CFE's 100 Comic Book Movie Countdown - Part 1

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This is a continuation thread, the old thread is [split]317876[/split]

 

[CFE]

Countdown Review Links:

1: [post=16804615]SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE (Richard Donner, 1978)[/post]

2: [post=16798702]THE DARK KNIGHT (Christopher Nolan, 2008)[/post]
3: [post=16793132]BATMAN (Tim Burton, 1989)[/post]


4: [post=16787519]SUPERMAN II (Richard Lester/(Richard Donner), 1980)[/post]
5: [post=16782594]ROAD TO PERDITION (Sam Mendes, 2002)[/post]
6: [post=16778242]BATMAN RETURNS (Tim Burton, 1992)[/post]
7: [post=16772854]THE ROCKETEER (Joe Johnson, 1991)[/post]
8: [post=16766806]WATCHMEN (Zack Snyder, 2009)[/post]
9: [post=16760988]X2: X-MEN UNITED (Bryan Singer, 2003)[/post]
10: [post=16755437]BLADE (Stephen Norrington, 1998)[/post]

------------

11: [post=16748884]Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (Bruce W. Timm and Eric Radomski, 1993)[/post]
12: [post=16744358]The Crow (Alex Proyas, 1994)[/post]
13: [post=16740169]Batman Begins (Christopher Nolan, 2005)[/post]
14: [post=16735596]Spider-Man II (Sam Raimi, 2004)[/post]
15: [post=16730677]Iron Man (Jon Favreau, 2008)[/post]
16: [post=16724323]Sin City (Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller, 2005)[/post]
17: [post=16718732]The Incredible Hulk (Louis Leterrier, 2008)[/post]
18: [post=16712385]Spider-Man (Sam Raimi, 2002)[/post]
19: [post=16707244]X-Men (Bryan Singer, 2000)[/post]
20: [post=16702899]Superman Returns (Bryan Singer, 2006)[/post]

------------

21: [post=16697378]American Splendor (Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini, 2003)[/post]
22: [post=16690979]A History of Violence (David Cronenberg, 2005)[/post]
23: [post=16684522]Art School Confidential (Terry Zwigoff, 2006)[/post]
24: [post=16677731]Akira (Katsuhiro Ôtomo, 1988)[/post]
25: [post=16672554]Blade II (Guillermo Del Toro, 2002)[/post]
26: [post=16668375]Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Steve Barron, 1990)[/post]
27: [post=16664530]Wonder Woman (Lauren Montgomery, 2009)[/post]
28: [post=16660141]Justice League: The New Frontier (Dave Bullock, 2008)[/post]
29: [post=16655616]Hellboy II: The Golden Army (Guillermo Del Toro, 2008)[/post]
30: [post=16650785]Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (Curt Geda, 2000)[/post]

------------

31: [post=16645262]V For Vendetta (James McTeigue, 2005)[/post]
32: [post=16639600]Batman & Mr. Freeze: Sub Zero (Boyd Kirkland, 1998)[/post]
33: [post=16635864]Daredevil (Mark Steven Johnson, 2003)[/post]
34: [post=16632095]Spider-Man III (Sam Raimi, 2007)[/post]
35: [post=16627187]HULK (Ang Lee, 2003)[/post]
36: [post=16621556]Batman Forever (Joel Schumacher, 1995)[/post]
37: [post=16616171]Blade: Trinity (David S. Goyer, 2004)[/post]
38: [post=16609797]Conan The Barbarian (John Milius, 1982)[/post]
39: [post=16604313]X-Men: The Last Stand (Brett Ratner, 2006)[/post]
40: [post=16599995]Men in Black (Barry Sonnenfeld, 1997)[/post]

------------

41: [post=16595641]From bad place (Albert and Allen Hughes, 2001)[/post]
42: [post=16590182]The Mask (Chuck Russell, 1994)[/post]
43: [post=16584931]The Spirit (Frank Miller, 2008)[/post]
44: [post=16579618]300 (Zack Snyder, 2007)[/post]
45: [post=16573669]Punisher: War Zone (Lexi Alexander, 2008)[/post]
46: [post=16568031] Superman: Doomsday (Bruce W. Timm, Lauren Montgomery and Brandon Vietti, 2007)[/post]
47: [post=16563284]Hellboy (Guillermo Del Toro, 2004)[/post]
48: [post=16557902]Constantine (Francis Lawrence, 2005)[/post]
49: [post=16552213]The Punisher (Jonathan Hensleigh, 2004)[/post]
50: [post=16546130]Ghost World (Terry Zwigoff, 2001)[/post]

