6) Chris Hemsworth
Somewhat like Hugo Weaving, Chris Hemsworth is another actor whose efforts are often overlooked in favour of his co-stars. In the Thor movies, he’s often trumped in fans’ hearts by Tom Hiddleston as everyone’s favourite Marvel villain Loki. And then in the team-up movies, there are so many heroes on screen that the audience’s attentions are divided several ways.
You rarely hear of a Marvel fan who dislikes Hemsworth as Thor, of course, but the Australian actor doesn’t exactly get a lot of credit for his work in the MCU films. That’s actually unfair, as he always serves up a very loveable and charismatic performance as Thor. Whether he’s playing the part as a fish-out-of-water on Earth or as a godly prince on Asgard, the actor reliably delivers.
Thor: Ragnarok looks to be zeroing in on one aspect of Hemsworth’s repertoire that isn’t complimented enough: his excellent comic timing. Apparently, from this point on, Thor will be the jokester of the Avengers. This could take some getting used to, but no doubt Hemsworth will make the redefinition of his character work.
5) Edward Norton
Received wisdom has it that both Ang Lee’s Hulk from 2003 and then 2008’s semi-reboot The Incredible Hulk are both weak movies and it took Marvel until the third try to nail the character on the big screen, when they recast the role with Mark Ruffalo in The Avengers.
In terms of The Incredible Hulk, that isn’t exactly true. Sure, the movie is easily one of the weakest entries in the MCU, but the central performance from Edward Norton is actually pretty compelling. With Ruffalo’s incarnation of Bruce Banner, we’re used to a quiet, pensive man who can unleash the big green rage monster within at any moment.
Norton, on the other hand, plays a Banner at the end of his tether, a man constantly struggling to keep his anger in check. We’re not saying that Ruffalo shouldn’t have got the role – he’s excellent and Norton’s reportedly difficult attitude on set made recasting a necessity – but his predecessor gave a very committed, engaging performance, so it’s a shame it doesn’t get more recognition from fans.