Summer 2012 Comic Book Movie Awards

With the summer movie season officially coming to an end this past Labor Day weekend, we decided to take a look back at the comic book movies of summer and issue some awards. It was a really good summer for comic book movies, as The Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises, and The Amazing Spider-Man ruled the box office. Even the Men In Black made a comeback, though most probably didn't realize it was a comic book movie. And just for the record, since Dredd hasn't technically been released in the U.S. yet, we didn't include it in the summer movie season, even though Comicbook.com's Russ Burlingame caught a sneak peek at Comic-Con and gave it a great review. Best Comic Book Movie – We loved both The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises, but since there can only be one best, we have to give the nod to The Avengers. After all the waiting and build-up with the various Marvel Studios solo movies, it was great to see The Avengers really deliver on all the hype. It was the best time we had at the movies all summer. Best Comic Book Movie Actor – Either Robert Downey Jr. or Christian Bale would certainly be deserving of this award as they both delivered the stellar performances we've come to expect from them, but we decided to recognize someone who turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Most fans didn't know what to think when Mark Ruffalo was cast as Bruce Banner/Hulk in The Avengers. Now, after seeing his performance, we're left wanting another Hulk solo movie. Mark Ruffalo really exceeded expectations and gave fans the Hulk they had been waiting for. Best Comic Book Movie Actress – Like best comic book movie, this one was a tough one. Both Scarlett Johannson and Anne Hathaway delivered solid performances as the female lead in their respective movies, but we have to give the nod to Anne Hathaway. To quote, President Barack Obama, "I got a chance to see Batman, and she was the best thing in it." Best Comic Book Movie Hero - The Avengers are great as a team, but there can only be one best comic book movie hero. Since The Dark Knight Rises was the last time that Christian Bale will wear the cape and cowl, it's only fitting that we acknowledge how he gave fans the Batman that they had always wanted to see on the big screen. Best Comic Book Movie Villain – Well, we ruled out Catwoman, since she eventually turned to good (plus she already got an award). It was a close battle between Bane and Loki, but Tom Hiddleston really raised his game to a whole new level. Hiddleston made for the best villain we've seen in a comic book movie since Heath Ledger gave us a Joker for the ages. While The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises racked up all our awards, The Amazing Spider-Man and Men In Black 3 should not be forgotten. Andrew Garfield did a great job as the new Peter Parker, and Men In Black 3 was an entertaining return for the Men In Black franchise. They were just overshadowed by the excellence of The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises.