Even with his film debut in Hardball, a young Michael B. Jordan showed off his versatility. Like a lot of jobbing actors, Michael B. Jordan worked his way through small roles in movies and television before getting noticed. He took roles on shows like Burn Notice, Cold Case and played Vince Howard on football drama Friday Night Lights. It was his role in Josh Trank's found footage superhero movie Chronicle that made Hollywood start to take notice.
Michael B. Jordan's first project with regular collaborator Ryan Coogler came with 2003's Fruitvale Station, which was based on the real-life shooting of Oscar Grant; both the movie and Jordan's performance received acclaim. From there, the actor provided the voice of Cyborg in animated adventure Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox and co-starred with Zac Efron in romantic comedy That Awkward Moment. His reunion with Josh Trank for 2015's Fantastic Four sadly proved to be something of a disaster. The film famously suffered through a troubled production and underwent significant reshoots to change it from Trank's dark, David Cronenberg-inspired blend of superhero drama and horror movie into something more traditional. The film was a critical and commercial dud upon release.
One of the earliest roles fans of Michael B. Jordan will remember him for is Wallace in HBO's The Wire. Wallace was a 16-year-old drug dealer who met a tragic end, but a year prior to appearing on The Wire, Jordan made his movie debut with sports drama Hardball. The story followed Keanu Reeves' gambler, who tries to crawl his way out of debt by coaching a Little League team from Chicago's housing projects.
In classic sports movie tradition, the team is terrible at first but their coach gradually shapes them into a winning force. Michael B. Jordan played Jamal in Hardball, and while the role isn't huge, it did give an early glimpse of his range. Jamal has a little arc within the story, becoming an important part of the team until it's revealed his birth certificate was altered and he's too old to play. He's later seen as part of a gang, having nothing to do after being kicked off the team.
Hardball sees Michael B. Jordan's character go from a funny, promising baseball player to a kid who is forced to grow up too fast. Jordan's star has, of course, been in ascent since 2015. Despite the flop of Fantastic Four, he reteamed with Ryan Coogler for Rocky spinoff Creed, which was a major hit and spawned a 2018 sequel. His turn as villain Killmonger received praise in Black Panther, with the character considered one of the MCU's best villains; he will reprise the part for animated show What If...? His most recent role was in true-life drama Just Mercy, co-starring Jamie Foxx.