One would have to be living under a rock to not see how absolutely massive the superhero movie genre is. Avengers: Endgame was once the highest-grossing film of all time, and superhero movies almost always take home the biggest numbers at each year’s box office. They also feature some of Hollywood’s biggest stars and even make them, even if their focus remains on the superheroes themselves. Safe to say, superhero films are gigantic in so many ways.
However, not everyone loves the genre, and many actually resent it for how much it took over entertainment throughout the 2010s. Yes, it is formulaic and often unfriendly to newcomers, but the superhero genre is also fun, thrilling, and often quite impressive. Even if you aren’t passionate about it, these total game-changers for superhero cinema are so popular, so effective and outright enjoyable that they can surely turn the biggest detractors into casual fans, at least for the movie’s runtime.
10
‘The Incredibles’ (2004)
Directed by Brad Bird
While Marvel and DC Comics may have a chokehold on the superhero genre, they’re not the only ones putting out some absolute bangers. Pixar Animation Studios brought one of the most iconic superhero families of all time to screens everywhere with The Incredibles. Set in a world during a retro-futuristic version of the ’60s, where superheroes have been effectively outlawed, Bob Parr (Craig T. Nelson) and his family get wrapped in a plot that’s killed dozens of the world’s greatest superheroes.
The Incredibles is not only an abundantly heartwarming superhero/family film for all ages, but it’s also a great commentary on topics like parasocial fans and government control. People really adored this film when it came out and it, to this day, remains one of Pixar’s best. It showed the world that Marvel and DC weren’t the only heavy hitters in the superhero world and that they could thrive in animation on a high-budget scale, too.
9
‘Blade’ (1998)
Directed by Stephen Norrington
Bladedid so much more for the world of superhero cinema than many general audiences realize. Besides the fact that it’s one of the earliest super-hits, it broke boundaries in many different ways that have significantly impacted the landscape to this day. It was one of the first huge box-office successes for a superhero movie that had an R rating. In the eyes of movie studios, R-rated films will always be incredibly hard to sell, which makes them hesitant to produce them unless they have a small budget. Blade was made for $45 million and made over $131 million worldwide, making it a huge box-office hit, which was unheard of for something like an R-rated superhero film.
Blade was also a big moment for Black cinema.Wesley Snipes carries the movie and defines himself as one of the most badass superhero protagonists, which made him a fan favorite for many. It paved the way for other superhero films with both an R-rating and a black lead. There’s a good chance that without Blade, movies like Deadpooland Black Panther would be a lot less possible.
8
‘The Avengers’ (2012)
Directed by Joss Whedon
Marvel Studios, for better and worse, has ushered in an age of cinematic universes. While the movies leading up to it had teased the big heroic team-up at its center, they solidified this new age with the release of 2012’s massive hit, The Avengers. Bringing together the primary stars from all five movies that came before, Joss Whedon and Marvel Studios assembled them as their Avengers and made history.
The Avengers isn’t a massively complex movie; in fact, it’s pretty straightforward, which is definitely for the better, as the best part of this movie is the characters, their arcs, and their dynamics together. Seeing these heroes come together for the first time was mind-boggling and proved to everyone that something so grand was possible and could be successful. The film’s massive triumph with critics and audiences led to almost every major franchise out there trying to build some sort of cinematic universe.
7
‘X-Men’ (2000)
Directed by Bryan Singer
The Avengers wasn’t the first major superhero team movie to be incredibly successful, though. All the way back in 2000, X-Men hit screens and introduced audiences to some of Marvel’s coolest characters. The movie’s first scene immediately did things differently, featuring a young Magneto (Sir Ian McKellen) in Auschwitz discovering his mutant abilities. From the get-go, it was clear the movie wasn’t going to be some goofy or lighthearted cape flick.X-Men took itself and its themes seriously, but not in a way that hurt it in the slightest.
The X-Men movie and the brand itself, from the very first comic to now, deal with some very serious and impactful social issues like discrimination. This makes their plots truly compelling, as they’re conveying real-world issues through a supernatural lens that audiences love, making it more palatable for viewers to understand and relate to. X-Men showed the world that superhero movies truly could touch on important things and make it work.
6
‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’ (2018)
Directed by Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman
Not only did Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse redefine the superhero genre, but it redefined the animation medium, as well. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was so impactful that after it came out, dozens of animated movies embraced the way this film went about its animation style and decided to get very stylistic and artistic. Movies like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem and shows like Arcane are proof.
