The 20 Greatest Superhero Movie Masterpieces of All Time, Ranked

Superhero movies have had a long and varied history spanning across multiple decades and generations of growth and stylistic approaches that have made them some of the most dynamic filmmaking experiences out there. While the genre saw massive popularity bumps in the 21st century with the likes of cinematic universes and long-running franchises, both adapted and original stories about superheroes have always had a distinct niche among general audiences.

Nowadays, superhero movies are considered a symbol of blockbuster cinema and make up several of the highest grossing movies of all time. In the digital era where fan-culture is at the forefront of mainstream culture, superhero movies have reigned supreme, with the absolute best superhero movies becoming more widely acclaimed and appreciated as a result. While everyone is going to have their own personal picks of what the best superhero movies are, these films continue to be brought up as the best masterpieces that the genre has to offer.

20

‘X-Men: First Class’ (2011)

Image via 20th Century Studios

The X-Men franchise has had a wide array of well-crafted entries over the years, yet one of the most striking and exceptional standalone experiences continues to be the dynamic reboot/prequel to the franchise, X-Men: First Class. Under the direction of Matthew Vaughn, First Class proves to be one of the most energizing and invigorating entries in the franchise, having real, layered characters and not being bogged down by any previous films.

It does a great deal of justice to the layered friendship and dynamic between Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Erik Lehnsherr (Michael Fassbender), whose portrayal of the characters in their younger years proves to be one of the most effective portrayals of the characters in film to date. This is on top of the array of other great elements that help the film stand out not just as a prequel, but an exceptional standalone story of friendship torn apart by the fires of revenge.

19

‘Wonder Woman’ (2017)

Image via Warner Bros.

While the DC Extended Universe was wildly divisive among its first few entries, Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman was the first film in the extended universe that truly felt like it had unanimous praise and acceptance by comic book fans and critics alike. It delivered on everything that made the character work so well in Batman v. Superman, only further amplifying these aspects for engaging action and a layered, intelligent origin story.

Especially after decades of the all-star comic book heroine not having a truly great cinematic feature to call her own, Wonder Woman finally brings her action-packed comic glory to the big screen in the best way possible. The film single-handedly revitalized the appeal and prospects of the character for modern audiences, evolving her to be a powerful hero that can truly stand alongside the likes of Batman and Superman in terms of quality and craft.

18

‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’ (2014)

Image via Marvel Studios

While the original Captain America film was certainly enjoyable in its own right, the hardened, modern-day thriller approach that the sequel, Captain America: The Winter Soldier took actually solidified the righteous American icon as a hero worthy of his stature and presence on the big-screen. It takes the exact right path for the growth and development of Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), having his entire worldview falling apart as he realizes that the institution that he’s been protecting has been fractured and compromised with villainy all along.

The action is perfect, the storytelling is complete with entertaining twists and an effective central message, and Evans is as likable and charming as ever as Captain America himself. The film has stood as the golden standard for not just Captain America movies, but how to effectively show grounded, thriller action in the MCU and superhero movies as a whole. It proved to be a major stepping stone for the MCU as a whole and is still often considered one of the best films in the cinematic universe.

17

‘Cutie Honey’ (2004)

While Cutie Honey may easily be the most obsure film to be featured on this list, it is absolutely deserving of its placement as the Japanese action comedy stands as a one-of-a-kind, colorful explosion of a cinematic superhero experience. The film goes to great lengths to recreate the same manic, no-nonsense action style of the original anime series that it’s based on, resulting in some of the wildest and most over-the-top action possible for a live-action film.

The magical girl satire is much more than flash-in-the-pan action, however, as its execution and story act as a love letter to the genre of magical superhero girls in anime storytelling while also comedically riffing on classic conventions and clichés of the genre. Under the guise of director Hideaki Anno, who has experience in both live-action and animation as the creator of Neon Genesis Evangelion and co-director of Shin Godzilla, the film soars as one of the biggest underrated masterpieces of the superhero genre.

16

‘Thor: Ragnarok’ (2017)

Image via Marvel Studios

Reinventing the Thor franchise and character as a whole as well as evolving him to the new standard of MCU filmmaking as a whole, Thor: Ragnarok massively improved upon the lackluster superhero outing of Thor: The Dark World to become one of the MCU’s most stylish and entertaining action comedies to date. The film cuts back and focuses on what makes Thor such a great character, giving more depth and layers to his story while complimenting it with memorable jokes and bundles of charm.

