Springfeild Was a Super Hero. I guess you learn something new everyday,... whether or not you needed too. :sarky:

Well, I believe the thread asked for comic book character's real life portrayal. Now, I never read the Human Target comic book, but the television character Christopher Chance wasn't a superhero. He was an ex military man who took the place of other people who were in trouble using high tech disguises.

THE HUMAN TARGET # 1 DOUBLE-LENGTH 1991 VERHEIDEN! - eBay (item 360034755268 end time Sep-15-08 10:34:37 PDT) (http://cgi.ebay.com/THE-HUMAN-TARGET-1-DOUBLE-LENGTH-1991-VERHEIDEN_W0QQitemZ360034755268QQcmdZViewItem?_trk sid=p3286.m20.l1116)


YouTube - Human Target TV Series - Rick Springfield (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mw3WEtJjw1A)

[The Bat]

i take it you like the dark knight (alot)


As well as Batman Begins!:wink: My two favorite Movies!

[Raydeen1]

Michale Caine as Alfred? Really? I loathed him as Alfred.
Same with Scarecrow. Too "I wanna be Jack Nicholson as the Joker" for me.
Actually, I have to disagree with almost all of the Batman choices. Morgan Freeman and Gary Oldman were perfect though.
Willem Dafoe was too over the top. Which is sad because I like him and I had high hopes.

Toby McGuire was perfect as Spidey.

I'll add Arnold as Conan

I agree with the rest excpet I actually liked the FF movies to a degree. Michael Chicklis made a great Ben Grimm. Doom ruined the movies. The character and the actor just blew.


Here's Mine:

Chris Reeve-Superman
Chris Bale-Batman
Gary Oldman-Com.Gordon
Michael Caine-Alfred
Morgan Freeman-Lucis Fox
Aron Eckart-Harvey Dent
Heath Ledger-The Joker
Liam Neeson-Ra's A' Goul
Cillian Murphy-Scarecrow
Patrick Stewart-Prof X
Ian McKellan-Magnito
Hugh Jackman-Wolverine
Famke Janson-Jean Grey
Robert Downey Jr.-IronMan
Alfred Molina-Doc Ock
Willem Dafoe-Norman Osboure
Micky Rourke-Marv
Chris Evans-Johnny Storm(even though the Movies SUCKED!)

[Raydeen1]

Yes. Doc Ock was the second best cast member of any of the Spidey movies. I thought 2 was by far the best and Ock was the best portrayal.


1.heath ledger-joker
2.alfred molina- doc oct
3.patrick stewart-charles xavier
4.huge jackman-wolverine
5.cillian murphy-scarecrow

i like robert downey jr as ironman too.

[Captain]

Since everyones picked all the good ones, I'm going to list some that should have/would have been the best:

Robert Wagner--Batman (think 60's era---not the growling psychopath of today)
David Niven--Alfred
Gregory Peck--Commissioner Gordon
Raquel Welch--Catwoman...or Wonder Woman
Kirk Douglas--Two Face (just imagine this one!)
Sean Connery (vintage 1980) Ras Al Ghul

[kingdom warrior]

Superman- George Reeves. No knock on Chris I love him as Superman but George was given a low budget tv show and made magic with it. Plus he kicked everybody's *** in the first season and crashed through walls like nobody.

Batman- Bale is Batman now/ Adam West is Batman every other time

Captain Marvel- Tom Tyler is a bad *** mofo in the Repubic movie serials he throws bad guys off roofs shoots them and has an accurate version of the classic costume and the flying effects were great for the time.

Wolverine- Hugh Jackman
Spiderman- Tobey McGuire
Blade- Wesley Snipes
Wonder Woman- Lynda Carter
Flash Gordon/Buck Rogers- Buster Crabbe no one was better
The Phantom- Billy Zane underated fun movie he was a perfect version of him
The Rocketeer- Bill Campbell....dead on accurate looks like he walked out of the comic
The Flash- John Wesley Shipp
Lois Lane- Margot Kidder
Catwoman- Julie Newmar
Batgirl-Yvonne Craig
The Riddler-Frank Gorshin
The Joker-Heath Ledger/Cesar Romero
David Bruce Banner-Bill Bixby

[huedell]

From what I know of Spider-Man comics---it seems Tobey's performance was
incredible (I sure was a fan)---so there's that.

