Top 25 performances from a comic book movie or TV show
24. Karen Gillan as Nebula
Appears in: Guardians of the Galaxy, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame
On my first trip through the MCU , Nebula flew completely under the radar for me; maybe I lost her a bit amid the excellent ensemble cast of the Guardians of the Galaxy movies. However, on my recent quarantine MCU binge, I really started to appreciate Gillan’s nuanced performance. Nebula changes a lot over the course of these movies, and Gillan is convincing every step of the way. She beautifully brings to life Nebula’s very human struggle to win the approval of an abusive father figure, and even when she’s playing the villain as in Avengers: Endgame, she never loses our sympathy.
Gillan isn’t often given the credit she deserves, probably because you can’t even recognize her under all the prosthetics and special effects. That her performance shines through anyway makes it all the more impressive.
23. Alred Molina as Doctor Octopus
Appears in: Spider-Man 2
Spider-Man 2 is up there as one of the greatest superhero films of all time. If it had been released later, after the superhero boom, I imagine Sam Raimi’s epic sequel to his first Spider-Man movie would have earned even more attention than it did.
One of the best things about the movie is its villains. Alfred Molina plays Dr. Otto Octavius, a humble scientist driven to madness by his own inventions: a set of mechanical arms. Molina takes the character from a good-hearted man who wants to help the world to maniacal super-villain intent on destroying Spider-Man from the inside out. It’s a stupendous performance.
Molina does a wonderful job of highlighting the war within Octavius, as his arms — now grafted onto his body permanently after an experiment goes wrong — mess with his brain. I remember watching this as a kid and empathizing with him. I didn’t want him to die, I just wanted him to get better. It was a powerful experience because it was the first time I understood that sometimes bad people may just need help, and I credit Molina for bringing that out with her performance.
