10 Best Superhero Movie Performances Where The Actor Doesn’t Show Their Face
The superhero movies of the MCU, the DCU, and other franchises often feature excellent performances by actors without them even showing their faces. As the movies of the MCU and DCEU have helped to elevate the genre to unprecedented heights, superhero movies are bigger and more popular than ever. Almost exclusively made up of big-budget titles with impressive visual effects, bringing the fantastical stories of comic books to life in live-action often requires significant effort when it comes to aesthetic presentation.
Throughout the movie timelines of the DCEU, the MCU, and other superhero movies, there have been occasions when an actor’s face is obscured entirely, whether by prosthetics, their character being rendered in CGI, or a mask being worn. Naturally, this makes acting the role far more difficult, as their ability to emote is limited. Even so, there have been many times when actors in those situations have given outstanding performances, in spite of the fact that their faces cannot be properly seen.
10 Vin Diesel As Groot First appearance: Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) Close Despite being a high-profile name in Hollywood, Vin Diesel’s consistent role in the MCU’s movie timeline is easily overlooked. He may be a larger-than-life figure with a commanding screen presence, but Vin Diesel’s MCU role is obscured by the fact that the character he plays is brought to life entirely through CGI. Vin Diesel has been the voice of Groot since his MCU debut in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy, having gone on to make multiple other appearances in the franchise.
Although Vin Diesel’s face has never been seen in the MCU, his performance has provided a number of touching moments. Groot’s vocabulary being so limited has only further complicated Diesel’s voice performance, though he has been able to communicate an impressive range of emotions simply through the tone of his voice. Vin Diesel’s performance as Groot has been excellent, even with the visual and verbal limitations of the role.
9 Lawrence Fishburne As The Silver Surfer First appearance: Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007) Close 2007’s Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer is not a movie that is remembered fondly from the pre-MCU era of Marvel movies, with its handling of multiple characters heavily criticized. Its live-action depiction of the Silver Surfer was far from terrible, though, with the technology of the era used well to bring the cosmic character to life on the big screen. Laurence Fishburne was brought in to voice the Silver Surfer, and his performance was actually surprisingly good.
Considering Fishburne only voiced the character, he was able to instill a surprising amount of emotion into the Silver Surfer. Without being able to emote physically or facially, Fishburne’s vocal performance was impressive and made the character one of the movie’s most compelling figures. Though he was let down somewhat by an underwhelming script, Fishburne’s performance in the role was good, especially considering his face was not shown.
8 Ciaran Hinds As Steppenwolf First appearance: Justice League (2017) Close Though the movies of the DCEU aren’t universally known for their quality, the franchise did feature a number of noteworthy performances. Ciaran Hinds appeared in the franchise as Steppenwolf, the main villain of 2017’s Justice League. However, it wasn’t until the release of Zack Snyder’s Justice League in 2021 that Hinds’s performance could be properly appreciated, even though his face was never shown on-screen in either cut of the film.
Steppenwolf being rendered entirely by CGI presented a significant obstacle to Hinds’s ability to bring the character to life. Even so, the actor was able to make Steppenwolf an appropriately imposing antagonist, with his booming voice perfectly serving the character. Considering his face was not shown at all, Ciaran Hinds’s short-lived turn as the DC villain remains especially worthy of note, particularly when his story was better explored in the 2021 Snyder cut of the movie.
7 Billy Crudup As Doctor Manhattan First appearance: Watchmen (2009) Close Zack Snyder’s 2009 adaptation of Watchmen remains one of the most consistently watchable entries into the genre, due in large part to its unique approach to a superhero story. Watchmen"s large ensemble cast boasts many great performances, though the majority of its characters’ faces are shown. However, the incredibly powerful Doctor Manhattan is one of the few heroes whose face is not properly displayed, due to the extensive CGI used to bring him to life.
Billy Crudup’s performance as Doctor Manhattan brought the powerful yet tragic hero to life in a way that communicated the complexity of the character. Though he was briefly shown in a flashback scene before his transformation into the blue superhuman, all of Manhattan’s most substantial scenes required a total visual transformation. Being rendered entirely using CGI did nothing to harm Crudup’s performance, and he provided a great turn in the important supporting role.
