The 30 Best Performances In The Marvel Cinematic Universe

This week, “Doctor Strange” (it’s pretty good! Read our review) becomes the 14th movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, an expansive, pop-culture behemoth that’s also expanded to television. From the very beginning, these movies have attracted a high calibre of talent — Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow and Jeff Bridges in the first “Iron Man,” for instance — but they’ve only become more and more magnetic to big stars as they’ve become better and better (and, presumably, paid their actors more and more), arguably culminating in “Doctor Strange,” which with a cast including Benedict Cumberbatch, Tilda Swinton, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams, Mads Mikkelsen and Benedict Wong, could put many awards movies to shame.

READ MORE: Ranked: All The Characters Of The Marvel Cinematic Universe

With this movie particularly in mind, it felt like a good time to focus on one of the things that have made the Marvel movies so popular: the performances. That might sound like a ridiculous statement, given the amount of CGI and explosions in these films, but people keep coming back to the MCU because they love the characters and love seeing them bounce off each other, and they love the characters because of the performances.

So, to celebrate the entry of Cumberbatch, Ejiofor, Swinton and co. into the MCU, we’ve picked out our 30 favorite performances from the Marvel movies and shows, and ranked them below. Agree? Disagree? Let us know in the comments.

30. James Spader as Ultron in “Avengers: Age Of Ultron” (2015)
With a paucity of good villains in the MCU, hopes were high that psychotic, self-multiplying killbot Ultron would be the exception, what with his name being in the title of “Age Of Ultron” and all. He ended underwhelming in a movie that’s a bit of a mess, but that’s not the fault of James Spader, who performance-captured the character. Spader’s luxuriant voice feels imposing even when not coming from a 10-foot android, but there’s a wit, a vulnerability, a sudden rage and even a confusion to him as well that helps build him into someone fully dimensional.

29. Zoe Saldana as Gamora in “Guardians Of The Galaxy” (2014)
It is undeniably kind of a bummer that the only woman of the core “Guardians Of The Galaxy” crew, Gamora, doesn’t really get much in the way of jokes. But nevertheless, in the hands of Zoe Saldana, she’s an essential part of the film. As ever, the “Avatar” actress is fiercely committed despite looking a bit like the Wicked Witch of the West, and her steeliness and spikiness makes a real impression. Let’s just hope she gets to lighten up a bit in next year’s sequel.

28. Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts in “Iron Man” (2008)
Goop and its like means that we’ve thought of Gwyneth Paltrow in recent years less as an actor and more as a salesman for macrobiotic pomegranate dust or whatever, but her presence in the “Iron Man” movies, particularly the first, is invaluable. As Pepper Potts, Tony Stark’s assistant, eventual CEO and lover, Paltrow is a perfect foil to Robert Downey Jr., bringing a flirtatious screwball energy that makes her much more than just a love interest, but also a crucial part of the franchise (her absence in “Civil War” was palpable).

27. Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa in “Captain America: Civil War” (2016)
It’s probably fair to see that “Civil War” is best treated as Chadwick Boseman’s warm-up for his upcoming solo Ryan Coogler-directed “Black Panther” movie — the actor seems to still be grappling with the accent, and the writing is a bit inorganic at times. But even in a supporting role, he makes a real impression, Boseman’s presence at once regal and dangerous, and allowing some sly humor into the mix, too. And his quiet scene with Daniel Brühl at the end has some of the best acting in the movie. We’re sure he’ll only continue to grow in the role, but this is a damn good foundation to build from.

26. Chiwetel Ejiofor as Karl Mordo in “Doctor Strange” (2016)
With lots of strange, “Dungeons & Dragons”-ish terminology to get through, far more than other Marvel movies — words like ‘The Eye Of Agamotto,’ and ‘Dormammu’ and ‘Benedict Cumberbatch’ — “Doctor Strange” wouldn’t work without the high-caliber cast that it has to deliver the exposition. Much of it lands in the mouth of Chiwetel Ejiofor, as Strange’s ally and wizard badass Mordo, and it’s a mark of what a truly great actor he is that he makes it feel graceful. It’s not the most fun role in the film, but he brings real gravitas and commitment to the thing, and occasionally some lightness, too — his wordless ‘y’think?’ when Cumberbatch tells him that straying into a kaleidoscopic parallel dimension was a mistake is one of the biggest laughs in the movie.

