Top 25 performances from a comic book movie or TV show

16. Michael Fassbender as Magneto

Appears in: X-Men: First Class, X-Men: Days of Future Past, X-Men: Apocalypse, Dark Phoenix

Magneto is definitely one of Marvels most fascinating, beloved villains. His motivations are so understandable that many don’t consider him a villain at all. In re-reading the X-Men comics and rewatching the 1990s cartoon, I realized that Magneto is portrayed differently than most supervillains. The X-Men don’t usually battle him and him alone; they’re often joining forces to fight an even bigger foe.

It takes a skilled actor to bring these contradictions to the screen, and to make audiences fall in love with the man who eventually decides that mutants need to take over the world and rule their less-evolved brethren. The X-Men movies can be hit or miss, especially the newer ones, but Fassbender doesn’t have a bad moment. He adds a new layer to his character in every single scene he’s in, balancing the sinister with the sympathetic even when he’s doing something malicious. Each time he’s doing something harmful, you feel he’s doing it because he believes it’s necessary for survival in a world full of violent oppression.

Fassbender makes his Magneto a deeply injured individual who’s also capable of a dangerously intoxicating, almost sexual magnetism. Watching Fessbender work, you completely understand why some of the young mutants opt to join him.

15. Mark Hamill as The Joker

Appears in: Batman: The Animated Series, Batman: Arkham Asylum, and many more animated movies, TV shows, and video games

This is our the voice performance on this list. Mark Hamill may not win any Oscars for playing the Clown Prince of Crime, but his performance as the Joker is the first thing many fans think of when they picture Batman’s arch nemesis.

Starting in 1992 with Batman: The Animated Series, Hamill has played the Joker for nearly 30 years in various TV shows, movies and video games, and there’s always a chance he could return to the role once again. I’ve never been more impressed by an actor’s vocal performance. He fully transforms! From his giddy laugh to his deep, maniacal monologue voice, Hamill is terrifying and intoxicating to listen to. This is one supervillain performance that has more than stood the test of time.