Superhero movies and TV shows are hard to resist even if you're not a comic book fan. If you go to the movies to see Marvel's latest flick you're bound to encounter an equal share of both comic book readers and those who just enjoy the superhero action. There are many reasons why we're so strongly drawn to the superhero genre. Cool action scenes, pleasing visuals and special effects, awesome superpowers, courageous heroes, compelling villains and so on and so forth. However, if we're being completely honest, the fact that the actors who star in these movies are almost exclusively drop-dead gorgeous is a nice bonus. The same goes for superhero TV series.

Over the years, the MCU has acquired an impressive and handsome cast of actors, such as Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hiddleston and many more. Same can be said of the Arrowverse, as well as the DCEU. All of these superhero universes have their own stars who stand out not only for delivering incredible performances, but also for being very good looking. The year 2017 was packed with superhero movies and TV shows starring the hottest stars of today. In their honor, we present the 20 superhero actors who were too much to handle in 2017.

20 TESSA THOMPSON

Thor fans have been waiting for Valkyrie to show up since the very first Thor movie and in 2017 the wait finally paid off. Thor: Ragnarok introduced us to an alcoholic and somewhat sadistic Valkyrie portrayed by the Veronica Mars and Creed actress Tessa Thompson. As the last surviving Valkyrie, she set up camp on Sakaar where she worked as a warrior for the Grandmaster. Tessa Thompson will reprise her role in the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War and we can't wait to see her once again.

But apart from being a talented actress and a gorgeous woman, Tessa Thompson is also a singer in the indie soul band Caught A Ghost, whose music has been featured on TV shows such as The Blacklist, Supernatural, Suits and Grey's Anatomy.

19 HUGH JACKMAN

Hugh Jackman may not be "ageless" like Wolverine, but he's one of those lucky humans that only get better looking with age. The forty-nine-year-old Australian actor has been playing Wolverine for almost two decades and in the 2017 box office hit Logan he made his last appearance as the famous X-Man. Jackman's last outing as Wolverine received overwhelmingly positive reviews and Logan is among the best superhero movies of all time.

Jackman went through a rigorous training and diet regime to prepare for Logan and it did not go unnoticed. But Hugh Jackman doesn't only play a hero in movies, he's also a hero in real life. This incredibly hansom and generous actor has participated in a number of charities by donating and raising funds for a number of different causes.

18 FLORIANA LIMA

After being a series regular in Supergirl's second season, it was announced that Floriana Lima would be part of the show's third season in a recurring role. However, the actress expressed the desire to move on to other projects and the CW decided to let her go. And just like that Sanvers was no more. Supergirl fans were left heartbroken after Alex Danvers and Maggie Sawyer broke off their engagement and ended their relationship. Fortunately, Maggie Sawyer wasn't killed off, so there's still a chance that she will be back in future episodes.

We certainly hope she comes back since we really loved Lima as Maggie Sawyer as well as her relationship with Alex. The stunning thirty-six-year-old actress was an excellent addition to Supergirl's girl power cast and she will be dearly missed.

17 BEN BARNES

In 2017, Marvel expanded its Netflixverse with three new shows -- Iron Fist, The Defenders and The Punisher. The Iron Fist disaster was second only to the Inhumans and the team-up mini series didn't quite live up to the hype. However, Frank Castle's solo series, The Punisher, followed in the success of Marvel's more successful series such as Daredevil and Jessica Jones. Jon Bernthal reprised his role as Frank Castle and the villain Billy Russo was portrayed by Ben Barnes.

Barnes already had some experience portraying a somewhat of a villainous Logan in Westworld. On both occasions, this handsome British actor has managed to make bad look so good. However, you shouldn't get used to his pretty face, since he'll probably complete his transformation into Jigsaw in the second season of The Punisher.

16 ELODIE YUNG

The the end of Marvel's The Defenders, Elektra Natchios' fate hung in the balance. After the building came down around Daredevil and Elektra both were presumed dead by the remaining three heroes. While, we did get to see Matt alive and bandaged in a nunnery, we still have no confirmation that Elektra survived. However, given that she's not one to die easily, there's still hope that Elektra will be back in Daredevil season three.

Elektra Natchios is portrayed by the beautiful French actress Elodie Yung, who has much more in common with her character than you would believe. Although she's not exactly a weapon, Yung does have a black belt in Karate. But on top of being gorgeous, talented and tough-as-nails, Elodie also holds a Bachelor of Law degree.

15 STEPHEN AMELL

There's no way Stephen Amell wasn't gonna make the hottest superhero actors list of 2017. The CW's Arrow has been accused of excessive fanservice due to Oliver's frequent shirtless workout sessions. While it's true that Stephen Amell is often paraded half naked on the screen, we can't say we mind it one bit. But this Canadian actor is far from being just nice to look at. Over the years Stephen Amell, who happens to be a fan of professional wrestling, made appearances on WWE TV, Ring of Honor and The American Ninja Warrior.

