10. Heath Ledger as The JokerThe most inspired casting on the list. No one thought the pretty-boy-cowboy-lover would make an impressive Joker. I, frankly, was excited to see what was going to happen, but was having a hard time visualizing it. I am still surprised at what we got, and it is a role that is a testament to his chameleon like performances in other not so well-known movies, a la Brothers Grim and Lords of Dogtown.
9. Ryan Reynolds as DeadpoolSurprise! I haven't even seen the movie yet, but no casting as had me more excited about a part. Deadpool is my favorite character, and I think Reynolds is far superior an actor than most give him credit for. I am not too worried about the obvious changes to the character since they have some kind of parallel. But those damn lazer eyes piss me off to no end.
8. Patrick Stewart as Professor XavierFrom the beginning, this was probably the easiest character to cast. Who's bald and a strong leader. Patrick Stewart. It almost seems unfair at how obvious it is, but he captured the character with grace.
7. Kelsey Grammar as BeastI didn't think at his age that Kelsey could pull off an action role. The role of Beast has always made me a little uneasy considering that while strong and agile, he had a very old soul, and an older actor would need to be cast. Grammar was damn near perfect. As perfect as I could guess.
6. Aaron Eckhart as Harvey DentProbably the greatest performance in The Dark Knight and a far more deserving supporting performance than Heath's. Eckhart held the entire story on his shoulders, but he was overshadowed by Joker's theatrical nature.
5. Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron ManWho better to play a savvy, charismatic substance abuser than an actual savvy, charismatic substance abuser. I never believed Downey was having a comeback since all he always had a string of solid if not relatively unknown performances coupled with a run in with the law and a random Oscar nom. In the end, this put him on the map, or back on the map, or whatever.
4. Sir Ian McKellan as MagnetoThe idea behind the X-Men was to be a metaphor for minority's civil rights laced with science fiction action. Sir McKellan being both gay and Jewish knew full well the extent of being a popularly discriminated minority (far to weird of a phrase but you get what I am saying). Ian has a certain distinguished screen presence that helped depict Magneto as the classic dictator-esque world-takeover-type of villain.
3. Mickey Rourke as MarvMickey Rourke oozes cool and as Tarantino noted, Marv is like what would happen if Rourke and Frank Miller, the creator of Sin City, had a baby and I have to agree. No one is better for the Cro-Magnum trenchcoat wearing bar brawler than Mickey Rourke, a movie tough guy turned boxer turned movie tough guy. I think I speak for everyone else when I say welcome back Mr. Rourke.
2. Hugh Jackman as WolverineWho thought a 6 foot something Aussie would perfect as the 5 nothing Canuck, Wolvie? Turns out he'd be damn good. He captured the intensity of Wolvie that grasped the fanboys interest, but added a certain level of heart and likability that many thought Wolvie was lacking.
1. Ron Perlman as HellboyPerlman is one of those actors who never got his just dessert. He is one of the finest actors today. Charismatic. Screen presence a plenty. Theres no beating the guy in innate ability. And despite having plenty of roles before and after Hellboy that proves his mettle, I think old HB will be remembered as his most likable and memorable.
