Michael B. Jordan is one of the fastest rising names in all of Hollywood right now, quickly making a mark in the industry with his incredible performances. Having been involved in some major franchises to stand alone, gripping movies, he has proven he is a tremendous talent.
While he burst onto the scene as a young actor on television, he has only gone from strength to strength since that point. He's played a wide variety of roles throughout his career, from incredible superheroes to major villains and everything in between. Here are 10 of his roles ranked from the most heroic to the most villainous.
Bryan Stevenson (Just Mercy)
Michael B. Jordan's most recent movie, Just Mercy, has provided his most heroic character to date. Playing, Bryan Stevenson, who is a real person, Michael B. Jordan really brought his story to life in a gripping and emotional movie that told his story to perfection.
Bryan Stevenson spends his life helping those on death row who have been wrongfully convicted. He has saved countless people from being killed when they didn't deserve to be and started out doing so without even getting paid. He is a true real-life hero, and that's why he is the most heroic character he has ever played.
Human Torch (Fantastic Four)
Up next is Michael B. Jordan's role as the Human Torch from the 2015 Fantastic Four movie. This one just had to rank high on his heroic scale, after all, he is literally playing a superhero. While Johnny Storm is always quite a confident, bordering on arrogant character, he is deep down, a brilliant one.
The movie itself did receive fairly negative reviews, but Michael B. Jordan does shine through with his performance in this one. He is perfectly suited to being a superhero and it would not be a surprise to see him play a superhero again in the future.
Cyborg (Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox)
Fantastic Four isn't actually the only time that Michael B. Jordan has played a superhero. In the animated film, Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox he played the voice of the character Cyborg, a member of the Justice League and a very popular character.
Justice League movies are incredibly popular due to the number of superheroes involved in them. While the animated, direct to DVD movies may not be as popular and well-known as others on this list, it is a great movie and is certainly one of his most heroic roles.
Mikey (The Awkward Moment)
Michael B. Jordan's character in, The Awkward Moment may not have superpowers or be battling for the greater good in the court of law but that doesn't mean he isn't a great guy. The movie focuses on three friends trying to live a simple life with no relationships.
However, his character, Mikey has gotten married and things aren't quite going to plan. However, even though his wife wants to divorce him, he proves what sort of a person he is by sticking it out and working hard to try and save the relationship. Even though they end up parting ways, the character is one that has fantastic morals who works hard to do the right thing throughout.
Guy Montag (Fahrenheit 451)
This movie is set in the future, after a second civil war, which leads to America's books being burned by 'firemen.' Michael B. Jordan portrays Guy Montag, who has that job and has to go around burning books, which he does without any hesitation.
However, he eventually makes the decision to rebel against it and learn how the "Eels" (who read books are outcast) work. He realizes he also wants to read and goes about a plan to help a rebel, who wants to reproduce information through animals, encoding books into a bird's DNA. Guy's story is a redemption one as he ends up choosing the right thing, proving he has a great moral compass.
Adonis Creed (Creed)
The Creed movies have brought boxing films back to life with two incredible movies continuing the storyline as Michael B. Jordan took on the role of Adonis Creed. He is the extramarital love of former heavyweight champion Apollo Creed who is serving time in the youth detention center.
While he starts off in a rocky place, not always behaving when he learns of his history, Adonis quickly looks to follow in his father's footsteps and begins training with Rocky Balboa. He quickly earns the respect of others around him with his attitude and work ethic and while he isn't exactly a hero, he is certainly a character you can route for.
Oscar Grant (Fruitvale Station)
Just Mercy isn't the only time that Michael B. Jordan took on the responsibility of portraying a real-life person, as he also did that for Fruitvale Station as he played Oscar Grant. He was a young man who was unfortunately shot and killed by a BART police officer.
Once again, he takes on the role beautifully, and the characters change during the movie is clear to see as he tries to improve his life. However, it is clear he made mistakes such as his infidelity, which is why it ranks closer to the villain role, but he does certainly improve as a person before his fateful death, which is incredibly emotional.
Steve (Chronicle)
In Chronicle, Michael B. Jordan plays the character Steve, one of a trio of high school seniors who gain telekinetic powers. While none of them is outwardly evil or villainous, they don't exactly use their powers for good either. Often pulling pranks on other people, at one point pushing someone off a road and into a river.
However, Steve isn't the worst of the three and when Andrew begins to struggle with his powers, it is Steve who tries to help him. However, this incident actually leads to his death. His time in the film doesn't show Steve in the greatest of light, but it is more as an overconfident high school kid than an outright villain.
Wallace (The Wire)
Michael B. Jordan's first major credit happened to be on the popular television show, The Wire, where he played Wallace. He was one of the original characters who was a 16-year-old drug dealer who got involved with the wrong crowd at the wrong time in his life.
He provides information that leads to the brutal death of Brandon Wright, proving what sort of character he was. Even though Wallace tries to turn his life around by informing on people to the police, this ultimately leads to his death and sadly the majority of his life was spent being a criminal and on the more villainous side of the spectrum.
Killmonger (Black Panther)
Not only is this arguably Michael B. Jordan's greatest performance, but it is also his most villainous. However, the reason that the villain of Black Panther is so great is that as an audience, you can actually find ways to feel sympathy with the character.
Deep down, Killmonger believes what he is doing is correct and justified and from his point of view, it is easy to see why he is bitter towards Wakanda. He does have a birthright to the throne, but it's decision making after he gets it that showcases how evil he is.