10 Greatest Superhero Movies of the Last 40 Years, Ranked

Superheroes have been a timeless staple of pop culture since the 1930s, when they first began popping up in comic books. Boasting incredible powers and dressed in colorful costumes, they quickly made the transition to radio, where no one could see the colorful costumes, and then to TV, where the same colorful costume was in black and white. It was inevitable these mythic heroes would one day dominate film as well.

Although there were a few stumbles along the way, the superhero genre eventually became one of the most profitable in Hollywood, spawning multiple franchises with rapid fan bases. Below, we’ll break down the best superhero movies that have released in the last 40 years; a collection of action spectacles that remain treasured by fans.

10 ‘Wonder Woman’ (2017)

Wonder Woman brings the famed hero to the big screen for the first time with Gal Gadot in the leading role of the titular hero. The story largely takes place during World War I, when Diana (Gadot), an Amazonian who lives on the mystical island of Themyscira, saves the life of a U.S. pilot named Steve Trevor (Chris Pine). Curious about the outside world she’s never seen, Diana accompanies Steve into the trenches of war and becomes a hero to a fascinating but dangerous civilization she’s unfamiliar with.

Wonder Woman was the perfect reminder that an optimistic and selfless protagonist was something people wanted to see in their superhero movies. Many comparisons were made at the time between Wonder Woman and the MCU’s Captain America, and, war setting aside, it was the pure-hearted hero that audiences responded to and wanted to see more of. Seeing Diana jump onto a battlefield with only the safety of others in mind was inspiring, and that is the quality every traditional hero should possess above all else.

9 ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’ (2014)

Catching up to the Avengers leader in the present day, Captain America: The Winter Soldier follows Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) as he faces old threats and internal corruption. Steve is still in the process of learning about the things he missed while frozen when his past comes back to haunt him in the form of an assassin known as the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan). Recognizing that his old friend Bucky has been brainwashed, Steve searches for answers about the evil organization of Hydra and their presence within S.H.I.E.L.D.

After establishing the devoted personality of Cap in Captain America: The First Avenger, the next step was to make him question his loyalties. As a character who had been literally defined by his patriotism, his second solo adventure gave him the push to rise above following orders and use a moral compass of his own design. The film is also important for its introduction of the Winter Soldier, who would go on to become one of the longest-running characters in the MCU.

8 ‘The Incredibles’ (2004)

The Incredibles drops moviegoers into a retro-futuristic world where superheroes are no more after the government bans all acts of superpowered heroism. Now living as civilians in a government relocation program, two former heroes, Bob Parr, AKA Mr. Incredible (Craig T. Nelson), and Helen, AKA Elastigirl (Holly Hunter), are married and raising three superpowered children. When Bob receives a mysterious invitation to become a hero once more, he sets off a chain of events that will turn his family into a heroic team tasked with saving the day.

Pixar had explored everything from the toy box to the bottom of the ocean with expert craftsmanship, and they didn’t miss a step when telling their first superhero story. A movie that plays to everyone in the room, The Incredibles held the attention of the younger moviegoers with dazzling displays of fantasy action, while the adults connected with the more mature themes of finding fulfillment not in past glories, but in valued relationships and family. Although who knows, maybe a ten-year-old with an old soul was impacted by those themes as well.

7 ‘Black Panther’ (2018)

In Black Panther, the new king of Wakanda, T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman), takes the throne and must decide how to lead his nation. His reign has barely started when he faces opposition in the form of Erik “Killmonger” Stevens (Michael B. Jordan), a ruthless mercenary with a claim to ruling Wakanda. In the interest of protecting his kingdom and helping the world on a larger scale, T’Challa must defeat Killmonger and stop his quest for dominance.

Black Panther wowed audiences by telling a story with such scope that it would normally require an entire trilogy to tell. The film subverted expectations for a superhero movie not by pitting its hero against the embodiment of evil, who wanted to rule the world, but rather someone who was legitimately wronged and had valid points about how to run things. Black Panther works so well because it’s not just about choreographed fights and futuristic tech; it’s about listening and learning, even from the harshest critics.

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6 ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ (2014)

Guardians of the Galaxy took the Marvel Cinematic Universe to space with a story about a group of the most unlikely heroes. The movie tells the story of an Earthling thief named Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) who gets his hands on a powerful artifact, which inadvertently throws him into the middle of an intergalactic war. To save the galaxy, he will have to team up with a group of outlaws with nothing to lose.

