In 1977, it was announced to the general public that Marlon Brando would be taking on the part of Superman's biological father, Jor-El, in "Superman The Movie" (1978). This came as quite a shock, as the actor was taking on a role in a comic book inspired film since Brando had previously won 2 Oscars for Best Actor in "On The Waterfront" and "The Godfather". While many would attest that Marlon Brando's salary on the film was his main reasoning for taking on the role, it does not change the fact that the integrity and quality of the film would be infinately more improved and revered with such a talented actor in one of the major roles of the film.
Gene Hackman also brought a level of notoriety to the film having won the Oscar for Best Actor in "The French Connection", then went on to win Best Supporting Actor after playing Lex Luthor in 3 out of the 4 Christopher Reeve Superman movies.
Since 1978, countless Oscar nominated actors and actresses have taken on roles in comic book movies. Jack Nicholson portrayed The Joker in Tim Burton's 1989 "Batman" and now currently holds 3 Oscar wins. Christopher Walken won Best Supporting Actor in 1978 then went on to play Max Schreck in "Batman Returns". Christian Bale recently won Best Supporting Actor after portraying Bruce Wayne/Batman in "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight". Jeff Bridges (Iron Man), Gweneth Paltrow (Iron Man), Morgan Freeman(Batman Begins, The Dark Knight), Michael Caine (Batman Begins, The Dark Knight), William Hurt (The Incredible Hulk), Kevin Spacey (Superman Returns), and George Clooney (Batman & Robin) have all either won the Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role or Best Actor in a Supporting Role.
This year, Anthony Hopkins, who won Best Actor for "Silence of the Lambs" in 1991, appeared on screen as Odin in Marvel Studio's "Thor". Later this year, Geoffrey Rush, who won Best Actor for "Shine", will portray the character Tomar-Re in Green Lantern. And later in July, Tommy Lee Jones, who won Best Supporting Actor for "The Fugitive", will appear as Col. Chester Phillips in Marvel's "Captain America: The First Avenger" after already portraying the character Two-Face/Harvey Dent in "Batman Forever".
And for upcoming films such as "Superman: Man of Steel" and "The Dark Knight Rises", and "The Avengers", there will be more. Best Actress winner Diane Lane will be playing Martha Kent in "Man of Steel", Kevin Costner will be playing Jonathan Kent in "Man of Steel". Amy Adams, who has been Oscar Nominated 3 times, will be portraying Lois Lane. And for "The Dark Knight Rises", all the Oscar winning cast members from the past two films will be returning.
Now, after that long winded list of actors and actresses, lets get to the reason why I am writing this editorial in the first place. Since the 1940's, parents, teachers, and psychiatrists have tried to prove just how immature and substandard comic books are. Yet, since the dawn of comic book movies, top tier actors and actresses have been attracted to portraying these characters. Why? While some would argue that it is the large pay check that comes with the role and film of that magnitude, but I do believe it is more than that. These characters are iconic.
Superman's story mimics that of Moses and is the epitome of a Christ figure. Thor is a Norse god of thunder. Batman is a obsessive sociopath. Iron Man is an egotistical, narcissistic alcoholic. Bruce Banner has a severe case of schizophrenia/duel personalities. Green Lantern is a traumatized young man with an irrational immunity to fear. The fact is, these characters are more than just tights and flights. They resemble and embody historical figures, biblical characters, and the very heart and soul of humanity. What actor wouldn't want to have a chance to take a role in a film with characters as well written and fulfilled as these? Heath Ledger even won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor through his portrayal of The Joker in "The Dark Knight". It doesn't matter what the name of the movie is or who the leading character is. What it all comes down to is how the characters are written and how well the story is told.
If you take away the movie titles of "Superman", "Thor", "Batman Begins", then you have 3 films that have leading characters with the ability to do great or terrible things. It is because of that chance that these characters NEED the influence of a wise, nurturing father figure that will love and care for them and never give up on them. If you take away the character names of "The Joker", "Lex Luthor", or "Obidiah Stane", you still have 3 characters that are not only psychopathic or egotistically driven power mongers, but also show what would happen if the protagonist were to have gone down the other path and chosen to indulge their own needs and desires, instead of putting the good of teh world before themselves. These characters explore such a wide range of both physical and psychological disfunction, that the opportunity to explore these characters is not only a challenge, but a joy for actors/actresses to undertake. That is what I think draws these Oscar/award winning actors and actresses to these roles in comic book movies.
From a film marketing perspective: To have such big names attached to your films with glowing credentials, such as Oscar wins, not only pleases the comic book fans, but it also draws the attention of the people who either know nothing about comics or would not normally see a movie like this. When it was announced that Sir Anthony Hopkins would portray the Allfather, Odin, fans went nuts. They couldn't have cast anyone better. Now, when my own mother heard that Anthony Hopkins would be in "Thor", she took notice and has conveyed interest in seeing the film.
So often, comic book movies are regarded simply as "summer blockbusters" that are made simply for summer fun and production companies to make a lot of money during the summer months when people most often go to the theaters. But, within these last few years, I feel that with the quality of actors/actresses appearing in these films, along with Oscar/award winning crews and production engineers, comic book films have transcended. To me, they are more than just action packed smash-em-ups. They have grown to appeal to more than just the comic book fan community. These are films that people can watch and appreciate the story, the scores, the acting, and the directing. Not just the special effects and the villains that were used.
While special effects keep evolving, there is no doubt in my mind that we will be seeing even more superhero films coming into our theaters because we now possess the technology to bring them to life properly. But we have always and will continue to have quality actors lining up to portray our favorite characters because they're more than just spandex-sporting "funny book" characters. They are legends in comic books, and they are and will continue to be legends in film.