55 Best Superhero Movies of All Time, Ranked

As all the aforementioned movies show, there's some serious competition when it comes to picking a single superhero film to be the greatest of all time. Yet for as fantastic as its fellow great superhero movies are, none stand quite as tall as The Dark Knight, which was already seen as a brilliant superhero film upon release, and has only gotten better with age - somehow - in the years since 2008.

Batman Begins is a solid origin story, and The Dark Knight Rises is a messy but compelling finale, but neither's quite as great as the trilogy's perfect middle chapter, The Dark Knight. From the opening bank heist, to Heath Ledger's iconic take on the Joker, to the devastating plot twists, to that memorable car chase sequence, to all the iconic lines, and the powerfully bittersweet ending, The Dark Knight is simply a phenomenal film for each minute of its lengthy 2.5-hour runtime. It's a film that ranks among the greatest movies of its decade, and 15 years on from release, it remains the very best superhero film of all time.

Before the MCU's live-action Spider-Man series tackled the multiverse in 2021, an animated film in 2018, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, did it even better. It's surprising just how great this movie was, and how it took everyone by surprise, given that even though an animated movie about Miles Morales meeting various Spider-Man variants sounded interesting, few would've expected it to be a genuine - and instant - superhero classic.

It might not be a stretch to say that a superhero origin story has never been done better, with Miles' personal journey from awkward high-schooler to one of many Spider-People being perfectly told, and incredibly emotional. Beyond being an introduction to Miles, it's also an introduction to the Spider-Verse, and all the weird and wonderful Spider-People within it. It's a movie that comments on the history of Spider-Man while also telling a unique and visually dazzling story, perfectly mixing the familiar and the vibrantly new to expert effect, all adding up to a movie that's a genuine masterpiece.

There are more than 30 movies in the MCU, as of 2023, and that's not even counting all the titles that have been released as TV seasons on Disney+. It's an all-encompassing behemoth of a franchise at this point, but there's no getting around the brutal truth that as far as the MCU goes, things are probably never going to get any better than Avengers: Infinity War.

Almost every character from the first three phases of the MCU shows up here, all brought together to take on Thanos, who's determined to obtain every Infinity Stone and use them to eradicate half of all life in the universe. The stakes are impossibly high, and the tension is palpable throughout the entire runtime, with non-stop action and a sense that the good guys really don't have plot armor anymore. Thanos himself is also the best villain in the entire MCU, and the way Infinity War effectively makes him the main character is fascinating. Infinity War is a dark, fun, gripping, and memorable film, and it's impressive that such a huge movie came together as well as this.

It's impossible to say that big-budget superhero movies weren't great until the 2000s simply because Superman exists, and 40+ years later is still one of the best of the genre. It's an old-fashioned and incredibly charming film, with it easily being the greatest movie to feature the one superhero who's arguably the most famous of all time.

Superman is big-hearted without ever being corny, with the titular hero getting into very few fights, and instead being shown to use his powers more often than not to save people. It's an optimistic film full of hope and love for the title character, and though superhero movies that have followed tend to get a little darker or more violent, Superman remains a charming novelty of sorts to this day, thanks to its passionate and spirited depiction of an iconic comic book hero.

Peter Parker/Spider-Man is one of the greatest superheroes of all time because his exploits often prove to be painfully relatable. He's strong and heroic, but consistently feels like an underdog, frequently clashing with powerful villains and also struggling with all that life can throw a person's way, ultimately making it greatly satisfying to see him overcome the various challenges he faces.

And nothing understands this element of the character quite as effectively as Spider-Man 2 does, and though it sits in the middle of an overall good trilogy, it's still easily the best of the Spider-Man films directed by Sam Raimi and starring Tobey Maguire. Viewers might not be able to relate when Spider-Man has to fight a mad scientist with robotic arms, but they will probably be able to relate to relationship problems, working dead-end jobs, dealing with demanding landlords, and having sore backs. That a film can be so relatable, funny, and human while also having great action and exciting fantastical elements makes Spider-Man 2 pretty much perfect.

To this day, Black Panther holds the rare distinction of being the only superhero movie nominated for Best Picture (unless you want to count Joker, though that one focuses on a villain rather than a hero). It was the first MCU movie to feature a predominantly Black cast, as well as a Black central hero, memorably portrayed by the late Chadwick Boseman.

