Michael B. Jordan has built a powerhouse reputation as one of the top action stars in Hollywood, blending raw athleticism, intense charisma, and emotional depth into roles that keep audiences on the edge of their seats. If you’re hunting for his best action-packed performances to dive into next, focus on films like Sinners, Creed, Black Panther, Chronicle, and Fantastic Four, where he unleashes superhuman feats, brutal fights, and high-stakes thrills that showcase why he’s a must-watch for action fans.
Start with Sinners, his most recent knockout from 2025, directed by longtime collaborator Ryan Coogler. In this vampire horror-action flick, Jordan pulls off a mind-bending dual role as twin brothers Smoke and Stack, two smooth-talking guys from the South who return home only to face a savage supernatural onslaught. Picture this: the brothers are just trying to hustle their way through life when a horde of bloodthirsty vampires descends on their town one fateful night. Jordan’s Smoke is the cooler, more calculated twin, wielding guns, improvised weapons, and street smarts to blast through undead foes in gritty, blood-soaked sequences that feel like John Wick meets supernatural terror. Stack, his hotter-headed brother, brings explosive energy, charging into melee brawls with fists flying and stakes plunging. The action ramps up with car chases through misty Southern nights, rooftop showdowns under the moon, and a climactic siege where the twins team up against a vampire overlord, dodging fangs, bullets, and firebombs. Jordan’s physical transformation is unreal—he bulked up differently for each twin, delivering synchronized fight choreography that’s both balletic and brutal. Critics rave about how he tests his limits here, making Sinners a fresh thrill ride that’s perfect if you want something new and vampiric with heart-pounding stakes. It’s already smashing box office records, proving Jordan’s draw in the action genre is stronger than ever.
No list of Jordan’s action gems skips the Creed franchise, where he steps into the gloves as Adonis Creed, the son of Apollo Creed from the Rocky series. Creed from 2015 kicks it off with Jordan as a hungry boxer rising from the streets of Tijuana to the bright lights of Philadelphia, training under a reluctant Rocky Balboa played by Sylvester Stallone. The action shines in the ring: slow-motion punches that crack ribs, sweat-drenched montages of hill sprints and meat-pounding sessions, and a finale that’s pure knockout fury against his father’s old rival. Jordan’s Adonis isn’t just muscle; he’s fire, channeling rage from his tough upbringing into hooks and uppercuts that feel earned. Then Creed II in 2018 ups the ante with Viktor Drago, son of the killer from Rocky IV, leading to a brutal rematch in Moscow. Jordan’s fights here are savage—body shots that echo through arenas, a grueling hospital recovery that fuels his comeback, and a desert training sequence dodging truck tires while hauling logs. By Creed III in 2023, which Jordan also directed, the action evolves into prison yard brawls, underground club fights with illegal gloves, and a personal showdown that’s more psychological warfare than boxing, with Adonis unleashing haymakers fueled by betrayal. These movies mix heart with haymakers, making every punch land like thunder.
Black Panther from 2018 catapults Jordan into the Marvel universe as Erik Killmonger, the ultimate villain-turned-action anti-hero. This isn’t your standard bad guy; Killmonger infiltrates the hidden African nation of Wakanda with a mission to arm the oppressed worldwide, leading to some of the franchise’s most electric combat. Jordan’s physicality dominates: he scales sheer cliffs in a ritual combat trial, shirtless and oiled, trading spear thrusts and flips with the king T’Challa. The real fireworks explode in the streets of London and the vibranium mines, where Killmonger dons a Panther suit, jet-boots blazing as he dogfights heroes mid-air, blasts energy rings from his gauntlets, and orchestrates a coup with ritual knife fights that draw real blood. His one-on-one with Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther on the Waterfall Falls is legendary—waterfalls roaring, claws slashing vibranium, bodies slamming against rocks in a primal clash of ideologies and fists. Jordan trained relentlessly in MMA, capoeira, and weapons work, making Killmonger a force of nature who’s as terrifying as he is tragic. It’s action with brains, where every flip and stab ties into a larger fight for power.
Don’t sleep on Chronicle from 2012, an early gem that put Jordan on the map as a budding action star. This found-footage sci-fi thriller follows three high school buddies who discover a glowing crystal in a cave, granting them telekinesis powers that spiral into chaos. Jordan plays Steve, the cocky jock who masters flight first, soaring through storm clouds like a human jet, hurling cars with mind bullets, and levitating crowds at rallies. The action builds from playground pranks—telekinetic dodgeball turning deadly—to full-on aerial dogfights over Seattle, where the teens unleash tornadoes of debris, shatter skyscrapers with force waves, and battle each other in mid-air spins that defy gravity. Jordan’s Steve starts heroic, pulling off rescues like catching falling planes, but his arc darkens into villainous rampages, ripping helicopters apart with invisible hands. The handheld camera style makes every power blast feel visceral and immediate, like you’re right there dodging the destruction. It’s a lean, mean 84-minute rush that proves Jordan could anchor superhero spectacles before he was a household name.
Fantastic Four from 2015 gives Jordan his straight-up superhero suit-up as Johnny Storm, the Human Torch, in this gritty reboot. Transformed by a cosmic experiment gone wrong, Johnny ignites into living flame, rocketing through the sky at Mach speeds, melting metal with fire blasts, and surfing flames in zero gravity. The action pops in the Baxter Building lab brawl, where he flames on for the first time, scorching alternate dimensions and dodging energy beams from his unstable sister. Later, facing the world-eating villain Doctor Doom on a shattered planet, Johnny leads flame dives into lava pits, superheats air into explosions, and teams with his family for a fiery assault that lights up the screen. Jordan nails the cocky playboy vibe, cracking wise while barbecuing bad guys, and his flame effects hold up as some of the film’s best practical-digital hybrids. Though the movie got mixed buzz, Jordan’s Torch steals every scene with high-flying heroics that scream blockbuster fun.
Red Tails from 2012 offers Jordan in a historical action thriller as one of the Tuskegee Airmen, the real-life Black WWII pilots who flew daring missions over Europe. As Lt. Malcolm “Little Junior” Jackson, he straps into P-51 Mustangs for dogfights that fill the skies with tracer fire, barrel rolls, and mid-air collisions. The film recreates bombing runs on German trains, strafing U-boats with .50 cal bursts, and evading Messerschmitts in furball chaos over Italian hills. Jordan’s character grows from rooki
