Crafting a sequel can be one of the hardest things to do in filmmaking. Thus, when a sequel is better than the original film, it’s a massive feat that is usually rightfully celebrated. Superhero films specifically struggle with sequel pains. In the superhero genre, a sequel is either going to be amazing or absolutely horrendous. When a superhero sequel is awesome, though, it can genuinely be considered one of the best, not only in its genre but in cinema as a whole.
A great superhero sequel can be a recent flick following up on one of the worst movies ever made, or a classic, early 2000s film that is one of the greatest movies ever made in the capes and tights genre. It’s this contrast that makes superhero sequels so impressive. However, as in any other film genre, some sequels are simply better than others. This list will rank the superhero sequels that are far superior to their predecessors, considering their story, character progression, place in their respective franchise, and their overall legacy.
10
‘The Wolverine’ (2013)
Directed by James Mangold
After the horrible X-Men Origins: Wolverine, almost any movie to come after was most certainly going to be considered better. There, quite literally, was nowhere to go but up from that flick. Thankfully, the sequel, The Wolverine, was actually pretty good. Brought to screens by the same director who would later make the masterpiece that is Logan, The Wolverine still doesn’t get as much credit as it deserves.
Movie-only enjoyers of the character may not know that, in the comics, Wolverine has a ton of character mythology in Japan. So, to differentiate itself from the first movie, director James Mangold decided to ship Logan (Hugh Jackman) overseas and have him face off against numerous foes as he begins to contemplate what his eventual death might look like.
9
‘Hellboy II: The Golden Army’ (2008)
Directed by Guillermo del Toro
There’s a reason that Guillermo del Toro is considered one of the best directors of this generation. While Hellboy II: The Golden Army most certainly isn’t his best movie, it’s definitely better than the first movie, Hellboy. It takes the characters and concepts introduced in Hellboy and builds on them in new ways that keep things engaging and interesting.
This isn’t to say that Hellboy is bad in any way, but Guillermo del Toro brought a certain sauce to Hellboy II: The Golden Army that made it just more enjoyable all-around in comparison. There’s so much to love here as the world expands and gets more developed and lived-in. Hellboy (Ron Perlman) as a character is just as fun as he is in the first movie, and keeps that electric feeling.
8
‘Blade II’ (2002)
Directed by Guillermo del Toro
Hellboy II: The Golden Army wasn’t Guillermo del Toro’s first foray into superhero film. In 2002, he took on yet another sequel to a popular superhero franchise at the time with his work on Blade II. After the non-stop blood-fest that was Blade, being able to follow it up was going to be pretty difficult. However, Guillermo del Toro managed to do so very well.
While the plot of Blade itself is definitely more compelling, Blade II as a collective whole is a better film, for sure. The production value is off the charts, the world is expanded in fun ways, Wesley Snipes continues to bring his A-game, and it challenges Blade’s character in a new way as he has to team up with vampires to get the job done this time around.
7
‘The Suicide Squad’ (2021)
Directed by James Gunn
Much like X-Men Origins: Wolverine, after the tragic horror of a production that was Suicide Squad, there was nowhere to go but upwards. It was so bad, however, that most people believed they’d never see the titular team ever again, as both characters and as a franchise. After a small spat with Marvel Studios, James Gunn ventured over to DC for a moment and decided he wanted to revive this series in the best way possible.
Having the man who made the Guardians of the Galaxy household names helm the follow-up to Suicide Squad was a brilliant move on DC’s part. The Suicide Squad is a fun, expressive, and electric movie that was a massive critical hit upon release, even though it suffered a bit financially because of the pandemic. Many credit this film with getting Gunn his current gig running DC Studios.
6
‘X2: X-Men United’ (2003)
Directed by Bryan Singer
If the opening scene with Nightcrawler (Alan Cumming) infiltrating the White House isn’t immediate proof that X2: X-Men United is better than X-Men, there can’t be much else that would. While this sequence shows audiences how much director Bryan Singer planned on upping the ante in stakes and spectacle, the story itself was also a step-up in terms of thematic and emotional weight and ambition.
