Paste's 100 Best Superhero Movies of All Time

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Created by Panunzio.

Favorited 7 times, disliked 2 times, added to 13 watchlists.

Published in January 2017 (updated June 2023)

Two things quickly become evident when putting together a list of the 100 Best Superhero Movies of All Time. First, this is the Golden Age for such films, a decade where technology, long-unrequited fandom and surging popular awareness have all combined to thrill moviegoers and make Hollywood billions of dollars. Second, it’s still fair to say that most superhero films are not that good. There’s no real contradiction at play here. The niche just lacks the pedigree of its fellow movie genres. Though superhero comic books may have started to make a dint in popular culture 75 years ago (give or take), technology only crossed over from hindrance to enabling force in the last 20 years or so. As a result, while curating a 100 Best Westerns of All Time or 100 Best Documentaries of All Time list requires the exclusion of arguably good films to select the best 100—for superhero movies? The pickings get slim after 40. In fact, the real challenge for this list was choosing amongst the dreck (some of it beloved dreck!) that would fill out the bottom half. It turns out it’s much easier to argue for or against a top 10 film’s exact placement (and frankly, compelling arguments could be made for almost any of our top 5 as deserving the #1 position), than weighing the relative “merits” of Masters of the Universe, Swamp Thing and Elektra.

This also means the bottom half of this list will change swiftly compared to, say, The Best B-Movies of All Time. In fact, it’s a safe assumption if there are 15 superhero movies in the next three years, at least 14 of them will knock numbers 86-99 off this list. (Our #100 is a bit of a wild card.)

Finally, some criteria. To be considered for this list, a film must possess at least two of the following three qualities: 1) It must involve costumed shenanigans, 2) It must involve a superpowered protagonist and/or 3) the protagonist must exist in a world where the supernatural/extraordinary is demonstrably present. These criteria are why meta-commentary films like Kick-Ass and Super are not on this list. And it’s also why some films with pulpy characters like Zorro, Tarzan and Conan are not, while others like The Phantom are. (Zane’s costume combined with the Skulls of Touganda do the trick.) Admittedly, the lines gets blurry. Also absent from this list is any consideration of foreign superhero films. That’s not because some are not worthy—especially given the movie quality issue mentioned at the top—it’s just an area we’d rather get better versed in before pouring into this list. Next year, perhaps.

The three Matrix films were counted as a single entry in the source list.

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  1. 61 -1

    The Dark Knight Rises

    2012, in 7 top lists Check
  2. 43 -1

    Watchmen

    2009, in 2 top lists Check
  3. 60 -1

    Superman Returns

    2006, in 4 top lists Check
  4. 76 -1

    Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

    2016, in 2 top lists Check
  5. 5 -

    The Dark Knight

    2008, in 27 top lists Check
  6. 17 -1

    Avengers: Infinity War

    2018, in 8 top lists Check
  7. 11 -1

    Captain America: Civil War

    2016, in 2 top lists Check
  8. 85 -1

    X-Men: Apocalypse

    2016, in 2 top lists Check
  9. 39 -1

    Aquaman

    2018, in 2 top lists Check
  10. 4 -

    The Avengers

    2012, in 7 top lists Check
  11. 65 -1

    Man of Steel

    2013, in 2 top lists Check
  12. 44 -1

    Superman

    1978, in 11 top lists Check
  13. 80 -1

    The Amazing Spider-Man 2

    2014, in 2 top lists Check
  14. 33 -1

    Avengers: Age of Ultron

    2015, in 2 top lists Check
  15. 30 -1

    Wonder Woman

    2017, in 4 top lists Check
  16. 19 -1

    Batman Begins

    2005, in 11 top lists Check
  17. 6 new

    Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

    2023, in 9 top lists
    Check
  18. 66 -1

    Spider-Man 3

    2007, in 3 top lists Check
  19. 93 -1

    Hulk

    2003, in 3 top lists Check
  20. 50 -1

    The Matrix Reloaded

    2003, in 5 top lists Check
  21. 26 -1

    Logan

    2017, in 9 top lists Check
  22. 71 -1

    The Amazing Spider-Man

    2012, in 2 top lists Check
  23. 8 -1

    Captain America: The Winter Soldier

    2014, in 3 top lists Check
  24. 10 -1

    Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

    2017, in 2 top lists Check
  25. 49 -1

    The Matrix

    1999, in 30 top lists Check
  26. 3 -

    Black Panther

    2018, in 9 top lists Check
  27. 12 -1

    X2

    2003 — a.k.a. X2: X-Men United, in 5 top lists Check
  28. 28 -1

    Spider-Man: Homecoming

    2017, in 3 top lists Check
  29. 15 -1

    X-Men: Days of Future Past

    2014, in 3 top lists Check
  30. 35 -1

    X: First Class

    2011 — a.k.a. X-Men: First Class, in 3 top lists Check
  31. 20 -1

    Iron Man Three

    2013 — a.k.a. Iron Man 3, in 3 top lists Check
  32. 9 -1

    Thor: Ragnarok

    2017, in 3 top lists Check
  33. 51 -1

    The Matrix Revolutions

    2003, in 4 top lists Check
  34. 7 -1

    Spider-Man 2

    2004, in 7 top lists Check
  35. 38 -1

    Superman II

    1980, in 3 top lists Check
  36. 41 -1

    Batman

    1989, in 9 top lists Check
  37. 62 -1

    Batman Returns

    1992, in 8 top lists Check
  38. 14 -1

    Iron Man

    2008, in 7 top lists Check
  39. 68 -1

    The Wolverine

    2013, in 2 top lists Check
  40. 27 -1

    Captain America: The First Avenger

    2011, in 2 top lists Check
  41. 58 -1

    Iron Man 2

    2010, in 3 top lists Check
  42. 77 -1

    Power Rangers

    2017, in 0 top lists Check
  43. 90 -1

    The Punisher

    2004, in 0 top lists Check
  44. 31 -1

    Captain Marvel

    2019, in 2 top lists Check
  45. 83 -1

    Suicide Squad

    2016, in 2 top lists Check
  46. 34 -1

    Hellboy

    2004, in 1 top list Check
  47. 96 -1

    Batman Forever

    1995, in 3 top lists Check
  48. 64 -1

    Constantine

    2005, in 1 top list Check
  49. 13 -1

    Guardians of the Galaxy

    2014, in 3 top lists Check
  50. 86 -1

    Mystery Men

    1999, in 1 top list Check
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Last updated on Jun 20, 2023 by Panunzio; source