------------

51: [post=16539602]Timecop (Peter Hyams, 1994)[/post]
52: [post=16533570]Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman (Curt Geda and Tim Maltby, 2003)[/post]
53: [post=16527867]The Phantom (Simon Wincer, 1996)[/post]
54: [post=16523358]Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (Tim Story, 2007)[/post]
55: [post=16519170]TMNT (Kevin Munroe, 2007)[/post]
56: [post=16514261]Batman: The Movie (Leslie H. Martinson, 1966)[/post]
57: [post=16508521]Mystery Men (Kinka Usher, 1999)[/post]
58: [post=16502629]Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (Michael Pressman, 1991)[/post]
59: [post=16496915]Ultimate Avengers II: Rise of the Panther (Will Meugn​iot and Dick Sebas​t, 2006)[/post]
60: [post=16491338]Fantastic Four (Tim Story, 2005)[/post]

------------

61: [post=16485475]Wanted (Timur Bekmambetov, 2008)[/post]
62: [post=16481004]Ultimate Avengers: The Movie (Curt Geda and Steven E. Gordon, 2006)[/post]
63: [post=16475434]Superman III (Richard Lester, 1983)[/post]
64: [post=16468457]Men in Black II (Barry Sonnenfield, 2002)[/post]
65: [post=16462035]Judge Dredd (Danny Cannon, 1995)[/post]
66: [post=16455682]Ghost Rider (Mark Steven Johnson, 2007)[/post]
67: [post=16449335]The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (Stephen Norrington, 2003)[/post]
68: [post=16444953]The Trial of the Incredible Hulk (Bill Bixby, 1989)[/post]
69: [post=16440633]Conan the Destroyer (Richard Fleischer, 1984)[/post]
70: [post=16436093]The Punisher (Mark Goldblatt, 1989)[/post]

------------

71: [post=16430215]Death of the Incredible Hulk (Bill Bixby, 1990)[/post]
72: [post=16424554]Spawn (Mark A.Z. Dippe, 1997)[/post]
73: [post=16419152]30 Days of Night (David Slade, 2007)[/post]
74: [post=16413393]Bulletproof Monk (Paul Hunter, 2003)[/post]
75: [post=16408593]Captain America (Albert Pyun, 1990)[/post]
76: [post=16404463]Red Sonja (Richard Fleischer, 1985)[/post]
77: [post=16397680]Superman and The Mole Men (Lee Sholem, 1951)[/post]
78: [post=16391876]The Incredible Hulk Returns (Nicholas Corea, 1988)[/post]
79: [post=16385504]Elektra (Rob Bowman, 2005)[/post]
80: [post=16379095]Batman & Robin (Joel Schumacher, 1997)[/post]

------------

81: [post=16372830]Swamp Thing (Wes Craven, 1982)[/post]
82: [post=16367759]The Crow: Salvation (Bharat Nalluri, 2000)[/post]
83: [post=16363267]Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III (Stuart Gillard, 1993)[/post]
84: [post=16357723]Supergirl (Jeannot Szwarc, 1984)[/post]
85: [post=16350967]The Return of Swamp Thing (Jim Wynorski, 1989)[/post]
86: [post=16345168]Captain America II: Death Too Soon (Ivan Nagy, 1979)[/post]
87: [post=16339556]Barb Wire (David Hogan, 1996)[/post]
88: [post=16333630]The Crow: City of Angels (Tim Pope, 1996)[/post]
89: [post=16328716]Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Rod Hardy, 1998)[/post]
90: [post=16324830]Virus (John Bruno, 1999)[/post]

------------

91: [post=16319273]Captain America (Rod Holcomb, 1979)[/post]
92: [post=16312595]The Crow: Wicked Prayer (Lance Mungia, 2005)[/post]
93: [post=16307048]Catwoman (Pitof, 2004)[/post]
94: [post=16300961]Tank Girl (Rachel Taladay, 1995)[/post]
95: [post=16294414]Steel (Kenneth Johnson, 1997)[/post]
96: [post=16288730]Man-Thing (Brett Leonard, 2005)[/post]
97: [post=16284392]Son of the Mask (Lawrence Guterman, 2005)[/post]
98: [post=16278969]Howard The Duck (William Huyck, 1986)[/post]
99: [post=16273425]The Fantastic Four (Oley Sassone, 1994)[/post]
100: [post=16268382]Superman IV: The Quest For Peace (Sidney J. Furie, 1987)[/post]

------------

 

[CFE]

So it dawned on me that this list is out of date by a good eight years (!)

That was a crazy time, reviewing a movie a day. I have no idea how I had the energy to do that haha.