The film sees Taika Waititi’s signature charm and wit at what is easily its best, able to light up a room while also not shy away from serious and more melancholic moments when the plot demands it. The visuals are still some of the best that the MCU has ever seen, while its legendary needle drops and well-paced action sequences have made the film a fan-favorite ever since its release.

15

‘Batman’ (1989)

Image via Warner Brothers

Long before the wide array of 21st century superhero movies made the concept the face of serious, well-crafted blockbusters, Tim Burton‘s Batman was one of the first films to bring a real edge and serious attitude to a previously goofy and non-serious comic book character. A lot of the iconography and exceptional screen-presence that is associated with Batman as a character can be traced back to this 80s classic, with every other Batman masterpiece owing this film a great deal of gratitude and respect for paving the way for their success.

Michael Keaton is a perfect fit for the role of Bruce Wayne, only outdone by the masterful performance by Jack Nicholson as the Joker, as their attitudes and performances complement each other perfectly. The film stood as the gold standard not just for live-action Batman adaptations, but also superhero movies as a whole for many years, showing to people that a comic book superhero could make for a grounded, well-crafted and darker story.

14

‘Avengers: Endgame’ (2019)

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The climactic finale installment of the legendary Infinity saga that spanned over a decade of films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Avengers: Endgame had a lot of hype and build-up to live-up to. By all accounts, the film managed to achieve the impossible by delivering on all the promises and potential of its set-up, bringing together every character and major story beat into a legendary combination of stakes and action-packed glory.

At just over 3 hours long, the film doesn’t falter for even a second as it spans across the entire history of the MCU with its wild, unpredictable and highly entertaining time travel storyline. However, even for those who weren’t keeping up to date with the MCU, its standalone storytelling and pacing prove to be so effective that it still works great as a standalone film. The film still stands as the defining example of crowd-cheering excitement in a blockbuster experience, which, even if one isn’t a fan of such theater behaviour, is certainly emblematic of its strengths.

13

‘Superman’ (1978)

Image via Warner Bros.

It would make sense that the most iconic superhero of all time would have an equally iconic feature film to his name, yet out of all the well-crafted Superman films released over the years, Richard Donner‘s original classic still stands on top as the best Superman film to date. There’s simply a joy and whimsy that the film has in its filmmaking and action that is unmatched by any other superhero movie, perfectly capturing the do-gooder attitude of the Man of Steel and amplifying his strengths in the best way possible.

Christopher Reeve is also about as perfect of casting as one could get for the role of Superman, perfectly playing up both the neurotic, awkward demeanor of Clark Kent and the commanding, comforting strength of Superman. While many other superhero movies are more focused on heightened action and realistic storytelling, the quaint simplicity of Donner’s Superman is key to making it such a timeless and joyful experience.

12

‘Black Panther’ (2018)

One of the most frequent criticisms of the MCU is that, even despite having a wide array of filmmakers creating their films, their own personality and quirks can often feel drowned out by the samey feeling of most MCU films. However, Black Panther stands as one of the most distinct detractors of this trend, with the entire film overwhelmed with passion and drive from director Ryan Coogler. The action continues to be energizing and electrifying while its themes and core messaging are easily among the best of the entire MCU.

While the film certainly gets a lot of credit for being one of the most recognizable black-led movies of the superhero genre, the film’s strengths and exceptional artistry go well beyond the race of the people involved in production. There’s a finess and fine-tuned craft to its execution that feels more authentic than most other MCU movies combined, telling an important stand-alone story as opposed to simply acting as the next stepping stone for an extended universe.

11

‘Chronicle’ (2012)

Image via 20th Century Studios

Capitalizing on both the superhero trend that was defining the early 2010s and the massive prevalence of found footage movies at this time, Chronicle is an exceptional coming-of-age deconstruction of classic superhero origins with a grounded, high-tension execution to boot. The film never outwardly pushes its superhero elements, simply allowing the grounded realism of its story of unlikely teens getting powerful telekinetic abilities to speak for itself while it slowly travels more and more into superhero territory.

What makes the film work so well is that it acts as much as a supervillain origin story as it does a superhero one, with each of its main trio feeling distinctly different from one another in a way that feels realistic while also paying tribute to classic superhero stories. The film is sadly often forgotten about when it comes to conversations about the best superhero movies, often because it doesn’t share the massive intellectual properties of the biggest blockbusters in the genre.