Holding out for a hero? How about 50 of them?
Borrowing from novels, comic books, other media and many filmmakers' imaginations, action heroes have enjoyed a nice run for over a century, from the film serials of the 1930s that featured Zorro, the Lone Ranger and the Green Hornet, to more recently, the box-office might of Marvel superheroes and a wizard named Harry.
This week, many will be on display at San Diego Comic-Con, the annual confab for fanboys and fangirls, and two popular favorites hit the big screen: Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman make their Marvel Cinematic Universe debuts in "Deadpool & Wolverine" (in theaters Friday).
So who's best of the best? Here are the top 50 action movie heroes ever, ranked. (And if your fave isn't on here, just assume they're No. 51.)
An archery ace and the District 12 tribute of "The Hunger Games," Katniss is the deadeye revolutionary symbol of a dystopian civilization who drives old politicians crazy and stays alive as fellow kids try to murder her. May the odds be ever in her favor, fam.
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The superspy of the "Bourne" franchise doesn't remember how much of an absolute buttkicker he is, so he can just take our word for it. An amnesiac with awesome fight skills, he sets out to piece together his true identity and avoid CIA hit squads, leaving secret-agent fans shaken and stirred over four flicks.
Based in part on Akira Kurosawa's "Yojimbo" protagonist, the cigarillo-smoking stranger moseyed in and headlined Sergio Leone's spaghetti Western "Dollars" trilogy, doling out justice, slinging his gun and not saying a whole lot. Eastwood's antihero set a template for laconic dudes to follow, from Boba Fett to the Ghoul.
If you mess with his daughter's bunny, you're going to get hurt. The "Con Air" convict is paroled and set to reunite with his family when his prison transport plane is hijacked by criminals and psychopaths. No matter, because Poe is going to save the damn day and land that thing on the Las Vegas Strip.
Greatest X-wing pilot in the "Star Wars" galaxy? Yep. Can fly a TIE Fighter if needed? Sure. Gives good bro hugs? You know it. The charismatic flyboy of the sequel trilogy is a true rebel, even questioning commands from his boss, and a top-notch choice for attacking an oversized space station.
Smith's "Men in Black" agent showed enough moxie as a New York cop to get tapped by a secret organization that regulates and keeps an eye on alien activity on Earth. J's brash style and go-getting nature melds with the laidback deadpan of Tommy Lee Jones's Agent K for a nifty sci-fi yin-yang pair.
This princess needed no prince; she digs smugglers, anyway. In the original "Star Wars" trilogy, Leia was handy, blasting Imperial Stormtroopers or choking out sluggy crime lords who dared put her in a metal bikini (the nerve!). And by the time the sequels rolled around, she was running the whole Resistance.
Are you not entertained?! Heck yeah, we're even psyched to root for Crowe's Oscar-winning "Gladiator" figure as he goes from Roman general to lowly slave to a warrior who finds glory once again in a blood-soaked arena. He's a prime reason why the Ridley Scott swords-and-sandals epic remains timeless (and conquered the best picture race).
When this guy's bouncing at a bar, don't act up or else you might get your throat ripped out. Dalton was the philosophical face of "Road House" doing Tai Chi and meditating in his free time to stay centered, trying to outrun his violent past and in between, wrecking rabble-rousers and drinking coffee.
Grier's powerhouse kicked in the pop-culture door with 1974's blaxploitation-era "Foxy Brown." When her government-agent boyfriend is murdered, Foxy goes undercover as a prostitute to infiltrate a criminal syndicate and does not mess around delivering a severe comeuppance.
When he first time-traveled back to 1984 (from a very dystopian 2029), the cyborg was a ruthless assassin looking to kill a future freedom fighter and make sure the machines conquered mankind one day. But then he was reprogrammed to protect, serve and make sure humanity was all good. So yay!
In a wasteland full of apocalyptic hot rods and rampant misogyny, the "Mad Max: Fury Road" warrior woman ― boasting a mechanical arm and sweet war rig ― was raised under the most brutal circumstances, yet she's all about making things right. All she wants to do is go home, and winds up doing so much more for the people who need her.
The "Fast and Furious" franchise was flagging before the beefy lawman muscled his way into the fray for "Fast Five" ― first as a formidable foil to Dom Toretto and then as a frenemy before getting his own spinoff flick. In Hobbs, "The Rock" found a no-nonsense dude almost as compelling as his wrestling persona.
The "Terminator" heroine transformed from a robotic assassin's target in the original film to a jacked protective mom in "T2: Judgement Day." She becomes a complex, concerned soldier worried about an apocalyptic future that no intelligent machine would want to mess with, played with steely grit by Hamilton.
Many movies have tried to replicate James Bond in female form. Ilsa comes closest in the "Mission: Impossible" films as a sharpshooting assassin who's masterful at maintaining her simmering sense of mystery. Is she a good guy? Where are her loyalties? All that just makes her so much more fun to watch.