6 Doug Jones As Ape Sapien First appearance: Hellboy (2004) Close Though they may not have the benefit of belonging to a wider franchise or shared universe, Guillermo del Toro’s two Hellboy movies proved to be hugely successful. Adapting Mike Mignola’s character of the same name, the two-film arc starred Ron Perlman as Hellboy, alongside a cast of fantastical supporting characters, including amphibian Abe Sapien. Abe was played by Doug Jones, who provided the physical performance in the first movie and then voicing the character as well in the sequel.
Jones’s performance as Abe Sapien was exceptional, especially considering his face is concealed beneath layers of prosthetics. The transformation required to play Sapien was evidently extensive, but Jones was able to perfectly bring the character to life. Despite his face not being shown, Doug Jones’s turn as Abe Sapien helped to make Guillermo del Toro’s Hellboy movies all the more successful by rounding out their cast with an interesting and compelling character.
5 James Spader As Ultron First appearance: Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) Close When it comes to incredible Marvel movie performances, most examples feature actors turning in expressive and emotive performances. The majority see the actor in question show their face at some point, though this isn’t always the case. In fact, one of the MCU’s most memorable villains never showed the actor’s face at all. James Spader provided the voice and motion capture for the robotic villain Ultron, turning in one of the MCU’s greatest performances in the process.
Spader brought an incredibly sinister energy to his performance in Avengers: Age of Ultron, and it’s one that made Ultron a truly terrifying antagonist. His contempt for humanity and the efficiency with which he planned to dispatch his creators were complemented by a note-perfect voice performance from Spader. Even though the actor himself was never glimpsed in the MCU, his turn as Ultron remains one of the most impressive villain performances in the franchise’s history.
4 Kevin Conroy As Batman First appearance: Batman: The Animated Series (1992) Close Although many actors have played Batman in live-action, few have managed to become as iconic as Kevin Conroy. The late actor spent much of his career voicing Batman in various projects across multiple mediums, with several TV shows, movies, and video games featuring his vocal talents. Conroy’s face was never shown in any of those performances, but his version of Batman is still considered the definitive by many fans of the character.
Arguably Conroy’s greatest movie performance as Batman came in Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, although his turns in Gotham Knight and The Killing Joke were also hugely popular. There are countless examples of animated movies in which Kevin Conroy offered exceptional voice performances as the Dark Knight, and he became synonymous with the character despite not lending his face to the role in any of his performances.
3 Josh Brolin As Thanos First appearance: Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) Close Thanos is undeniably one of the most substantial villains in the MCU to date. As the overall antagonist of the franchise’s Infinity Saga, getting Thanos just right was not an easy task, as it required a hugely talented actor who could perform even hidden behind the characteristic purple features of the Mad Titan. Josh Brolin was the actor brought in to portray Thanos in his most substantial appearances in the MCU, and he was exceptional in the role.
Brolin’s gruff voice was perfect for Thanos, and captured the calculating yet oddly sympathetic antagonist in the best way possible. Brolin’s own acting range was put to the test in the role, as he was responsible for delivering dramatic monologues, pulse-pounding action sequences, and scenes with major franchise-wide implications. Brolin took all this in his stride, and his time as Thanos saw him earn praise for one of the best performances in the MCU.
2 Karl Urban As Judge Dredd First appearance: Dredd (2012) Close The superhero genre features many characters whose features are obscured by masks to protect their identities, meaning that concealed faces are a staple of superhero movies. One character who this has been true for since his creation is Judge Dredd, whose face has rarely been shown in his more than 40 years in print. 2012’s Dredd provided a faithful adaptation of his story, complete with a performance by Karl Urban concealed by Judge Dredd’s iconic helmet.
Urban’s performance as Dredd captured all the best elements of the character. His all-important gruff demeanor and commanding presence were evident throughout the movie, and Urban was able to express all of Dredd’s limited emotional range using just the lower part of his face and general body language. In terms of comic accuracy, Urban’s performance as Dredd is one of the best in which an actor didn’t ever show their face.
1 Bradley Cooper As Rocket Raccoon First appearance: Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) Close There are many emotional character stories within the MCU, but very few have been as emotionally devastating as Rocket Raccoon’s. One of the most popular characters in the MCU’s Guardians of the Galaxy team, the voice of Rocket is provided by Oscar-winner Bradley Cooper. However, due to Rocket’s animal nature, Cooper does not physically play the character, meaning his face isn’t shown as part of the performance.