That said, here is my updated and revised list as of today, April 24th, 2018, which with the sheer volume of comic book films we've had since has bulked up from 100 to a staggering 161 titles...and it's only what I've seen, not exactly EVERY comic book or superhero film ever made. Several films, most obviously the majority of the MCU and all the DCEU, have been added and given changing tastes, some of the order has shifted around a little:

1. “Superman: The Movie” (Richard Donner, 1978)
2. “The Dark Knight” (Christopher Nolan, 2008)
3. “Batman: Mask of the Phantasm” (Bruce W. Timm and Eric Radomski, 1993)
4. “Batman” (Tim Burton, 1989)
5. “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” (Joe and Anthony Russo, 2014)
6. “Superman II” (Richard Lester, 1980)
7. “X2: X-Men United” (Bryan Singer, 2003)
8. “The Avengers” (Joss Whedon, 2012)
9. “Blade” (Stephen Norrington, 1998)
10. “Batman Begins” (Christopher Nolan, 2005)
----
11. “Spider-Man II” (Sam Raimi, 2004)
12. “Captain America: Civil War” (Joe and Anthony Russo, 2016)
13. “Logan” (James Mangold, 2017)
14. “Iron Man” (Jon Favreau, 2008)
15. “The Crow” (Alex Proyas, 1994)
16. “Batman: The Dark Knight Returns” (Jay Oliva, 2012/2013)
17. “Road to Perdition” (Sam Mendes, 2002)
18. “The Dark Knight Rises” (Christopher Nolan, 2012)
19. “X-Men: Days of Future Past” (Bryan Singer, 2014)
20. “Watchmen” (Zack Snyder, 2009)
----
21. “Sin City” (Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller, 2005)
22. “Spider-Man” (Sam Raimi, 2002)
23. “X-Men” (Bryan Singer, 2000)
24. “Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker” (Curt Geda, 2000)
25. “Avengers: Age of Ultron” (Joss Whedon, 2015)
26. “Black Panther” (Ryan Coogler, 2018)
27. “Wonder Woman” (Patty Jenkins, 2017)
28. “Superman Returns” (Bryan Singer, 2006)
29. “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (Steve Barron, 1990)
30. “Wonder Woman” (Lauren Montgomery, 2009)
----
31. “The Incredibles” (Brad Bird, 2004)
32. “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” (Zack Snyder, 2016)
33. “Spider-Man: Homecoming” (Jon Watts, 2017)
34. “Deadpool” (Tim Miller, 2016)
35. “Guardians of the Galaxy” (James Gunn, 2014)
36. “Batman: Under the Red Hood” (Brandon Vietti, 2009)
37. “Thor: Ragnarok” (Taika Waititi, 2017)
38. “Big Hero 6” (Don Hall & Chris Williams, 2014)
39. “Doctor Strange” (Scott Derrickson, 2016)
40. “Blade II” (Guillermo Del Toro, 2002)
----
41. “Batman Forever” (Joel Schumacher, 1995)
42. “The Rocketeer” (Joe Johnston, 1991)
43. “Batman Returns” (Tim Burton, 1992)
44. “Captain America: The First Avenger” (Joe Johnston, 2011)
45. “The Wolverine” (James Mangold, 2013)
46. “All-Star Superman” (Sam Liu, 2011)
47. “Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths” (Lauren Montgomery and Sam Liu, 2010)
48. “X-Men: First Class” (Matthew Vaughn, 2011)
49. “Man of Steel” (Zack Snyder, 2013)
50. “Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox” (Jay Oliva, 2013)
----
51. “Iron Man III” (Shane Black, 2013)
52. “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” (James Gunn, 2017)
53. “Superman/Batman: Apocalypse” (Lauren Montgomery, 2010)
54. “Batman: Year One” (Lauren Montgomery and Sam Liu, 2011)
55. “Ant-Man” (Peyton Reed, 2015)
56. “Justice League” (Zack Snyder/Joss Whedon, 2017)
57. “The Incredible Hulk” (Louis Leterrier, 2008)
58. “The Lego Batman Movie” (Chris McKay, 2017)
59. “Justice League: Gods and Monsters” (Sam Liu, 2015)
60. “Batman & Mr. Freeze: Sub Zero” (Boyd Kirkland, 1998)
----
61. “Superman/Batman: Public Enemies” (Sam Liu, 2009)
62. “The Mask” (Chuck Russell, 1994)
63. “Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman” (Curt Geda, 2003)
64. “Green Lantern: First Flight” (Lauren Montgomery, 2009)
65. “Superman vs. The Elite” (Michael Chang, 2012)
66. “Batman: The Movie” (Leslie H. Martinson, 1966)
67. “Conan The Barbarian” (John Milius, 1982)
68. “Suicide Squad” (David Ayer, 2016)
69. “Daredevil” (Mark Steven Johnson, 2003)
70. “X-Men: Apocalypse” (Bryan Singer, 2016)
----
71. “Batman vs. Robin” (Jay Oliva, 2015)
72. “Spider-Man III” (Sam Raimi, 2007)
73. “Iron Man II” (Jon Favreau, 2010)
74. “Justice League: Throne of Atlantis” (Jay Oliva and Ethan Spaulding, 2015)
75. “The Mask of Zorro” (Martin Campbell, 1998)
76. “The Punisher” (Jonathan Hensleigh, 2004)
77. “Superman: Doomsday” (Bruce W. Timm, Lauren Montgomery and Brandon Vietti, 2007)
