Well, I'd be willing to give Ashton a chance. Remember all the squealing when Michael Keaton, a comic, got the role of the dark and brooding Batman? Christopher Reeves was far too skinny to play Superman and only agreed to do it if he was allowed to bulk up on his own rather than have a padded suit (something I would hope would happen if Ashton does do the part). You never know what might happen, sometimes it's the odd freaks that surprise you. A lot of the off the wall comedians have turned out to be fairly decent actors. Heck, who would ever have thought to put Robin Williams in a drama? I mean really, the guy is a spastic nutball, he could never pull it off.
I agree that Marvel characters have always been closer to reality, that was their intent from the start. It's interesting that for so long it was Marvel movies that were completely lame and a total bust, and DC that had the "quality" movies (although Marvel dominated television). Now it seems as though they may have flip-flopped with Marvel really upping the bar on what quality means in the realm of a "comic book" movie, although they still have their bombs and should be more careful. I mean DD kinda sucked and I'm very wary of the upcoming Punisher. I just don't see Thomas Jane as the Punisher, but maybe that's just me.