Nothing else was ever going to be #1, so sorry for the lack of a surprise. Heath Ledger's performance as The Joker in The Dark Knight is easily the most important comic book movie turn to date, not only because it won Ledger the posthumous Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor (the only major acting honour a comic book movie has won to date), but also because it completely defied the rather low expectations set when he was cast. You can still trawl through Internet archives that decry Ledger as horribly miscast and bound to ruin the movie, and boy, did he prove us all wrong. The handsome young actor went to a deeply dark, ugly place to become the grungy, psychotic rendition of the character that Christopher Nolan required, who cracks sadistic jokes and indulges in grand theft and murder like they're nothing. Combined with Nolan's exemplary script, Ledger's performance helped re-shape the landscape of the comic book movie, making it clear that they can be as serious, gritty and artistic as any straight-up crime thriller. Moreover, the comic book movie, and the blockbuster as a whole, could aspire to art, and even Oscars. Ledger may no longer be with us, but he left a performance for the ages that will likely never be topped by any actor who dares to follow his lead. Did we miss any truly crucial comic book performances? Let us know in the comments!