78. “Batman: Bad Blood” (Jay Oliva, 2016)
79. “Constantine” (Francis Lawrence, 2005)
80. “Hellboy II: The Golden Army” (Guillermo Del Toro, 2008)
----
81. “Punisher: War Zone” (Lexi Alexander, 2008)
82. “Thor” (Kenneth Branagh, 2011)
83. “Justice League: War” (Jay Oliva, 2014)
84. “The Shadow” (Russell Mulcahy, 1994)
85. “Kick-ash” (Matthew Vaughn, 2010)
86. “V for Vendetta” (James McTeigue, 2006)
87. “Hulk” (Ang Lee, 2003)
88. “Justice League: Doom” (Lauren Montgomery, 2012)
89. “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze” (Michael Pressman, 1991)
90. “Hellboy” (Guillermo Del Toro, 2004)
----
91. “The Amazing Spider-Man” (Marc Webb, 2012)
92. “300” (Zack Snyder, 2007)
93. “Batman: The Killing Joke” (Sam Liu, 2016)
94. “Son of Batman” (Ethan Spaulding, 2014)
95. “Blade: Trinity” (David S. Goyer, 2004)
96. “Planet Hulk” (Sam Liu, 2010)
97. “Justice League vs Teen Titans” (Sam Liu, 2016)
98. “Darkman” (Sam Raimi, 1990)
99. “Dredd” (Pete Travis, 2012)
100. “Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers: The Movie” (Bryan Spicer, 1995)
----
101. “Batman: Assault on Arkham” (Jay Oliva and Ethan Spaulding, 2014)
102. “X-Men: The Last Stand” (Brett Ratner, 2006)
103. “Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance” (Neveldine & Taylor, 2012)
104. “The Amazing Spider-Man II” (Marc Webb, 2014)
105. “Thor: The Dark World” (Alan Taylor, 2013)
106. “Fantastic Four” (Josh Trank, 2015)
107. “Superman: Unbound” (James Tucker, 2013)
108. “300: Rise of an Empire” (Noam Murro, 2014)
109. “Avengers Confidential: Black Widow & Punisher” (Kenichi Shimizu, 2014)
110. “Doctor Strange: The Sorcerer Supreme” (Jay Oliva, Patrick Archibald and Richard Sebast, 2007)
----
111. “Kick-ash 2” (Jeff Wadlow, 2013)
112. “Mystery Men” (Kinka Usher, 1999)
113. “Thor: Tales of Asgard” (Sam Liu, 2011)
114. “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer” (Tim Story, 2007)
115. “TMNT” (Kevin Munroe, 2007)
116. “Ghost Rider” (Mark Steven Johnson, 2007)
117. “Fantastic Four” (Tim Story, 2005)
118. “Conan The Destroyer” (Richard Fleischer, 1984)
119. “The Spirit” (Frank Miller, 2008)
120. “Superman III” (Richard Lester, 1983)
----
121. “Batman & Robin” (Joel Schumacher, 1997)
122. “The Punisher” (Mark Goldblatt, 1989)
123. “Superman and the Mole Men” (Lee Sholem, 1951)
124. “Sin City: A Dame to Kill For” (Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller, 2014)
125. “The Batman vs Dracula” (Michael Goguen, 2005)
126. “The Phantom” (Simon Wincer, 1996)
127. “Spawn” (Mark A.Z. Dippé, 1997)
128. “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (Jonathan Liebesman, 2014)
129. “Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo” (David Slack, 2006)
130. “Ultimate Avengers: The Movie” (Curt Geda and Steven E. Gordon, 2006)
----
131. “Superman: Brainiac Attacks” (Curt Geda, 2006)
132. “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” (Gavin Hood, 2009)
133. “The Green Hornet” (Michel Gondry, 2011)
134. “Green Lantern” (Martin Campbell, 2011)
135. “Captain America” (Albert Pyun, 1990)
136. “Ultimate Avengers II: Rise of the Black Panther” (Will Meugniot and Richard Sebast, 2006)
137. “The Incredible Hulk Returns” (Nicholas J. Corea, 1988)
138. “Swamp Thing” (Wes Craven, 1982)
139. “Supergirl” (Jeannot Szwarc, 1984)
140. “Judge Dredd” (Danny Cannon, 1995)
----
141. “Elektra” (Rob Bowman, 2005)
142. “The Return of Swamp Thing” (Jim Wynorski, 1989)
143. “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III” (Stuart Gillard, 1993)
144. “Darkman II: The Return of Durant” (Bradford May, 1995)
145. “Captain America II: Death Too Soon” (Iván Nagy, 1979)
146. “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen” (Stephen Norrington, 2003)
147. “Barb Wire” (David Hogan, 1996)
148. “The Crow: City of Angels” (Tim Pope, 1996)
149. “Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.” (Ron Hardy, 1998)
150. “Darkman III: Die Darkman Die” (Bradford May, 1996)
----
151. “Jonah Hex” (Jimmy Hayward, 2010)
152. “Captain America” (Rod Holcomb, 1979)
153. “The Crow: Wicked Prayer” (Lance Mungia, 2005)
154. “Catwoman” (Pitof, 2004)
155. “Tank Girl”(Rachel Talalay, 1995)
156. “Steel” (Kenneth Johnson, 1997)
157. “Man-Thing” (Brett Leonard, 2005)
158. “Son of the Mask” (Lawrence Guterman, 2005)
159. “Howard The Duck” (Willard Huyck, 1986)
160. “The Fantastic Four” (Oley Sassone, 1994)
----
161. “Superman IV: The Quest for Peace” (Sidney J. Furie, 1987)