The story pushes itself further on a scale than the past film simply didn’t. Yes, X-Men dealt with some serious and important issues, but X2: X-Men United saw how people responded to that and decided to dive in even further. This approach more than paid off for the project, as it took what was great about X-Men and made them even better.
5
‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ (2023)
Directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson
It’s safe to say that Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is an absolute masterpiece of both film and animation in general. Going into the green light for a sequel, then a trilogy, it felt impossible to imagine a world where whatever came next was able to surpass what had just arrived. After all, Miles Morales’ (Shameik Moore) origin story in the first movie is very compelling, and the animation work is still groundbreaking to this day.
No one was ready for how astounding Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse was going to be. It is often claimed to be the closest that Marvel has gotten to The Dark Knight in sequel work. The attention to detail in animation, stellar voice work, and great story from the first movie are made even better in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, and have left people practically begging for Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse to be great.
4
‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’ (2014)
Directed by Joe Russo and Anthony Russo
Captain America: The Winter Soldier did a lot for the MCU and Captain America as a pop-culture character altogether. Not only is it still regarded, to this day, as one of the best Marvel films ever made, but it’s often noted as the movie that “made Captain America cool again.” It feels like there’s so much to love in Captain America: The Winter Soldier that would take forever to express.
After the events of The Avengers, Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) lives in a world he doesn’t recognize, and Captain America: The Winter Soldier seeks to answer the question of how he’s going to survive. The world has changed, and Steve is being forced to realize this, the hard way. Making the choice to have Captain America: The Winter Soldier be a political thriller was a great one on the Russo brothers’ part, as it grounds the film in reality and makes everything feel so much more real. The plot is also wildly more compelling than that of Captain America: The First Avenger.
3
‘The Dark Knight’ (2008)
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Much like Guillermo del Toro, Christopher Nolan is commonly regarded as one of the best directors of the current age. With movies like Inception, Interstellar, and Oppenheimer under his belt, one can be confident in his artistry. Thus, we can assume that, when following up on his first entry in the Batman universe, the Oscar winner made something awesome.
Paired with great actors like Christian Bale and Heath Ledger, Nolan crafted a phenomenal movie. The Dark Knight, much like the next few superhero movie sequels, is known as one of the best sequels of all time, period; in fact, it was recently ranked as the best superhero movie of the 21st century by a New York Times poll. His sequel to Batman Begins contains some of his best storytelling and is a massive totem pole for where he was in his career in 2008.
2
‘Superman II’ (1980)
Directed by Richard Donner
Superman: The Movie made people believe a man could fly, but Superman II brought audiences up with him and showed them the sights from above. As Superman (Christopher Reeve) plans to give up his powers to be with Lois Lane (Margot Kidder), he accidentally awakens a group of Kryptonian criminals, who come to Earth to cause trouble.
Following the footsteps of Superman: The Movie, Superman II is a founding father of superhero film and sets the bar for every movie to come afterward in the superhero cinema space. It’s so much fun taking the bar up to 11 after already having it up so high with its timeless predecessor. Everyone on the cast and crew is clearly enjoying their time, too, as it’s clear through the artistry.
1
‘Spider-Man 2’ (2004)
Directed by Sam Raimi
Spider-Man 2 is known as one of the greatest superhero movies ever made, and there are a plethora of reasons why. Sam Raimi, for one, executes the story, action sequences, and structure in a way unlike any other director could have in his position, injecting it with so much flair, style, and even a hint of camp. Spider-Man 2 did far more than just follow up Spider-Man; it one-upped it in every way.
Who could possibly forget the iconic and thrilling train fight sequence or the absolutely badass and tragic new villain, Doctor Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina)? Everything a sequel needs to do, Spider-Man 2 does with excellence. The praises for Spider-Man 2 have been sung for ages and will continue to be because of how genuinely perfect it is as a sequel.