This is how it all began....

[Keehar]

The first Spider-man film didn't just get fast tracked because Blade and X-men made it to the big screen, that film was in developmental hell and tied up in legal troubles for a looooong time. People were trying to make a Spider-man film for about 15 years, so yeah, it would of eventually got made... once the courts figured out who actually owned the rights to the film. It was more of a coincidence that it was finally made and released around the same time as those two films. Blade and X-Men are more of a blip on the radar compared to that first Spidey film. Raimi's film showed superhero films can once again be mega blockbusters and that audiences werent tired of them.

... and yeah, Superman is the most important cbm.

Too right. Cameron was on board for Spidey in the 90's I heard.

 

[The Batman]

Superman: The Movie-What it did for the genre almost speaks for itself. Origin CBM's are still ripping it off to this day.

Batman 89'-Proved the a dark CBM could thrive at the BO. Changed the way blockbusters were marketed. Its pretty much one of, if not the biggest reason that Batman is still a huge character today.

Spider-Man 1-This movie, IMO, is single handily responsible for the modern CBM boom. Blade and X1 were good films, but they didn't make the cultural impact that SM1 did. And unlike those two films, SM1 wasn't afraid to be a comic book movie. Blade was an action horror film that just happened to be based on a comic book. X-Men was a sci fi film that just happened to be based on a comic book. Spider-Man 1 was undoubtedly a superhero movie, one that gave you the comic book aesthetic with the more complicated characters.

The Dark Knight-Elevated the comic book movie to a whole other level. Took the Batman comic and funneled it through a crime drama, injecting its story with social commentary and an iconic film performance.

The Avengers-Moreso than Iron Man, the success of this film justified the connected universe approach.

Honorary Mention: Batman Begins, Iron Man, Guardians of the Galaxy

 

[Flint Marko]

Agreed with basically every point, Batman. Well said.
I admittedly haven't seen Superman the movie since I was 10 (I'm 23 now) so I don't remember much about it, but I plan on revisiting it soon.

 

[Vulture]

I would have to say that Superman78, Batman and TDK are the three SH movies that had the biggest impact in the genre.

Superman pretty much created it. Batman revived it and set the tone for several other SH movies. TDK raised the bar like no other SH movie had done it before.

X-Men, Spider-Man and The Avengers were also important.

 

[CyclopsWasRight]

Superman: The Movie-What it did for the genre almost speaks for itself. Origin CBM's are still ripping it off to this day.

Batman 89'-Proved the a dark CBM could thrive at the BO. Changed the way blockbusters were marketed. Its pretty much one of, if not the biggest reason that Batman is still a huge character today.

Spider-Man 1-This movie, IMO, is single handily responsible for the modern CBM boom. Blade and X1 were good films, but they didn't make the cultural impact that SM1 did. And unlike those two films, SM1 wasn't afraid to be a comic book movie. Blade was an action horror film that just happened to be based on a comic book. X-Men was a sci fi film that just happened to be based on a comic book. Spider-Man 1 was undoubtedly a superhero movie, one that gave you the comic book aesthetic with the more complicated characters.

The Dark Knight-Elevated the comic book movie to a whole other level. Took the Batman comic and funneled it through a crime drama, injecting its story with social commentary and an iconic film performance.

The Avengers-Moreso than Iron Man, the success of this film justified the connected universe approach.

Honorary Mention: Batman Begins, Iron Man, Guardians of the Galaxy

Just because X-Men had black costumes doesn't mean it was afraid to be a comic book movie. It had loads of superpowers on display, the most in any CBM up to that point. It had a theme to the story and lots of complicated characters, even though the action was limited due to the budget but if that was afraid to be a CBM then Batman 89 must be considered that as well since Batman wore an all black costume.

 

[Keehar]

Honorary Mention: Batman Begins, Iron Man, Guardians of the Galaxy

What did Guardians do? It's awesome and all but how is it important?

 

[CyclopsWasRight]

Only thing I can think of is proving that B-listers can be popular. But Blade and Iron Man did that oreviously.

Though perhaps for the non-human characters like Rocket & Groot

 

[Keehar]

I guess it's the first comic one to do it but it doesn't sound like a reason to call it important.

 

[kedrell]

Every character is a B-lister or less until they find a way to break through. Some do almost immediately and others take generations and some never will. But none of them were born as A-listers.

 

[Keehar]

Some worse than others. Batman had a name way before he got a movie. It was a campy name but still he was famous. So was Supes. They had TV shows that helped make them names back in the day.

 

[batfreakforever]

Wtf

 

[Flint Marko]

Just because X-Men had black costumes doesn't mean it was afraid to be a comic book movie. It had loads of superpowers on display, the most in any CBM up to that point. It had a theme to the story and lots of complicated characters, even though the action was limited due to the budget but if that was afraid to be a CBM then Batman 89 must be considered that as well since Batman wore an all black costume.

