The 51 Best Superhero Movies Ever

30. Super (2010)

William Dass: Frank Darbo is exactly the dimwitted do-gooder the world sometimes needs. He’s much funnier than Frank Castle and a whole lot less gruff. However, he will still hit a fool in the face with a pipe wrench. This comedy is about as dark and deep as the gravity well of a collapsed star as it turns the idea of a reality-based, gritty crime-fighter flick up to eleven. His wife Sarah, overcome by her addictions, abandoned him to shack up with a strip-club owning drug dealer by the name of Jacques. Frank is blessed one night by the finger of God, which directs him to the Holy Avenger and a holy mission: Fight crime. Save Sarah.

Wait, who made this? Super has an all-star cast and crew. It’s the brainchild of James Gunn, who you might know from those dope Guardians of the Galaxy movies. It stars Rainn Wilson, Ellen Page, Liv Tyler, Kevin Bacon, Nathan Fillion, Michael Rooker, and Andre Royo. It’s scored by Tyler Bates. For $2.5 million, they made one of the best of the gritty hero movies. Not for nothing, but they also coined the best catchphrase: “Shut up, crime!”

Just how the heckfire do you become a crime fighter? Read comics! Take notes. Make your costume. Head out onto the street. Exercise patience, followed by acute acts of aggression with a pipe-wrench. If you witness somebody deal drugs or line-cut, don’t just stand there. Get out your pipe wrench. Hit that Too Good For The Rules Johnny right in his Johnny Jerk Skull. Way to go, crime fighter!

29. Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

Rob Hunter: Along with Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins this first adventure with Captain America sits as the best of the modern-day superhero origin stories thanks to its performances, action, and recognizable yearning to be better.

Is there a better character arc in the MCU? No. That’s the short answer, but the longer version is no there is not. Steve Rogers is the rare superhero who not only chose his transformation but who also did so purely out of an idealism for a world where the good guys rule and the bad guys drool. His journey across multiple films (three of his own and two with the Avengers) has seen that idealism challenged at every turn, and his faith in the inherent goodness of people has taken more than a few hits along the way. His reactions to those challenges speak more to his character than any number of fist fights ever could.

He pretends to punch Hitler… why the hell didn’t he just go punch Hitler? The film doesn’t get into it, but once it acknowledges that Hitler exists (in the film) it’s hard to understand why Steve wouldn’t find it a moral imperative to take that epic bully down. I don’t have an answer to this aside from Marvel not wanting to gum up their fun adventure with the deaths of millions of Jews. I just think it’s an interesting question. Carry on.

28. Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)

Kieran Fisher: Guillermo del Toro’s sequel sees Big Red go up against one pissed off prince who just wants what’s rightfully his. But we also see our favorite cigar-chewing demon’s inner darkness start to slowly manifest, and to this day we’re left wondering what could have been.

Who’s the star here? Ron Perlman was born to play Hellboy, but this movie is the del Toro show. The director’s filmography has always been childlike to an extent, and Hellboy: The Golden Army is the cinematic equivalent of a kid playing in a candy store. Here we see a marriage of the pulpy superhero monster adventure movie with a good old-fashioned fairy tale fantasy, and the results are just magical. It’s the del Toro-est of all the del Toro movies, blending both his genre sensibilities with his blockbuster capabilities. It was too good to be true and we didn’t deserve it.

Why can’t we have nice things? People are fond of del Toro’s Hellboy movies, but few turned out to theaters when they were originally released to show their support. In this case, however, it’s rather heartbreaking as this should have been the precursor to an apocalyptic trilogy to end all trilogies. Hopefully, the reboot will launch a prosperous new era for the Mignola-verse on screen, but I wish del Toro got to end this franchise on his own terms first. Screw you, Hollywood nincompoops for not knowing a good thing when you had it.

27. X-Men 2 (2003)

Brad Gullickson: After he knocked a solid double with the original X-Men film, Bryan Singer struck the first home run in this modern era of comic book movies with X2 (this baseball metaphor is appropriate here cuz those X-kids love the diamond as well as that fastball special). Fully committing to the social science-fiction that inspired Stan Lee and Jack Kirby back in the early 1960s, Singer’s X2 is a hopeful coming out story for its young mutants. Wolverine’s berserker is finally let out of its cage, but the heart of the film rests with Ice Man, Rogue, and Nightcrawler.