Even so, Cooper injects a huge amount of emotion into the MCU’s Rocket. The emotional range of the character is broad, and Cooper’s voice performance covers every aspect of the tragic and chaotic Rocket brilliantly. From violent and occasionally crass outbursts to pure emotional drama, Bradley Cooper’s performance as Rocket is absolutely perfect, making it one of the best in the superhero movies of the MCU, the DCU, and beyond that doesn’t show the actor’s face.
Throughout the movie timelines of the DCEU, the MCU, and other superhero movies, there have been occasions when an actor’s face is obscured entirely, whether by prosthetics, their character being rendered in CGI, or a mask being worn. Naturally, this makes acting the role far more difficult, as their ability to emote is limited. Even so, there have been many times when actors in those situations have given outstanding performances, in spite of the fact that their faces cannot be properly seen.
10 Vin Diesel As Groot First appearance: Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) Close Despite being a high-profile name in Hollywood, Vin Diesel’s consistent role in the MCU’s movie timeline is easily overlooked. He may be a larger-than-life figure with a commanding screen presence, but Vin Diesel’s MCU role is obscured by the fact that the character he plays is brought to life entirely through CGI. Vin Diesel has been the voice of Groot since his MCU debut in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy, having gone on to make multiple other appearances in the franchise.
Although Vin Diesel’s face has never been seen in the MCU, his performance has provided a number of touching moments. Groot’s vocabulary being so limited has only further complicated Diesel’s voice performance, though he has been able to communicate an impressive range of emotions simply through the tone of his voice. Vin Diesel’s performance as Groot has been excellent, even with the visual and verbal limitations of the role.
9 Lawrence Fishburne As The Silver Surfer First appearance: Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007) Close 2007’s Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer is not a movie that is remembered fondly from the pre-MCU era of Marvel movies, with its handling of multiple characters heavily criticized. Its live-action depiction of the Silver Surfer was far from terrible, though, with the technology of the era used well to bring the cosmic character to life on the big screen. Laurence Fishburne was brought in to voice the Silver Surfer, and his performance was actually surprisingly good.
Considering Fishburne only voiced the character, he was able to instill a surprising amount of emotion into the Silver Surfer. Without being able to emote physically or facially, Fishburne’s vocal performance was impressive and made the character one of the movie’s most compelling figures. Though he was let down somewhat by an underwhelming script, Fishburne’s performance in the role was good, especially considering his face was not shown.
8 Ciaran Hinds As Steppenwolf First appearance: Justice League (2017) Close Though the movies of the DCEU aren’t universally known for their quality, the franchise did feature a number of noteworthy performances. Ciaran Hinds appeared in the franchise as Steppenwolf, the main villain of 2017’s Justice League. However, it wasn’t until the release of Zack Snyder’s Justice League in 2021 that Hinds’s performance could be properly appreciated, even though his face was never shown on-screen in either cut of the film.
Steppenwolf being rendered entirely by CGI presented a significant obstacle to Hinds’s ability to bring the character to life. Even so, the actor was able to make Steppenwolf an appropriately imposing antagonist, with his booming voice perfectly serving the character. Considering his face was not shown at all, Ciaran Hinds’s short-lived turn as the DC villain remains especially worthy of note, particularly when his story was better explored in the 2021 Snyder cut of the movie.
7 Billy Crudup As Doctor Manhattan First appearance: Watchmen (2009) Close Zack Snyder’s 2009 adaptation of Watchmen remains one of the most consistently watchable entries into the genre, due in large part to its unique approach to a superhero story. Watchmen"s large ensemble cast boasts many great performances, though the majority of its characters’ faces are shown. However, the incredibly powerful Doctor Manhattan is one of the few heroes whose face is not properly displayed, due to the extensive CGI used to bring him to life.
Billy Crudup’s performance as Doctor Manhattan brought the powerful yet tragic hero to life in a way that communicated the complexity of the character. Though he was briefly shown in a flashback scene before his transformation into the blue superhuman, all of Manhattan’s most substantial scenes required a total visual transformation. Being rendered entirely using CGI did nothing to harm Crudup’s performance, and he provided a great turn in the important supporting role.
6 Doug Jones As Ape Sapien First appearance: Hellboy (2004) Close Though they may not have the benefit of belonging to a wider franchise or shared universe, Guillermo del Toro’s two Hellboy movies proved to be hugely successful. Adapting Mike Mignola’s character of the same name, the two-film arc starred Ron Perlman as Hellboy, alongside a cast of fantastical supporting characters, including amphibian Abe Sapien. Abe was played by Doug Jones, who provided the physical performance in the first movie and then voicing the character as well in the sequel.