A galaxy’s worth of new characters and worlds were introduced to audiences in Guardians of the Galaxy, and the movie never felt overstuffed. Much like the guardians themself, the action comedy was sarcastic, edgy for a Marvel movie, and had more heart than anyone could have possibly expected. The chemistry of the cast and the incredible world-building made stars of the obscure heroes and kicked off one of the MCU’s greatest trilogies.

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5 ‘Batman Returns’ (1992)

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After surviving an attack from the Joker (Jack Nicholson) in the 1989 blockbuster Batman, Gotham City now has double the danger from new villains, The Penguin (Danny De Vito) and Catwoman (Michelle Pfeiffer) in Batman Returns. Fortunately for the most dangerous city in comic books, Batman (Michael Keaton) is there to outsmart the duo, defend his reputation, and stop some penguins from shooting rockets into buildings.

Batman Returns played fast and loose with the origin of classic characters, was uncomfortably dark for mainstream audiences, and it’s somewhat amazing Warner Bros. didn’t step in to water down aspects of the plot. Fans will be forever thankful the studio didn’t, because the creativity on display from Burton’s refashioned Gotham City that exists out of time, and the amazing performances from De Vito and Pfeiffer make Batman Returns one of The Caped Crusader’s best big-screen adventures.

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4 ‘Avengers: Endgame’ (2019)

MCU fans had high expectations after the events of Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame exceeded them with a memorable finale. After Thanos (Josh Brolin) snapped half of the universe’s population out of existence, the remaining heroes find ways to aid the distraught civilians. When the surprise return of Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) opens up a possible solution, the Avengers reform for one final mission to undo a tragedy.

Rather than take up two entries on the list by including both movies, we can make room for one more by stating that the finale in Avengers: Endgame is filled with some of the most iconic moments in the entirety of the MCU. The movie has flashy action scenes, unexpected deaths, and all the things you would expect to see in a cinematic finale, but of all the things that Avengers: Endgame needed to nail perfectly, it was the emotional stakes. The film gave major characters the goodbye they deserved before the big trucks of money brought them back for sequels.

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3 ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’ (2018)

Although audiences have grown accustomed to live-action superhero spectacles, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse demonstrates the stunning capabilities of animation in the genre. The film follows Miles Morales (Shameik Moore), an intelligent teen who receives a version of Spider-Man’s powers after being bitten by a radioactive spider. In order to stop the Kingpin (Liev Schreiber) from destroying the world, Miles will team up with different versions of Spider-Man who have been transported to his corner of the multiverse.

After watching the first few minutes of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, it was immediately evident that the animation on screen was of the game-changing variety. The eclectic combination of art styles on screen seemed fitting to tell the story of Miles, a character who was a hit from the moment he was introduced back in 2011. A coming-of-age story that honors the original spirit of Spider-Man while giving audiences something new and fresh, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is a near-flawless superhero movie.

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2 ‘The Dark Knight’ (2008)

Mixing superhero sensibilities with the elements of a crime epic, The Dark Knight remains one of the most widely celebrated comic-book movies. Organized crime in Gotham City is finding its operations harder to run with the presence of Batman (Christian Bale), but a new anarchist known as the Joker (Heath Ledger) offers his services to kill the hero. With the future of Gotham hanging in the balance, Batman and Joker engage in a war of wills and ideologies.

Superhero movies typically draw clear lines between who is the villain and who is the hero, and The Dark Knight never attempts to blur those, but it does question what a hero is. The Joker is an obvious threat to safety and order, but can Batman justify doing whatever is necessary, even if it includes a breach of public trust, to restore peace? With a top-notch cast and an excellent script, The Dark Knight delivers a thoughtful comic book movie that is able to deliver a powerful message while not sacrificing the Bat-action fans expected.

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1 ‘Spider-Man 2’ (2004)

Spider-Man faces off against one of his most famous foes in the beloved superhero sequel, Spider-Man 2. Overwhelmed and discouraged with the personal sacrifices required to be Spider-Man, Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire), considers hanging up the spandex to pursue a normal life. Unfortunately, he picked the worst time, because Peter’s mentor, Dr. Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina), is driven mad after an accident fuses four metal arms to his body, leading him to rampage through the city on an ill-advised quest for glory.

If the first Spider-Man captures the joy of receiving powers, then Spider-Man 2 drives home the cost that comes with using them for good. It’s an action-packed sequel with iconic setpieces centered around the best villain of the Raimi era. One of the primary reasons Spider-Man has always connected with readers was his everyman experiences as a hero, and seeing him question his threshold for selflessness is humanizing and relatable.