Undoubtedly the biggest movie of the Summer, Avengers: Age Of Ultron, is going to roar into theaters May 1st and everyone else is going to be fighting for second place.  I remember sitting in the theater for The Avengers and getting goosebumps when we finally see every one of our heroes standing together in the street ready for a fight.  The risk that was taken by Marvel has obviously paid off with huge dividends but what I really take away is how not only has it paid off but just how stinking good the movies all are (Iron Man 2 being the exception).  We’ve come to the point now that each of these actors are identified by their Marvel roles but I thought it would be fun to go back and look at a role from each actors’ filmography and pick the one that I like the best or maybe is overlooked in some way.  So until we see our heroes once again band together to save the world, here are a few maybe you can check out to prepare.

Robert Downey Jr. – Easily the toughest of the bunch because of his expansive career.  Going back over RDJ’s career I first remember seeing him in Back To School and even then realizing that this guy was something different.  RDJ has that unique ability to just stand out, no matter what his role is on screen.  That ability has led him to some really interesting characters over his career and while I think Zodiac is his best film, the list of my favorite role begins and ends with Kirk Lazarus in Tropic Thunder.  Let’s just first talk about the choice, I would’ve loved to have been in the room when this concept was pitched to him.  The best part about it is how committed RDJ is and just how damn good he is.  I know for a fact I’m not the only one who completely forgot it was him several times during the movie.  The makeup obviously helps but he completely transformed himself and was the standout in a movie full of great comedic performances.  “I know who I am. I’m the dude playin’ the dude, disguised as another dude!”  Yup and he nailed it. Chris Evans – The one actor I was probably most disappointed in when the casting was announced.  I liked Chris Evans but for Captain America I think we were all looking for a splashier choice and it’s obvious by now that Marvel knew exactly what they were doing.  Evans has killed his performance as Captain America and with Captain America: Winter Soldier showed everyone just how good he can be.  This one was pretty easy for me, Mace from the movie Sunshine.  The movie is an absolute favorite of mine and a Danny Boyle classic, in it Evans plays Mace, who sticks out on a shuttle crew of scientists and astronauts who are tasked with saving the planet.  The resident mechanic and handyman with the hothead, we see Evans craft a truly vulnerable and steadfast character who puts the mission above everything else,  What really stands out are small scenes where he’s able to convey entire sentences with his posture or a stare.  His final scene is one of heartbreak and heroism with one of the most memorable movie scores pumping behind him, but the scene doesn’t hold the weight it does if not for every brick he lays before it.

Chris Hemsworth – Hemsworth came in as a relative unknown and embodies Thor in a way that there really is no other choice now.  I think he’s really the one who is the hardest to separate from his Marvel hero although he’s also done some of the most interesting work outside of the MCU (Marvel Comic Universe).  I’m really excited to see him in Ron Howard’s newest film In The Heart Of The Sea because after reading the book it really is one helluva story, but for Hemsworth I couldn’t shake his performance in another Ron Howard film, Rush, where he plays James Hunt.  Hemsworth is all charm here and it absolutely works.  Arguably Daniel Bruhl has the meatier and more difficult part but if Hemsworth does’t play his foil so well then there simply is no conflict.  As an audience we’re supposed to root for one side or the other and it’s so easy to root for James Hunt and all because Hemsworth is able to play affable and irresistible so damn well.  As the film progresses and we see the different sides of the two men, both actors are able to show different skills and Rush starts to become less about the sport of racing and more about these two men and it’s all down to them to pull it off and Hemsworth absolutely does.

Mark Ruffalo – I don’t even think it’s close, director Joss Whedon and Mark Ruffalo have created the best Hulk on the movie screen.  The Hulk stole the first Avengers movie and from the trailer it looks like he’s going to have a lot to work with in the sequel.  I know I’m not the only one who thinks that Ruffalo is the best actor of the bunch and looking at his list of roles you find one great performance after another.  The one that stands out for me though is Stephen from The Brothers Bloom.  If you haven’t seen this movie yet just stop reading and go watch it now, it’s fantastic and one of the many reasons are the two brothers played by Adrien Brody and Mark Ruffalo.  Basically a classic comedy pairing with Brody playing the straight man to Ruffalo’s charming rogue but there are so many layers to each of their performances and we’re shown very early that there’s also many layers to their relationship as brothers.  The script is outstanding and really allows the actors to shine and Ruffalo just runs with it to the point that I pop the movie in every month or so just to enjoy.  Ruffalo’s randy con man is both hilarious and heartbreaking and you’ll love every minute of it.

Scarlett Johansson – A fantastic actress who really doesn’t get enough credit for her range and choices.  Thought more of as a pretty face…or more to the point an incredibly hot body and face, when you look at her career she stands out in every role.  Her take on Black Widow is seductive out of the box but with toughness and a ledger with a lot of red in it.  It was tough to pick one role because especially lately she’s had so many great choices but what she does in Her is just phenomenal.  As Samantha she’s simply a voice on the phone and Johansson conveys an array of emotions and is irresistible.  Now, I’ve always thought her voice was sexy as hell but as an actress it had to be a difficult challenge to do what she’s asked to do in that film with only her voice as a tool.  She not only achieves it on every level but we as an audience can’t help but fall in love with her as well.

Jeremy Renner – Sadly Renner’s Hawkeye character didn’t have much to do in The Avengers except walk around with fluorescent eyes and be under Loki’s control but by the end he kicks some serious butt with that bow and early reviews seem to point to him being a much bigger part in Avengers: Age Of Ultron.  For years Renner was a supporting character and a damn good one.  The Hurt Locker thrust him into the mainstream and earned him an Oscar nomination but it was his other nomination that I loved, James Coughlin in The Town.  There’s a moment in The Town where we completely understand who Renner’s character is and it’s chilling.  Ben Affleck walks in a room and the exchange between the two tells us everything about who they are and their relationship.  We all know a person like James Coughlin, that friend who’s with you no matter what, always has your back but the way that Renner plays him is also with a sadness, almost that he has no other choice.  We all pretty much know how it’s going to end for him but we still root for him up until that final scene and that last sip of soda.

Marvel has made so many right moves along the way to bring The Avengers to the big screen but probably the most important and the one with the biggest chance of failure was the casting.  Bringing all of these actors together was a feat but each one has really embodied their heroes and thrived in the MCU.  So here are my choices, what do you think?