While the titular character was first introduced in Captain America: Civil War, Black Panther gave him a chance to shine, and served as a proper introduction to the world of Wakanda. Beyond being a step forward for diversity in the superhero genre, Black Panther is also an exciting and very engaging film, helpfully boosted by Ryan Coogler's direction and its cast, most notably Michael B. Jordan as the complex antagonist Kilmonger, who remains one of the MCU's greatest villains to date.

At the time, few could've pictured what it would spawn, but in hindsight, Iron Man is one of the most important superhero movies of all time. Its release marked the official start of the MCU, and though Iron Man as a character wasn't as obscure as say the Guardians of the Galaxy, he wasn't exactly a household name before 2008.

It took viewers by surprise upon release, and introduced a unique tone to the superhero genre, given it was a little grittier and more realistic than much of what had come before, but not to the point where it would turn off younger viewers. Iron Man was well-written, well-cast, and incredibly exciting, and understandably helped make the MCU the cultural juggernaut it is today.

If Logan counts as a sequel to the previous X-Men movies featuring Wolverine, then it's easily one of the greatest sequels of all time. But to call it a sequel feels a little like a disservice, or at least partially misleading, seeing as it feels remarkably different from the X-Men movies that preceded it.

It's a more intimate movie than previous X-Men movies, with a somber tone and brutal fight sequences that are jarringly violent compared to what came before. But Wolverine's a hero with retractable claws in his hands, so it makes sense. In any event, Logan is a thrilling take on the character, and served as a great swansong for the character that Hugh Jackman so memorably played... until the announcement that he'd be in the third Deadpool, that is.

The DC films often seem to be playing catch up to the Marvel ones, but not in the case of Wonder Woman, which came out before any MCU movie featured a female title character. Narratively, this has a similar approach to the first Captain America movie, being an origin story for Wonder Woman that largely takes place during one of the World Wars (here, it's WW1, and in Captain America, it's WW2).

It showed that the origin story approach for a superhero film still has legs, because Wonder Woman worked incredibly well as a movie for its character, who's always been iconic despite - prior to 2017 - not having a big, successful film to her name. Besides a slightly flawed climax, Wonder Woman is an entertaining blast of a movie, and arguably the DCEU's best release of them all.

With a fantastic 1970s soundtrack, flawed yet endearing characters, and a great sense of humor, Guardians of the Galaxy was another great 2014 release for the MCU. It plucked the titular characters out of obscurity and instantly made them household names, given that before 2014, the Guardians of the Galaxy series wasn't well-known by those who weren't big comic book fans.

It packs a great deal into just two hours, and overall feels like one of the most consistent and fully-formed MCU movies (that it has two compelling sequels really just feels like an added bonus). Sci-fi, superheroes, and comedy all combined here to great effect, making Guardians of the Galaxy a movie that stands as a clear MCU highlight.

As The Incredibles shows, you don't need a comic book to adapt from in order to make a great superhero film. It's an action/adventure movie, a comedy, and a family drama all rolled up into one, centering on a super-powered family living at a point in time when being a superhero is outlawed.

As is the case with many great Pixar films, it holds equal appeal for young and old viewers, the former being dazzled by the colorful action and the latter being pleasantly surprised by the film's exploration of midlife crises. The Incredibles is an animated movie that's aged beautifully, and though its 2018 sequel wasn't bad, it doesn't come close to touching the original's greatness.

Despite being called Avengers: Endgame, this was by no means designed to be a definitive conclusion for the MCU (strangely enough, it wasn't even the final movie of Phase 3). It did, however, serve to be a conclusion for the first 11 years of the MCU in many ways, seeing as it sent off - in bittersweet fashion - several popular characters who'd been instrumental in making the series what it is today.

At three hours long, Avengers: Endgame is a true epic that works to resolve the previous film's cliffhanger, send the heroes on one final, desperate mission, and then bring everything together for a huge final battle. Somehow, it all manages to work exceptionally well, and it's hard to imagine many fans of the MCU coming away from Endgame disappointed in any way.

A good sequel that became great thanks to a director's cut being released over two decades after the original cut's release, Superman II is a worthy follow-up to the 1978 classic. Lex Luthor returns to make Superman's life hard, as does a group of criminals from Superman's home planet, who come to Earth led by the fearsome General Zod.

Superman II might come close to feeling over-stuffed, but it balances the multiple villains with grace, and functions well as a slightly darker - yet ultimately still fun - film for the titular hero. It's always challenging to make one of the most powerful heroes in the history of fiction vulnerable and/or human, but Superman II does a remarkable job of doing just that.