Jones’s performance as Abe Sapien was exceptional, especially considering his face is concealed beneath layers of prosthetics. The transformation required to play Sapien was evidently extensive, but Jones was able to perfectly bring the character to life. Despite his face not being shown, Doug Jones’s turn as Abe Sapien helped to make Guillermo del Toro’s Hellboy movies all the more successful by rounding out their cast with an interesting and compelling character.
5 James Spader As Ultron First appearance: Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) Close When it comes to incredible Marvel movie performances, most examples feature actors turning in expressive and emotive performances. The majority see the actor in question show their face at some point, though this isn’t always the case. In fact, one of the MCU’s most memorable villains never showed the actor’s face at all. James Spader provided the voice and motion capture for the robotic villain Ultron, turning in one of the MCU’s greatest performances in the process.
Spader brought an incredibly sinister energy to his performance in Avengers: Age of Ultron, and it’s one that made Ultron a truly terrifying antagonist. His contempt for humanity and the efficiency with which he planned to dispatch his creators were complemented by a note-perfect voice performance from Spader. Even though the actor himself was never glimpsed in the MCU, his turn as Ultron remains one of the most impressive villain performances in the franchise’s history.
4 Kevin Conroy As Batman First appearance: Batman: The Animated Series (1992) Close Although many actors have played Batman in live-action, few have managed to become as iconic as Kevin Conroy. The late actor spent much of his career voicing Batman in various projects across multiple mediums, with several TV shows, movies, and video games featuring his vocal talents. Conroy’s face was never shown in any of those performances, but his version of Batman is still considered the definitive by many fans of the character.
Arguably Conroy’s greatest movie performance as Batman came in Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, although his turns in Gotham Knight and The Killing Joke were also hugely popular. There are countless examples of animated movies in which Kevin Conroy offered exceptional voice performances as the Dark Knight, and he became synonymous with the character despite not lending his face to the role in any of his performances.
3 Josh Brolin As Thanos First appearance: Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) Close Thanos is undeniably one of the most substantial villains in the MCU to date. As the overall antagonist of the franchise’s Infinity Saga, getting Thanos just right was not an easy task, as it required a hugely talented actor who could perform even hidden behind the characteristic purple features of the Mad Titan. Josh Brolin was the actor brought in to portray Thanos in his most substantial appearances in the MCU, and he was exceptional in the role.
Brolin’s gruff voice was perfect for Thanos, and captured the calculating yet oddly sympathetic antagonist in the best way possible. Brolin’s own acting range was put to the test in the role, as he was responsible for delivering dramatic monologues, pulse-pounding action sequences, and scenes with major franchise-wide implications. Brolin took all this in his stride, and his time as Thanos saw him earn praise for one of the best performances in the MCU.
2 Karl Urban As Judge Dredd First appearance: Dredd (2012) Close The superhero genre features many characters whose features are obscured by masks to protect their identities, meaning that concealed faces are a staple of superhero movies. One character who this has been true for since his creation is Judge Dredd, whose face has rarely been shown in his more than 40 years in print. 2012’s Dredd provided a faithful adaptation of his story, complete with a performance by Karl Urban concealed by Judge Dredd’s iconic helmet.
Urban’s performance as Dredd captured all the best elements of the character. His all-important gruff demeanor and commanding presence were evident throughout the movie, and Urban was able to express all of Dredd’s limited emotional range using just the lower part of his face and general body language. In terms of comic accuracy, Urban’s performance as Dredd is one of the best in which an actor didn’t ever show their face.
1 Bradley Cooper As Rocket Raccoon First appearance: Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) Close There are many emotional character stories within the MCU, but very few have been as emotionally devastating as Rocket Raccoon’s. One of the most popular characters in the MCU’s Guardians of the Galaxy team, the voice of Rocket is provided by Oscar-winner Bradley Cooper. However, due to Rocket’s animal nature, Cooper does not physically play the character, meaning his face isn’t shown as part of the performance.
Even so, Cooper injects a huge amount of emotion into the MCU’s Rocket. The emotional range of the character is broad, and Cooper’s voice performance covers every aspect of the tragic and chaotic Rocket brilliantly. From violent and occasionally crass outbursts to pure emotional drama, Bradley Cooper’s performance as Rocket is absolutely perfect, making it one of the best in the superhero movies of the MCU, the DCU, and beyond that doesn’t show the actor’s face.
