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 the 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.)
50. Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence)
Jennifer Lawrence starred as heroine Katniss Everdeen, who’s pretty good at archery, in “The Hunger Games.” 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.
49. Jason Bourne (Matt Damon)
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.
48. The Man with No Name (Clint Eastwood)
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.
47. Cameron Poe (Nicolas Cage)
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.
46. Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac)
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.
45. Agent J (Will Smith)
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.
44. Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher)
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.
43. Maximus (Russell Crowe)
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).
42. James Dalton (Patrick Swayze)
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.
41. Foxy Brown (Pam Grier)
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.
40. The Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger)
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!
39. Furiosa (Charlize Theron)
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.
38. Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson)
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.
37. Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton)
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.
36. Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson)
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.
35. Miles Morales (Shameik Moore)
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.
34. Max Rockatansky (Mel Gibson)
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.
33. Evelyn Wang (Michelle Yeoh)
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.
32. Quint (Robert Shaw)
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.
31. Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie)
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.
30. Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen)
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.
29. Grace (Samara Weaving)
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.
28. Neo (Keanu Reeves)
He knows kung fu. Oh, you need more reason to adore Neo? Reeves’ “Matrix” messiah is a hacker who takes the red