Is it too soon to consider Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse as one of the all-time great superhero movies? Absolutely not, because it's undeniably a fantastic movie, with its quality being comparable to the first Spider-Verse film, ensuring it's arguably one of the greatest superhero movie sequels of all time.

The animation looks out of this world, the new heroes (and villains) are super entertaining, and it expertly - and somewhat cruelly - sets up what's sure to be a great third film with one supremely jarring cliffhanger. It only hurts because the whole movie's so good, and audiences clearly want more, with its strong box office earnings helping to demonstrate how the Spider-Verse - and its sticky grip on pop culture - is here to stay.

2014 saw the release of two MCU movies that are now considered among the franchise's very best, with Captain America: The Winter Soldier being the first of the pair. It combines superhero action with a paranoia-heavy spy thriller premise, seeing Captain America get wrapped up with S.H.I.E.L.D.-related complications and a new, very dangerous foe known only as the Winter Soldier.

As a film, it's a blast, and shows how a long-running series like the MCU can benefit from branching out a little more, because this does function like a conspiracy thriller as much as it does a superhero action movie. It improved upon the already solid 2011 Captain America movie, and helped establish The First Avenger himself as one of Marvel's best and most popular heroes.

The Avengers was not the first MCU movie by any means, but it was one of the most important for the franchise, which has proven to be one of the biggest in cinema history. It ended the MCU's first phase in style, bringing together six heroes for one giant mission: stopping an alien invasion led by Thor's (adopted) brother: Loki.

Of course, subsequent Avengers films have raised the stakes and scale considerably, making 2012's The Avengers look a little quaint by today's standards. But for the time, The Avengers' team-up was phenomenal and surprisingly successful, helping to firmly establish that the MCU was here to stay, and that big-budget superhero movies had well and truly become box office catnip.

The Batman went full-on neo-noir with its take on the titular character, and the movie was honestly pretty phenomenal as a result. The Batman has a fairly steady pace and a huge runtime that reaches almost three hours, but it never feels boring, managing to feel exciting and unique because it feels more like a crime/noir movie than an action one.

The titular character here is younger and more tortured than usual, with the intensity Robert Pattinson brings to the role making it feel like one of the most interesting versions of Batman in years. It's a moody, beautiful, and engrossing film, and makes the idea of seeing Pattinson return to the role an exceptionally exciting one.

Of all the comedy-heavy MCU movies, Thor: Ragnarok might be the best (and funniest) that doesn't feature a certain team of guardians who tend to save the galaxy. It revitalized Thor as a character, because while he'd been a good supporting character in the first two Avengers movies, his first two solo films had been a little lacking.

Ragnarok presented the character in a less serious and more enjoyable manner, though its frequent comedy existed alongside a fairly serious story, given Thor goes through a lot here, and is forced to deal with a huge amount of loss. It turns one of the MCU's most powerful characters into something of an underdog, making Ragnarok more exciting, more emotionally investing, and far funnier than the first two movies featuring the God of Thunder.

Batman was a huge deal upon its release in 1989, and holds up to this day as a compelling live-action adaptation of a beloved comic book character. It was Michael Keaton's first time playing Bruce Wayne/Batman, with him knocking it out of the park alongside fellow park-knocker Jack Nicholson, who brought his typical intensity and strangely unnerving charm to the role of the Joker.

You've got great performances, a distinctly Tim Burton world that's stylishly presented, and a story that sees Batman clashing with his most infamous foe. Batman is a bold and confident superhero movie that proves incredibly hard to dislike or nitpick, and remains significant for being one of the very best pre-2000 superhero movies.

Deadpool tells a dependable and somewhat familiar origin story in a remarkably snarky fashion, poking fun at superhero tropes in a super blunt way. After all, the title character breaks the fourth wall and consistently draws attention to the absurdity of things in a way that may be annoying for some while being funny for others.

But to an extent, Deadpool as a character is supposed to be annoying, and those who can get on board with the film's sense of humor and violent action should have a good time. Deadpool was one of the first (certainly not the very first) films in the genre to prove successful, even as a superhero movie with an R-rating, further demonstrating the genre's potential to present stories that are very much not suitable for all ages.

M. Night Shyamalan was ahead of his time when he made Unbreakable, as this feels like a grounded deconstruction of modern superhero movies, made just before the current wave of superhero movies really took off. It's a serious look at being blessed (or cursed) with superpowers, taking this realistic approach and playing it for drama, rather than laughs.

