While many people are clamoring about our superheros being exported, I could care less about their nationality, I do have serious problems with American actors and American men in general being labeled as not manly enough.
Here is a list of some actors that are certainly manly enough for the rest of the world and Hollywood.
Brad Pitt
Known for movies such as fight club and Inglorious Basterds Pitt is certainly able to acheive any look that could be defined as manly.
Matt Damon
Umm how about the Bourne Trilogy? Ever heard of that? Is that Manly Enough for ya?
George Clooney
Star of the American, Batman and Robin, The Men who Stare at Goats, Leathernecks,and many more, Clooney Wears suits so fine he makes Sinatra look like a hobo.
Will Smith
Star of Hancock, Wild Wild West, Men in Black I and II, he played freaking Muhamed Ali.
Robert Downey Jr.
Lets see Iron Man Star also played an Australian Method Actor Kirk Lazarus in Tropic Thunder.He is so Manly he got to play the British equivalent of Superman...Sherlock Holmes.
or how about some other Names like:
Don Cheadle
Jeff Bridges
Clint Eastwood
Aaron Eckhart
Thomas Jane
Johnny Depp
Honestly I could keep on going. (Bruce Willis, Chuck Norris, Bradley Cooper, Mickey Rourke, Leonardo DiCaprio etc.) The point is that all of these guys at one point have either been in a superhero movie or have probably been offered one. The problem with our comic book movie's is that they are either box office Gold or they are poison. Star's are Hesitant to be asscociated with one role their entire life. You would see more of these guys that haven't done cbm's step up and do one if the writing and the direction are good. I do not believe that this is a problem of American Masculinity, I believe that it is a problem of Hollywood producers covering up their own failures.
sources:
wikipedia.org
imdb.com