Even The Biggest Movie Buffs Can Only Match 50% Of These Heroes To Their Movies
- by Dylan Dembrow
- – on
- in Movies and TV
Some viewers enjoy movies that challenge them. They like to see morally ambiguous characters make tough decisions and wonder what they'd have done differently.
Then there are those who just enjoy turning their brains off for an hour and a half and watching an old-fashioned brawl between good and evil. They don't need to worry about motives or moral dilemmas when there's an obvious hero worth rooting for.
So if those are the kinds of movies you're into, you've come to the right place.
While pretty much every movie has a hero in one respect or another, when you think of a hero, you most likely imagine someone who isn't afraid to put their lives on the line to help save others. Or, at the very least, themselves.
These days, superhero movies are absolutely dominating at the box office by creating some of the most engaging and enjoyable cinematic heroes in recent memory. And while this quiz features its fair share of superheroes, to be honest, most of those movies take their titles from the actual characters -- meaning it's not much of a challenge to put them together.
So let's take a look at some of the most iconic movie heroes across all genres and see if you can match them to the correct film!
John McClane
Maybe the most iconic action hero of all time, this character has appeared in five installments of this popular franchise to date, and it’s most likely that this character will show up again in the sixth film in due time. John McClane has, and always will be, synonymous with action star Bruce Willis, who first brought this character to life in the 1988 original film. The plot revolves around an off-duty cop who gets caught in a high-rise during an elaborate heist. So can you name one of the greatest action movies ever made?
Superman
Easily the most iconic superhero of all time, you’d really have to be from another planet entirely to not know that this character is Superman. But remembering which movie this incarnation the character is from might be a bit on the trickier side. While Christopher Reeve will probably always be known as the greatest incarnation of the character, no one can deny that British actor Henry Cavill certainly looks the part, as he currently portrays the Kryptonian in the DCEU. But can you name the right movie?
Imperator Furiosa
Though this character might not have had the movie named after her, it’s hard to deny that Imperator Furiosa is the primary hero of this 2015 film. The character is portrayed by Charlize Theron, who received critical acclaim for her performance as this tough-as-nails renegade, who breaks free from her tyrannical emperor while stealing a number of his wives in the process. The character may only have one real hand, but that certainly doesn’t stop her from maneuvering her War Rig like a total boss.
Indiana Jones
Not only is this character one of the greatest action heroes of all time, he’s also one of the most iconic movie character, period. However, you may not have known that George Lucas was actually hesitant to have Steven Spielberg cast Harrison Ford in the title role of Indiana Jones since the character had already become synonymous with Hans Solo in Lucas’s Star Wars series. Thankfully, Tom Selleck was unable to step into the role due to scheduling reasons, and Ford was brought back in to portray Indiana Jones for the first time in this 1981 film.
Ash Williams
The character of Ash Williams almost feels like he’s just an extension of Bruce Campbell — the actor who has portrayed him for over 35 years. Ashley Joanna Williams, better known as Ash to his friend, first made his debut in this 1981 film, which was heavy on horror and short on laughs. But starting with the 1987 sequel, this franchise has taken on a much more comedic tone, all the way up to the TV series, Ash vs. Evil Dead, which is currently airing on STARZ.
Alice
Based on the popular video game franchise of the same name, this movie was first released in 2002, and found actress Milla Jovovich suiting up to play the character of Alice — a role she would go on to reprise in five sequels. Each film finds Alice up against the Umbrella Corporation, a misguided pharmaceutical company which released a strong mutagen into the environment which went on to turn a large chunk of the population into flesh-eating zombies. So can you name the original film Alice appeared in?
James Bond
Just recently, news broke that Daniel Craig will be back for another outing to play James Bond in the 25th installment of the popular film franchise. This will be Craig’s fifth time playing the MI6 agent, and likely his last. Though his time playing Bond has been mostly a success, a couple of the films underperformed at the box office. Though this installment certainly wasn’t one of them, as it raked in over a billion dollars and found Bond out of his element after he remains shaken following a near-death experience.
Neo
You certainly have a lot to live up to when everyone that surrounds you keeps telling you that you will be the savior of the human race. That’s exactly what this character is up against when he’s yanked out of his boring day-to-day life and awakened to the reality of the human race — which is actually on the brink of extinction in the distant future. Neo/ John Anderson is played by Keanu Reeves in this 1999 film, and he would go on to reprise the role in two sequels.
Snake Plissken
This character first appeared in the 1981 film and its long-awaited sequel, which wasn’t released until 1996. The character is a solider and former criminal who is sent on a mission to rescue the President of the United States after his plane crash lands in a dystopian prison. The character was played by Kurt Russel in both films — a favorite actor of writer/ director John Carpenter, who also cast the actor in a number of his other films. But can you name the first one this character appeared in?
Alan “Dutch” Schaefer
Along the same lines as Bruce Willis and Jackie Chan, Arnold Schwarzenegger is, without a doubt, one of the greatest actions stars that have ever lived. While he’s not adverse to playing a villain — as he did in the original Terminator film — this actor seems to work a lot better in the role of hero. In this sci-fi action film, Schwarzenegger plays a major in the armed Special Forces who is sent into the jungle under the belief that his outfit is tracking kidnapped politicians when he stumbles upon an otherworldly beast.