This makes Unbreakable a strange but also hard-to-forget take on superheroes, with it having a haunting quality that makes it one of Shyamalan's very best movies. It also ended up forming an unexpected trilogy with 2017's compelling Split and 2019's less-than-amazing Glass. Oh well, two out of three ain't bad...

Multiverse movies are all the rage nowadays, and though an abundance of them will likely fatigue audiences at a point, for now, people seem to like the opportunities afforded by the multiverse. Spider-Man: No Way Home demonstrated this well, as it used the idea of universe-hopping to combine the MCU's Spider-Man - played by Tom Holland - with the heroes and villains from previous big-screen iterations of the character.

The result was what might be one of the biggest crowd-pleasers of the 2020s so far, with No Way Home serving as a live-action celebration of the character's last two decades on screen. It is not the best Spider-Man movie by any means, but it's one of the most entertaining and exciting, and still deserves to be considered a great one.

With Batman Returns, Batman returned in a movie that proved even darker and less kid-friendly than the 1989 movie it was a sequel to. Batman Returns is a wild and sometimes uncomfortable film, but admirable for how uncompromising and ambitious it is, pitting the titular superhero against numerous threats/new villains.

It's quite twisted for a mainstream superhero movie, and certainly pushes the PG-13 rating to its limits, feeling reminiscent of a horror movie at times. For those who like Batman dark, or those who enjoy the undeniably unique style of Tim Burton and his visual sensibilities, Batman Returns is one of the best in its franchise. It's also impressive for how far it leans into the whole gothic side of Batman, never quite becoming a horror movie exactly, but also not feeling too far off.

Time travel is always tricky to do well in a movie, and needing to balance a premise so dependent on it with superhero-heavy action/thrills is extra ambitious. Somehow, X-Men: Days of Future Past made it all work exceptionally well, and even more, it managed to bridge the gap between the 2000s X-Men trilogy and the 2010s movies, which began with 2011's X-Men: First Class.

X-Men: Days of Future Past juggles so many things at once, having a plot that sees various characters teaming with their younger selves so that they can collectively save the world. Fans of the earlier X-Men movies will be happy, fans of the newer ones will similarly be satisfied, and fans who enjoy both iterations/timelines will probably be in heaven watching Days of Future Past.

While they might not be quite as well-known as the live-action movies, there's a surprisingly high number of animated Batman movies, with 1993's Mask of the Phantasm being the most acclaimed of them all. It pits Batman against a new foe who's been murdering various crime bosses in Gotham, which leads to Bruce Wayne having to go on the run after he's mistaken for this new killer.

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm tells a compelling story within a very brief runtime, seeing as the whole thing clocks in at under 80 minutes. It's also memorable for focusing more on the crime-solving/mystery aspect of the Batman series, rather than being purely action-focused (though when it does pick up steam in the action department, Mask of the Phantasm also satisfies there).

Animation and superhero stories go together well, given the format can be used to depict heightened fantastical and/or futuristic worlds in ways that most live-action films would struggle to. Big Hero 6 is an example of how to do an animated superhero movie right, and holds up as a fun, emotional, and exciting family-friendly film.

It follows a young boy who befriends an inflatable robot called Baymax after a tragedy in his family, with the boy eventually forming a superhero team with said robot and his friends. It's a colorful and heartfelt movie, and one of those great kid's movies where it doesn't feel like it's only designed to appeal to children.

Do not watch the 2017 version of Justice League, as it's a complete mess, lacks both heart and logic, and overall serves as a textbook example of how not to do a superhero team-up movie. Thankfully, the director's cut - Zack Snyder's Justice League - is not a complete mess, and though it's a gigantic and imperfect film, it is an impressive one, and ultimately stands as a much stronger movie.

Zack Snyder's Justice League runs for a staggering four hours, but uses that time to flesh out all the members of the titular team while ensuring their first mission together feels suitably grand. It suffers a bit toward the end, given it has a series of epilogue-type scenes setting up movies that'll probably never happen, but the rest of it works well, and to this day remains the longest superhero movie of all time.

The Crow absolutely screams 1990s in every way, and is all the more glorious for it. It's a dark and brooding gothic revenge movie, adding a supernatural twist to the superhero genre by having the plot revolve around a man who comes back from the dead, and seeks vengeance on the criminals who gunned him and his fiancée down.

The Crow is an incredibly stylish movie, and does a remarkable job of capturing comic book visuals in a live-action format while telling a simple yet emotionally moving story. It's also regrettably one of the few films Brandon Lee ever starred in, as he tragically died at just 28 years old while filming The Crow, after an accident with a prop gun on set proved fatal.

Nowadays, there are numerous darkly comedic superhero properties that take their characters to dark places while also being unafraid to show explicit violence (demonstrated by shows like The Boys and the Deadpool movies). Back in 2010, this kind of approach felt more novel, and was one reason why Kick-Ass felt like such a breath of fresh air.

Kick-Ass is a tad more grounded than many superhero movies, showing the inevitable struggles that a teenage boy would experience should he one day decide to become a superhero/vigilante. For those who want another violent and darkly funny deconstruction of the genre released in 2010, Super is also easy to recommend. What's difficult to recommend, on the other hand, is 2013's Kick-Ass 2. That one should be avoided, as it, unfortunately, kicks very little ass.

The first Blade, released in 1998, was a significant superhero movie in numerous ways, as it pushed boundaries in terms of violence, felt a little more hard-edged than the superhero movies that had come before it, and also was one of the first comic book movies with a Black lead. It is a solid movie, but its sequel, 2002's Blade II, is even better.

While the first laid the groundwork, Blade II is simply more fun, with a little more personality and better action sequences, at least partially thanks to it being directed by Guillermo del Toro. It is unabashedly cheesy and silly at points, but it feels self-aware and confident throughout, making it a blast to watch.

After a 2016 movie that really didn't work, The Suicide Squad proved to be a reboot/sequel of sorts to Suicide Squad that was an overall much stronger film. Both had similar premises, having criminal characters given dangerous missions to take part in with the promise of reduced sentences if the missions were successful, but the execution made all the difference here.

The Suicide Squad is a blast to watch, and combines violent action, crude humor, and some genuinely emotional moments together to great effect. It's a strange superhero movie, somehow feeling both risky and accessible at once, and thankfully exists to at least in part redeem the franchise after the 2016 movie.

A well-balanced, well-cast, and very well-written film all around, 2002’s Spider-Man worked in tandem with the original X-Men (2000) to prove there was box office gold to be mined from the superhero genre. It was an origin story for Peter Parker/Spider-Man, and though that term might be tainted by a proliferation of such narratives, it felt fresh in 2002, particularly for anyone who didn’t know much about the character of Spider-Man beyond the basics.

And even comic book readers would have found themselves impressed by various elements of Spider-Man, because while the story could’ve been familiar, the scale, ambition, budget, and tone made the movie unlike much else before it. A landmark Spider-Man movie, it was a true blockbuster in every sense of the word, and a seminal entry within the overall – and ever-expanding – canon of comic book/superhero movies.

Batman Begins may well be the most comprehensible and least overwhelming movie Christopher Nolan's ever directed. As the title suggests, it's an origin story for the character of Bruce Wayne/Batman, showing his tragic past and how he came to take on the responsibility of being a vigilante who fights wrongdoers in the crime-ridden city of Gotham.

The best was yet to come, when it came to Nolan's trilogy, but Batman Begins got things off to an undeniably compelling start. It was a breath of fresh air back in 2005 to have a superhero movie take itself so seriously, and generally carry itself well, making this film a historically significant one for how people viewed the superhero genre going forward.

After a solid original Hellboy movie in 2004, Guillermo del Toro really let loose with its sequel, 2008's The Golden Army, by combining superhero action with wonderfully dark fantasy. Hellboy II: The Golden Army also ups the stakes considerably, forcing the titular hero and his team to take on an elvish prince who's threatening to take over the world with his mechanical army.

Some could accuse the first Hellboy of being style over substance, but those people might be ignoring just how good the style is. And when it comes to the second movie, the style's even more stylish. There is also some genuine substance and emotion to its compelling story, making Hellboy II: The Golden Army a remarkably improved sequel and one of the most underrated superhero movies in recent memory.

The original X-Men series got off to a decent enough start with the original film in 2000, which was one of the first truly successful superhero blockbusters. Despite that, it's hard to argue against its 2003 sequel - X2: X-Men United - being even better. It revolves around an anti-mutant former Army Commander who causes trouble among the heroes.

X2: X-Men United is a more confident film with more satisfying action, and balances an even larger cast of characters exceptionally well. The icing on the cake of it all is that it's also home to a Brian Cox performance, where he plays the lead antagonist, Col. William Stryker. Anyone who's seen the excellent HBO series Succession will be well aware of how much Cox can bring to a villainous role.

