Superhero movies can take their share of flak for being formulaic or flooding cinemas, but come on: if they are good, oh boy, are they good. The genre has given us career-defining performances, genre-bending experimentation, and stories that pack a harder punch than a vibranium shield to the chest in the past two decades. From casting choices that changed the game to moments that reminded us why we really do love heroes in the first place, here are 10 of the best things superhero movies ever did right, spot-on, numbered down in reverse, because the best is last.
10. Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man
No such list exists without RDJ. His Tony Stark performance not only launched the MCU but contributed to shaping it, as well. With rapid-fire one-liners, heart, and screen-stealing charisma, Downey turned Iron Man into the cornerstone of a billion-dollar franchise and showed the world what perfect casting looks like.
9. Deadpool’s Fourth-Wall Shenanigans
By mid-decade in the 2010s, superhero movies had started to become too shiny. Come along, Deadpool, blows up the rulebook, and starts making jokes in our face. Ryan Reynolds’ defiant, self-aware acting made fourth-wall-breaking not just funny but necessary—and breathed fresh life into the genre.
8. Hugh Jackman as Wolverine
Wolverine and Hugh Jackman are effectively interchangeable at this stage. Despite the fact that he wasn’t the first choice for the role, Jackman turned Logan into a pop culture icon for nearly 20 years, balancing rage and sensitivity in a way that won hearts. Logan was the mic-drop conclusion we didn’t know we needed.
7. Batman and Joker in The Dark Knight
Christopher Nolan did not only gift us with a superhero film—he gave us a contemporary crime epic. The tension between Christian Bale’s Batman and Heath Ledger’s Joker was charged, propelling the movie toward one of the most memorable hero-villain confrontations in film history. Good against evil, order against chaos—it remains the benchmark by which all superhero fights are judged.
6. Christopher Reeve Made Us Believe
Before superhero blockbusters were a thing, Christopher Reeve was Superman. He wasn’t just playing a character—he embodied kindness, hope, and heroism in a way that made people genuinely believe in the impossible. Reeve’s performance is still the benchmark for sincerity in the genre.
5. Spider-Man’s Origin in Raimi’s Trilogy
There are so many origin tales, but Spider-Man by Sam Raimi arrived at the essence of what it is about Peter Parker that makes him special. Tobey Maguire nailed the guilt, learning, and responsibility that come with being a hero, and Uncle Ben’s adage—”with great power comes great responsibility”—still resonates as one of the genre’s bedrock mantras.
4. Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn
Margot Robbie did not merely act as Harley Quinn—she made her unforgettable. Walking that high wire between vulnerability, humor, and anarchic energy, Robbie’s Harley exploded off the screen in each film she appeared in, either side by side with the Joker or flying solo on her own anarchic path. She’s an icon of modern pop culture in her own right.
3. Captain America’s Moral Dilemmas
Steve Rogers might have been a one-dimensional waltzing flag—but the MCU made him one of its most multidimensional heroes. His cynicism towards institutions, his unwavering morals, and personal demons gave his journey real emotional heft, particularly during the Civil War. Rogers wasn’t a patriot—he was doing the right thing.
2. The Batman Goes Full Noir
Matt Reeves’ remake in 2022 finally gave audiences what they had been crying out for: Batman as a real detective. Utilizing dark, noir-tinged tone, realistic villains, and brooding intensity, The Batman brought the character back down to his humble beginnings in a manner that was similar yet long, long overdue.
1. Into the Spider-Verse: Anyone Can Wear the Mask
Few superhero movies have hit the heart as forcefully as Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Not only was it visually breathtaking, but it was also a tale of what it is to be a hero—choice, responsibility, and guts. Miles Morales’ story was that anyone, whoever they were, could rise and take hold of the mask. It is the best superhero message.
From pitch-perfect casting to daring reinventions, these sequences prove that superhero films are not simply box office spectacles—they’re cultural touchstones that keep inspiring, surprising, and reminding us why we love heroes in the first place.