While Peter Parker has been a movie staple for decades, Miles gives us an inclusive new Spider-Man who wrestles with identity and is relatable for a much larger array of kids. In the "Spider-Verse" movies, he hails from a multiracial family, has friends across the multiverse and yet is still a friendly neighborhood Spidey to his core.
Before Tom Hardy's Max traveled down "Fury Road," Gibson's road warrior made his indelible mark as an Australian former cop who's left civilization after the death of his wife and kid. He travels the wasteland looking to reconnect with his humanity while running afoul of outlaw weirdos in Frankensteined vehicles.
She's introduced as a fairly ordinary laundromat owner with IRS issues in "Everything Everywhere All at Once," but quickly flips her life when she's tasked with learning from her alternate-world counterparts to save the multiverse from an evil version of her daughter. In the midst of unbridled weirdness, she discovers her best self.
Got a finned menace swimming in your local waters on a holiday weekend? Get yourself a weathered shark hunter like this "Jaws" icon. The Ahab-esque Quint is hired to match wits with a cagey killer shark, and he tells a good story, reminiscing about the haunting past that explains his obsession.
In cartoons and comics, this Gotham City bad girl gave Batman fits alongside her on-again, off-again beau, the Joker. The “Suicide Squad” movies really brought her into the mainstream as a delightfully unhinged femme fatale with a penchant for firearms and comically large hammers who isn’t as villainous as she might think.
Who should make the list from "The Lord of the Rings"? Legolas? Gandalf? Samwise? Nope, Mortensen's kind, sword-wielding Middle-earth knight gets the nod with an intriguing backstory, the fight to keep his fellowship strong and the battlefield knowhow crucial to the good guys defeating Sauron.
In "Ready or Not," she's a new bride looking forward to a new phase in life ― until she plays a game that absolutely ruins her wedding night, trying to avoid her murderous in-laws. By morning, her dress gets wrecked and she ends up doused in blood (not all her own), but a fabulous final girl is born.
He knows kung fu. Oh, you need more reason to adore Neo? Reeves' "Matrix" messiah is a hacker who takes the red pill and learns the truth about the world. And it's not pretty, as machines have enslaved mankind. Neo leads the revolution against many villainous Mr. Smiths in action-packed, "bullet time" fashion.
Whether he's escaping New York or Los Angeles, the one-eyed former soldier and ex-con is sent by the government into big cities-turned-prisons for important missions, like rescuing the president or retrieving an important piece of tech. (Bonus points for Snake having Caitlin Clark skills on the basketball court.)
It’s right there in the Queen song: He’ll save every one of us. The greatest New York Jets quarterback ever (sorry, Broadway Joe) is accidentally rocketed to a strange planet, finds love, takes on a merciless tyrant and teaches the bad guys a thing or two about football. Let’s see Aaron Rodgers do all that.
A robot who cares more about people than most people do, the honorable Autobot leader is far from his Cybertron home and still fighting a forever war against the despicable Decepticons. When it comes to protecting his buddies, be they mechanical or fleshy, he's got the touch.
Van Wilder and Green Lantern might not want to hear this, but the Merc with a Mouth is the guy Ryan Reynolds was born to play. The masked man dropped f-bombs and made a habit out of breaking the fourth wall in his first two movies, and now proudly brings ultraviolent mayhem to the MCU.
Sixty years, multiple incarnations (Roger Moore, Daniel Craig), so many dangerous situations and one license to kill. While he might seem like a “dinosaur” to some ― and aspects of 007 haven’t aged that well over the years ― the dapper English secret agent is still an icon with all the latest gadgets, the most dastardly international villains and an inimitable style.
One could argue Rambo's a better Sly pick than Rocky, given the whole sports angle, but that'd be incorrect. The ultimate underdog, Rocky takes on colorful antagonists (Apollo Creed, Clubber Lang, Ivan Drago) and finds himself constantly in rousing fights. He's Batman in boxing gloves.
A rogue with a sweet ride and the best co-pilot (punch it, Chewie), the "Star Wars" smuggler squares up with gangsters and the Empire equally, can be a little romantic when needed (even if he's a scruffy nerf herder) and learns to respect the Force after initially being a skeptic.
He leaps across buildings. He hangs off the sides of airplanes. He'll drive a motorcycle off a cliff and onto a speeding train. And yeah, he runs. A lot. Cruise's "Mission: Impossible" super-duper spy is a one-man stunt spectacular who doesn't play well with rules or authority figures and manages to regularly save the globe anyway.
Captain Kirk might have the swagger, but Spock has the science ― and a rad Vulcan nerve pinch. While the "Star Trek" officer tussles with foes and even his Starfleet pal over the years, Spock always brings the deep thoughts ("Live long and prosper," etc.) to go with the action.
The kung fu master died at age 32, a month before his greatest role came to cinemas in 1973's "Enter the Dragon." Lee's character is hired by British intelligence to attend a martial-arts tournament and investigate a crime lord, a plot that spawns brawls showcasing Lee's athletic prowess and energized personality while wrecking dudes.
