8) Paul Rudd
When Ant-Man came out in 2015, it was largely overshadowed by the high-profile exit of Edgar Wright from the director’s chair, with many so crushed by the loss of his version of the movie that they immediately dismissed the final product. Fast forward a couple of years and Ant-Man is generally ranked as a middle-of-the-road kind of MCU effort.
That’s a great shame, as there’s much to enjoy in the film. Not least is Paul Rudd’s lead performance as Scott Lang, a good-natured ex-con who inherits the Ant-Man suit from Michael Douglas’ Hank Pym. It might have been difficult for us to get on the side of this criminal and deadbeat dad, but Rudd ensures that Scott is thoroughly likeable. He’s arguably even better in Captain America: Civil War, when Scott’s childlike glee at fighting alongside Steve Rogers (“here’s your shield, Captain America!”) provides a lot of laughs.
No one ever talks about Rudd’s Ant-Man as one of their favourite MCU heroes, and I guess that’s fair enough as the competition is mighty tough, but that doesn’t mean he should be swept aside and overlooked.