The 25 best superhero movies of all time

We could have gone with the first Superman (1978), a heartbreakingly perfect origin story blessed with perfect casting in Christopher Reeve and a vividly rendered Metropolis. But this sequel, largely shot at the same time, is slightly superior, launching Terence Stamp's immortal General Zod. More than any other movie, it captures the wonderment and unbound ability of superheroism. In short, it flies the highest.

Is Heath Ledger's seething, cavorting Joker the finest performance to grace a superhero movie? Undoubtedly. The movie itself represents the voguish "why so serious?" approach to the genre, turned into a brand by director Christopher Nolan.

Mutant assassins, plenty of Sturm und Drang and a world wheeling out of order color this impressively sophisticated sequel, which emphasizes a hunted community of outsiders. Their enemy: a U.S. colonel gone rogue (played by Brian Cox, born to be in as many superhero movies as possible).

Audiences knew they were in for a different kind of Wolverine movie right when they heard Johnny Cash’s ‘Hurt’ playing over Logan’s red band trailer. Following the ageing mutant in a dystopian hellscape, James Mangold’s neo-Western balanced Wolverine’s feral combat with melancholic overtones as Hugh Jackman hung up his claws. Of course, Jackman is back in Deadpool & Wolverine but the emotional impact of Logan remains.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was a game-changer for the niche pantheon of animated superhero movies. This 2023 sequel somehow surpasses it, locating teen webslinger Miles Morales and other Spider-People on a journey into the depths of the multiverse. The result is an emotional and psychedelic cyberpunk trip crafted out of six different animation styles.

A thrilling, emotional sequel to a tricky first installment, Sam Raimi's NYC adventure allows Tobey Maguire to give up the suit for a bit (a classic comedy sequence set to "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head"), while allowing the great Alfred Molina to embody one of the genre's most memorable villains, Doctor Octopus.

Known primarily as a comedic actor at the time, Michael Keaton defied expectations when he donned the cape and (s)cowl in Tim Burton’s Gothic superhero noir. With the director’s fascination for the dark and grotesque and Jack Nicholson amping up his overzealous energy as Joker, this Batman remains one of the finest takes on the character.

Its direct follow-up Endgame had more fan service to offer, but Avengers: Infinity War raises the emotional stakes of the MCU right from the opening scene, which shockingly dispatches a beloved character. And while Marvel conveniently retconned most of Thanos’s fatal snap, Infinity War’s blip was undoubtedly a watershed moment for the genre. No Kang can match the cynical madness of Josh Brolin’s gauntlet-wielding superbad.

The massive Marvel Cinematic Universe starts here—and let's be thankful, because if Thor had come first, we'd have fewer movies to talk about. Robert Downey's obnoxious Tony Stark, a billionaire racked by conscience, represents some of the best acting to grace the genre.

A red-gloved middle finger to the superhero genre and Ryan Reynolds’s disastrous 2011 DC outing Green Lantern, Deadpool redefined the R-rated comic book market with raunchy writing, splashes of comic book blood, and a strangely pitiable antihero. Reynolds was tailormade to play the Canadian merc-with-a-mouth and he does so with cheeky nods to the source material and past X-Men movies (X-Men: Origins Wolverine included).

One of the delights of Chris Evans's supersquare Steve Rogers is how outspoken and political the actor has made the character, and this stand-alone sequel showcases him grappling with the consequences of absolute power. Robert Redford's villain adds conspiratorial cred.

Maybe you know this one from the Beastie Boys' "Body Movin' " video, but Mario Bava's comics-based adventure deserves a proper spin. Starring John Phillip Law and the voluptuous Marisa Mell (most attractive couple in cinema?), this Italian export is loaded with style, flash and some psychedelic scoring by genius composer Ennio Morricone.

Superhero movies should be funny, and this massively entertaining success—based on Marvel's 1969 spinoff title—doubles down on the zaniness. A walking tree, a wisecracking raccoon, a green-skinned alien and Chris Pratt (don't underestimate him) make up the gang.

Pan's Labyrinth won him his Oscars, but geeks know this film to be Guillermo del Toro's true masterpiece: a triumph of unchecked visual imagination, Ron Perlman's sulky yet huggable central character, and an unusual emphasis placed on the heroism that goes into becoming a dad.

Here's where it all came together for the Marvel Cinematic Universe: All the groundwork laid for Thor, Captain America, Iron Man and the Hulk coalesced into a single, rousingly entertaining whole. Given this movie's one-and-a-half-billion-dollar haul, anyone could now sound like a comics expert.

Alan Moore's cynical 1986 graphic novel is often likened to high literature, so the movie version was bound to disappoint some. Kudos, then, to director Zack Snyder (300) for sticking to his guns and retaining much of the alt-future darkness that made the original concept fly.

Tim Burton's impact on the superhero genre can't be understated. After turning 1989's Batman into a blockbuster, the director's follow-up proved even darker: It involves penguin warfare on Gotham City, Michael Pfeiffer's slinky, vengeful Catwoman and the nefarious scheming of Christopher Walken.

Built on a sturdy structure of dazzling animated sequences and serious handwringing over "specialness," Brad Bird's euphoric family comedy represents everything we should expect from our superhero movies. Subtly, fans saw themselves in the characters' humorous middle-age spread.

And still, Sam Raimi's superheroic highpoint comes with this underrated melodrama, starring Liam Neeson as an experimental skin doctor horrifically burned and bent on revenge. The psychological undertones are Lon Chaney-esque, and the comic-panel pacing skews toward the adult.

A commercial disaster, this antiheroic comedy wasn’t responsible for inspiring Guardians of the Galaxy in any shape or form. Still, it demonstrated a way to be subversive, and the loserific cast seems to be having a tremendous time – especially Ben Stiller's touchy Mr Furious.

Go with director James Mangold's extended cut, which runs an additional 12 minutes and does a better job detailing foes (and slice-and-dice kills). At the core here is Hugh Jackman's sideburned Logan, easily the most likable of the X-Men, not to mention the most tortured.

Years after Sylvester Stallone mucked the waters with 1995's gawdawful Judge Dredd, director Pete Travis returned to the iconic British comic with more successful results—particularly in the casting of Karl Urban as a futuristic judge, jury and executioner. The cult around this film is huge.

Brace yourself for many second chapters in this list—generally speaking, that's when stuff gets good. Wesley Snipes's human-vampire hybrid cuts an impressive figure, but the film's real star is rising director Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth).

Based on Alan Moore and David Lloyd's furiously political 1988 graphic novel, this dark sci-fi action movie (scripted by the Wachowskis) turned that creepy Guy Fawkes mask into an icon. It's worn by "V" (Hugo Weaving), the mysterious revolutionary at the tale's anarchic heart.

Dating from a happier time when its director, M. Night Shyamalan, was known for The Sixth Sense and nothing else, Unbreakable explores the psychology of alterego and nemesis so subtly, you might not even notice it. We won't ruin the surprise.