For the chief "Fast and Furious" wheelman, it's all about family ― "it" being, well, everything. From his initial criminal antics to his later days as an international do-gooder, the fiercely loyal Dom drives, fights, loves, laughs and defies physics regularly with friends and loved ones.
At the turn of the millennia, years before the Avengers were a thing, the clawed X-Man was the coolest superhero around. "Logan" gave us a perfect sendoff for the character, but we're loving that he's back ― and pour one out for all the chickens that have been part of Jackman's get-ripped diet for 20-plus years.
"Big Trouble in Little China" director John Carpenter has always maintained that the brazen driver of the Pork Chop Express is "the sidekick" of his own movie. The fact he's two-fisted but kind of dim is why you love Jack. And who else would you trust to strut into a battle with magical baddies wearing lipstick and wielding one-liners?
Into every generation comes a live-action Peter Parker to swing around New York City and banter with bad guys. The best just happens to be Holland, the MCU's resident web slinger, who matches the heart, hormones and teenage flaws of teen Spidey from the comics.
The Xenomorph is among the most frightening monsters in the sci-fi canon. When Ripley's around, it doesn't seem as scary. Weaver's "Alien" heroine eliminates the big bad of the claustrophobic first film, and then hops in a power loader for the sequel's main event and straight up punches the alien Queen in the face. Respect.
Who is the man that would risk his neck for his brother man? Who's the cat that won't cop out when there's danger all about? Of course, we're just talking about the title private eye of "Shaft," an influential Black character who tackled mobsters, racketeers and criminals ― and racial injustice.
Sharing his need for speed with us all in the 1980s and the 2020s, the cocky "Top Gun" fighter pilot thumbs his nose at bosses, authority and most traffic laws. But he's the guy you want to share a tune with in a bar, and when the good times aren't rolling and you're facing an enemy combatant, he's the ultimate wingman.
Clark Kent may not be the finest reporter, but being able to fly and lift a car are better skills than meeting deadlines, if I'm being honest. In his "Superman" films, Reeve's Man of Steel exudes warmth and generosity as an alien who embraces the potential of mankind.
In the MCU, T'Challa navigates tragedy and sees his life and legacy threatened, but he's the most honorable hero (and king) around. Because of Boseman's death, the limited screen time we have with this royal warrior, defined by his dignity, grace and quiet power, feels that much more special.
School's hard enough for kids, and especially for a teen wizard dealing with classes, bullies, hormones and a snake-y evil guy who's trying to kill him. A generation of film fans grew up with the "Potter" movies and Harry himself, a spell-casting youngster with all the pressure of a magical world on his capable shoulders.
He said he wanted to get nuts and we're only happy to oblige. While other cinematic Dark Knights boasted the Bat-voice or even Bat-nipples, Keaton captured an intriguing unhinged darkness with his take in Tim Burton's two Bat-flicks and, even as Bruce Wayne, harnesses an electric eccentricity.
She's a pregnant killer betrayed by her squad and left for dead by a lover. God help them all when she recovers from her coma. In Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill" duology, the Bride goes on a memorably hellacious quest to take them all out, besting martial-arts gangs and slaughtering old pals on the way to a final faceoff with, yes, Bill.
Do not mess with a guy's dog, period. The "John Wick" franchise is a testament to that mindset, because a puppy murder brings Reeves' stoic hitman out of retirement. It's not all bad (at least for us), as Wick's adventures find him harnessing obsessive vengefulness in mind-blowing action scenes that have changed the action-movie game forever.
Think about this for a second: The worst villain in the galaxy pulls you aside and drops the truth bomb that he's your dad. Not ideal! In the "Star Wars" saga, it's part of an epic story arc ― with lightsaber fights and a Death Star takedown ― that takes Luke from excitable farm boy to a wizened Jedi master staring down regret.
For anybody still thinking "Die Hard" isn't a Christmas movie: Would Santa walk across broken glass and trash-talk a terrorist in the middle of a hostage situation? Maybe, but he certainly wouldn't be as cool doing it as the New York cop whose holiday party plans go sideways when he has to survive a highly flammable night in a skyscraper.
Steve Rogers got his ripped bod from super-soldier serum, not a CrossFit class. The Brooklyn native's big heart was always there, even as a 90-pound weakling, and that's what really makes him the first (and best) Avenger, wielding his shield against brainwashed best friends, fascist megalomaniacs and alien conquerors.
"The Big Bang Theory" once posited the idea that the globe-trotting archaeologist is completely irrelevant to the story of "Raiders of the Lost Ark." Let's just call shenanigans on that blasphemy. In "Raiders" and his other movies, Indy cracks his whip, punches Nazis, faces spirituality in a profound way and grows from being a adventurer out for "fortune and glory" to the sort of bonafide hero most worthy of that term. So suck it, TV nerds.
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