And due to his exemplar physical shape, Amell is able to perform most of his stunts on Arrow. However, Amell has even more to offer. The Arrow star is also well-known for hosting a number of successful fundraising campaigns and partnering with the charity F*** Cancer to raise nearly one million dollars.

14 TOM HOLLAND

It is time for the youngest entry on our list. MCU's web crawler is portrayed by the 21-year old British actor Tom Holland. The Spider-Man star started out as a dancer, then transitioned to television and movies. 2017 was a big year for Holland who starred alongside Charlie Hunnam in the critically acclaimed biographical adventure drama The Lost City of Z and, of course, Marvel's Spider-Man: Homecoming as Peter Parker. He almost starred in the Jumanji reboot too, but dropped out due to Spider-Man.

This young star has received a lot of praise for his performance in Spider-Man: Homecoming and he even received the BAFTA Rising Star Award in 2017. Holland impressed pretty much everyone and proved he's the perfect fit for Spidey. And we must say, Peter's never looked this good.

13 MELISSA BENOIST

The Arrowverse has no shortage of awesome ladies and Supergirl definitely takes the lead. The front-and-center of the amazing cast of the CW's Supergirl is actress and singer Melissa Benoist. Prior to landing the role of Kara Zor-El, Melissa Benoist starred in FOX's musical comedy-drama series Glee as well as the critically acclaimed and the Academy Award winning movie Whiplash.

2017 has been a life-changing year for Melissa Benoist who went through divorce proceedings with her now ex-husband Blake Jenner and admitted that she has been struggling with depression and anxiety since the age of 13. She and her co-star and boyfriend, Chris Wood, started a website "I Don't Mind" which aims to end the stigma around mental illness. The gorgeous Melissa is certainly a true superhero.

12 CHRIS WOOD

Supergirl was struggling for quite some time to find a suitable love interest for Kara. Since neither James not Winn really worked out, in season two the writers introduced us to Mon-El. This marked the first live-action appearance for the DC Comics superhero. The actor who portrays Mon-El is Chris Wood, who previously appeared in a number of other the CW shows such as Containment and The Vampire Diaries.

The good looking Chris may not have much in common with his comic book counterpart, but we sincerely doubt anyone cares. Chris gained 30 pounds for his role in Containment, which definitely came in handy for the role of a superhero. But Chris is not just easy on the eyes, in 2017, he launched the website "I Don't Mind" which aims to put an end to the stigma around mental illness.

11 CATE BLANCHETT

Grossing over $844 million and receiving largely positive reviews praising the direction, the cast performances, the action sequences, the humor and the soundtrack, Thor: Ragnarok is arguably the best movie of the Thor trilogy. The cast all across the board delivered outstanding performances, with Cate Blanchett's villain Hela being praised as one of the best MCU villains yet. As the Goddess of Death, the Australian actress proved she's a force to be reckoned with.

This stunning two-time Academy Award winner and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador is certainly an impressive addition to the ever growing Marvel Cinematic Universe. And although she did appear to be dead at the end of Thor: Ragnarok there's still hope that we'll get to see Cate Blanchett as Hela again, since no comic book character stays dead.

10 CHRIS PRATT

Back in 2011, if some had told you that the Parks and Recreation star Chris Pratt would be among the hottest Hollywood actors, you'd probably think them insane. Yet here we are in 2017 and Chris Pratt is one of Hollywood's hottest and most in-demand stars. Pratt went through an incredible transformation for his role in Guardians of the Galaxy. Pratt's new body and his role in the MCU made him an A-list star and he went on to star in Jurassic World.

In 2017, the 38-year old hunk reprised his role as Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and once again showed off his superhero shape. 2018 promises to be a big year for Chris Pratt with both Avengers: Infinity War and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom set to hit the theaters in spring.

9 ODETTE ANNABLE

In season three, Supergirl introduced yet another fierce female character, Samantha Arias, portrayed by Odette Annable. Annable's role is, however, far from being that of a civilian. Although she started out as the naive single mother, Sam soon turned into this season's villain Reign. Unlike in the previous seasons, this time we got to see the birth of a villain as we watched Sam's heartbreaking story unfold.

Actress Odette Annable has been doing an excellent job portraying both sides of her character -- the friendly Sam and the villainous Reign. But even though she's playing a villain, it's really hard to resist her charm. The gorgeous Odette hasn't had that many big roles prior to Supergirl and she's mostly known for playing Dr. Jessica Adams on FOX's House.

8 CHRIS HEMSWORTH

The God of Thunder has never looked better. In 2017, Marvel decided to give Thor a radically different look for his third solo movie Thor: Ragnarok and it paid off. Aside from Ragnarok being a massive box office success, Chris Hemsworth's new look has received a lot of praise. After being captured on Sakaar, the God of Thunder underwent a makeover, but not without first protesting it quite vehemently.

Nevertheless, Stan Lee ruthlessly cut his long hair. However, in addition to the new haircut, Thor also got new costume, trading in his prince charming clothes for a gladiator outfit. Hemsworth certainly had no problem adjusting to the role of a gladiator, given his impressive muscles. But don't get your hopes up, because Hemsworth is happily married to actress Elsa Pataky, with whom he has three children.

