12 Reasons Captain America Makes The Best Standalone Marvel Movies
7. Chris Evans Plays Against Type
When bringing a superhero from page to screen, the casting can make or break a film. Balancing pleasing fans and creating an accessible story for everyone else in is task many (Daredevil, Catwoman spring to mind) have totally mucked up before. Its therefore an easy solution to go for an actor whose back catalogue is already in sync with the hero at hand. Jack Nicholson, who has made a career out of being a bit of a psycho, was perfect fit for Tim Burtons Joker and delivered an impressive performance. Heath Ledger, Frankie Vali cover-er and gay cowboy, caused fan uproar when he was cast as the Clown Prince of Crime, but ended up actually bettering dependable Jack. Sometimes not being an obvious choice benefits a character because they have to, well, act. So while Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark (his biggest role post-rehab) and Chris Hemsworth as Thor (whose James Hunt in F1 adrenaline-pumper Rush is essentially an Asgardian substitute, albeit with added swearing) are obvious choices, the ones who get the most from their role are ones who arent in familiar territory. In the years leading up to The First Avenger Chris Evans had fallen into a lot of supporting roles that had him be either (intentional) unlikable or a bit of a fop; he had to work to become Cap.