As much as I'm starting to lose my intent interest in the
Reeve SUPERMAN movies...I still think he was probably the best at
encapsulating what SUPERMAN meant to me as a kid...and as an adult
(presently). The tone in the Reeve movies weren't as finely honed
as it was in SUPERMAN RETURNS...but Reeve's performance was excellent
...as was Kidder's "gruff" interpretation of Lois Lane----THAT'S the kind
of Lois that I think needs to be shown---a no nonsense "borderline *****"
if you will---to balance out Superman's "pure goodness" vibe that I think
he should have.

And who doesn't love Stamp's ruthless and "full of vengence" Zod?

I also have to applaud Kevin Spacey's Lex Luthor.

As far as the Batman stuff goes---I don't really understand the character
from the comics---more from the animated show---but I think Bale is dang good at "being" The Bat (I'm not referring to the one that posts here!).

The Joker?

Neither Nicholson or Ledger came across as how I envision him on the screen
----BUT I loved both of their performances regardless.

Not a big Carrey fan---but Carrey as PLASTIC MAN would probably be great.

Clooney is a bit too old now---but I think he woulda made a
KILLER Hal Jordan Green Lantern.

Debbie Mazar or Jennifer Tilly would make great Harley Quinns if they aren't
too old for the role at this point.

[Hector]

Not even close...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v56/ottoautopilot/reeve-superman-small.jpg

THE BEST EVER!!!!!!

Nuff said.

:cool_y:

[Hector]

Superman- George Reeves. No knock on Chris I love him as Superman but George was given a low budget tv show and made magic with it. Plus he kicked everybody's *** in the first season and crashed through walls like nobody.

He also took bullets to the chest like nobody business...but when the bad guys ran outta bullets, they would throw the gun at Supes, and he would DUCK...lol.

Check it out at the 8 minute mark...lol...

YouTube - Adventures Of Superman (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2TnPFmoWFw)

:smiley1: :smiley1: :smiley1:

[thunderbolt]

Since everyones picked all the good ones, I'm going to list some that should have/would have been the best:

Robert Wagner--Batman (think 60's era---not the growling psychopath of today)
David Niven--Alfred
Gregory Peck--Commissioner Gordon
Raquel Welch--Catwoman...or Wonder Woman
Kirk Douglas--Two Face (just imagine this one!)
Sean Connery (vintage 1980) Ras Al Ghul

I'd love to have seen Peck as the Bat-Man instead. Even better, Errol Flynn as Batman and Basil Rathbone as the Joker. Kirk Douglas would have been a kick *** Two Face. If they would have used Two Face on the 66 show, my fantasy pick would have been Shatner or Sinatra.

[david_b]

During the early '90s, Eddie Murphy was vying for 'Green Hornet' on the big screen. With Keaton as Batman, a young Murphy would have made a SUPER Hornet. Sounds odd, but under the right director, he would have rocked with some asian guy (or girl..) to play Kato.

Seriously..

For me, it's still Adam, Burt, Yvonne, Frank, and Julie from the ol' Batman series!

[GreenLantern9999]

OK here's my list of close to if not perfect casts:
Patrick Stewart as Prof X
Hugh Jackman as Wolverine
Kelsy Grammar as Beast
Alfred Molina as Doc Ock
Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man
Patrick Warburton as The Tick
Chris Evans as the Human Torch
Michael Chiklis as The Thing
J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson
Christian Bale as Batman
Heath Ledger as Joker
Christ Reeve as Superman (but George was amazing!)
Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor (the only good part of returns IMO)
Hugo Weaving as V
Robert Downey as Iron Man
Ed Norton as Bruce Banner/The Hulk
Sam Jackson as Ultimate Nick Fury

now for a few dream picks
Young Dennis Quade as Hal Jordan or old Dennis Quade as gray templed Hal
Christopher Judge (from Stargate SG1) as Martian Manhunter
Elisha Cuthbert as Power Girl
Michael Clarke Duncan as Kilowag ... Honestly I could go all day those are my big picks though!

[kingdom warrior]

He also took bullets to the chest like nobody business...but when the bad guys ran outta bullets, they would throw the gun at Supes, and he would DUCK...lol.

Check it out at the 8 minute mark...lol...

