1. Peter Parker/Spider-Man (The Amazing Spider-Man)
Last but not least is another comic book favourite. One we had been waiting quite some time for with a promise of box office records and an all star cast, the movies hype was just as enormous as the movie's success. Andrew Garfield is now a heart throb within his own right. He was arguably shot to fame by the 2010 box office hit The Social Network, however for movie fans he could be said to have been put on the map by his somewhat dominant role in The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus, made popular by the fact that it was artfully completed though Ledger died in the middle of filming. Capturing out hearts as Eduardo, he soon became not only a household name but was surely the background of many American and British girls' phones and desktops alike. So as Spiderman he only heightened the hype. In my opinion his portrayal of Peter Parker is much more loyal to the comic as his awkwardness and social ineptness seems much more convincing. Also as Spiderman there seems to be a more convincing period of adaptation in which he struggles with the realisation of his powers. It seems in this movie it takes him a lot longer to realise the responsibility that comes with such abilities and doesn't lack as much believability as the version we were previously familiar with. Much like a lot of other super hero movies from the past few years it seems that comic movies, such as Kick Ass, are slowly becoming more and more about winning the audience over with the notion that this could, if we comic book nerds secretly pray every day, happen to us or at least could happen somewhere in the world with the scientific advancements that the world now possesses. The character is not only perhaps more believable, but is also more developed in terms of history as we gain more knowledge of how Peter came to live with his Aunt and Uncle. This doesn't only help us to feel as though we know the character but also adds much more meaning to Peter's sense of responsibility and his relationship with others. Overall, it seems the movie is more than deserving of its huge viral campaign, the hype that started over a year before with the leaking of a teaser trailer, and of course the fact that it earned an estimated $7.5 million during its midnight run at 3,150 locations. Well done Spider-man, you did it again. With great power indeed comes responsibility of this role and Garfield masterfully took up the responsibility of the role and exceeded our expectations. Which characters do you think defined 2012? Let us know in the comments section.