 

[Kevin Roegele]

I love you for doing this.

I agree that Superman the Movie and The Dark Knight are the two greatest movies of the genre. And Blade, absolutely one of the top ten - every time I watch Blade I'm amazed at how perfectly formed it is. Blade isn't hugely ambitious, but what it does, it does faultlessly.

 

[Kevin Roegele]

If you're including Darkman and The Incredibles, why not RoboCop and The Matrix?

 

[CFE]

That's a fair point...after Comic Book movies, I did a similar countdown of 100 Science Fiction films that included "RoboCop" and "The Matrix."

I know that narratively and structurally, RoboCop IS essentially a superhero story, but in my mind, I always end up putting it in the science fiction category first, or as its primary designation...while simultaneously, the X-Men and Spider-Man movies certainly have a lot of science fiction elements.

It just boils down to personal ideology concerning such things.

Like is "Jurassic Park" a science fiction film? Absolutely.

Do I consider it more of an adventure film? Personally, yeah. Strange, I know haha.

 

[Mandon Knight]

Man, fair play for all this hard work.

 

[CFE]

1. “Superman: The Movie” (Richard Donner, 1978)
2. “The Dark Knight” (Christopher Nolan, 2008)
3. “Batman: Mask of the Phantasm” (Bruce W. Timm and Eric Radomski, 1993)
4. “Batman” (Tim Burton, 1989)
5. “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” (Joe and Anthony Russo, 2014)
6. “Superman II” (Richard Lester, 1980)
7. “X2: X-Men United” (Bryan Singer, 2003)
8. “The Avengers” (Joss Whedon, 2012)
9. “Blade” (Stephen Norrington, 1998)
10. “Batman Begins” (Christopher Nolan, 2005)
----
11. “Spider-Man II” (Sam Raimi, 2004)
12. “Avengers: Infinity War” (Joe and Anthony Russo, 2018)
13. “Captain America: Civil War” (Joe and Anthony Russo, 2016)
14. “Logan” (James Mangold, 2017)
15. “Iron Man” (Jon Favreau, 2008)
16. “The Crow” (Alex Proyas, 1994)
17. “Batman: The Dark Knight Returns” (Jay Oliva, 2012/2013)
18. “Road to Perdition” (Sam Mendes, 2002)
19. “The Dark Knight Rises” (Christopher Nolan, 2012)
20. “X-Men: Days of Future Past” (Bryan Singer, 2014)
----
21. “Watchmen” (Zack Snyder, 2009)
22. “Sin City” (Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller, 2005)
23. “Spider-Man” (Sam Raimi, 2002)
24. “X-Men” (Bryan Singer, 2000)
25. “Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker” (Curt Geda, 2000)
26. “Avengers: Age of Ultron” (Joss Whedon, 2015)
27. “Black Panther” (Ryan Coogler, 2018)
28. “Wonder Woman” (Patty Jenkins, 2017)
29. “Superman Returns” (Bryan Singer, 2006)
30. “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (Steve Barron, 1990)
----
31. “Wonder Woman” (Lauren Montgomery, 2009)
32. “The Incredibles” (Brad Bird, 2004)
33. “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” (Zack Snyder, 2016)
34. “Spider-Man: Homecoming” (Jon Watts, 2017)
35. “Deadpool” (Tim Miller, 2016)
36. “Guardians of the Galaxy” (James Gunn, 2014)
37. “Batman: Under the Red Hood” (Brandon Vietti, 2009)
38. “Thor: Ragnarok” (Taika Waititi, 2017)
39. “Big Hero 6” (Don Hall & Chris Williams, 2014)
40. “Doctor Strange” (Scott Derrickson, 2016)
----
41. “Blade II” (Guillermo Del Toro, 2002)
42. “Batman Forever” (Joel Schumacher, 1995)