It also introduced casual cinema fans to the characters of the Spider-Verse, especially Miles Morales (Shameik Moore), who had been a topic of debate in the comic community for quite some time. People far and wide fell in love with the new Web Slinger and thoroughly enjoyed his first adventure with the other Spider-People who ventured into his universe. It truly broke ground in superhero and animated cinema and shook things up for the better.
5
‘The Dark Knight’ (2008)
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Christopher Nolan‘s filmography has made him one of the most popular modern directors, and his foray into superhero films is a big part of it. Starting his tenure in the world of Batman with Batman Begins, Nolan followed up the movie with one of the best sequels of all time, The Dark Knight. The movie changed everything and is still extremely highly regarded to this very day. It has one of the best villain performances in cinema, thanks to Heath Ledger‘s iteration of the Joker.
Not only is it one of the best sequels of all time, but The Dark Knight is considered by many as the best superhero movie ever. It’s extremely grounded in reality to the point where some don’t consider it a stereotypical “superhero film” but rather a crime drama with some comic book elements. It asks some pretty heavy-hitting questions about modern society and morality while simultaneously delivering amazing Batman action. It’s a banger all the way through.
4
‘Iron Man’ (2008)
Directed by Jon Favreau
Despite being one of the biggest and highest-grossing franchises of all time, the MCU would be absolutely nothing without the works of Jon Favreauand Robert Downey Jr. in the making of Iron Man. Its success is the whole reason that Marvel Studios felt so confident moving forward with Phase One of the cinematic universe. With the studio not having many of their A-tier characters’ film rights, they were really balancing the fate of Marvel Studios on Iron Man‘s response.
Iron Man is a story that depicts a truly flawed hero who had a mountain to climb when it came to redeeming himself. Not only that, he was a superhero like Batman in that he had no powers and simply had money to fund his efforts. His redemption arc is the main reason people can relate to this film; it isn’t just one for Tony Stark, but for Robert Downey Jr., as well. Iron Man proved that superheroes can be genuinely flawed and not-so-great individuals and still work. He also subverted the genre at the end of the movie by revealing his secret identity to the world, something that had not really been done in superhero cinema before.
3
‘Spider-Man’ (2002)
Directed by Sam Raimi
The early days of superhero cinema were incredibly important to much success they have today. While X-Men and Blade were both great starts for Marvel (especially since DC Comics had Batman and Superman), it was their biggest character, Spider-Man, that made all the difference.Spider-Man is the most profitable superhero on the planet; of course, his first movie absolutely blew up and became a hit unlike any other.
Sam Raimi, hailing from the horror genre, stepped into the director’s chair and brought one of the most fun, compelling, and exciting superhero origin story films of all time with Spider-Man. The movie is filled with camp while still becoming genuine and serious when needed. This unique approach has led many to consider Raimi a master of balancing tone. Having an enormous hit from a character as popular as Spider-Man certainly had a huge hand in propelling the superhero genre to the top of the charts.
2
‘Batman’ (1989)
Directed by Tim Burton
Alongside the likes of Spider-Man, Batman is another one of the most popular superheroes of all time. People adore him, and it’s thanks to Tim Burton‘s Batman that cinema audiences really got a good first impression of him. Tim Burton’s unique and defined vision helped turn the world of Gotham City into something unlike anything viewers had seen before.
Michael Keaton did such a great job as the hero that, to this day, he’s many people’s favorite iteration of the character. While other superhero movies coming out around this time—even the Superman films—depicted a very standard-feeling world akin to real life, Burton did an excellent job of making the Batman mythos feel super special. The movie didn’t break any giant boundaries, but it was one of the first genuinely big superhero successes in film, which makes it a very impactful stepping stone to modern-day movies.
1
‘Superman’ (1978)
Directed by Richard Donner
When it comes to popular superhero films that can surely appeal to anyone, Superman is quite easily the biggest and most foundational of them all. Releasing all the way back in 1978, no one thought Superman was going to be as good as it was, but Richard Donner and Christopher Reeve defied all odds and delivered something that was so truly special and made people believe a man could fly.
The fact that Superman managed to depict everything it did and as well as it did is a masterclass in practical filmmaking. To see the feats they pulled off with the knowledge that it came out in 1978 is a wild experience. It also has to be mentioned that John Williams‘ iconic score is one of the most recognizable and iconic themes in cinema. Superman did so much, and there very well may be nothing that’s anywhere as fun, relatable, or celebratory of the genre.
