Superhero movies have been iconic since the very beginning of their tenure in cinema, and have only grown in popularity over the years, helping define the last century of film and shaping the industry as everyone knows it today. They’ve become some of the highest-produced and highest-grossing projects of all time, making them both huge critical and financial successes — most of the time, anyway.
Over the last century, some superhero movies have stood out among the rest, and still do, to this day. Sometimes, they’re an exciting political thriller, a character study of the most famous superhero on the planet, or a goofy space opera. Regardless of the approach, it’s hard to deny that these superhero flicks have earned their spot as the best of the best.
10
‘X2: X-Men United’ (2003)
The old X-Men franchise is credited for redefining the modern superhero age (alongside Sam Raimi‘s Spider-Man), bringing the industry to where it is now, while showing the world that these iconic characters can be done well in cinema. While the first X-Men movie is great, they really landed the plane with X2: X-Men United, which took everything great about the first movie and improved upon it.
X2: X-Men United immediately showed the world its quality with an opening unlike any other, featuring Nightcrawler (Alan Cumming) breaking into the White House in a spectacular and exhilarating sequence that has aged beautifully. The movie not only handles the topic of social discrimination, but delivers a great action adventure that is engaging from start to finish.
9
‘Black Panther’ (2018)
Sometimes, a superhero film hits a sweet spot, not only becoming one of the best out there, but also one of the most important. It can easily be said about Black Panther. After his big debut in Captain America: Civil War, the Wakandan king’s solo outing quickly became a project unlike any other. People absolutely adored this movie upon its release in 2018, garnering it some of the highest ratings for superhero cinema in the late 2010s.
Black Panther consisted of a cast and crew that was primarily Black, which had never really been done on a scale like this before. This ambitious approach is all thanks to director Ryan Coogler, who continued to prove himself as a visionary director unlike any other. With social and political importance and talent behind and in front of the camera, Black Panther has more than earned its place among the greatest of all time.
8
‘Avengers: Infinity War’ (2018)
Yes, one could argue that Avengers: Endgame could go here, but when looking at the two movies objectively, Avengers: Infinity War is the better movie. The pacing, performances, visual quality, scale, and overall directorial vision make Infinity War better when looking at it as a singular experience rather than a cinematic event.
It should’ve been impossible to make Infinity War work. The number of characters—while still managing to keep Thanos (Josh Brolin) as the protagonist, the fast pacing of the screenplay, the scale, and so much more — should have ensured that this movie would be a total and colossal mess. It’s only because of the minds behind it, Joe Russo and Anthony Russo, that the movie became as good as it was. Avengers: Infinity War has everything that a good Avengers movie needs, and then some. It’s not just an event film; it’s a phenomenal one.
7
‘Batman: Mask of the Phantasm’ (1993)
A general audience member may not assume that an animated movie is one of the best Batman movies of all time, but they’re proven wrong with the now-iconic Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. This 1993 film, set within Batman: The Animated Series‘ DC Animated Universe, is one of the greatest character studies of both Batman and Bruce Wayne (Kevin Conroy) out there.
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm shows audiences why this character is so important to people and pop culture as a whole. This flick really delves into why Bruce Wayne does what he does—why the Bat was born and how the persona affects his psyche. It’s probably the greatest depiction of Bruce Wayne in any medium, and anyone who’s even a minor fan of DC’s Dark Knight needs to see it.
6
‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ (2014)
Before its release, no one on Earth could have expected that Guardians of the Galaxy would become one of the greatest superhero movies ever made. Not only were they nobodies—most general audiences didn’t even know they existed—but they were also quite niche in the comic book space. However, when James Gunn and Marvel Studios brought this team to life in 2014, they showed everyone exactly why they should’ve been Guardians fans from the get-go.