Ellen Ripley
Though the role of Ripley was originally conceived to be a man, director Ridley Scott ultimately decided to cast Sigourney Weaver in the role — which is no doubt one of the many reasons that this film remains so memorable today. Here, Weaver plays Warrant Officer Ellen Ripley, who is awoken from a deep sleep when their commercial spaceship, the Nostromo, picks up a distress signal on a nearby planetoid. Weaver would go on to reprise the role in three sequels.
Kyle Reese
The character of Kyle Reese has actually been played by multiple actors across multiple films, though it was American actor Michael Biehn who first brought the character to life in the original 1984 film. Here, Kyle Reese is a soldier in the not so distant future who is sent back in time as part of the human resistance to stop the enemy from executing a very important person. This character also appeared in a number of other James Cameron films, including the sequel to this movie, as well as 1986’s Aliens.
John Rambo
The character of John Rambo is such a staple in popular culture that his last name has since become an adjective for anyone who truly goes of the rails and isn’t afraid to resort to violence to earn fast results. The character first debuted in a 1971 novel by David Morrell before making his jump to the big screen, where he was portrayed by Sylvester Stallone. Stallone would go on to reprise the character in a number of sequels, but few pack as much of a gritty punch as this 1982 film.
Hans Solo
Unless you’re self-proclaimed Jedi, you might have a hard time keeping the Star Wars films in order. After all, each trilogy has been released out of order, not to mention that the new standalone films are occurring in between or before any number of films that are already established in the series. But for this entry, we’re looking at the film that started it all, which found Harrison Ford suiting up for the actor’s most iconic character of all time: Han Solo.
Martin Riggs
The character of Martin Riggs is one half of the coin of the Lethal Weapon series, which found two very different cops teaming up to take on the crime syndicate of Los Angeles. The character has been played by Mel Gibson in all four films, who stars alongside Danny Glover’s Murtaugh. Though these films may have made Gibson a superstar, they were far from his first outing into the action genre, as he has previously played Max in the Mad Max trilogy.
Maximus Decimus Meridius
Easily one of the funnest names to say of any action hero, this character first appeared in the 2000 film that was directed by Ridley Scott and would later go on to win Best Picture of the Year. Though this character may have been victorious at the beginning of the film, he is hardly interested in being a hero, and instead is forced to fight for his life after being wrongly imprisoned by the very men he once fought to protect. Maximus Decimus Meridius was played by New Zealand actor Russell Crowe in the film.
Ethan Hunt
Though Tom Cruise doesn’t usually do sequels, for whatever reason, he just can’t seem to get enough of playing this character, who he first portrayed in this 1996 film. Though the movie was based on a TV show from the 1960s, the corny concepts have undergone a series makeover for this massively popular action franchise that has been around for over the last 20 years. In fact, Cruise is suiting up once again to play Ethan Hunt in the latest installment of the series, which will be out on July 28th of this year.
Bryan Mills
Though Liam Neeson wasn’t really known for being an action star, it was this 2008 film that first painted the actor in a much more rugged light, leading to a career revitalization that has found Neeson staring in a number of blockbusters. This film revolves around a newly retired CIA operative who’s 17-year-old daughter is kidnapped and thrown into a sex trafficking ring. Therefore, Bryan Mills must step up and take down anyone who played a hand in his daughter’s disappearance.
Selene
While female heroes have been given short shrift in mainstream action movies, they have long been prevailing in sci-fi horror films, as seen with the character of Ellen Ripley from Alien, Alice from the Resident Evil, and Selene — who first appeared in the original 2003 installment of this massively popular series. The hero is portrayed by English actress Kate Beckinsale, who was once best known for her roles in romantic comedies but has since become synonymous with action movies for her performances in Contraband, Total Recall, and this film.
Aragorn
Though he is one of many characters from this popular fantasy series, Aragorn is undoubtedly a hero in his own right, who always puts his life on the line without hesitation so long as it serves the greater good. The character was portrayed by America actor Viggo Mortensen, who fully committed to the role by learning the Elvish language and becoming a skilled sword fighter and horseback rider. Even if you're not a fan of fantasy, there's little chance that you can't match this hero to the correct film.
Axel Foley
It’s hard to imagine any but Eddie Murphy being cast to play Axel Foley in this popular action-comedy series. However, Sylvester Stallone was actually the original actor they had in mind for the part, which would have made for a very different movie indeed. This series would go on to spawn three sequels, which would all find Murphy reprising his role as the Detroit Police Officer who finds himself in a sunnier part of the country after his best friend is killed.
Jack Burton
Yet another action film directed by John Carpenter that finds Kurt Russell playing the films hero, this 1986 film has a much lighter tone than their earlier film together: Escape from New York. The film finds Russel playing the happy-go-lucky truck driver Jack Burton, who is introduced to a mysterious underworld full of ancient beings after his friend’s future wife is kidnapped and taken hostage by them. So do you know which John Carpenter movie Jack Burton originally popped up in?