Please tell me you aren't serious. You know that Batman has pretty much always worn a black costume of some sort, right? And that the X-men, up until the first Singer movie, had largely never worn black?
The X-men outright mocked the idea of wearing yellow spandex in their first film. If that isn't a clear display of being afraid to be a CBM, then I don't know what is. I get that you are going to defend the X-men franchise at every turn but don't get silly about it.

 

[BH/HHH]

The single most important film in superhero/comic book history is Superman the Movie. If it weren't far that we wouldn't have had any of the other movies that follows, yes others took steps and were groundbreaking but none will ever have the importance of Superman the Movie.

 

[Mandon Knight]

It could be said, if one was being extremely generous and not to say 'willing' to quantify both DC'ers and Marvelites that each comic book release is of great importance as it dements further the importance and value for the genre.

 

[writer0327]

It's between Batman 89 and Spider-Man 2002

 

[Osiris-Rex]

Some worse than others. Batman had a name way before he got a movie. It was a campy name but still he was famous. So was Supes. They had TV shows that helped make them names back in the day.

Batman was created in 1939. Batman's first movie came out in 1942. So it basically took 3 years for Batman to become such a big name that Batman got a movie.

With Superman, he was created in 1938 and while by 1940 he had his own radio show, The Adventures of Superman, it took until 1948 for Superman to get his first live action movie.
But then there were the Fleischer cartoons released to theaters from 1941 to 1943, so in a way, Superman beat Batman to the movie houses.

 

[Batmannerism]

IMO, Superman is by and far the most important Superhero character of all. Everything that has come about since stems from, and is in a way a reponse to his conception. Superman the movie to me is that to comicbook films, as everything that would come about from here on out in the genre was a result of it's success, and ability to translate a character from the books to the big screen.

Yes to all of that. Completely agree !

 

[Breogan]

As far as a film "most important due to what it may have meant for the genre long term"

This is how it all began....

...1920

At the Capitol Theatre on Thanksgiving weekend, in New York City, on Sunday, November 28, 1920 (the general release was set for December 5, 1920), all house attendance records were broken.... collecting $11,706.23; ... considered the Capitol Theatre record, but a worlds record for any single theatre for any single day. November 28, was not the only record breaker, Monday, November 29, was the biggest, non-holiday Monday in the Capitol Theatres history.[9] But the box-office records were not done falling to the sway of The Mark of Zorro, for the one-week showing at the Capitol Theatre, MOZ had 94,501 paid admissions, while taking in $48,103.43, which was another worlds record.[10]

Who did the movie influence....

Jerry Siegel: "I loved The Mark of Zorro, and I'm sure that had some influence on me." ..."When writing the script, I had Douglass Fairbanks very much in mind in the athletic stunts that he did too, so the influence of Douglass Fairbanks was not only in the art but in the visual action."

Joe Shuster - "I was a great fan of Douglas Fairbanks, and so was Jerry and I tried to use his stance, the way Douglass Fairbanks looked, ...with his hands on his hips, in Robin Hood and Mark of Zorro, in all those he had those marvelous attitude..." " [His costume] was inspired by the costume pictures that Fairbanks did: they greatly influenced us. He did The Mark of Zorro, and Robin Hood, and a marvelous one called The Black Pirate - Fairbanks would swing on ropes very much like Superman flying... the feeling of action as he was flying or jumping or leaping - a flowing cape would give it movement.

Bill Finger - "Batman was a combination of Douglas Fairbanks [who played Zorro] and Sherlock Holmes."

Bob Kane -"Zorros use of a mask to conceal his identity as Don Diego gave me the idea of giving Batman a secret identityBruce Wayne would be a man of means who put on a façade of being effete. Zorro rode a black horse called Tornado and would enter a cave and exit from a grandfather clock in the living room. The bat-cave was inspired by this cave in Zorro. I didn't want Batman to be a Superhero with superpowersSo I made Batman an ordinary human being; he is just an athlete who has the physical prowess of Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., who was my all-time favorite hero in the movies.

 

[DrCosmic]

The most important film for the comic book genre was actually The Matrix. That movie is WHY the X-Men had to have on black and become the powerhouse it became which pushed everything else. The Matrix showed that newbie directors could take a modest budget and put together mind blowing mythologies and action and that people would eat that up. Super powers were cool and not cartoony all of a sudden.

I think a close second is Spider-Man 2, which is what showed people that superhero movies could have real honest to goodness heart, and honestly most of the superhero TV shows have been chasing Spider-Man 2 ever since.

Third would have to be Blade, it was the comic book movie that came out of nowhere and wowed everyone to the point that they understood 'if they can do this with some nobody, imagine what we could do with Spider-Man!' While Matrix may have set the goalposts for the modern superhero boom, which films like The Dark Knight and Avengers have surpassed, and Spider-Man 2 may have set the tone, it is Blade that took a little snowball and started rolling it down a hill.

