When discussing the topic of the most popular leading man in Hollywood, few would be hard-pressed not to include American actorMichael B. Jordanin that discussion. Having started his career in 1999 with a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it-bit role in the critically acclaimed mob drama,The Sopranos, Jordan has gone on to have a fruitful television and film career and has even found success appearing in music videos and lending his voice and likeness to video games. Appearing in everythingfrom heartwarming rom-comsto gritty action flicks to thought-provoking dramas, the actor has firmly displayed his range, and with Jordan’s production company, Outlier Society, rumored to be developing a Val Zod series for HBO Max, we’re excited to see what else he brings to the table.
One of the notable qualities that the thirty-six-year-old actor possesses is his strong onscreen presence. Even if Jordan is sharing the screen with the Italian Stallion himself, or the gone-way-too-soon Chadwick Boseman, Jordan’s charisma and acting chops help him hold his own. Without further ado, we’ll take a look at some of the NAACP Image Award-winning actor’s best roles, ranking them based on their popularity and pop-culture impact.
10Red Tails
Directed by Anthony Hemingway and co-written by John Ridley and Aaron McGruder, 2012’sRed Tailsis a war film about the Tuskegee Airmen and their service during World War II. Originally, George Lucas commenced production on the movie in the late eighties, but a series of production issues led to the movie spending decades in development hell. After Ridley was hired to write the screenplay in 2007, production continued, and the movie was eventually released in the first quarter of 2012. Although his screen time is limited, Jordan plays Maurice “Bumps” Wilson, a young and brash airman who wants to prove to himself and his fellow airmen that he’s brave and deserving of respect in 1940s America.
9Without Remorse
Jordan stars in 2021’sWithout Remorseas Senior Chief Petty Officer John Kelly, a US Navy SEAL hunting down the members of a Russian military group who murdered his pregnant wife. As John delves deeper into his search for the men responsible, he eventuallyuncovers a military conspiracywhose consequences could compromise the United States and Russia.
The film received mixed reviews from critics with many of them citing the movie’s predictable story and flat characters as weak spots. However, most were in agreement that Jordan wasRemorse’s strongest asset.Remorseoffered Jordan an opportunity to stray further away from his “sexiest man alive” image by playing John, as his character was ruthless, determined, and not at all concerned with the odds stacked against him. The movie’s prison fight and interrogation scenes are also noteworthy as they proudly displayed the actor’s ability to convincingly intimidate and intrigue his audience.
8That Awkward Moment
2014’sThat Awkward Momentis a rom-com from Focus Features starring Zac Efron, Miles Teller, and Jordan as three best friends who make a pact to remain single while they figure out if they’re emotionally mature enough for dating. While the film received mostly negative reviews from critics, the chemistry among the three leads was praised with most people citing their onscreen bromance as the movie’s highlight.
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That Awkward Momentmade our list because it displays Jordan’s ability to shed his tough-guy persona and deliver a convincing performance as a man down on his luck in the dating world. Additionally, we loved the chemistry the three actors shared, and we hope to see Jordan in a romantic comedy again in the near future.
7Chronicle
Director Josh Trank’s 2012 found-footage superhero movieChroniclefollows three teenagers in Seattle, Washington who develop telekinetic abilities after stumbling upon a mysterious artifact in the woods.Chroniclewas well-received and while the director cited the 1988 anime classicAkiraas one of the film’s influences, many fans of the animated film criticized Trank for ripping off the film. Nevertheless,Chroniclegrossed $126.6 million on a budget of only $15 million, thus solidifying it as a commercial success and launching the director’s career.
Jordan portrays Steve Montgomery, a popular kid who attends the same high school as the protagonists, and quickly befriends them after a chance meeting at a party. This role was notable forshowcasing Jordan’s charismaand potential as a leading man as his character’s death scene genuinely affected audiences. Even though his character would perish at the hands of his own best friend, Jordan and Trank would team up again for 2015’s controversialFantastic Four.
6Just Mercy
Just Mercyis a biographical legal drama directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and tells the story of determination and perseverance through the legal work of Bryan Stevenson (played by Jordan). Academy Award-winner Jamie Foxx and Brie Larson join Jordan in this powerful drama set in 1989 Montgomery, Alabama as Walter McMillan, an innocent Black man on death row, and Eva Ansley, a paralegal working to help Stevenson prove McMillan’s innocence. Based on a true story,Just Mercyscrutinizes the American Justice system and challenges viewers to consider what they can do to help make the nation a better place and ensure justice prevails for the nation’s citizens regardless of their ethnicity, class, etc.
Jordan delivers a brilliant and sincere performance as Stevenson, and he holds his own with the consistently great Foxx in every scene the two actors share. AlthoughJust Mercyisn’t the only example of Jordan playing a real-life figure on our list, his performance in this film shines because it is a prominent example of exposing people to little-known, yet important moments in U.S. history.
5Friday Night Lights
NBC’sFriday Night Lightsaired for five seasons from 2006 - 2011 and starred Kyle Chandler, Adrianne Palicki, Minka Kelly, and Jordan among many others.Friday Night Lightswas originally a 1990 non-fiction novel written by H.G. Bissinger before being adapted into the 2004 film of the same name by Peter Berg and was both a commercial and critical success, thus leading to its television adaptation.
Across seventy-six episodes,Friday Night Lightsaddressed many issues prominent in the fictional town of Dillon, Texas such as substance abuse, the importance of family, race relations, and economics. The show’s reliance on documentary-style filmmakingand casting of character actorsimmensely contributed toFriday Night Lights’ success, as these artistic decisions made the handling of its sensitive subject matter appear genuine and sincere.
