As the number of successful Marvel and DC projects continue to grow, the casting decisions for their iconic characters become harder and harder. Back when Toby Maguire played Spider-Man for the first time, there was nothing to compare his performance against. When Michael Keaton played Batman in the original masterpiece, he was only being compared with the campy Adam West.

Since then, things have intensified quite a bit. The Avengers have set a new standard for box office numbers. The CW has brought a popular and extremely profitable superhero world to the small screen. Two of the biggest characters in comics, Batman and Spider-Man, have actually changed faces multiple times. It's a brave new world.

As we look through past casting decisions, some will stand out as being absolutely perfect, producing what looks like a perfect match between the original comic book character and the actor chosen to portray him. Not all the choices that were made along the way can measure up however, as evidenced by Ryan Reynolds pathetic attempt to play the Green Lantern. The following choices were much better than that: