Superhero movies have a love-hate relationship with the Academy. While some have broken through and received nominations, very rarely has the Academy given out nominations for superhero movies for something other than visual effects. And those who have received nominations always have played a villain.

RELATED: 10 Times The Academy Were On The Wrong Side Of History

If the Academy would look past the stigma of "it's a superhero film," they would find that there are many great performances across the genre. Many films are so beloved because of the actors or actresses playing the roles of their favorite heroes. Hopefully, someday performances in superhero films will be taken more seriously by the Academy.

10 Hugh Jackman- Logan

Hugh Jackman looking menacing as Wolverine In Logan

After playing the role of Logan/Wolverine for seventeen years, Hugh Jackman finally decided to hang up the claws for good after the Oscar-nominated Logan. Jackman had always said going into the film would be his last one, and it shows based on his terrific performance.

While Jackman has always been great as Wolverine, in Logan, his performance went places he hadn't gone before in other X-Men movies. Portraying a Wolverine that was at the end of the ropes but still had one last fight in him, fans saw the toll that years of violence and sadness put on Logan, and Jackman played it to perfection. His commitment and dedication to the role of Wolverine is something that won't be forgotten any time soon.

9 Patrick Stewart- Logan

professor-x-logan-patrick-stewart

Not to be outdone, Patrick Stewart gave arguably the best performance of his career as Charles Xavier in Logan. Stewart's Charles is in his nineties, and his mind has become increasingly unstable; not good for someone who has the most powerful brain in the world.

Xavier's fraught relationship with Logan carries the film, and viewers can see how lost Xavier was after all he had done for mutant kind. Charles is heartbreakingly killed by Logan's clone X-24, holding onto his dream of getting away with Logan so he could no longer hurt anyone. Stewart's monologue about remembering what happened in Westchester is among the best in the X-Men series.

8 Willem Dafoe- Spider-Man: No Way Home

The Green Goblin smiling from Spider-Man: No Way Home

Fans everywhere were thrilled when Marvel announced that fan-favorite villains from previous Spider-Man movies were coming back in Spider-Man: No Way Home, one of which included Willem Dafoe as Norman Osborn/The Green Goblin. Surprisingly, or not as surprising on a rewatch, Osborn ended up being the big bad of the movie.

RELATED: 10 Best Willem Dafoe Performances

Osborn tricks everyone into thinking he wants to be cured, but the sinister side eventually emerges. Osborn is responsible for killing Aunt May and making Peter regret trying to help the villains. When Osborn is finally cured at the end of the movie, the sheer look of terror on his face when he realizes what he has done is all fans needed to see the power of Dafoe's performance. Between Spider-Man and Spider-Man: No Way Home, it is clear that Dafoe can switch into either of Norman's identities at any time, with that sinister smile and recognizable cackling.

7 Michael B. Jordan- Black Panther

Killmonger refuses to be healed and dies in the Black Panther movie

Black Panther was a massive success and global phenomenon when it was released in 2018. Following T'Challa as he takes over as King of Wakanda, he is challenged by his cousin Killmonger for the throne. Michael B. Jordan's Killmonger received rave reviews, and he was quickly crowned as one of the best villains the MCU had to date. With all the Oscars Black Panther received and had nominated, it's a shame Jordan did not get a Best Supporting Actor nod.

Killmonger returns to Wakanda to claim what he feels is rightfully his. Viewers saw a man who had good intentions, but had nefarious ways of going about it. Subjecting Wakanda to a dark rule, he wants those oppressed like himself to rise up. Jordan shines in the role and has a memorable death scene where he chooses to die instead of being saved, remarking: "Bury me in the ocean, with my ancestors that jumped from the ships, because they knew that death was better than bondage."

6 Alfred Molina- Spider-Man 2

Doc Ock, Spider-Man 2

In Spider-Man 2, viewers are introduced to the tragic backstory of Doctor Otto Octavius, aka Doc Ock. After an experiment gone wrong that accidentally kills his wife, Octavius is bonded to four mechanical tentacles that drive him mad. He swears vengeance against Spider-Man, whom he blames for interfering with his experiment.