Guardians of the Galaxy is an incredibly fun, unique, and emotionally compelling film, which won the hearts of audiences everywhere. Gunn didn’t just bring a joyful time, but introduced characters that, while wacky and unreal, could be related to and audiences could emotionally connect with. It’s a movie that can entertain people and make them cry or feel heartwarming, which is exactly the recipe for something really special.
5
‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’ (2014)
Captain America: The Winter Soldier is often considered one of, if not the best, Marvel Cinematic Universe entries in its 18-year tenure. This political thriller, brought to life by the Russo Brothers—their first film in the franchise, actually—is one of, well, the most thrilling superhero movies of all time. Many consider this movie to be the project that made Captain America cool and relevant again.
The film’s screenplay is very well-written and keeps audiences invested throughout, balancing superhero sensibilities with a distinct political thriller tone. The relationship between Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) and Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) is so well done and is incredibly emotionally compelling. This flick helped redefine the MCU and simply blew audiences away upon release, which helped cement the Russo Brothers as the future creatives of the MCU.
4
‘Spider-Man 2’ (2004)
Roger Ebert once said that Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2 was “the best superhero movie since the modern genre was launched with Superman.” He also said that the sequel was “simply and poignantly a realization that being Spider-Man is a burden that Peter Parker is not entirely willing to bear.” It’s really hard to put it better than that. Spider-Man 2 is commonly considered one of the best superhero movies put on the screen. Ebert gave the film 4/4 stars, which should say everything there is to say about it.
Spider-Man 2 is the perfect example of everything that a good sequel needs to be, to the point where it might just be the blueprint for making superhero follow-ups. Much like Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, this second entry is a phenomenal character study of the character, taking a deep look into the psyche of Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire)—what makes him tick, what drives him, and how the role of Spider-Man is both a gift and a massive curse, as well.
3
‘The Dark Knight’ (2008)
The “amazing sequel that is also one of the best superhero movies ever” trend didn’t end with Spider-Man 2. In 2008, the exceptional Christopher Nolan delivered a sequel to his 2005 hit, Batman Begins. The movie that came three years prior didn’t just impress people; it showed them that Nolan knew exactly what he was doing with the character, and he continued to prove it with The Dark Knight.
The Dark Knight is a borderline psychological thriller at times, with its antagonist, The Joker (Heath Ledger), putting Batman (Christian Bale) into situations in which things like morality and ethics are tested. This approach has helped it go down in history as an intelligent story, thanks to a screenplay that is genuinely studied by writers all over the industry. Not to mention, its place in history is solidified by having one of the best performances in superhero cinema from Ledger.
2
‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’ (2018)
Not only is Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse one of the greatest superhero flicks out there, but it has also completely redefined the animated film space as the world knows it. Without this animated masterpiece, audiences would not have content in the style of projects like Arcane, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, or Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. The effort put into the animation—attention to detail, unlike any other—really set them apart from anyone else.
The story of Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) is an inspiring one that reminds the world that, no matter who came before—in family, work, or anywhere in one’s life—all one needs to do is be themselves. The message about how anyone can wear the mask was also perfectly in line with who the Wall-Crawler is as a character. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse quickly became unforgettable, the representation of what modern animation could and should be.
1
‘The Incredibles’ (2004)
Funny enough, the best superhero movie of the last century does not come from either of the two superhero content titans, DC Comics or Marvel Entertainment. It actually comes from one of the biggest animated film companies, Pixar Animation Studios. In 2004, director Brad Bird (also known for The Iron Giant and Ratatouille) created The Incredibles, a heartwarming movie about family, being authentic vs. being comformative, and embracing one’s whole self. It’s an incredibly (pun intended) special movie that has yet to be passed up.
The Incredibles is human, surprisingly raw, and honest, while still being fun, action-packed, and hilarious. The production of this movie was pretty special, too, as it was the first-ever Pixar movie to feature a fully human cast and also have a PG-rating. The voice performances are astounding and allow these moments to be profound as they bring the animated characters on screen to life in a way no one else could have.
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