The James Marsden niche

James Marsden either has the worst agent in the world, or the best. My first (memorable) encouter with this actor was in The Notebook. He played Lon Hammond, the handsome, rich, practically perfect man who did not end up with the girl, but could not have been a nicer guy about it. Lon wasn't the villain, he wasn't keeping Noah and Allie apart, he was a really decent guy, and James played the part extremely well, so well in fact that he has basically played the same character ever since. Although I do remember him from X-Men, it was only after seeing The Notebook, that I realized it was the same guy. Maybe its because his sparkling blue eyes were covered, but more likely it was due to the fact that even in that movie, when he does "get" the girl (Jean Grey), no one left the theater thinking of him and her: it was all about Wolverine and the smoldering sexual tension between him and that other guy's wife. He played the same role in the sequels, and again in Superman Returns. He is with Kate Bosworth but, predictably, she chooses the superhero over him. And, again, it's not because he's a bad guy, he's great, but he's just not enter name here. Hairspray, same guy, Enchanted, which he was spectacular in, he again loses the girl to McLamey (I actually don't mind Patrick Dempsey, but I thought he was really stupid in this movie). His characters even have vanilla, second best names: Lon Hammond, Scott Summers, Richard White, Corny Collins, Prince Edward, come on! I am rooting for Marsden to one day be the guy who gets the girl because he really does have it going on in a conventional sense. He deserves one of those meaty leading man parts. Enough Arrested Development quotes for you? I know, impossible. What do you think? Has Marsden carved out a lucrative niche for himself? Is he like Paul Giamatti, who plays a small yet crucial role in about 27 movies a year? It is a steady paycheck after all, but I am thinking he's a little tired of people overlooking his good looks.