2. Robert Downey Jr. - Tony Stark - Iron Man (2008)
Remember before Iron Man, when Robert Downey Jr. was considered to be washed-up and coming to the end of his career? Uh-huh: that's the state he was in months before he was cast as Tony Stark in the original (and arguably best) Iron Man movie, news which rocketed through the Marvel community and unsettled just about everybody who wanted to make sure they did Iron Man right on the big screen. He was also considered to be a bit too old for the role, apparently. And yet this also marked the point in time where Downey Jr. opted to turn his life around, and what we got was one of the actor's best and most charismatic performances in years (perhaps ever). Not only did Downey Jr. prove to be inspired casting (props to whoever made that call), but Tony Stark really does feel like the role that this actor was born to play. I don't think there's anybody out there alive today who thinks Downey Jr. is wrong for the part, which is strange, considering that nobody seemed all that convinced in the beginning that he could make it work.