For Jordan’s part, he plays Vince Howard, a troubled young man who isn’t far away from landing in juvenile detention prior to his meeting with coach Taylor (played by Chandler), and we immediately root for him because of his willingness to improve himself. The dynamic between Coach Taylor and Vince is one of a surrogate father and a misguided son, and the two actors bring a near-unmatched authenticity to their respective characters.
Despite having been in the industry for a decade by the time Vince was introduced to us, Jordan was still a relatively fresh face. Nevertheless, he impressed audiences and critics in his role as he portrayed the character’s arrogant side in season four and his more humble and mature side in season five perfectly. This role was also significant in Jordan’s career because, through Howard, he showed the world it is possible to rise above your circumstances and accomplish great things in life with the right balance of guidance and humility.
4Fruitvale Station
Well before the massive success of Marvel’sBlack Panther, USC film graduate Ryan Coogler and Jordan collaborated on 2013’s biographical dramaFruitvale Station. The movie sees the events leading up to the death of Oscar Grant III, a young Black man, at the hands of Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) police officer Johannes Mehserle in 2009 in Oakland, California. The story is gripping, and the drama is tense in Jordan and Coogler’s retelling of the tragedy, but the film was one of the earliest examples of Jordan’s dramatic range as well as his ability to carry a film almost single-handedly. The film was poignant as it exposed audiences to the harsh realities of police brutality and violence against Black men, and it played a huge part in starting the conversation about what could be done to prevent these tragedies.
Jordan’s performance inFruitvale Stationis brilliant because he handles the characterization of Grant with humility and respect, and together with Coogler’s script and directing, succeeds in humanizing someone who was otherwise mischaracterized as a thug. No stranger to his characters dying on screen, this one hits differently not just for the obvious reason, but also because Jordan’s acting convinces us that prior to Grant’s untimely death, he was sincerely on the path to improving himself and being the father his young daughter needed.
David Simon’s crime dramaThe Wireis often considered one of the greatest television series ever created due to its realistic portrayals of crime, police politics, and depictions of Baltimore, Maryland.The Wireaired from 2002 to 2008 and across five seasons, immersed audiences into the world of crime, law, and order all while introducing audiences to a complex cast of characters on both sides of the law who will forever be remembered by fans and critics alike. Additionally,The Wirehelped launch the careers of some of the industry’s strongest talent with unforgettable performancesfrom late actors Lance Reddickand Michael K. Williams to Dominic West, Wendell Pierce, Idris Elba, the criminally underrated Wood Harris, and Jordan.
Wallace is played by a then fifteen-year-old Jordan in one of his most memorable and beloved roles. Like many of the other men in Wallace’s life, he is a drug dealer working for Avon Barksdale and Stringer Bell (Harris and Elba, respectively), and acts as the first season’s moral center, often objecting to his crew’s harsher punishments against rivals. Additionally, Wallace acts as a surrogate older sibling to many of the younger children living in the projects near his drug hideout, thus displaying his aptitude to be someone far greater and significant than a drug dealer. Although Wallace is murdered before the first season’s conclusion, his character and performance left a strong impression and helped solidify the show’s bleak tone and somber atmosphere.
2Black Panther
Since 2008, the MCU has brought many of our favorite comic book characters to the big and small screen to varying degrees of success. Among those beloved characters is King T’Challa, better known as the Black Panther, a legendary warrior and King from the fictional African country Wakanda, who was brilliantly played by the late great Chadwick Boseman. 2018’sBlack Pantherreunited director Ryan Coogler and star Jordan in an action-packed story about identity and legacy that impressed audiences and critics worldwide.
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Jordan plays Erik “Killmonger” Stevens, a highly skilled mercenary from Oakland, California whose response to many of the injustices committed against Black people is to use Wakanda’s vast resources in a war against the culture’s oppressors. While Killmonger’s argument regarding Black Americans’ treatment in the United States, his methods weren’t and thus contributed to T’Challa and his team engaging in an all-out war against the antagonist.
Jordan blew audiences and critics away with his portrayal of the scorned mercenary largely because of his sheer intensity and effectiveness as an antagonist. Moreover, Jordan’s commitment to the role resulted in one of the MCU’s most physically imposing villains thus making Killmonger a cerebral and physical threat the likes we’ve rarely ever seen in cinema, and helping cement Jordan’s status as one of the industry’s best.
Lastly, we have what is perhaps Jordan’s most recognizable character, Adonis “Donnie” Creed. Reuniting Coogler and Jordan for the second time, Adonis debuted in 2015’sCreed, as the illegitimate son of Rocky Balboa’s rival-turned-friend, Apollo Creed. We soon discover that Adonis is more focused on establishing his own legacy rather than relying on the fame that his father earned during his career, and across three well-received films, we’d say Adonis succeeds in his mission.
Jordan plays the character in three live-action films and lends his voice and likeness to a 2018 video game partially based on the films. The character is beloved because Jordan and Coogler worked hard to ensure the character stands strong on his own while also paying respect to Balboa and his father before him. Moreover, the character is an interesting study of Black masculinityand identity in the United States. In a sport as testosterone-driven as boxing, some of Adonis’ best moments come from outside the ring when he’s vulnerable with his mother and his wife (played by Phylicia Rashad and Tessa Thompson respectively).
Jordan’s performance as Adonis is arguably his best because the character has evolved the most out of his other characters, is an excellent representation of Black men, and is arguably the role that launched the beloved actor to super-stardom.
