Michael B. Jordan has been appearing in blockbuster and highly acclaimed films since 2001. It takes a special kind of talent to have the physical ability to lead a sports franchise and the quiet introspection to play in serious dramas, but Jordan pulls it off. Jordan used early dramatic film roles to launch himself as one of the preeminent franchise stars in Hollywood. His success has been partly thanks to his partnership with another young star, Ryan Coogler, who has directed Jordan in several films, including the 2025 horror film Sinners.

Jordan’s most critically acclaimed movies have seen him playing protagonists and antagonists, equally impressive on both sides of the fence. His parts, even when they’re more minuscule, have always been exciting and surprising to watch. He manages to be both off-putting in his self-confidence and sympathetic simultaneously. It’s a common theme in Jordan’s films to root for his characters, even if he is working against the protagonist. Jordan has a significant number of critically acclaimed films and even the lesser ones are still worth a watch.

15 Fantastic Four (2015)

Johnny Storm/Human Torch

Fantasitc Four was a property that Fox struggled to develop, with three movies of varying levels of success, but all mostly derided by critics and fans alike. It was the 2015 version that finally caused Fox to give up on Marvel's First Family and allow the rights to revert to Marvel and Disney. However, there are things about Fantastic Four to like, and one of those is Michael B. Jordan as Johnny Storm, The Human Torch. While some fans hated the race switch, Jordan brought the charisma that Johnny exhibits in the comics.

The first half of Fantastic Four was a much better movie than many people . The family dynamic of the four and the lead-in to the big second half provided solid drama, some great action, and pretty good acting by everyone involved. It wasn't until the team went into another dimension to fight a mutated Doctor Doom that the film lost its footing and fell apart. However, Fantastic Four was at least a good superhero movie for half its running time and Jordan was a highlight.

14 Red Tails (2012)

Maurice Wilson

Red Tails was a 2012 war movie about a group of Black United States Army Air Force servicemen during World War II. The film is based on real individuals, but all the names were changed and the characters are mostly fictional recreations of the men who served at this time. The cast was impressive, with Terrence Howard, Cuba Gooding Jr., and David Oyelowo in the lead roles. Michael B. Jordan had a smaller role in the movie as Flight Officer Maurice "Bumps" Wilson.

Produced by George Lucas (but directed by Anthony Hemingway), Red Tails won Outstanding Motion Picture at the NAA Image Awards.

Wilson was one of the aviators who took on missions during World War II for the United States. Produced by George Lucas (but directed by Anthony Hemingway), Red Tails won Outstanding Motion Picture at the NAA Image Awards. It was a special role for Jordan, who said, "As a black male in Hollywood, you only get so many scripts where you get to portray and glorify our history” (via Daily Beast).

13 Hardball (2001)

Jamal

Starring Keanu Reeves, Hardball follows a down-on-his-luck gambler who has to coach an inner-city baseball team in order to cover his debts. Although he has more of a ing role, Hardball still stood out as it gave the world a glimpse of his acting skills. Similar to his character on The Wire, Jordan's Jamal is an innocent kid who gets unwillingly dragged into a life of crime after he is kicked off the team.

While the film is similar to other sports dramas of the early 2000s, this one resonated deeply as it was full of heartbreaking moments (such as G-Baby's death). Critics gave the movie mixed reviews when it came out, mostly praising the touching moments that occur throughout the running time, but also complaining that it is mostly just like any other sports movie that came out around the same time.

12 Fahrenheit 451 (2018)

Guy Montag

Fahrenheit 451 seemed like a perfect movie for Michael B. Jordan to take the lead in. Released in 2018, it is based on the groundbreaking novel by Ray Bradbury about a dystopian society where the government burns books, which are deemed illegal in that society. During that time in American history, this was something people feared could happen in the future, and the fear is back once again today.

However, there was a problem with the movie. It was deemed too simplistic of a retelling.

The film tells the story in its simplest form, with all books other than "simplified" versions of the Bible (with problematic scripture removed) and a few other basic classics (Moby DIck) are deemed illegal because they cause people to learn things and have independent thinking. Jordan plays one of the firemen who burn the books, but he starts to change his beliefs when he meets a woman who forces him to challenge his orders. While it received lackluster reviews, it did pick up five Primetime Emmy nominations.

11 A Journal For Jordan (2021)

Charles King

In A Journal for Jordan, Michael B. Jordan works with Denzel Washington for the first time in his career. The film follows the true story of 1st Sergeant Charles Monroe King (Jordan), who writes a journal for his newborn son before being killed in action in Iraq. It’s a heavy plot filled with some moving sequences thanks to Jordan’s confident portrayal. The film is occasionally over-sentimentalized, but the A Journal for Jordan are realistic enough to still make some of the emotional scenes moving.

