The following list contains spoilers for films from 2011.
It’s time for the first Top Ten Tuesday of 2017! I’m still getting through the best heroes of this decade, and we’ve reached 2011. Do note that these characters aren’t solely ranked on how heroic their actions are. Also, some heroes may not be traditional heroes. Without further ado, here are the top ten movie heroes of 2011.
#10 – Po – Kung Fu Panda 2
Kung Fu Panda is a really good and somewhat overlooked animated franchise. It isn’t Toy Story or The Incredibles, but it’s a really fun series of films, and Po is a great hero.
#9 – Neville Longbottom – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two
Neville is the bravest of all Hogwarts students, including the three main characters. It didn’t happen over night, but in Part Two he proved just what he’s made of. A true Gryffindor.
#8 – Brendan Conlon – Warrior
I think you could argue that Tommy is the hero here, and it would be correct from a certain point of view. Brendan, however, is the guy you should root for. Great movie.
#7 – Charles Xavier – X-Men: First Class
Xavier is just a really great character. First Class is probably still my favorite X-Men movie, and that’s mainly because of Xavier and Lehnsherr’s relationship. This film, and the reboot series as a whole, wouldn’t work without McAvoy or Fassbender, and Xavier is a great central hero in First Class.
#6 – Caesar – Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Andy Serkis is brilliant as Caesar. I think he’s better and more entertaining in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, but this is a terrific character from a movie that really surprised me. And yes, I think he’s a hero. You have to be on the apes’ side in this film.
#5 – Steve Rogers – Captain America: The First Avengers
It may be the first film in the Captain America series of films, and it may not be the best of the three films that have been released at the time of writing, but it’s a really underrated movie. It’s also the first time Chris Evans showed us how great he is as the classic Marvel ‘boy scout’ type of hero.
#4 – Moses – Attack the Block
Attack the Block is such a great overlooked movie, and John Boyega – who we’d all later love in Star Wars – is terrific in the movie as Moses. If you still haven’t seen Attack the Block, then do yourself a favor and check it out as soon as possible.
#3 – Thor Odinson – Thor
I still think the original Thor movie is pretty underrated, and Hemsworth is one of the biggest reasons why. He’s so fun to watch in action-comedies and, well, just comedies in general. We later learned that he could steal the show from the leading actors and actresses in the Vacation remake and the Ghostbusters reboot, but this movie really showed us how funny he can be.
#2 – Harry Potter – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two
Arguably, the character’s biggest moment in the entire series happens in Part Two, and he certainly deserves a spot in the top three. Could you make an argument that Snape is a hero here? Possibly, but I’m going to stick with Potter and Neville.
#1 – The Driver – Drive
Maybe not a traditional hero, but the nameless driver from Drive gets the top spot. And, sure, he doesn’t leave the movie without seeing a family torn apart because of something that happened during one of his jobs. But he’s a great character to watch, and he does do his best to protect Irene and her kid.
Who was your favorite movie hero of 2011? Sound off in the comments.
– Jeffrey Rex
I'm Jeffrey Rex 