YouTube - Adventures Of Superman (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2TnPFmoWFw)

:smiley1: :smiley1: :smiley1:
Figures you would point that out.........:smiley1::silly:

[censy]

Most of the greats have been mentioned.

I would only add Brandon Lee as the Crow. He was magnificent in it and had he not died, become a huge star.

Chris

[Adam West]

Having read most of the older Spider-man comics, the few that mentioned J.K. Simmons as JJJ are right on. He not only looks exactly like the comic character but seems to have the character down pat.

Tobey is awesome as Spider-Man and can't see anyone else who could do a better job in the role. I'm a little warped by the '67 cartoon...between that and the comics, as soon as Peter Parker became Spider-Man, his character was much more sarcastic and had a very adult like sense of humor so I almost expected a bit more of it in the films.

Adam West definitely for Batman

[ctc]

Hmmmm....

I would LOVE to see a Caesar Romero-esque Joker in a serious film. None of the others have really captured the manic-ness he seemed to have in the comic.

Don C.

[Raydeen1]

I've never read any of the comics but I loved this movie and thought Brandon Lee was excellent in it. Good pick!



Most of the greats have been mentioned.

I would only add Brandon Lee as the Crow. He was magnificent in it and had he not died, become a huge star.

Chris

[goldenryan]

Since everyones picked all the good ones, I'm going to list some that should have/would have been the best:

Robert Wagner--Batman (think 60's era---not the growling psychopath of today)
David Niven--Alfred
Gregory Peck--Commissioner Gordon
Raquel Welch--Catwoman...or Wonder Woman
Kirk Douglas--Two Face (just imagine this one!)
Sean Connery (vintage 1980) Ras Al Ghul

nice picks! i love the old hollywood
robert deniro- nick fury (late 80's)
clint eastwood-wolverine (1970's)
johnny depp-loki
beck -riddler

[The Bat]

Michale Caine as Alfred? Really? I loathed him as Alfred.
Same with Scarecrow. Too "I wanna be Jack Nicholson as the Joker" for me.
Actually, I have to disagree with almost all of the Batman choices. Morgan Freeman and Gary Oldman were perfect though.
Willem Dafoe was too over the top. Which is sad because I like him and I had high hopes.


Well...I guess there isn't much for You any I to talk about, concerning Comic Book Movies then is there? Go watch Nicholson as the Clown Joker...and little RUNT Keaton as Batman...enjoy.:ugh_y:

[thunderbolt]

I like Caine a LOT better than the last Alfred, but they both lose to Alan Napier.

[thunderbolt]

Willem Dafoe was Burton's original Joker choice, but had Jack forced upon him. Would have loved to seen that.

[filmation batman fan]

My List of Definitive Portrayals:

Christopher Reeve Superman

Adam West & Burt Ward Batman and Robin (Dynamic Duo)

Christian Bale Batman (Dark Knight Batman)

Lynda Carter Wonder Woman

Heath Ledger Joker

Aaron Eckhart Harvey Dent/ AKA Two Face

John Wesley Shipp The Flash

Jackson Bostwick Captain Marvel

Tobey Maguire Spider Man

Edward Norton Dr. Bruce Banner

Bill Bixby Dr. David Banner

Lou Ferrigno The Hulk

Robert Downey Jr. Iron Man

Ian Gruffudd Reed Richards

Jessica Alba Sue Storm Richards

Michael Chiklis The Thing

Chris Evans Johnny Storm

Ben Affleck Daredevil

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Margot Kidder Lois Lane

Sam Huntington Jimmy Olsen

Michael Caine Alfred

Gary Oldsman Jim Gordon

Chris O Donnell Robin

Kevin Spacey Lex Luthor

Jack Nicholson Joker

Burgess Meredith Penguin

Frank Gorshin Riddler

Julie Newmar Catwoman

Lyle Waggoner Steve Trevor

Kirsten Dunst Mary Jane Watson

JK Simmons J Jonah Jameson

Sam Elliot General Thunderbolt Ross

Liv Tyler Betty Ross

Jack Colvin Jack McGee


Cheers.

[Adam West]

Thomas Hayden Church was pretty much a dead on ringer for the Sandman

[Cosmicman]

Toby McGuire Spiderman

Robert Downey Jr Iornman

Ben Affleck Daredevil

Edward Norton Dr. Bruce Banner

Bill Bixby Dr. David Banner

Heath Ledger Joker

John Wesley Shipp The Flash (Matt got me the whole series! Thanks Matt!)

Jessica Alba Sue Storm Richards

Christopher Reeve Superman


and who can forget Hugh Jackman as Wolverine

[kingdom warrior]

Willem Dafoe was Burton's original Joker choice, but had Jack forced upon him. Would have loved to seen that. I wanted him to play the Joker back then.....he has the natural grin and he's also a hell of an actor who would have played a real sinister Joker......

[Earth 2 Chris]

I wanted him to play the Joker back then.....he has the natural grin and he's also a hell of an actor who would have played a real sinister Joker......


I remember an interview with 89 Batman screen-writer Sam Hamm in Comics Scene before Keaton and Nicholson were cast and he had Dafoe picked for Joker and I think Ray Liotta was his Batman preference. Honestly I think both of those would have worked. Dafoe is dead-on the Brian Bolland Killing Joke version of the Joker, and Liotta can play an intense Batman-type well.

Chris

[The Bat]

I remember an interview with 89 Batman screen-writer Sam Hamm in Comics Scene, I think Ray Liotta was his Batman preference.

Chris



Anybody would have better than Keaton!:ugh_y: Although I liked Jack as the Joker....Heath Ledger was MUCH better! I can also see Dafoe in the part!:yes:

[knight errant00]

I remember an interview where Hamm said he wanted Charlie Sheen and Willem DaFoe.



I remember an interview with 89 Batman screen-writer Sam Hamm in Comics Scene before Keaton and Nicholson were cast and he had Dafoe picked for Joker and I think Ray Liotta was his Batman preference. Honestly I think both of those would have worked. Dafoe is dead-on the Brian Bolland Killing Joke version of the Joker, and Liotta can play an intense Batman-type well.

Chris

[Earth 2 Chris]

I remember an interview where Hamm said he wanted Charlie Sheen and Willem DaFoe.

I think I remember him mentioning Sheen too. Not sure he could pull it off, but physically, he looked like a Dick Sprang Bruce Wayne. Even the original BTAS design always reminded me of Sheen somewhat.

Chris

[Mego Milk]

Fred Savage should have been Robin in the Burton films.

[Earth 2 Chris]

Fred Savage should have been Robin in the Burton films.

He would have worked out well, I think.

A few years back, when there were no Batman films being made, Frankie (Malcom in the Middle) Muniz would have been a great young Dick Grayson Robin. He had that smart but scrappy factor Dick needs.

Chris

[MegoScott]

Seems like collectively you guys have mentioned every single performance of every single character ever. :smiley1:

Here's one from left field: Robin Williams as Popeye.

[Earth 2 Chris]

Here's one from left field: Robin Williams as Popeye.

Agreed! Popeye is an odd movie. Too high-brow for its own subject matter, I think. Too...artsy. Kind of like the way they went with Dick Tracy. Almost TOO much reverance for the material to make it really fun. But the casting was dead-on. Shelly Duvall was actually good as Olive Oyl, and I normally can't stand her.

When I first saw the movie in the theaters, I hadn't seen the old Fleischer Popeyes yet. Just the made-for-TV toons from the 50s and 60s. So I didn't get why Williams did all of that mumbling! But when I did finally see the original cartoons, I had a whole new appreciation of the movie.

Chris

[PNGwynne]

For really iconic portrayals, I'd have to choose Chris Reeve as Superman. Jeez, he was wonderful and I miss him. I'm not even a big Supes fan and I think he's the best on-screen superhero, ever.

But...Lynda Carter's WW and Tobey Macguire's Spidey are pretty nearly as good.

All three bring something to their performances that transcends the occasional weaknesses of the scripts.

And if WBs ever does a Shazam! film, I vote for Jerry O'Connell to star.

BTW, I liked Affleck as DD--check out the director's cut: It's a subtantially better performance and a better movie.

[PNGwynne]

Villains: Well, maybe I'm biased, but I think Buzz Meredith's Penguin
was the best foe on the show, in terms of capturing the essence of the comics version.

And let's recognize BIlly Campbell as the Rocketeer and Billy Zane as the Phantom--really earnest, on-key performances in modest B-films that were nice tributes to the characters.

[thunderbolt]

Yeah, Robin WIlliams' Popeye is an overlooked one.