43. “The Rocketeer” (Joe Johnston, 1991)
44. “Batman Returns” (Tim Burton, 1992)
45. “Captain America: The First Avenger” (Joe Johnston, 2011)
46. “The Wolverine” (James Mangold, 2013)
47. “All-Star Superman” (Sam Liu, 2011)
48. “Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths” (Lauren Montgomery and Sam Liu, 2010)
49. “X-Men: First Class” (Matthew Vaughn, 2011)
50. “Man of Steel” (Zack Snyder, 2013)
----
51. “Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox” (Jay Oliva, 2013)
52. “Iron Man III” (Shane Black, 2013)
53. “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” (James Gunn, 2017)
54. “Superman/Batman: Apocalypse” (Lauren Montgomery, 2010)
55. “Batman: Year One” (Lauren Montgomery and Sam Liu, 2011)
56. “Ant-Man” (Peyton Reed, 2015)
57. “Justice League” (Zack Snyder/Joss Whedon, 2017)
58. “The Incredible Hulk” (Louis Leterrier, 2008)
59. “The Lego Batman Movie” (Chris McKay, 2017)
60. “Justice League: Gods and Monsters” (Sam Liu, 2015)
----
61. “Batman & Mr. Freeze: Sub Zero” (Boyd Kirkland, 1998)
62. “Superman/Batman: Public Enemies” (Sam Liu, 2009)
63. “The Mask” (Chuck Russell, 1994)
64. “Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman” (Curt Geda, 2003)
65. “Green Lantern: First Flight” (Lauren Montgomery, 2009)
66. “Superman vs. The Elite” (Michael Chang, 2012)
67. “Batman: The Movie” (Leslie H. Martinson, 1966)
68. “Conan The Barbarian” (John Milius, 1982)
69. “Deadpool 2” (David Leitch, 2018)
70. “Suicide Squad” (David Ayer, 2016)
----
71. “Daredevil” (Mark Steven Johnson, 2003)
72. “X-Men: Apocalypse” (Bryan Singer, 2016)
73. “Batman vs. Robin” (Jay Oliva, 2015)
74. “Spider-Man III” (Sam Raimi, 2007)
75. “Iron Man II” (Jon Favreau, 2010)
76. “Justice League: Throne of Atlantis” (Jay Oliva and Ethan Spaulding, 2015)
77. “The Mask of Zorro” (Martin Campbell, 1998)
78. “The Punisher” (Jonathan Hensleigh, 2004)
79. “Superman: Doomsday” (Bruce W. Timm, Lauren Montgomery and Brandon Vietti, 2007)
80. “Batman: Bad Blood” (Jay Oliva, 2016)
----
81. “Constantine” (Francis Lawrence, 2005)
82. “Hellboy II: The Golden Army” (Guillermo Del Toro, 2008)
83. “Punisher: War Zone” (Lexi Alexander, 2008)
84. “Thor” (Kenneth Branagh, 2011)
85. “Suicide Squad: bad place to Pay” (Sam Liu, 2018)
86. “Justice League: War” (Jay Oliva, 2014)
87. “The Shadow” (Russell Mulcahy, 1994)
88. “Kick-ash” (Matthew Vaughn, 2010)
89. “V for Vendetta” (James McTeigue, 2006)
90. “Hulk” (Ang Lee, 2003)
----
91. “Justice League: Doom” (Lauren Montgomery, 2012)
92. “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze” (Michael Pressman, 1991)
93. “Hellboy” (Guillermo Del Toro, 2004)
94. “Batman: Gotham by Gaslight” (Sam Liu, 2018)
95. “The Amazing Spider-Man” (Marc Webb, 2012)
96. “300” (Zack Snyder, 2007)
97. “Batman: The Killing Joke” (Sam Liu, 2016)
98. “Son of Batman” (Ethan Spaulding, 2014)
99. “Blade: Trinity” (David S. Goyer, 2004)
100. “Planet Hulk” (Sam Liu, 2010)
----
101. “Justice League vs Teen Titans” (Sam Liu, 2016)
102. “Darkman” (Sam Raimi, 1990)
103. “Dredd” (Pete Travis, 2012)
104. “Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers: The Movie” (Bryan Spicer, 1995)
105. “Batman: Assault on Arkham” (Jay Oliva and Ethan Spaulding, 2014)
106. “X-Men: The Last Stand” (Brett Ratner, 2006)
