The Avengers are Earth’s mightiest heroes, with millions of fans worldwide and a continuous string of successful films at the box office. Although the team began with six members, others eventually joined the team, albeit in an unofficial capacity. It’s unclear who currently is on the team or if the team still exists at all, though.
Each Avenger has had their moment to shine, mostly thanks to the committed performance of the now-iconic actors portraying them. And while they all did a perfect job bringing their characters to life, only one movie features their best work in the franchise, and the release of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is the perfect excuse to revisit them.
10 Robert Downey Jr. – Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Avengers: Endgame was the cinematic event of a generation, an ambitious crossover a decade in the making. In many ways, it was also a victory lap for the most important character in the MCU, Robert Downey Jr.‘s Tony Stark. The film features a logical and triumphant conclusion to Stark’s storyline, which began all the way back in 2008’s Iron Man in the literal dawn of the MCU.
Stark’s journey throughout the film is great, one of the few things that don’t instantly fall apart upon closer examination. Downey Jr. goes all-in, delivering an incredible performance that expertly blends the character’s will to prevail with the prospect of his inevitable demise. No wonder he received awards buzz; his work in Endgame is the crowning jewel of his superhero era, cementing Iron Man as the pillar upon which the MCU rises.
9 Chris Evans – Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
The Avengers’ de-facto leader, Steve Rogers was the second most important character in the MCU. The character was as crucial to the franchise’s success as Iron Man, providing an appreciated contrast to Stark’s outgoing personality. Chris Evans played the character to perfection, embodying Cap’s boy scout persona while keeping him grounded and relatable, a welcome choice in a world full of literal gods.
Evans’ greatest achievement was portraying Cap’s frustration, wearing the character’s melancholy on his sleeve. Nowhere is this clearer than during Cap’s second solo outing, Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Presented with the prospect of facing the brother he long thought dead, Cap must reconcile his ideas of heroism and duty with his desires. Evans shines in the film, delivering his best performance as Cap and confirming Winter Soldier as one of the best MCU films.
8 Mark Ruffalo – The Avengers (2012)
No one had a tougher job during the early days of the MCU than Mark Ruffalo. The actor was to play Bruce Banner, AKA the Hulk, an incredibly difficult role that required him to perform motion capture and try to imbue the raging green monster with a semblance of personality. Moreover, Ruffalo had the difficult task of being the second actor to portray the character in the MCU and the fourth overall.
However, the three-time Oscar nominee rose to the challenge and delivered. The Avengers is the perfect introduction to his tortured version of the character, with Ruffalo bringing a sense of delicacy not seen in previous iterations. Ruffalo plays up Banner’s softer side, thus enhancing the inherent clash between man and monster, turning Banner and Hulk into the MCU’s Jekyll and Hyde.
7 Chris Hemsworth – Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Thor’s journey in the MCU has been rather chaotic. The character took years to find his place in the MCU, starting as a stoic and proud classical hero before coming into his own as one of the universe’s strongest comedic forces. Taika Waititi understood the value in Chris Hemsworth‘s considerable comic talents, exploiting them in the hilarious and electric Thor: Ragnarok.
Hemsworth gives it his all, embracing Waititi’s silliness and delivering an effortlessly chaotic performance that ranks among the franchise’s funniest. The film is among the MCU’s best efforts, largely because of how personable and irresistible Hemsworth is in the central role. The stakes are high, and the villain is top-notch, but it’s Hemsworth who is the undeniable star of the show.
6 Scarlett Johansson – Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Scarlett Johansson is the First Lady of the MCU. Debuting as a supporting character before taking center stage, Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff is a complex and fascinating figure who maintained her mystique throughout her entire journey. Natasha was the perfect foil for nearly every male character in the film, evolving past its weak initial characterization to become one of the MCU’s most layered and necessary figures.
