Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man
Iron Man rocked box offices in 2008, so it's no surprise Iron Man 2 got so much hype (and it's showing pretty good numbers, too). Robert Downey Jr. landed the honor of playing Iron Man onscreen, reportedly because casting directors thought his troubled past would translate well to the character and pull off the "likable a*shole" routine.
Ryan Reynolds as the Green Lantern
Ryan Reynolds beat out Bradley Cooper, Jared Leto and Justin Timberlake for the title role in the upcoming movie Green Lantern, which is currently in production. We'll have to wait for promo shots to see him in his suit, but we're pretty sure it will be quite becoming.
Hugh Jackman as Wolverine
Hugh Jackman earned a whopping $25 million for his role as Wolverine in 2009's X-Men Origins: Wolverine. He didn't have to campaign very hard for the role since he'd already played the character in previous X-Men movies, but he did have to weight train pretty much constantly. No wonder he's considered one of the sexiest men in the biz.
Christian Bale as Batman
Christian Bale beat out Jake Gyllenhaal, Hugh Dancy and Joshua Jackson for the title role in 2005's Batman Begins, which he reprised in 2008's The Dark Knight. He admitted the costume is as hot and uncomfortable as it looks: "Batman's meant to be fierce, and you become a beast in that suit, as Batman should be -- not a man in a suit, but a different creature."
Chris Evans as Captain America
Fantastic Four star Chris Evans landed the role of Captain America in the upcoming film of the same name over some other high-profile dudes like John Krasinski, Ryan Phillippe and Channing Tatum. With both comic book personas on his plate, Evans is shaping up to be one of Marvel's top men.
Taylor Lautner as Stretch Armstrong
Twilight heartthrob Taylor Lautner signed on to star in Stretch Armstrong in February, playing the long-limbed title character. Incidentally, Lautner gave up the opportunity to star as another doll, Max Steel, to play Stretch. Look for it in 2012!
Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man
Studios weren't sure Tobey Maguire had what it takes to be a superhero at first, but he impressed them with his audition and won the lead role in 2002's Spider-Man. He had to work with a climbing expert to get his spider moves down, but it was worth it: Two sequels have followed.
Edward Norton as the Incredible Hulk
Edward Norton transformed into a mean, green fighting machine to play the lead character in 2008's The Incredible Hulk, beating out David Duchovny for the role. Apparently seeing Norton play an aggressive dude with two very distinct personalities in Fight Club was enough to convince movie bosses he was right for the part.
Seth Rogen as the Green Hornet
"Hunky" may not be the first word that comes to mind when you think of Seth Rogen, but the actor has come a long way from playing misfits in movies like Knocked Up. Now, he's beefing up for his big role in 2011's The Green Hornet, which the funnyman won over Mark Wahlberg and even George Clooney. He's helping to write the film, too.
Ben Affleck as Daredevil
Daredevil (2003) didn't fare so well with critics, but it did give us one of Hollywood's cutest couples: Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner, who met while co-starring in the film. Ben was a huge fan of the comic book before he signed up for the project, so he said, "I didn't want someone else to do it, because I was afraid that they would go out and do it different from the comic and screw it up."
Brandon Routh as Superman
Execs wanted an unknown to play the main man in 2006's Superman Returns, and Brandon Routh was the lucky guy who got picked. Apparently the wife of the late Superman Sr. Christopher Reeve couldn't believe how much Routh resembled him. The film performed well among audiences and in box offices, but it's since largely fallen off the radar.
Billy Crudup as Doctor Manhattan
Billy Crudup's Watchmen character Doctor Manhattan was supposed to look "god-like," so Crudup should be flattered to fit the bill! A motion-capture CG version of Billy replaced him onscreen, so he didn't actually have to do much of the grunt work required to get a perfect bod. Keanu Reeves was also an early contender for the part.