107. “Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance” (Neveldine & Taylor, 2012)
108. “The Amazing Spider-Man II” (Marc Webb, 2014)
109. “Thor: The Dark World” (Alan Taylor, 2013)
110. “Fantastic Four” (Josh Trank, 2015)
----
111. “Superman: Unbound” (James Tucker, 2013)
112. “300: Rise of an Empire” (Noam Murro, 2014)
113. “Avengers Confidential: Black Widow & Punisher” (Kenichi Shimizu, 2014)
114. “Doctor Strange: The Sorcerer Supreme” (Jay Oliva, Patrick Archibald and Richard Sebast, 2007)
115. “Kick-ash 2” (Jeff Wadlow, 2013)
116. “Mystery Men” (Kinka Usher, 1999)
117. “Thor: Tales of Asgard” (Sam Liu, 2011)
118. “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer” (Tim Story, 2007)
119. “TMNT” (Kevin Munroe, 2007)
120. “Ghost Rider” (Mark Steven Johnson, 2007)
----
121. “Fantastic Four” (Tim Story, 2005)
122. “Conan The Destroyer” (Richard Fleischer, 1984)
123. “The Spirit” (Frank Miller, 2008)
124. “Superman III” (Richard Lester, 1983)
125. “Batman & Robin” (Joel Schumacher, 1997)
126. “The Punisher” (Mark Goldblatt, 1989)
127. “Superman and the Mole Men” (Lee Sholem, 1951)
128. “Sin City: A Dame to Kill For” (Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller, 2014)
129. “The Batman vs Dracula” (Michael Goguen, 2005)
130. “The Phantom” (Simon Wincer, 1996)
----
131. “Spawn” (Mark A.Z. Dippé, 1997)
133. “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (Jonathan Liebesman, 2014)
133. “Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo” (David Slack, 2006)
134. “Ultimate Avengers: The Movie” (Curt Geda and Steven E. Gordon, 2006)
135. “Superman: Brainiac Attacks” (Curt Geda, 2006)
136. “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” (Gavin Hood, 2009)
137. “The Green Hornet” (Michel Gondry, 2011)
138. “Green Lantern” (Martin Campbell, 2011)
139. “Captain America” (Albert Pyun, 1990)
140. “Ultimate Avengers II: Rise of the Black Panther” (Will Meugniot and Richard Sebast, 2006)
----
141. “The Incredible Hulk Returns” (Nicholas J. Corea, 1988)
142. “Swamp Thing” (Wes Craven, 1982)
143. “Supergirl” (Jeannot Szwarc, 1984)
144. “Judge Dredd” (Danny Cannon, 1995)
145. “Elektra” (Rob Bowman, 2005)
146. “The Return of Swamp Thing” (Jim Wynorski, 1989)
147. “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III” (Stuart Gillard, 1993)
148. “Darkman II: The Return of Durant” (Bradford May, 1995)
149. “Captain America II: Death Too Soon” (Iván Nagy, 1979)
150. “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen” (Stephen Norrington, 2003)
----
151. “Barb Wire” (David Hogan, 1996)
152. “The Crow: City of Angels” (Tim Pope, 1996)
153. “Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.” (Ron Hardy, 1998)
154. “Darkman III: Die Darkman Die” (Bradford May, 1996)
155. “Jonah Hex” (Jimmy Hayward, 2010)
156. “Captain America” (Rod Holcomb, 1979)
157. “The Crow: Wicked Prayer” (Lance Mungia, 2005)
158. “Catwoman” (Pitof, 2004)
159. “Tank Girl”(Rachel Talalay, 1995)
160. “Steel” (Kenneth Johnson, 1997)
----
161. “Man-Thing” (Brett Leonard, 2005)
162. “Son of the Mask” (Lawrence Guterman, 2005)
163. “Howard The Duck” (Willard Huyck, 1986)
164. “The Fantastic Four” (Oley Sassone, 1994)
165. “Superman IV: The Quest for Peace” (Sidney J. Furie, 1987)