Jordan received praise for his performance and the film picked up three NAA Image Award nominations.

An awkward plot structure does not help the messiness of the movie, however, and it earned a 39% on Rotten Tomatoes. However, most of the complaints went toward Washington's direction and the oversentimental aspects of the story, often driving it to melodrama. Despite that, though, Jordan received praise for his performance and the film picked up three NAA Image Award nominations, including Outstanding Directing and Outstanding Writing.

10 Without Remorse (2021)

John Kelly

ing the Tom Clancy cinematic universe (and the Amazon Original Movie space), Michael B. Jordan starred in Without Remorse, a 2021 action-thriller. In it, Jordan plays John Kelly, a Special Ops agent for the CIA who has appeared in Clancy novels and films in the past. In this outing, John takes revenge on Russian hitmen who killed his wife and child. Like many Tom Clancy films, Without Remorse, follows a fairly standard storyline for the series and is generic at worst.

However, Creed and Black Panther, putting to use every ounce of fighting knowledge he’s accumulated in the preceding years. This is one of Clancy's best novels and is based in the Jack Ryan universe, as John Kelly appeared in previous Ryan movies and books (although usually by a white actor). Despite the change, this gave Jordan a nice chance to take the lead in an action movie, and he was praised once again for his performance, even if the overall film was a bit generic.

9 Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)

Erik Killmonger

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever had a lot of expectations heaped upon it when it was announced. After the tragic ing away of the franchise’s star, Chadwick Boseman, there was no clear direction where the sequel could go. Coogler ended up creating a film that was able to introduce a new antihero, Namor, and his kingdom, Talokan, while also paying respect to the character T’Challa and Boseman himself.

Jordan reprises his role as Killmonger for a brief cameo when Shuri travels to the Ancestral Plane. He easily slips back into the arrogant and righteous villain, and, as he did in the past, Jordan manages to make the character's anger seem justified. The film was a touching goodbye to T'Challa (and Boseman) and also a ing of the torch to Shuri, who took over for her brother as the new Black Panther. It was important for Killmonger to be there, and his cameo was a highlight.

8 Chronicle (2012)

Steve Montgomery

Paranormal Activity reignited the found footage genre in 2007, but interest was beginning to wane in popularity around 2012, the same time The Avengers were signaling the avalanche of coming superhero films. Josh Trank’s Chronicle was released at the perfect crossroads. Chronicle follows a trio of high schoolers who gain superpowers after stumbling across a glowing meteor. Steve Montgomery (Michael B. Jordan) is the jock of the group and the one who takes the most joy out of their newfound powers.

Each of the characters views their abilities differently, and Jordan perfectly portrays a teenager who suddenly can pull off all the pranks he ever wanted to. Josh Trank delivered one of the best original superhero movies of the new century, one not based on a prior property and one that lives in the found-footage realm. It was so impressive that Trank got a chance to direct Fantastic Four, which saw him bring back Jordan to that franchise, although to a much more disappointing return.

7 Creed II (2018)

Adonis Creed

The popularity of the Rocky franchise meant there would always be another Creed story after the original. Rocky IV, the film it draws on, and continues the critical and commercial success of the Donnie Creed character. In Creed II, Donnie squares off against Viktor Drago (Florian Munteanu), Ivan Drago’s son. It’s a bigger affair than the first film considering Ivan killed Donnie’s father in a fight and the film, thankfully, never loses sight of that central conflict within the fighter.

Jordan, as always, is spectacular in the boxing sequences and gives Donnie the swagger and vulnerability necessary for the character. This was also a great rehabilitation movie for the character of Ivan Drago, while his appearance allowed Adonis to finally get past the death of his father, and for Rocky Balboa to finally put that moment to rest for good. Seeing Drago back in the Rocky universe was always a treat, and Jordan was able to once again rise above the talent surrounding him.

6 Creed III (2022)

Adonis Creed

The third Michael B. Jordan Creed movie is already one of his most impressive, with Jordan's return to the role of Adonis Creed in without Rocky Balboa, as Sylvester Stallone declined to return, Creed III shows there is a bright future for the franchise, especially with Jordan making an impressive directorial debut.

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The movie is also elevated by a personal conflict at its center with a figure from Adonis' past (Jonathan Majors) looking to take everything from him. The characters and personal stakes make it another excellent entry in the franchise, with the epic showdown between Jordan and Majors as the highlight. The movie had the star power of both Jordan and Majors, and the two men brilliantly played off each other to create what might go down as the best (if not most personal) Creed movie to date.