Alfred Molina's performance in the film was brilliant. He showed how a nice, kind man ended up being driven mad by his thirst for success. He also is able to redeem himself at the end of the movie, sacrificing himself before causing any more damage to New York City. Molina is regarded as one of the best villain performances in the genre, which added to Spider-Man 2 being held in high regard. It was most likely an easy choice to bring him back years later in Spider-Man: No Way Home.

5 Robert Downey Jr.- Avengers: Endgame

Iron-Man in Avengers Endgame wearing the Infinity Gauntlet moments before he dies

Robert Downey Jr. is Iron Man, no question. His pitch-perfect casting in Iron Man kicked off the MCU as we know it. Going into Avengers: Endgame, fans were unsure which of their favorite characters would survive. Unfortunately, Tony Stark would not.

RELATED: MCU: 10 Ways Tony Stark Could Have Survived Avengers: Endgame

Downey Jr. had a perfect exit to a character he perfected over eleven years. Stark ends up making the ultimate sacrifice to save the universe from Thanos, and just like that, the MCU will never be the same. However, while Downey Jr. is gone, his legacy lives on through plenty of characters, namely Tom Holland's Spider-Man.

4 Jack Nicholson- Batman

batman joker jack nicholson

Tim Burton kicked off the Batman franchise with Batman, and landed Jack Nicholson as Batman's arch-nemesis: the Joker. Nicholson's Joker set the standard for villainous portrayals in the vast amounts of superhero movies to follow. His Joker also had a personal connection to Batman: he was the one who murdered Thomas and Martha Wayne.

Nicolson's outstanding performance generally is overshadowed by the Oscar-winning portrayals of Joker by Heath Ledger and Joaquin Phoenix, but Nicholson was excellent in his own right. A perfect mix of psychotic and humorous, his Joker set the bar high for those who came after him. He also has a unique distinction of being the sole villain in a Batman movie, as Nicholson's presence can command an entire film.

3 J.K. Simmons- Spider-Man

J Jonah Jameson, Spider-Man franchise

J. Jonah Jameson is a unique character. The loud-mouthed owner of the Daily Bugle aims to bring down the "menace" known as Spider-Man. J.K. Simmons' performance as Jameson had fans immediately accepting him as the only actor who could pull off the part. He even returned to the role in the MCU as a different version of the character in Spider-Man: Far From Home.

Simmons plays the role with snark and an overly-boisterous personality, easily making his performance memorable within the fan base. Simmons' success in the role also led him to voicing Jameson in various animated shows, and he even voiced the character on The Simpsons. Of course, an actor's live-action success rarely translates into playing a character in animated films, but Simmons more or less owns the role.

2 Ryan Reynolds- Deadpool

Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool in Deadpool (2016)

While the Academy has generally not accepted superhero films in a general sense, it is also challenging for comedies to get their due. This is why Ryan Reynolds virtually had no chance of being nominated for his outstanding performance in Deadpool as the titular character. Nevertheless, Reynolds nails Deadpool to a T, and his improvisation led to some of the funniest moments in a superhero film. Fortunately, Reynolds did get a Golden Globe nomination for the role.

RELATED: 10 Reasons The MCU Is Finally Ready For Deadpool

Reynolds' dedication to the part stemmed from X-Men Origins: Wolverine, where the character was not even remotely close to his comic book counterpart. Reynolds (allegedly) leaked the test footage himself to drum up interest in the film, which ended up being a massive success that spawned two sequels.

1 Michael Caine- Batman Begins

Alfred Batman Begins

Sir Michael Caine's Alfred in The Dark Knight Trilogy guides Bruce Wayne in his crusade against Gotham's criminal underworld. Before Batman Begins, Batman films did not have anything substantial for Alfred besides being around to give Bruce advice. However, Christopher Nolan's version puts Alfred right in the heart of things, making him Batman's closest ally. He has a military background, assists Bruce in obtaining resources, and even puts himself in danger to save Bruce.

In Batman Begins, Alfred gives plenty of advice to Bruce as well. Sir Michael Caine is a legendary actor, and his performance in the film moves the audience. He genuinely cares about Bruce and is worried about what Batman will do to him in the short and long term. When Bruce feels he has failed Gotham, Alfred simply replies: "Why do we fall, sir? So we can learn to pick ourselves up." Caine's endearing performance shows the viewer that Alfred is just as important to Bruce as Batman is.