8. Neo (Keanu Reeves in The Matrix)
If Neo survived the cure that is Agent Smith (and all the other agents), it really means that hes quite good in his own self. A lot of movie fans cite Agent Smith as one of their favorite characters in the last (two already!) decade! Well, Neo beat him. Him and his thousands of clones! So, if Neo did better, he deserves a spot on this list. His look defined the end of the 90s, his actions defined SFX in movies for the better part of the 00s (and still do today). Some of his catch phrases (Wow!, but thats a typical Keanu Reeves catchphrase, isnt it?) made it into everyday life Everything about this character is memorable and original. The only reason why Neo is not higher in the list is because hes been parodied and copied to the point that this character got watered down a bit, but most of all because in the end Agent Smith was almost as good as him! And if the villain matches the hero, then the hero is not good enough!
Runner-up: Eddie Murphys Axel Foley. I know, the comparison is not obvious, but Foley is also an action star (after all, the role was originally thought for Stallone!)