7 CAITY LOTZ

The Arrowverse is absolutely packed with strong, beautiful women. The Legends' team Captain Sara Lance, aka White Canary, is pretty much the definition of fierce. Leading a team of ex-cons, failed and unwilling heroes isn't an easy job. Yet, the fearless Captain Lance somehow manages to keep all of them in check and protect time and history. The beloved White Canary is portrayed by the stunning Caity Lotz.

Caity Lotz started out as a dancer and singer and considered pursuing a career as a stunt double. Because, aside from being an accomplished dancer, singer and actor, the versatile Caity is also a martial artist with training in several types of martial arts. An all-around real life superhero, the beautiful and tough-as-nails Lotz easily made it on our list.

6 JASON MOMOA

The DCEU may be blamed for many things, but casting bad actors isn't one of those things. Henry Cavill as Superman, the Batffleck, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman and of course Jason Momoa as Aquaman. The Game of Thrones and Conan the Barbarian star, Jason Momoa, is known for his exceptional physique. For quite some time the actor has been typecast in roles that required him to pretty much be eye candy and say almost nothing.

In order to step away from these roles, Momoa said no to Marvel's offer to portray Drax the Destroyer. Luckily though, Momoa was up for putting on a different superhero costume and we got to see him as Aquaman in Justice League. And we must say, we liked what we saw. But Momoa has much more to offer than his good looks. The actor majored in wildlife biology, studied pastel painting and Buddhist teachings.

5 MARISA TOMEI

Marvel's controversial decision to cast the 53-year old Marisa Tomei as Spidey's elderly aunt May has caused a lot of turmoil. The MCU has been called out for ageism almost immediately after the announcement was made. The studio justified their decision by stating that this version of aunt May is younger because Peter too is younger. Whether you're willing to accept this explanation or not is up to you.

But whatever your opinion is, it is undeniable that Tomei did a pretty stellar job as Peter's hot aunt May. According to the actress, she freaked out when she found out how aunt May looks in the comics and went to ask Marvel if that's really how they saw her. Given that the actress was constantly described as too hot for the part, we doubt anyone sees her as anything but hot.

4 GRANT GUSTIN

Grant Gustin may not look like the Barry Allen from the comics, but we're hardly complaining. Although the actor faced some backlash when he took on the role of Flash, most fans have accepted him as their Barry Allen. The CW's The Flash is still going strong in its fourth season which opened with Barry coming back from the Speed Force. The Scarlet Speedster spent months in the Speed Force and when he came back he was a changed man, both mentally and physically.

In order to give credibility to the passage of time, Gustin grew out a beard, which completely neutralized his baby-face. Gustin also seems to have gained more muscle. He must have been struck by one hell of a lightning. The handsome Gustin is a talented actor and singer, both of which he proved in the Arrowverse.

3 ZOE SALDANA

Who would have ever thought that a group of unknown misfits such as the Guardians of the Galaxy would turn into one of the most successful Marvel movies? When Marvel first announced their bold decision to bring the Guardians to the big screen, the general reaction was skepticism. Luckily for the MCU, but also for the fans, Guardians of the Galaxy surpassed everyone's expectations. The group's second movie came out in 2017 and mostly lived up to its predecessor.

Part of this hilarious bunch of outcasts is the former assassin and Thanos's daughter Gamora. The deadly Gamora is played by the gorgeous Zoe Saldana, who managed to make green alien skin look incredibly hot. And when she's not beating up alien scum, the amazing Saldana is busy raising her three sons.

2 TOM HIDDLESTON

Talk about double trouble. The Asgardian brothers, Thor and Loki, are the best looking duo of the MCU. Arguments about which brother is the bigger hottie almost broke the fandom. According to unofficial data available on the internet, the mischievous Loki has surpassed his prince charming brother Thor.

Interestingly, Tom Hiddleston originally auditioned for the role of the God of Thunder, but ended up not getting the part. Liking what they saw, Marvel decided to cast him as the God of Mischief, to everyone's delight. But this British actor is far from being just a pretty face. Hiddleston is known for his philanthropy and he's a UK ambassador for the humanitarian and development assistance fund group UNICEF. His wonderful personality, great looks, charm and the fun role he gets to play in the MCU easily landed Hiddleston on our list.

1 GAL GADOT

The skepticism over Gal Gadot’s casting in the role of Wonder Woman proved to be wholly undeserved, since the Fast and Furious star proved she's the perfect choice for Diana Prince. Wonder Woman is hands down DCEU’s best and most successful movie and stands as one of the best superhero movies of all time.

The breathtakingly gorgeous Gal Gadot went through six months of rigorous training to prepare for the role of Wonder Woman and it definitely paid off. But don't think for a second that Gadot wasn't tough before. The actress spent two years in the Israel Defense Forces as a military combat trainer. The outstanding Gadot reprised her role in the Justice League movie, which unfortunately couldn’t even be saved by the combined forces of Gadot and Wonder Woman.