Cerebro’s Mutant Power Yellow Pages. Were the laser eyes and frog ‘sploding lightening bolts from the first film a little underwhelming? Don’t worry, X2 shows you from scene one that the bewildering Mutant powers witnessed on the page could be replicated on the silver screen. Nightcrawler’s opening assault on The White House is a dizzying thrill ride executed with the energy of John Woo. An ass-kicking elf rips through one secret service goon after the other, while the rapid BAMF effect wins over any hardcore geek holdouts.

Dark Phoenix Saga? Ah – we were so close. X2’s climax promises the fiery return of the X-Men’s most tragic heroine. Jean Grey might have gotten crushed by a Canadian lake but the shadowy bird glimpsed soaring under its waters sent fanatics squeeing from the multiplex in a way that a hundred Thanos stingers could never achieve. Who knows what Singer would have done with the classic Dark Phoenix storyline, but we can guarantee you that it would have been more satisfying than Rattner’s embarrassing Last Stand.

26. Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010)

Francesca Fau: Batman faces a tough foe with a grudge against him. It’s a Batman story grounded in a father and son relationship that explores the practical implications of Batman’s moral code. Also, Bruce Greenwood, Jensen Ackles, Neil Patrick Harris, Jason Issacs, and John DiMaggio are in it. I know, right? Oh, you will cry so bring tissues.

What would have been the best way to introduce Nightwing? This is Dick Grayson. He’s got back. He knows how to do acrobatics and martial arts which he uses to take down criminals. I would advise not looking at him closely in the comics as his well-drawn butt and one-liners trap the hearts of teenage fangirls.

Must I know about the succession of Bat-babies to enjoy this movie? Two Gotham street toughs have you covered. They know about the succession of Bat-babies and speak of it freely while ensnared. Kudos to Judd Winick for making that exposition as painless as possible. It also makes perfect sense because you would totally have henchmen being like, “You’re not the same kid from last time, right?”

What should DC retcon next? You time travel to before Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice and make Batman: Under the Red Hood as a live action movie. Do not change a word of the script. Keep director Brandon Vietti and writer Judd Winick. Add Geoff Johns because I know you will want too. Then, go forward in time and watch how much more sense Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice makes from Batman’s perspective. Finally, collect all of my money. You’re welcome.

25. Big Hero 6 (2014)

Bethany Wade: Big Hero 6 has so much Marvel DNA in its story, characters, and design, it’s hard not to see our heroes joining the Avengers in Infinity War next year. Yet it manages to cross over and fit the tone Disney has set with its latest animation renaissance. Directors Don Hall and Chris Williams may not have built a Marvel movie, but it fits right in anyway.

Baymax = Bae: Hands down, the best sidekick of any superhero movie ever is going to be the lovable Baymax. He is easygoing in a sympathetic way, and willing to learn new skills if it helps him “become a better healthcare companion.” Plus, who doesn’t want to hug him when he looks like a giant marshmallow? Please be my doctor for the rest of my life, and I’ll actually enjoy going to the doctor.

“On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate your pain?” 10. Just… 10. SO MANY EMOTIONS. Just to understand how this film chooses to stab you in your heart, not only does Hiro start out with dead parents, his brother Tadashi is killed within the first 15 minutes of the film. Then you have the emotions of Baymax being turned into a killing machine, the story of Callaghan and his daughter Abigail, the secret recordings of Tadashi that Baymax plays for Hiro, and of course, the moment when Baymax sacrifices himself to save Hiro and Abigail. “Are you satisfied with your care?” No, because you ripped my heart out and danced on top of it.

24. Mystery Men (1999)

Liz Baessler: The third most famous vehicle for Smash Mouth’s hit “All Star,” Mystery Men isn’t exactly beloved by all. But 10-year-old me adored it when it came out, and my love still endures. It’s a vibrantly colored, warm-hearted sendup of the superhero genre that borders on the grotesque, and I will sing its praises until the day I die.

Who’s in it again? Geoffrey Rush, Tom Waits, Eddie Izzard, William H. Macy, Janeane Garofalo… It’s easier to list people who aren’t in this movie. Even The Waffler, on-screen for about one minute, is played by a then-unknown Dane Cook. If nothing else will convince you, you should watch Mystery Men just to bask in its bizarrely recognizable cast.

