Why are superhero roles so iconic?
 

Like it states. What makes superhero roles so iconic to the public that the actors playing them have a hard time breaking away from them? Christopher Reeve will always be known as Superman even though he had a nearly thirty year career. No matter how many Oscar's Christian Bale win's or is nominated for, he will probably always be mainly remembered for playing Batman. Hugh Jackman and Downey Jr are the same way.

Re: Why are superhero roles so iconic?
 

Adam West did absolutely nothing else of any note, so of course all he'll be remembered for is Batman. George Reeves did a lot of B-movies, but nothing that was particularly memorable, so of course he's remembered as Superman. It's not the role, it's the actor. Tom Tyler was a B-western actor who usually did small parts, but the only lead role he got was Captain Marvel.

Re: Why are superhero roles so iconic?
 

It's not just superheroes. Many actors get typecast in a role.

Mark Hamill will always be remembered as Luke Skywalker, despite him playing many other roles.

Arnold Schwarzenegger will always be remembered as The Terminator. When he was governor, he was even nicknamed The Governator.

Sylvester Stallone will always be remembered as Rocky and Rambo.

Ralph Macchio will always be the Karate Kid.

Re: Why are superhero roles so iconic?
 

To me he'll always be the editor of the Spider-Man line for Marvel. See, comic roles are always more iconic!

Re: Why are superhero roles so iconic?
 

Hamill didn't really have a huge career in live action films or tv after Star Wars though. He does have a pretty big voice acting career though and is probably almost as iconic for his take on The Joker as he is for Luke Skywalker. Schwarzenegger maybe is most iconic as the Terminator but he also has had a huge career aside from just that role and is memorable enough just on his own name. Same goes with Stallone.

As far as the question goes though, I agree that it just depends on what the actor's career does afterwards. If they continue to work a lot of them can still have pretty great careers in acting. The problem is though when you play a role that's larger than life and is well remembered its hard for people to look past that role.

Re: Why are superhero roles so iconic?
 

I disagree about Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman and Robert Downey Jr.

Re: Why are superhero roles so iconic?
 

Poor Klinton Spilsbury :(

Re: Why are superhero roles so iconic?
 

Add Clint Eastwood to that list. He will always be Dirty Harry despite everything else he did.

Re: Why are superhero roles so iconic?
 

Really? I barely associate Christian Bale with Batman at all. The other three you mention are probably the only guys in the modern era who are inseparable with their respective superhero roles. Even then, I'd argue that in the case of Jackman and Downey, it's more like people won't be able to think of those characters without thinking of the actors, rather than the other way around. I'd say Christopher Reeve is the only one who had a hard time distancing himself from his superhero role.

Re: Why are superhero roles so iconic?
 

Poor George Clooney...

I do think a lot of superhero roles skew younger and go for less well-known actors. I know that when an established actor takes a starring superhero role, it kinda takes me out of the movie a bit (ie: Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, Ryan Reynolds, Alba, Norton, Affleck in Daredevil, Scarlett, even Downey Jr. if he hadn't been so low profile and also so perfect for the role).

Re: Why are superhero roles so iconic?
 

Funny when I think of Michael Keaton, I immediately go to Night Shift, Johnny Dangerously, and Mr. Mom. Even Beetlejuice comes before Batman. It's probably an age thing though.

Anyway, I'd imagine if someone rarely ventured beyond action/superhero/genre movies, then they'd immediately associate contemporary actors with their "iconic" superhero roles.

Re: Why are superhero roles so iconic?
 

I agree with this. I'd even add Gung Ho as a movie I think of before Batman. 1980s Keaton was awesome!

Re: Why are superhero roles so iconic?
 

Yeah, I don't think this applies to Bale at all.

Re: Why are superhero roles so iconic?
 

Very right. I can't say much about Reeve cuz he's out of my generation to a degree but a lot of actors we get now for superheroes are actually well diversified to where the role is just another role in their filmography. Very few are so attached to the pop culture that we can't associate them any other form. In the case of RDJr. and Jackman, they were the first.... and they were VERY memorable in them to the point that they "own" the role. But also... these two are very solid actors who enjoy other things too. I do wish RDJr would open up his roles though. He's not really diversifying himself. He's great in what he does though, bad movie or not.

Re: Why are superhero roles so iconic?
 

He's entering Johnny Depp territory.

When I think of RDJ the first role that comes to me is Julian in Less Than Zero.

Re: Why are superhero roles so iconic?
 

Looks like he is going to end up in Depp territory but at least he's a lot more enjoyable.

Re: Why are superhero roles so iconic?
 

Yep, I think anyone that grew up with Robert Downey Jr. associates him with those 80s movies. Back to School, Less Than Zero, Weird Science, etc. Possibly even the role he was nominated for an Academy Award for, Chaplin.

Re: Why are superhero roles so iconic?
 

This has more to do with the role you break into stardom with, than anything to do with superheroes.

Chris Reeve is Superman and Sylvester Stallone is Rocky because those were those two actors first big breakthrough hits. Same with Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker.

While we'll remember Christian Bale as Batman and Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, I don't necessarily think those superheroes will be as attached to those actors, since they were famous before taking on those roles.

Re: Why are superhero roles so iconic?
 

Bale will always be remembered for American Psycho to me. Downey will be remembered for ... just being Downey. I'd say the same for Arnold who has been a character since Pumping Iron.

Re: Why are superhero roles so iconic?
 

Yeah. Arnold, more closely associated w/ Terminator, is a character unto himself. He's bigger than the character of the Terminator. He's Arnold. We know him by that one word alone now.

Re: Why are superhero roles so iconic?
 

RDJ has the exact same problem that Depp has; when he's not playing a quirky, showy, smirking role, he's a dreadful bore.

Re: Why are superhero roles so iconic?
 

I think that's more because his last name is so complicated. People probably have trouble pronouncing/spelling it.

Re: Why are superhero roles so iconic?
 

I don't think he's more enjoyable, but that's because I prefer the Natural Born Killers/Chaplin/Zodiac/Less Than Zero RDJ.

Re: Why are superhero roles so iconic?
 

:clap:

Re: Why are superhero roles so iconic?
 

when I think of Shaquille O'Neal, I think Basket .. Iron. .. err Steel.