Star-Lord
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has grown so confident over the last decade that they can now successful bring totally obscure characters from the comic books to the big screen. This hero is the primary example, who was played by the exceedingly likable Chris Pratt in this 2014 live-action film. The character has since appeared in a 2017 sequel, and will once again show up when the Avengers meet the Guardians in the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War. But which movie did Star-Lord first appear in?
James T. Kirk
This iconic science fiction character has been around for quite some time, but he underwent a revitalization in 2009 when director J. J. Abrams helmed a cinematic reboot of this popular franchise. Here, the character was played by American actor Chris Pine, who has starred in a number of hit action movies since, including The Finest Hours and last year’s Wonder Woman, where he played Diane Prince’s love interest, Steve Trevor. But what movie did he first appear in as James T. Kirk?
Katniss Everdeen
After breaking onto the scene with the 2010 sleeper hit Winter’s Bone, up and coming actress Jennifer Lawrence ended up snagging a number of the most coveted roles in Hollywood in the following years. Which certainly included that of Katniss Everdeen — the female heroine of this popular series which was comprised of four films. In the films, Katniss must participate in a televised fight to the death in honor of her poor district back home. So which series was Katniss a part of?
Shaun Riley
The protagonist of one of the greatest horror comedies ever made, Shaun Riley lacks serious motivation when we first meet him. He spends his life in a daze working at a dead end job when his girlfriend is already one foot out the door. But then the zombie apocalypse strikes and this character has no choice but to priorities his life. Shaun was played by British actor and comedian Simon Pegg, in a role which launched his career to mainstream stardom.
Rick Deckard
Harrison Ford has played so many iconic action heroes that it’s almost hard to keep track of them all. While this character may not have received the recognition of Indiana Jones and Hans Solo, this film’s impact on the science fiction genre has been continuously profound over time. In fact, a long-awaited sequel to this 1982 film was released just last year, which found Ford reprising his role as Rick Deckard in yet another film that flew under the radar of many mainstream veiwers.
Peter Venkman
Bill Murray has played a lot of characters over his 40-plus year career in show biz, but few of them would actually fall into the category of hero. However, this character from the 1984 horror-comedy certainly does his fair share to save New York city alongside his three other comrades, even if he does crack wise the entire time he’s fighting evil. This film was actually recently remade with an all-female cast, which found Murray making a cameo appearance, though not as Peter Venkman.
The Bride
Quentin Tarantino has always been a pro at incorporating strong female characters into his films, but with this 2003 release, the writer/ director really outdid himself. Here, Uma Thurman plays a character known only as the Bride, who is on a revenge mission after a group of her former fellow assassins stages a killing spree during her wedding rehearsal. Thurman reprised the role in the second installment of the series, and there have long been talks of a third and final film.
Johnny Utah
After starring in a string of wacky comedies and teen romance movies, this was the first film which really painted Keanu Reeves as an action star. Though it may not have as much recognition as his later franchises — including The Matrix and now John Wick — this 1991 film is still very much worth checking out. The film follows a young cop who goes undercover in a group of surfers and thrill seekers under the hunch that they may be notorious bank robbers.
The Driver
Ryan Gosling said he always wanted to play a character that people could dress up as on Halloween. And with The Driver, his wish finally came true. Though this character may be short on dialogue, he’s still overflowing with style and raw emotion as he navigates a deal gone horribly wrong in this 2011 film. Here, the character’s name says it all, as The Driver works as a daytime stunt driver and mechanic while he moonlights as a getaway driver to earn some extra cash.
Bruce Wayne
Much like Superman, Bruce Wayne/ Batman is another iconic superhero that is popped up in so many movies that it’s easy to get them mixed up. While this character used to be portrayed a bit on the lighter side thanks to Adam West’s corny 1960s TV series, the character underwent a dark makeover in the comics thanks to writer Frank Miller before this darker incarnation was brought to the big screen with Michael Keaton’s portrayal of the character in the Tim Burton film.
T’Challa
Considering that this movie has gone on to become one of the highest-grossing films of all time within just the past few months, we’re sure you’ll have no problem matching the character to the corresponding movie. While plenty of mainstream movies have been lacking in the diversity department, with Wonder Woman and this film dominating the box office with the past year, it’s only a matter of time before more females and characters of color get their own solo franchises.
Rita Vrataski
Though Tom Cruise may be the star of this film, for once in the actor’s career, he actually plays a coward — meaning that this female character performs most of the heroic tasks throughout the story. The character of Rita Vrataski is played by Emily Blunt, who got into killer shape to play this super soldier who is one of humanities last hopes in the fight against the Mimics — a seemingly unstoppable alien race that has taken over most of Europe.
Jack Traven
While Point Break may have been the film to turn Keanu Reeves into an action star, it was this 1994 film that turned him into a household name. The film follows an LAPD cop and his cat and mouse game with a bomb-using terrorist, which ultimately leads Jack Tavern to board a bus that is armed with a bomb that is set to explode should it drop below 50 miles per hour. The film was a box office smash, grossing over $350 million against a $30 million budget.