The third movie within one of the most compelling trilogies in the MCU, Captain America: Civil War is a huge film featuring many of the characters who appeared throughout the first three phases of the MCU. As the title suggests, the heroes are at odds and are torn apart by a series of conflicts that may have been orchestrated by a mastermind who wants to see Earth's mightiest heroes implode.

Captain America: Civil War was a movie that did a good job of shaking up the status quo, with the effects of the film's ending ultimately having an influence on several years worth of movies that followed. Additionally, this movie's also home to one of the biggest and most celebrated action sequences in the entire MCU: that of the airport battle.

Some years before ever working for Marvel or DC, James Gunn directed his first superhero movie (of sorts) with Super, in 2010. It’s definitely more low-budget and crudely made compared to his later efforts, but it did demonstrate that he had serious potential in both writing and directing subversive or slightly offbeat films that also managed to fit within the superhero genre.

In the case of Super, it’s incredibly dark and brutally realistic, telling the story of a disturbed man with nothing to lose becoming a vigilante known as Crimson Bolt. Super is unafraid to show some seriously graphic violence, especially considering Crimson Bolt’s weapon of choice is a wrench, but those with strong stomachs and a willingness to see something different as far as superhero/vigilante movies go ought to check it out.

Standing as an introduction for many (though not all) to the X-Men franchise and the variety of characters within it, 2000’s X-Men was a landmark film for the superhero genre. X-Men balanced a wide variety of heroes and villains with superpowers, showing how best to execute this kind of movie with an ensemble cast, allowing everyone to shine and establishing plenty of memorable character dynamics.

Perhaps it all looks and feels a bit quaint by today’s standards, but the original live-action X-Men movie was a big deal when released at the start of the 21st century. Beyond introducing characters, it also tells a compelling story of heroic mutants battling evil ones for the fate of the world, and paved the way for many sequels/spin-offs/reboots to continue the series, and sometimes even surpass this initial film.

The Super Inframan is fairly obscure by superhero movie standards, but that doesn’t mean it’s undeserving of being considered up there with the very best. It’s something of a cult classic, being an absurd martial arts movie that also ambitiously sets its sights on being a work of science fiction and a weird superhero film, following a man who agrees to be experimented on, so he can become the titular hero.

From there, his destiny is to battle various monsters that are being led by a dangerous alien who wants to conquer the world, effectively being the only hope for the human race. The Super Inframan is very cheesy and one would be hard-pressed to call it high-budget… yet it’s also super charming and feels a little like it was written by a 10-year-old in the best way possible. It’s the kind of movie where, while watching it, it’s hard to imagine someone not having a good time.

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There were an unusually high number of great movie sequels released in 2017, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 just so happened to be one of them. After the 2014 movie did a great job of making the titular squad instantly lovable and fan favorites within the MCU, Vol. 2 of what ended up being a trilogy was able to hit the ground running with already-established character dynamics, and was able to particularly explore Peter Quill’s past following him being reunited with his estranged father.

It might not run as smoothly as the first Guardians film, but Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 works by once again being funny, visually dazzling, well-scored with plenty of iconic music, and pushing its characters into some deeper and more emotionally intense areas. The mid-to-late 2010s were a good time to be a fan of the MCU, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 was one of many reasons for that.

Violent and brooding in an uncompromising way, 2009’s Watchmen feels like a Zack Snyder movie through and through, meaning fans of the director’s style will have a blast, and his detractors will likely remain unconverted. It’s an adaptation of the famed comic book series of the same name, and though it doesn’t prove as successful as a deconstruction of superhero-centered stories, it still at least touches upon that side of things.

Watchmen’s potential thematic shortcomings are easier to overlook, however, when a film adaptation looks as consistently great as this 2009 movie does. It’s bombastic, hyper-stylized, and makes sure you see it all, thanks to plenty of sequences unfolding with healthy amounts of slow motion. Additionally, those who want to see another adaptation align a little closer to the comic series’ tone and themes thankfully have the HBO miniseries to watch, which was released in 2019.

While its action might not quite be great enough for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings to feel like an all-time great martial arts movie, it was cool to see a film from the MCU take inspiration from such films. The titular hero is incredibly talented at hand-to-hand combat, leading to plenty of great action set pieces that are melded well with various fantastical elements that also serve to distinguish the film from most other MCU entries.

On top of all that, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings does have the kind of familiar humor and pacing one finds in a modern superhero movie, but it’s all executed better across the board than much of the rest of the MCU’s fourth phase. It gets the job done and then some, and proves to be an incredibly entertaining watch.