 

[Kevin Roegele]

That's a fair point...after Comic Book movies, I did a similar countdown of 100 Science Fiction films that included "RoboCop" and "The Matrix."

I know that narratively and structurally, RoboCop IS essentially a superhero story, but in my mind, I always end up putting it in the science fiction category first, or as its primary designation...while simultaneously, the X-Men and Spider-Man movies certainly have a lot of science fiction elements.

It just boils down to personal ideology concerning such things.

Like is "Jurassic Park" a science fiction film? Absolutely.

Do I consider it more of an adventure film? Personally, yeah. Strange, I know haha.

It's fascinating really (to me at least). A lot of films are multiple genres. I think Alien and Frankenstein are perfect examples - both are equally science fiction and horror. Superhero movies are almost equally science fiction and fantasy, but narratively they are action-driven, most of them are action-adventure movies more than anything else. There are exceptions: the first X-Men from 2000 is uniquely more a science fiction movie with some action scenes that an action movie; Superman the Movie has a lot of disaster movie in it's DNA; and Batman Returns has gothic horror and German expressionism.

 

[TheFlamingCoco]

Haven't seen enough for 100..but here are my top superhero movies.

*I'll politely disqualify the Iron Giant, but if he counts, he's number one.*

1. Spider-Man 2 (has become underrated over the years. Arguably the most character-driven superhero movie, with one of the best scores.)

2. Batman: Mask of the Phantasm *The quintessential Caped Crusader movie*

3. The Incredibles (2004 was kind. Dash's island chase is arguably the most exciting in the genre in terms of sheer excitement.)

4. The Dark Knight (Best villain, probably the most like a "real" movie, for lack of a less pretentious term.)

5. WATCHMEN (It's arguably the deepest superhero flick, but the competition between Alan Moore's substance and Snyder's desire for slow-motion carnage result in a disjointed, but in some ways, incredible film.)

6. Superman:The Movie-The one that started it all. Even with third act issues, it is probably the best film with the character.

7. Unbreakable-Probably the best "realistic" superhero movie.

8. Iron Man..still remains the best MCU movie (yes, I haven't seen infinity war, don't judge me)

9. The Avengers-set a new stage for scale and wittiness.

10. The Guardians of the Galaxy. I was hyped up for it at the time, but it still feels like it had more heart than the average MCU flick.

11. Batman Begins. Arguably the first "modern" superhero movie.

12. Captain America-the Winter Soldier. A great movie (perhaps I should rank it above the Avengers..but this is tough, lol.)

13. WONDER WOMAN-Sure the cinematic approach feels borrowed from Captain America, but it's a really solid flick until its third act.

14. Logan: Don't get the deal, but the cinematography and direction are top notch.

15. Batman 89-Sure its a bit..interesting. But Keaton feels ghostly in this, and Nicholson appears to be having an expensive amount of fun.

16. Thor. Good character and villain, but overall, the film becomes slowly dull.

17. Captain America: Civil War. Saw it on a BIG screen. Good memories, but the film itself is overrated. Still fine.

18. X-men 2-Considered to be incredible upon release..feels more dated than Raimi's original Spider-Man film. Probably one of the last times practical FX were used extensively in the superhero genre.

19. Superman II- It's a classic, but mostly doesn't hold up. Fun, though.

20. Spider-Man 2002.

Has some of the best scenes in the genre, but the movie itself is kind of clunky. Willem Dafoe is camp fun, and the last fight scene is one of the rawest in the genre.

19. The Incredible Hulk..saw that on TV. Has some good character moments, but it becomes a smashfest at the end.

20. Spider-Man Homecoming..well done, but didn't leave much of an impression on me.

21. Ant-Man.. Not really exceptional, but enjoyable enough.

Honorable Mention: Batman: Under The Red Hood. Better than most on the list, but the non-theatrical release makes it hard to place as a "fair" comparison.

 

[Kevin Roegele]

Good stuff - gotta disagree about Superman II though. The set-up of the movie is absolutely perfect: superhero gives up his duty for a girl - at the very time he's needed the most. It's so good Spider-Man 2 copied it. But Superman II does it better because the scale is global (the entire world is in danger), and because Superman is a messianic character, the drama is on a Biblical scale. He wants to be a man but he has to be more. For a moment, he's selfish, Superman puts himself first, and he pays for it. And you don't get any more a tragic romance than Superman giving up his powers, and his heritage, to live as a mere mortal with Lois - even while we all know it can't last. It's just superb.

I think the best scene in any superhero film ever is Clark, having just had his ash-kicked by some cheap thug in a low-rent diner, with very-human blood on his face, seeing the President - the President! - on TV, shouting for Superman's help. Not only does Superman no longer exist, Clark's at his lowest point, and the realisation in Christopher Reeve's face when he realises his folly is gut-renching. Incredibly dramatic scene.

 

[TheFlamingCoco]

^ Black Panther goes above Thor, btw..I'm just too lazy to reorder the list.