Over 100 Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of 16 Action Heroes Who Are Basically Superheroes
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Vote up your favorite action characters who are really powered up.
It isn't uncommon for superheroes to be portrayed as action heroes, but what about the other way around? Could an action star really be a superhero, too? To quote WWE pro wrestler and occasional actor “Stone Cold” Steve Austin: “Hell, yeah!” In fact, there are big-screen bad*sses who are probably even better than the wearers of capes and tights in the MCU and DCEU.
We have rounded up a list of the best action characters around and identified who fits the mold here. From born naturals like John Wick and Rambo to the super-super spies like James Bond and Jason Bourne, let's see who has all the hallmarks of being a superhero.
Neo. The chosen one. The liberator of humanity. How can he not be considered a superhero at this point? He's basically sci-fi Superman. Everybody knows this. And, much like every other action hero, he has his awakening when he realizes the world isn't how he sees it to be.
Thanks to the help of Trinity, Morpheus, and the others, he is bestowed with the superpowers necessary to defeat those stooges known as Agents and their machine overlords. He learns martial arts in a heartbeat, flies, dodges bullets, and controls the environment around him. The question is, what can Neo not do?
Every superhero needs a good motivation for their actions. For John Wick, it begins when fools dare to touch his beautiful dog. Or his car. That simple injustice kicks off hundreds of slaughters at the hands of the Baba Yaga.
Yet, here's the superheroesque thing about Mr. Wick: he has a remarkable healing factor. He will face off against 10, 20, or 100 enemies and get out basically unscathed. Even when he is scathed, he ends up being just fine in the end. No matter what, John Wick always rises again…
Introduced in a film called Pitch Black, Richard B. Riddick is the person who thrives in the darkness. Blessed with night vision, cool shades, advanced abilities, and a chiseled physique, Riddick is a Marvel hero - he just doesn't know it yet.
Seriously, this dude falls, dislocates his limbs, and he doesn't even flinch or take a breather. He gets up, dusts himself off, and continues to slug it out with the bad guys. Who wouldn't want him in their corner, especially during a blackout?
Many people say Everything Everywhere All at Once is the movie Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness wishes it was - and that is kind of true. One of the reasons for the former's success is the character arc of Evelyn Wang.
Evelyn not only needs to deal with pertinent matters at home but she is also pulled into a multiverse where she holds many different roles and abilities. Here's the kicker, though: Evelyn's greatest strength is who she is at her core - that's where the real power comes from. Cue Uncle Ben's "with great power comes great responsibility" monologue, you guys.
There are times when the masters realize it's time to move aside for their students to ascend. In that sense, Harry Hart from the Kingsman series is a lot like Master Splinter from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Harry understands the next generation, such as Eggsy, are the future and he must prepare them for what's to come. He provides the necessary training, knowledge, and support to see them reach their full potential. Again, he's like Splinter - without all the fur and living in a sewer thing. And Harry really knows how to wear a suit.
He might not remember what he ate for breakfast or what his parents bought him for his fifth birthday, but Jason Bourne is a super spy supreme. He is at peak physical condition, displaying abilities and reflexes that border on the supernatural.
Much like Batman, though, he is very human and not about to leap over the tallest building in a single bound. He's simply good at improving himself and pushing up a level that makes him near unstoppable. So what if his memories are more jumbled than a bounce house at a 4-year-old's birthday party?
