Ever since the superhero craze began decades ago, a plethora of superhero films have been released to the general public. Superheroes have become some of the most popular fictional characters of all time, thanks to the support they get from becoming gigantic film stars—Avengers: Endgame is consistently battling for the title of highest-grossing movie of all time, after all.
While not every superhero flick is perfect (is any film perfect?), they have a knack for keeping audiences engaged throughout their entire runtimes, thanks to how amazing the good ones typically end up being. Whether they hail from the Marvel universe, the world of DC, or somewhere wholly original, this is exactly why viewers all over the world have fallen so deeply in love with superhero films.
10
‘Logan’ (2017)
Directed by James Mangold
There’s something truly special about Hugh Jackman‘s time as James “Logan” Howlett, aka Wolverine. First appearing as the character in 2000 in the film X-Men, Jackman still stands as one of the longest-running actors to play a superhero. In 2017, however, his time was supposed to come to an end with the post-apocalyptic western, Logan.
Adapting the Marvel Comics storyline, “Old Man Logan”, Logan deals with the question of how long a man who feels as if he’s immortal can truly live. Not only that, but how long can a man hold on to rage and hate? Logan was released to extreme success on both box office and critical fronts. It was genuinely the perfect ending to Jackman’s time as Wolvie… until Deadpool & Wolverine was released.
9
‘X-Men: First Class’ (2011)
Directed by Matthew Vaughn
Speaking of the X-Men franchise, they have yet another extremely well-made movie in X-Men: First Class. Depicting the “first class” of mutants that would become the X-Men, X-Men: First Class shows the downfall of the friendship between Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Erik Lehnsherr (Michael Fassbender) as they bring them together to try and save the world.
X-Men: First Class is often pointed to when people are asked what the ideal X-Men film would be, especially now that the mutant team is going to make their way to the MCU here soon. Coming out after the era of the original trilogy of films, this prequel flick feels so unique and has such a raw and genuine emotional base to it that makes these mutants feel so real.
8
‘Kick-Ass’ (2010)
Directed by Matthew Vaughn
X-Men: First Class isn’t director Matthew Vaughn‘s only banger superhero movie, though. Just one year prior, he delivered a superhero film based on a brand that was independent in the form of Kick-Ass. This classic comic book by Mark Millar and John Romita Jr. was beloved by many before it went to theaters in 2010, and it was a great way to kick off the decade for superhero film.
Kick-Ass changed up the norm with absolutely raunchy attitude, humor, and action. Aaron Taylor-Johnson brings it as Dave Lizewski long before he stepped into the tights as Quicksilver five years later in Avengers: Age of Ultron. The performances are believable, everything feels raw, and the direction from Vaughn is very stylized.
7
‘Avengers: Infinity War’ (2018)
Directed by Joe Russo and Anthony Russo
Avengers: Infinity War should have been an impossible film to make. The amount of characters it had to juggle, the plot it had to weave, all while simultaneously keeping Thanos (Josh Brolin) the main protagonist of the whole show. Most directors would struggle with something like this, but the duo that is the Russo brothers managed to kill it.
The spectacle is cranked to the nines, the visual effects are some of the best in the MCU, and the stakes have never been higher by this point. It’s a non-stop thrill ride the whole runtime through, yet also allows itself to slow down when it’s necessary to keep the viewers emotionally invested to the absolute end.
6
‘Batman: Under the Red Hood’ (2010)
Directed by Brandon Vietti
Despite not being known by the grand public, Batman: Under the Red Hood is quite easily one of the best Batman films there is. Adapting the story from the comics of the same name, Batman: Under the Red Hood doesn’t just tell a well-animated tale, but one that takes the thesis of everything Batman (Bruce Greenwood) stands for and represents it perfectly.
Some might say that the greatest tragedy of Batman’s life is the loss of his parents, sure, but the Caped Crusader’s greatest failure is the death of his second Robin, Jason Todd (Jensen Ackles). Batman: Under the Red Hood shows it off with not just great animation, but an absolutely phenomenal voice cast to back it, too.
5
‘Shazam!’ (2019)
Directed by David F. Sandberg
After popping off for making Lights Out, no one expected DC and Warner Bros. to come to the one and only David F. Sandberg to bring the newest DC hero to the big screen. When he did, though, he absolutely hit the nail right on the head. Despite being a horror director, he brought one of the most youthful and heartwarming DC films to life.
Shazam! tells the story of one Billy Batson (Asher Angel) as he finds a family while looking for the one he always wished he had. While doing so, he comes across powers unlike any other and becomes the superhero known as Shazam! It not only knocked it out of the park critically but monetarily, too, which is actually huge thanks to Avengers: Infinity War releasing the same year.
4
‘Iron Man’ (2008)
Directed by Jon Favreau
Iron Man is the entire reason the MCU was even created in the first place, so there’s already no doubting that such a significance in culture comes with a pretty high “amazing” factor. Iron Man takes it to a whole other level, though. Being made on what feels like half of a script (based on Jeff Bridges‘ comments about making the film), it feels like a miracle that the movie ended up as great as it is.
The CGI is top-notch, Robert Downey Jr.‘s performance is stellar, Jon Favreau‘s directorial prowess is ever-present, and with all this in mind, there’s no question why Iron Man helped redefine the genre for the better. Marvel Studios, Favreau, and Downey Jr. took the world by storm like no other superhero film had in quite some time.
3
‘The Dark Knight’ (2008)
Directed by Christopher Nolan
What can be said about The Dark Knight that hasn’t been said a million times over by now? It’s one of the greatest superhero films ever made, and that’s not just hyperbole for fun. It’s genuinely earned all of the massive praise thrown at it in the nearly 20 years it’s been since the movie hit screens. It was directed by Christopher Nolan, so who can really be surprised?
It’s been said dozens of times that this flick has one of the best villain performances in cinema, thanks to Heath Ledger as the Joker. The way he and Christian Bale counteract each other on screen makes for an astounding dynamic. The screenplay by Nolan and his brother, Jonathan Nolan, is also something to be marveled at, as it’s exceptionally well-written.
2
‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’ (2014)
Directed by Joe Russo and Anthony Russo
Much like The Dark Knight, Captain America: The Winter Soldier is among the best of the best when it comes to superhero films and most certainly with the MCU. After a great first film with Captain America: The First Avenger, the Russo brothers came to the table to play with Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) and killed it—reinventing the character almost wholly.
The Russos and Marvel Studios took the genre of the political thriller and made Captain America into an enemy of the United States government. With his best friend returning from the past as the greatest villain he’ll ever face, Steve Rogers’ world gets flipped upside down and holds the audience along for the entire ride.
1
‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ (2014)
Directed by James Gunn
With Superman almost here, people find themselves to looking at James Gunn‘s past projects to get an idea of what to expect. The best one of his to look at is most certainly the likes of Guardians of the Galaxy, which may very well be considered his best work… so far. He not only proved what he could do with a brand within the superhero realm, but also the kind of stories he can tell, too.
He not only proved he could do a lot with a little (given the Guardians’ public reputation at the time), but also depicted the kind of heart and soul he can inject into the stories he tells. His directorial skills are exceptional and never have they been on better display than here in Guardians of the Galaxy. There’s a lot to love about this movie in the visuals, writing, and especially the soundtrack fronts.