Does anyone actually have superpowers? Maybe not, but neither does Batman, and nobody’s complaining about him. Mystery Men takes place in a city crawling with heroes and villains, where your powers are what you make them. Our team has no reason to win and no reason to try, but by God do they give it their all. It’s a celebration of the underdog when the underdogs are especially hopeless, a superhero movie to change your perception of what a superhero is. It may not be perfect, but it’s mesmerizing, charming, and beautifully, pathetically funny.

23. X-Men (2000)

Meg Shields: Hey you know what isn’t great? The government trying to systematically dispose of an ostensibly dangerous subset of the population. But what if I told you that you could think about how shitty fascism is while also indulging in peak new-millennium blockbuster comfort viewing? Thanks, Bryan Singer!

A Clown Car of Talent: We didn’t know it in 2000, but X-Men was prophetic: a sign of the incoming tidal wave of serialized all-star ensemble superhero fare. X-Men was my introduction to a veritable host of hot shit thespians like Patrick Steward, Ian McKellen, Anna Paquin, and Halle Berry, each with their own supremely silly or terrifying mutation (see: McKellen slowly screwing a bullet into that guy’s forehead).

Who Jackman? Hugh fucking Jackman is the breakout performance of X-Men: an Australian playing a Canadian everyone thinks is an American. He would go on to play Wolverine in a total of nine movies over 17 years, making even the worst of the bunch watchable. He’s gruff, endearing, and allergic to wearing shirts with sleeves. He doesn’t always know what’s going on but he’s a rebel with some claws. I will not apologize for that bad joke because X-Men is full of them (know what happens to a toad when it’s struck by lightning??).

22. Captain America: Civil War (2016)

William Dass: I loved getting to know Captain America. His story has given me cause to reflect on the idea that loyalty and duty are inherently conflicting when you have more than one interest in your life. There is no path to the resolution of those conflicts that doesn’t involve sacrifice. These are struggles us non-super soldiers can relate to. We have to make choices to advance our lives. And those choices, through no ill intent, will close doors. We can hope that when we look back at our path we are reassured that we’ve made the choices that put us in a place that suits us. But, who knows?

What’s in an ending? This was about the man, Steve Rogers, coming to terms with the idea that he’s going to have to make real sacrifices. That’s been one of the most fascinating character takes throughout the MCU’s depiction of the relationship between Iron Man and Captain America, or more importantly between Tony and Steve. Steve, the recently unfrozen soldier, straight from the battlefields of Europe to the Battle of New York calls Tony out for not having the ability to make the sacrifice play. His friend’s sacrificed, so why shouldn’t he be prepared to? Why shouldn’t we all be prepared to sacrifice? Captain America may have been as sturdy as ever, but Steve was traumatized. These aren’t super-human stories. These are the stories of our times.

How to turn that frown upside down? Don’t fret, Chris Evans and his dreamy eyes aren’t leaving the MCU. Not yet, at least. We’ve still got Infinity War coming our way. Plus, wasn’t it great to meet Tom Holland’s Spidey? And, bombshell, meeting Chadwick Boseman’s T’Challa blew me away. Other than being one of the MCU’s homers, Civil War also showed us why the hottest, most anticipated superhero movie in your queue ought to be Black Panther.

21. Batman (1989)

Meg Shields: Nothing but respect for my Batman. Tim Burton’s atmospheric take on The World’s Greatest Detective discarded the goofiness of the 60s TV series and restored Gotham with a shadow-soaked sense of film noir, laying the gloomy cinematic groundwork of Batman’s origin story and rivalry with The Joker. Fun fact: Batman is the first film adaptation to depict The Joker’s origin story (the next being last year’s Batman: The Killing Joke).

True grit: While in practice Batman straddles a delicate, captivating line between camp and grit, it is frequently, rightfully cited as an early harbinger of the moody cinematic superhero film. Batman foregrounds the murder of Bruce’s parents; cultivates a palpable sense of civic chaos; and presents us with a comic book villain with an uncomfortably grounded sense of menace. Whether you see Batman’s grit as a boon or a curse, its influence cannot be denied.

The Gotham heroes deserve: Look. Keaton is great. Nicholson is great. But Gotham is the undisputed star of Batman. The scenes showcasing the city’s noir-ish brutalism are seared into my brain; the leering, cantilevered skyscrapers; the grandiose Soviet-styled sculptures; the violent overlay of Victorian mansions and dive bars. Batman’s Gotham is a grotesque of a city; at once recognizably metropolitan and expressionistically nightmarish.

On the next page, two superhero films from 2017 and a bunch of origin stories.

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