There are films that have had a bigger impact, and there were films that came before, but none are as responsible for the current superhero boom as The Matrix. I have nothing but respect for Superman 78 and Batman 89, but they are on more connected to the comic book movie boom than the Wonder Woman TV show.

 

[Mandon Knight]

As afar as a film "most important due to what it may have meant for the genre long term"


...1920

Jerry Siegel: "I loved The Mark of Zorro, and I'm sure that had some influence on me." ..."When writing the script, I had Douglass Fairbanks very much in mind in the athletic stunts that he did too, so the influence of Douglass Fairbanks was not only in the art but in the visual action."

Joe Shuster - "I was a great fan of Douglas Fairbanks, and so was Jerry and I tried to use his stance, the way Douglass Fairbanks looked, ...with his hands on his hips, in Robin Hood and Mark of Zorro, in all those he had those marvelous attitude..." " [His costume] was inspired by the costume pictures that Fairbanks did: they greatly influenced us. He did The Mark of Zorro, and Robin Hood, and a marvelous one called The Black Pirate - Fairbanks would swing on ropes very much like Superman flying... the feeling of action as he was flying or jumping or leaping - a flowing cape would give it movement.

Bill Finger - "Batman was a combination of Douglas Fairbanks [who played Zorro] and Sherlock Holmes."

Bob Kane -"Zorro’s use of a mask to conceal his identity as Don Diego gave me the idea of giving Batman a secret identity…Bruce Wayne would be a man of means who put on a façade of being effete. Zorro rode a black horse called Tornado and would enter a cave and exit from a grandfather clock in the living room. The bat-cave was inspired by this cave in Zorro. I didn't want Batman to be a Superhero with superpowers…So I made Batman an ordinary human being; he is just an athlete who has the physical prowess of Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., who was my all-time favorite hero in the movies.”

Aye, there is a reason why the Wayne's take it in on that fateful evening....

 

[Batmannerism]

The most important film for the comic book genre was actually The Matrix. That movie is WHY the X-Men had to have on black and become the powerhouse it became which pushed everything else. The Matrix showed that newbie directors could take a modest budget and put together mind blowing mythologies and action and that people would eat that up. Super powers were cool and not cartoony all of a sudden.

I think a close second is Spider-Man 2, which is what showed people that superhero movies could have real honest to goodness heart, and honestly most of the superhero TV shows have been chasing Spider-Man 2 ever since.

Third would have to be Blade, it was the comic book movie that came out of nowhere and wowed everyone to the point that they understood 'if they can do this with some nobody, imagine what we could do with Spider-Man!' While Matrix may have set the goalposts for the modern superhero boom, which films like The Dark Knight and Avengers have surpassed, and Spider-Man 2 may have set the tone, it is Blade that took a little snowball and started rolling it down a hill.

There are films that have had a bigger impact, and there were films that came before, but none are as responsible for the current superhero boom as The Matrix. I have nothing but respect for Superman 78 and Batman 89, but they are on more connected to the comic book movie boom than the Wonder Woman TV show.

Wow ! I totally disagree, but that is an interesting thought, and it's neat to hear alternative perspectives -
Personally I believe Batman 89 started the black costume trend. Having said that I believe the Matrix's impact on the entire action/sci-fi genre is hugely underestimated. It was a phenomenon on so many levels ( I also believe it was in part ripped off from Grant Morrison's "The Invisibles" especially "Bloody Hell in America" ) totally on my top ten list (although not the sequels).

 

[LaughterLives]

For me its movies like Batman, The Crow and Blade.

To me These were superhero films done right. Superman may have shown people that superhero films can be cinematic but I wouldn't say it showed people to take the material seriously(I give that credit to Batman). Its still campy as hell and has one of the worst endings in cinematic history precisely because it wasn't taken seriously enough.

Batman was the footprint to how these films "should" be done. The Crow eolved the footprint and Blade was the first to perfect the footprint which led to movies like Batman Begins, Watchmen, TDK, Sin City and so on.

Superhero movies like X-Men, Spider-Man, Daredevil and Fantastic 4 may have been responsible for the boom but in my eyes they were all giant steps backwards and led to alot of the bland mediocre formulaic crap we have today.
Thats just my opinion doh.

 

[Osiris-Rex]

I think the problem with the DCEU is they had gotten to the point of taking things too seriously and took all the fun out of it. That's why Wonder Woman worked, they brought
back some of the camp and as a result while Man of Steel and Superman v Batman underperformed, Wonder Woman vastly overperformed. Indeed, once again laughter lives in the DCEU.

 

[LaughterLives]

Wonder Woman was a period piece. It takes place in the era that invented camp.
However, I'd say It was the charm of the flick that made it enjoyable. Not cuz it was campy.

 

[Mandon Knight]

Colider gearing up to do a Top 50 best list in upcoming weeks....

This is their Top 5....

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