Comic book movies require a careful balance between realism and a suspension of disbelief. Casting calls hang in the balance and tip this precarious scale for the men and women dressed in tights. Actors have an image they bring to the character; some look the part so much, it’s as if they were born to play the superhero archetype. The walk and talk of a character further develops that image. Charisma and voice convince readers and viewers that the superhero they admire most is plausible and relatable on and off the big screen.

Comics have the luxury of using still images, panels that inspire and instill the imagination. Actions are played out in the mind’s eye beyond the boxed pages. Watching all of their best and pivotal story arcs in motion brings audiences closer to the characters. With the right casting, the comic book and comic book movie become inseparable, seamless, indelible. With the wrong casting, a retreat and division unfolds; wrinkles pile up, and stains ruin the character’s reputation.

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8 Amber Heard (Aquaman)

     Warner Bros. Pictures

Stormy seas would be an understatement for the casting of Amber Heard. Her divorce and domestic abuse towards Johnny Depp didn’t steer her back to calmer shores. A Change.org petition to have Heard fired from the franchise reached over four million signatures. This kind of fan devotion and demotion by fans was a clear sign that Heard, while pulling off the look of the underwater princess, was not favored. Her performance, ironically as a romantic interest, was dead in the water.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

7 Ewan McGregor (Birds of Prey)

Roman Sionis is the crime boss Black Mask, played by Ewan McGregor. He has the sadistic violence of a gangster and the clean-cut style of the Godfather. The Jedi Master has the pomp and ruthlessness of a villain, but it takes on comedic tones that don’t suit McGregor or his character. It hits one-note for the film’s sake and neglects his gravitas.

6 Ezra Miller (Justice League)

Comedic relief is an important plot device and character trait that helps the story breathe and change pace. When it’s unwarranted for the wrong reasons to the point of being awkward, you get Ezra Miller as Barry Allen, known as The Flash. His jokes and delivery have a boyish charm, but they feel uncomfortable and forced like a stream of consciousness that runs down the toilet. The speedster could talk underwater if he wanted to, but they only way he could give audiences relief is by working on his comedy.

5 Jared Leto (Suicide Squad)

Everyone and their amnesiac grandmother knows that the Joker is damaged. Jared Leto didn’t need to spell it out with a face tattoo. Hyperbole feels ashamed to be used in such an absurd display. A caricature of Leto’s Joker would be redundant. The alternative, grunge, goth appearance feels out of place, not because it’s disturbing, but rather distracting.

4 Jesse Eisenberg (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice)

     Warner Bros.

Lex Luthor doesn’t have hair in the comics. He’s a bald, old tycoon who isn’t the least bit eccentric. Jesse Eisenberg changed that and gave the Superman villain a complete turnover. Instead of the seasoned and embittered rich genius, audiences received a genius in his prime. Eisenberg has one of the worst departures from the source material, if not character performances, ever adapted.

3 Kristen Wiig (Wonder Woman 1984)

Kristen Wiig plays Barbara Minerva, the villain Cheetah. Her ditzy, unawareness and tunnel vision sense of humor carry over from her role in the 2016 Ghostbusters. Her SNL chops are incomparable, but just like her experience with specters, they create a rough contrast for the superhero genre. Being funny isn’t always necessary, and when Wiig has her serious moments, her character arc outruns her acting.

2 Michael Shannon (Man of Steel)

Michael Shannon is General Zod, the militant who forms a space coup against the Kryptonian elites and commits planetary genocide. The newborn Kal-El, or Superman, escapes with the knowledge of his home planet, Krypton before its destruction and lands on Earth. Zod finds the Son of Krypton and plans to level the surface of the Earth to form a new Krypton under his command. Shannon has the straight-laced delivery and determination to exact his machinations, but he has a middle-of-the-road performance.

1 Ryan Reynolds (Green Lantern)

After Ryan Reynolds played the intergalactic law enforcer, he couldn’t help but mock that night light of a green suit as his other alias, Deadpool. CGI is his superpower and imagination is his weakness. Reynolds looks like Hal Jordan, has the attitude to match him, too, but his acting is serviceable. The villain Parallax looks like diarrhea and the sight of it floating through space is plain silly. Green is the color of willpower that creates the universe and powers the Green Lantern Corps. For Reynolds, green is the color of envy he had for any actor that didn’t play his part.