11 Superhero Casting Choices that were Absolutely Perfect

Not a day goes by when I don’t think about the very weird choice of casting Jared Leto as the Joker. Not a day goes by when I don’t laugh a little bit inside when I remember Tobey Maguire’s face in Spider-Man 3. However, there are many, many instances when Hollywood’s casting agencies got the perfect actors for the perfect superheroes. Here are 11 superhero casting choices that were absolutely perfect!

RDJ as Iron Man
Robert Downey Jr. is Tony Stark. Like, it’s not a question of whether RDJ did a good job playing Tony Stark in the Iron Man and Avengers movies. Even though the character of Iron Man and Tony Stark predates the beginning of RDJ career, at a certain point RDJ’s real-life behavior began having the bravado, confidence, and snakiness of his fictional counterpart.
Perfect casting.

Heath Ledger as The Joker
Sometimes perfect casting isn’t about finding someone who is a perfect fit for a role. Sometimes what a great casting agent has to do is find an actor that absolutely redefines the character they are portraying. When Heath Ledger played The Joker in Nolan’s Dark Knight, he redefined how the Joker should be portrayed in movies. He added the absolute unhinged insanity from the comic books, while Nolan added the grittiness that all previous movie depictions of the Joker were missing.
Perfect.

Tom Holland as Spider-Man
Over the years there have been many versions of Peter Parker. In the movies — sure (Maguire, Garfield, and now Holland), but also in the comic books. This topic itself was covered well in the amazing Spiderverse cartoon. But one thing Peter Parker always had was that he was a witty, young student. The movies with Maguire leaned far too much on his personal struggles. The movies with Garfield leaned too much into Parker being cool.
But with Tom Holland, the movie-version of Spider-Man finally has the perfect balance of awkward and unconfident, but also witty and cool.

George Clooney as Bruce Wayne
I’m being very deliberate with how I’m calling this section. I’m not saying George Clooney was a great Batman. I still think it’s hilarious that someone in the costume design of that movie decided to put nipples on the Batman costume. However, everyone’s favorite silver fox did play the heck out of Bruce Wayne. There’s something about George Clooney’s attitude that just makes him fit well in a lonely manor, with a butler, having a secret crime-fighting persona.
George Clooney was a perfect Bruce Wayne.