Trying to name the best of anything in any particular field is never going to come up with results that can be deemed definitive or conclusive, although there’s always going to be the revolving door of usual suspects that end up in the conversation. A new study recently named Avengers: Endgame as the best superhero movie ever made, and while it’s a phenomenal achievement in filmmaking and a massively enjoyable blockbuster, a lot of people would probably disagree with that sentiment.
Meanwhile, Todd Phillips’ Joker landed in second place, and though it was an Academy Award nominee for Best Picture that saw Joaquin Phoenix follow in Heath Ledger’s footsteps by winning an Oscar for playing the Clown Prince of Crime, it’s proven to be pretty divisive. Some fans view it as one of the defining films of the 21st Century, while others lambasted it for being a nihilistic bore saved by a phenomenal lead performance.
The point is, trying to name the ten best superhero movies ever made is always going to drum up debate and discussion, especially when you look at the titles that didn’t make the cut. Deadpool, Logan, Batman Begins and Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2 were four very notable omissions, and if you consider Men in Black as a superhero film given that it’s an effects-heavy comic book adaptation, then it should be worthy of consideration as well.
Of course, the rankings were determined by facts and figures rather than hearts and heads, which is why Deadpool and the like have missed out on a place in the Top 10 at the expense of the polarizing The Dark Knight Rises or Avengers: Infinity War, both of which wouldn’t typically trouble the discussion on a regular day.