Starring Warren Beatty, Madonna, and a surprisingly Oscar-nominated Al Pacino, Dick Tracy could well claim to have one of the most impressive casts in the history of comic book/superhero movies. Beyond that main three, the cast also includes the likes of Mandy Patinkin, Dustin Hoffman, Dick Van Dyke, Paul Sorvino, James Caan, Kathy Bates, and Catherine O'Hara, to name just a few.

The look of Dick Tracy is similarly impressive, bringing comic book styling and sensibilities to the format of a live-action film in a bolder – and arguably better – way than most comparable films. The storyline, on the other hand, is fairly barebones, revolving around the titular hero taking on a group of vicious gangsters… but it’s the star power and style of Dick Tracy that go hand-in-hand to make it an impressive oddity, and one that still holds up as quite surprising and entertaining to this day.

Another unique superhero movie, Zebraman comes from the mind of Takashi Miike, the relentless and prolific Japanese filmmaker best known for controversial movies like Audition and Ichi the Killer. Zebraman, however, sees Miike tone down some of his more alarming or disturbing sensibilities, making something that feels like it could generally appeal to people of most (not all) ages, so long as such people also possess suitably strange senses of humor.

Zebraman follows a man going through a midlife crisis, and the way his life changes drastically when he decides to take on a vigilante persona in secret: the titular hero, Zebraman. Absurd comedy and some rather silly action scenes ensue, with things getting even wilder once aliens enter the picture. It’s not going to be for everyone, but its willingness to do something weird and commit to it wholeheartedly does make Zebraman admirable and oftentimes fun.

The textbook definition of a 1980s sci-fi cult classic, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension can also count itself as an offbeat, charming, and quite funny superhero film. The titular character is a man of many talents, and he runs a gang called the Hong Kong Cavaliers, all of whom band together to defend Earth from alien invaders that hail from the (also titular) 8th dimension.

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension is wild and more than a bit silly (if you couldn’t tell from the title alone), but it’s the kind of thing that’s unafraid to do its own thing, taking no prisoners all the while. There’s a sense of style and confidence here that’s truly admirable, and those after a superhero movie that feels like no other superhero movie ought to check this underrated 1980s movie out.

Chronicle takes the found footage format and pushes it in an interesting direction, not being a found footage horror movie but, in actuality, a found footage superhero origin story… in a way. The plot involves three high school students learning that they’re developing strange powers, which at first is thrilling, but then becomes harrowing when one of the three starts enjoying the power he’s been given a little too much.

It's presented in a way that won’t appeal to those sensitive to motion sickness, but might well appeal to those who’ve grown tired of seeing stories about people with superpowers presented in traditionally cinematic ways. Chronicle is grounded, intense, and very well-paced, coming in at under 90 minutes and delivering a simple yet effective story bolstered immensely by its novel presentation.

A charming film that also goes to show how science fiction doesn’t always need to be futuristic, The Rocketeer delivers an old-school adventurous spirit and feels rather quaint today, given how prevalent the superhero genre’s become. It’s set during World War II, and involves a pilot becoming an instrumental figure for America in the war against Nazi Germany.

Notably, he gets a rocket-pack that allows him to fly around at a great speed, and from there, he takes part in a simple yet thoroughly engaging “good vs. evil” story that works well for what it is. Other parts of The Rocketeer may not hold up as well, at least on the technical side of things, given the film’s age. But, on the other hand, many flaws are able to be overlooked, or even go so far as to add to the film’s charms.

1994 was a good year for movies in general, but it was also a notably great 12-month period for Jim Carrey. The actor exploded in popularity to a considerable extent, with lead roles in three movies that performed well financially and are still up there with his most well-known: Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Dumb and Dumber, and The Mask.

The last of those is perhaps the strangest of the bunch, standing alongside the other two by being a comedy, but also functioning as an offbeat superhero movie with crime/fantasy/action elements added for good measure. It centers on an ordinary man who finds his personality and appearance changing after discovering and wearing the titular mask, with chaos and comical misadventures ensuing. It’s certainly a film of its time, but The Mask was a relatively early indication of how profitable/popular comic book movies could be, predating the genre’s boom in the early 2000s by a few years.

The films of Zack Snyder can certainly be divisive, but he’s nevertheless made a mark on the superhero genre and has an undeniably distinctive style (some would say for better, some would say for worse). He’s also noteworthy for kicking off the ultimately short-lived DC Extended Universe with Man of Steel, a movie that confidently took the legendary character of Superman and revitalized him for the modern day.

