11 Most Intense Performances In Comic Book Movies

4. Robert Downey Jr - Tony Stark (Captain America: Civil War)

One of the reason's why Robert Downey Jr. embodies the part of Tony Stark so convincingly is that he - like Iron Man - has experienced his own kind of resurrection. His career has gone through the highs, the lows, and the unassuming middles, but the actor found renewal in a once forgotten Marvel character, and while he's done the part justice in every MCU outing, there's something about his performance in Civil War that makes it stand out over others.

Captain America: Civil War is as much a Marvel ensemble film as it is one dedicated to the First Avenger, and that's why Stark is given so much attention. Shifting from the dogma of his comic book counterpart (an element that should be credited to the efforts of writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely), Downey Jr. brings to life a different person to the one audiences became familiar with during the MCU's formative years; he's vulnerable, error-prone, but his heart's undoubtedly in the right place, and depicting that shift in the character's emotional reticence is the key highlight of his performance.

Downey Jr. had already illustrated Tony's trauma in the criminally underrated Iron Man 3, but there's something else about his performance in Civil War that makes it the actor's most intense. The final confrontation between him, Bucky and Steve stems from the trauma left behind by a murdered loved one, and in translating that rage - and grief - Downey Jr. gives the MCU's most intense performance yet.