Australian actors have played numerous memorable roles in Hollywood movies. Today, many of the biggest names in Hollywood come from down under. Russell Crowe, Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman, Cate Blanchette, Chris and Liam Hemsworth, Margot Robbie, Mia Wasikowska, Rebel Wilson, just to name a few.

Along with dozens more, the stars from Australia have gained a firm hold in Hollywood film industry and exert great influence over the choice of roles in mainstream movies. Whether for their brilliant performance, fine physique or even sexual appeal, Australian actors have proved to be a great success on the silver screen.

Michael Douglas, the veteran American actor, cried crisis in 2015 over the taking-over of roles by actors from Australia and Britain. Especially when it comes to masculinity, Douglas commented, Aussies have an edge.

That’s probably why Australian actors are popularly cast in superhero films, the main revenue-generating genre in Hollywood these days.

These are a slew of important roles played by Aussies in superhero movies (all photos are from IMDb’s gallery):

A Sydney native, Hugh Jackman is best known for his role as Wolverine in the X-Men franchise. Before he made his name in Hollywood, he starred in the Australian TV production Correlli. He first played Wolverine in X-Men in 2000. The movie was a hit and propelled Jackman to super stardom. For many fans, Jackman is the Wolverine.

Eric Banner grew up in Melbourne and started off as a stand-up comedian. He became recognized for his portrayal in 2000’s Australian film Chopper. In 2001, he appeared in Hollywood blockbuster Black Hawk Down. In 2003, he played Hulk.

It was a one-time performance though. Edward Norton took up the role in the 2008’s sequel The Incredible Hulk, and Mark Ruffalo played the green beast in the Avengers movies.

Born in Melbourne, Chris Hemsworth began his career when he played a role in Australian drama series Home and Away. In 2009, he made a brief appearance in Star Trek as George Kirk. Then in 2011, he was cast as Thor and his popularity soared.

Growing up in Gold Coast, Margot Robbie started her acting career in Australian movies. In 2011, she landed her breakthrough role in American TV series Pam AM. Then in 2013, her Hollywood career took flight when she co-starred alongside Leonardo DiCaprio and Matthew McConaughey in The Wolf of Wall Street. DC’s Suicide Squad in 2016 was bashed by critics, but Robbie’s role as Harley Quinn was so popular that a spinoff movie was sparked and will soon go into production.

Jai Courtney came from Sydney and graduated from Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. In 2010, he played a role in the American TV series Spartacus: War of the Damned and broke out to become a big star. He played the main antagonist in Tom Cruise’s Jack Reacher in 2012 and then co-starred alongside Bruce Willis in A Good Day to Die Hard in 2013. Courtney plays Captain Boomerang in Suicide Squad.

Cate Blanchett was born in Melbourne and graduated from Australia’s National Institute of Dramatic Art. She was active on stage in Australian theaters before her movie career.

In 2018, Cate Blanchett will play Hela in Thor: Ragnarok, the first main female villain in a superhero film.

Raised in Sydney, Nicole Kidman is touted as one of the top Australian imports to Hollywood. Elegant and always charismatic on screen, Kidman played many unforgettable roles in Hollywood movies, ranging from romance, action, drama to musicals. Her most famous work includes Far and Away (1992), The Peacemaker (1997), Moulin Rouge! (2001), Cold Mountain (2003), and Nine (2009).

In DC’s latest superhero film Aquaman (2018), Kidman plays the mother of Aquaman. At 51, she stuns the audience with her beautiful portrait of the mermaid warrior queen Atlanna.

The Melburnian Ruby Rose was once the presenter on MTV Australia and did some high-profile modeling gigs. She rose to fame for her role in Netflix’s Orange is the New Black, and brought her acting career to a higher level soon afterwards.

In the past few years, Ruby Rose landed big roles in several Hollywood blockbusters, such as Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2016), xXx: Return of Xander Cage (2017), and John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017).

In 2019, Ruby Rose will appear as the lead in the TV series Batwoman.