Top 25 performances from a comic book movie or TV show
14. Josh Brolin as Thanos
Appears in: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame
The MCU spent the better part of a decade building towards a confrontation with Thanos, the ultimate villain of the Infinity Saga. The mad titan is one of the Avengers’ most feared enemies, and there was a great deal of pressure to get him right.
Not only did Josh Brolin get him right, he made him unique. Thanos is basically the protagonist of Avengers: Infinity War, and Brolin had to walk a line between making him terrifying yet also grounded enough to hold down an entire movie. That’s not easy to do when you’re 10 feet tall, purple, and have a chin like a scrotum, but Brolin pulled it off. His Thanos is eerily calm in a way that makes his actions seem even scarier, and the way he moves convinces us of his enormous power, which he carries almost casually.
While no one should relate to Thanos’ goal of mass genocide, Brolin gives a performance that at least tells us how Thanos arrived at his conclusion. Somehow, he makes Thanos a really sad and lonely creature. We may not relate to him, but we still feel something for him when he makes destructive decisions.
13. Chris Evans as Captain America
Appears in: Captain America: The First Avenger, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame
Marvel hit the jackpot when they gave Chris Evans a second chance to play a superhero. I am a huge fan of his Human Torch, but his performance as the Star-Spangled Super Soldier is clearly what he was born for.
Cringey CGI aside, Evans’ performance as the young Brooklyn kid who volunteers his life for his country is beautifully nuanced. Audiences came to love Captain America because Evans is so good at tapping into the character’s humanity and making him extremely sympathetic. Over the course of several movies, we watch him make discoveries that force him to reevaluate his beliefs. His journey is complex, and Evans is there to steer us around the turns, bringing Cap’s innate goodness to bear as well as his loneliness as a man out of time.
Evans performance in Caption America: The Winter Soldier may be his best, as Cap is torn between what he knows is his duty and what he knows to be right. In the end he always fights for those who can’t step up for themselves. Evans always keeps that essence at the core of the character, providing us with solid ground through the first few phases of the MCU.