It's another origin story, so it's one that people are likely familiar with, but Snyder’s style and the expert casting of Henry Cavill helps it stand out and largely work. The action gets over-blown at a point, but Man of Steel effectively makes Superman feel like a modern-day mythological figure, with Cavill being supported by a talented cast that includes – but is not limited to – the likes of Kevin Costner, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, and Laurence Fishburne.

Sam Raimi is a director who’s intrinsically tied to the superhero genre, mostly thanks to a certain web-slinger whose movies will be mentioned a little later… but his first foray into the genre is less well-known. That movie is Darkman, with the titular character (AKA Dr. Peyton Westlake) not being based on a previously established comic book character, and instead being from a short story that Raimi himself had already written.

Darkman is a strange kind of superhero movie, being a good deal darker in tone than many others out there, and also being a homage to classic horror movies from decades past, particularly those produced by Universal Pictures. Exploring a story about a wronged man impacted severely by a medical experiment, Darkman is all over the place but in a generally fun way, and has earned its cult status for sure.

Not everything in the overall RoboCop franchise is gold, but the original movie from 1987 certainly is, and shines as an immensely satisfying blend of action, science fiction, and satire. Some may question its status as a superhero movie, but it does function as a darkly funny one, in many ways, following a man who’s reborn as the titular figure, losing much of his humanity but also becoming an unstoppable crime-fighting machine.

RoboCop is ludicrously violent in a way that still packs a punch today, though much of it (beyond a horrifying scene early on) is played for dark comedy. It delivers the same sorts of thrills - and perhaps even a familiar origin story kind of narrative - that are found in a good many superhero movies, but nevertheless feels like a non-traditional one, even if you want to classify it as a kind of superhero movie. In any event, this is far from a bad thing, though.

Most people were well-versed with the origin story of Peter Parker/Spider-Man by 2017, so it was a wise decision for Spider-Man: Homecoming to gloss over a lot of that stuff, with Parker’s powers already established and no need to see Uncle Ben die (yet again). Genre-wise, it also feels unique, because, on top of being an action film, this superhero movie also feels more like a coming-of-age movie than other Spider-Man movies (and a funny one at that).

Tom Holland certainly feels more youthful than either Tobey Maguire or Andrew Garfield did, and the energy he brings to the role is rather infectious. It kicked off a solid trilogy that established Spider-Man in the MCU, with Homecoming still holding up well a few years on from its release, being fun, sometimes (kind of) low-stakes, but ultimately satisfying as a superhero flick.

While its sequel might’ve been disappointing, the original Shazam! from 2019 was well-received and perhaps even a pleasant surprise, coming out at a time when superheroes seemed particularly dominant within pop culture. The premise of Shazam! involves a young boy being able to turn into an adult superhero whenever he utters the titular phrase, leading to inevitable comedy and chaos as he balances an immature outlook on life with impressive physical powers.

It sticks to what works when it comes to superhero origin stories, but the blend of action and comedy works to make Shazam! extremely watchable and an overall approachable superhero film. It’s unclear what the future holds for more movies in this series (they might not happen), but at least this original movie will always exist, and should hopefully remain a fun watch as the years march on.

Few people are going to label Batman Forever as their favorite Batman movie, but it might also be possible to call it a little over-hated/overlooked. It came out following Tim Burton’s two live-action films, and got a little campier with things, though not to the point of Batman & Robin, which also has some fans but more detractors (both were directed by Joel Schumacher).

It’s visually engaging, Val Kilmer makes for an underrated Bruce Wayne/Batman, and Tommy Lee Jones and Jim Carrey are clearly enjoying themselves in villainous roles (as Two-Face and the Riddler, respectively). So long as one goes into Batman Forever expecting a certain amount of comic book-flavored camp, a good time is likely to follow, even if the approach taken here might be something of an acquired taste.

There’s no doubt about it: the X-Men film series has been through some pretty significant ups and downs over the years, since it all kicked off in 2000 (that original film being a pretty significant one for the overall superhero genre). 2006 and 2009 saw the releases of X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men Origins: Wolverine respectively, with neither being particularly well-received, to say the least.

As such, it fell on 2011’s X-Men: First Class to rejuvenate the series, and it largely succeeded, bringing back familiar characters but showing them when they were younger, and having new stars like Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, and Jennifer Lawrence. It’s a fun time and a very entertaining comic book movie, and gave way to an even better sequel three years later (more on that one a little later).