15 Best Performances In MCU Movies (So Far)
12. Michael Pena - Luis
The Ant-Man films are a welcome dose of comic energy to the Marvel series, and no one encapsulates that sense of freewheeling fun better than Michael Pena. As cheery ex-con Luis, Pena is lightning in a bottle, talking fast and talking non stop. The character, an original to the films, was created by a team of keen comedy minds including Joe Cornish and star Paul Rudd, and this pedigree makes for a hilarious invention.
It’s Pena’s pacing and charisma, however, that makes Luis so great. The actor based the character on a number of acquaintances, and that lived-in quality shines through. Luis perennially finds himself in a pickle, but never drops his optimism and his beaming grin, however bad his situation gets.
He even finds time to give the character something close to a redemptive arc - while Luis is never a baddy, he’s certainly a rascal as the films begin - however by hanging around with costumed do-gooders, he becomes a force for righteousness himself, though the delightfully daft streak remains perfectly intact. He might be the most enjoyable side character in the entire MCU.