Romanoff’s arc leads to her ultimate sacrifice in Avengers: Endgame. As the one character whose life was truly changed for the better by being among Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, Natasha’s sacrifice made perfect narrative sense. Johansson, ever the consummate actress, delivered a suitably heartbreaking portrayal of love and duty. And even if the film failed her character by reducing her death to an afterthought, it was still a powerful moment, mainly thanks to Johansson’s performance.
5 Jeremy Renner – Hawkeye (2021)
Poor Hawkeye. In a team that included a super soldier, a couple of geniuses, and a literal god, he was the guy with the bow and arrow. The MCU never did a good job justifying his presence among Earth’s Mightiest Heroes — on the contrary, it played it for laughs, a huge disservice to the character and its actor, two-.time Oscar nominee Jeremy Renner.
Still, Renner got the chance to take the spotlight with his Disney+ show, the lazily-titled Hawkeye. By focusing on the character’s strongest quality — his parental skill –, the show finally does right by him. Hawkeye is a small adventure that might seem unnecessary in the grand MCU scheme; however, it excels as a buddy comedy while finally giving Renner room to display his considerable talents.
4 Don Cheadle – Captain America: Civil War (2016)
To say the MCU has wasted Don Cheadle would be an understatement. The man is an Oscar-nominated actor who has been reduced to playing second fiddle since 2010, appearing in multiple projects while given next to nothing to do. To Cheadle’s credit, he always makes Rhodey a memorable presence, even when the script gives him peanuts.
Cheadle’s finest hour comes in Captain America: Civil War, the MCU’s first ambitious crossover. As a career soldier, Rhodey is all-in on the Sokovia Accords, with Cheadle upping the character’s stubborn commitment to his patriotic values and institutions. It’s a tough role, particularly in such a political movie that blatantly portrays his side as wrong, but Cheadle is more than capable of navigating such intricacies, delivering a brilliant portrayal that’s as questionable as it’s compelling.
3 Benedict Cumberbatch – Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness (2022)
It’s absurdly clear how much fun Benedict Cumberbatch has every time he suits up as Doctor Strange. The British thespian brings a sense of dignity to his portrayal, imbuing the character with enough hubris to put Tony Stark to shame. However, he never makes Strange unlikable, keeping his feet on the ground even if his head is up in the clouds.
Cumberbatch does a great job in Avengers: Infinity War, standing out even among a massive ensemble. However, his best performance to date has to be in his second solo adventure, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Cumberbatch embraces Sam Raimi‘s horror camp, blending humor and gravitas effortlessly to deliver an endlessly entertaining performance.
2 Paul Rudd – Ant-Man (2015)
Casting Paul Rudd as a superhero was a stroke of genius. The endlessly charming actor plays the MCU’s most human and relatable superhero, a wholly average guy who happens to have a super suit. Unlike other fish-out-of-water characters, Rudd’s Ant-Man is well aware of how out-of-his-league he is among Earth’s Mightiest Heroes while still being appreciative of the opportunity; thanks for thanking of him, and everything.
Rudd’s best performance comes in his MCU debut, 2015s Ant-Man. Sincere, sympathetic, and ridiculously delightful, Rudd’s Scott Lang is an inexhaustible force of good in the increasingly cynical MCU. Future MCU appearances have asked little from Rudd, but the actor remains compelling and charming in the role, even as the franchise becomes less interested in him.
1 Tom Holland – Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
Civil War featured the long-awaited arrival of Spider-Man to the MCU. Played by a young and wide-eyed Tom Holland, Spidey is a child graduating to the big leagues and learning to be a hero. His journey in the MCU is a coming-of-age story in every sense, leading to his graduation in the multiversal, multi-generational crossover Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Despite friendly fire from his fellow Spider-Men, Holland’s Peter Parker remains firmly at the film’s center. In many ways, the film is the last stage of his childhood and his first step into the adult world of superhero-ing. Having watched the character grow up, No Way Home is a bittersweet but fulfilling experience and further proof of Holland’s dramatic abilities.