25. Paul Rudd as Scott Lang in “Captain America: Civil War” (2016)
Paul Rudd is great casting as the titular hero in “Ant-Man,” but Peyton Reed’s solo movie from last year was neither as funny nor as exciting as a superpowered take on the heist comedy should have been. But he came into his own a bit with his small “Civil War” role, showing what an asset he should be to the MCU going forward. From his jet-lagged, star-struck meeting of Captain America to a certain sulkiness after the airport battle, Rudd’s a breath of fresh air among the heroes, the only real amateur in a sea of professionals. Hopefully the upcoming “Ant-Man And The Wasp” can tap into the same sort of energy.

24. David Tennant as Kilgrave in “Jessica Jones” (2015)
One of the best points of the Netflix MCU shows (which are increasingly loosely tied to the movies, but we’ve included them here nonetheless) has been the villains, in sharp contrast to the films, where they’re often the weak points. And one of the most villainous was Kilgrave, the mind-controlling nemesis of Jessica Jones, as played by former Doctor Who David Tennant. Gifted willpower-breaking powers by his scientist parents, Kilgrave’s less world-dominator than spoilt little child, petty and tantrum-throwing, who’s mostly used his abilities to force our hero, who he’s in pathetically unrequited love with, to be in a relationship with him. It’s a fascinating spin on the bad guy for the era of fedora-tipping entitled babies, and Tennant makes him into something truly malevolent while still showing some elements of pathos.

23. Clark Gregg as Agent Phil Coulson in “The Avengers” (2012)
In his earliest appearances, Clark Gregg’s SHIELD operative Phil Coulson was mostly there to start to bring in the interconnected nature of the Marvel universe, bridging the gap from “Iron Man” to “Thor.” But trust Joss Whedon, who made his name on the way that the superpowered and the normal play off against each other with “Buffy The Vampire Slayer,” to find an angle to really make Coulson memorable, and Gregg’s performance, wide-eyed, sweet and human, made the character a sort of fanboy analogue, and an instant audience favorite. Oh, and then Whedon, true to form, killed him brutally. He was resurrected for the mostly extremely boring “Agents Of SHIELD” series, but Gregg’s finest hour was in “The Avengers.”

22. Tilda Swinton as The Ancient One in “Doctor Strange” (2016)
Casting controversy aside (and while Marvel are improving diversity-wise, a movie mostly set in Nepal with a minimum of Asian characters is pretty disappointing), hopes were high for Tilda Swinton’s bald-headed, androgynous Dumbledore in “Doctor Strange.” Rarely ready to follow a narrative, Swinton steers away from the kind of swinging-for-the-fences bonkers-ness you might expect from her with a winningly underplayed turn, capable of both some sly humor and an ever-present sense that she’s not quite what she seems. Swinton seems to have had fun in the Marvel sandbox, suggesting an Ancient One-centric spin-off, and that sounds like a good idea to us.

21. Bradley Cooper as Rocket Raccoon in “Guardians Of The Galaxy” (2014)
After various casting suggestions — Jim Carrey! Jason Statham! — the announcement that Bradley Cooper would be voicing fan favorite space rodent Rocket Raccoon in “Guardians Of The Galaxy” seemed to be greeted with an underwhelming reaction with fans. But Cooper soon distilled the doubters — though voice-only, it’s a lovely, textured performance, one that feels like a real character rather than just a celebrity guest appearance, and that shows the scared, confused animal behind the wise-cracking, badass warrior. What could have been a novelty became a real, living, breathing character, and one of the film’s highlights.