Summary

• Only a few comic book movies stand out as the best of the last decade, impressing audiences with visuals, characters, and storytelling.
• Films like "The Batman" and "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" set a new standard, introducing iconic characters and redefining the genre.
• "Joker" delves into mental health and society, earning critical acclaim and reshaping the way superhero stories are told on screen.

The late 2010s and early 2020s have been incredibly kind to fans of comic book movies. Since the advent of the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies and the general increasing popularity of the genre in the late 2000s, superhero movies have become the new norm for marquee spanning blockbusters of every movie season. But only a handful of films can stand supreme as the absolute best entries of the last ten years, from 2014 to the present.

There are several metrics by which the quality of a given comic book movie can be measured. Other than the same categories every film must succeed in, such as performances, cinematography, and narrative satisfaction, comic book movies live and die by their effects on pop culture. The most influential superhero stories of the last ten years check all of these boxes and more, introducing general audiences to characters they didn't know they needed.

10 The Batman

2022

Like the many interpretations of James Bond, each new decade brings its own versions of Batman to the silver screen. The late 2010s and early 2020s actually brought two, with Ben Affleck making his debut in the DCEU's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Robert Pattinson offering his own performance in Matt Reeves' The Batman. Of the two, The Batman is by far the superior Batman story, and is one of the better comic book movies to impress audiences in recent years.

Gotham is starkly-lit and dripping with atmosphere as the moody film snakes its way through the formative years of Pattinson's younger, broodier Batman.

The Batman deserves to go down in history as one of the last ten years' best superhero films for its visuals alone. Gotham is starkly-lit and dripping with atmosphere as the moody film snakes its way through the formative years of Pattinson's younger, broodier Batman. It's also one of the few films to give the world's greatest detective an actual mystery to solve, with Paul Dano's Riddler being an instantly iconic and terrifying Batman villain that commands the screen.

9 The Suicide Squad

2021

2016's Suicide Squad has gone down in history as one of the worst superhero movies ever made, let alone within the last ten years. That makes it all the more astonishing that James Gunn was able to turn the tables on the concept with 2021's The Suicide Squad, which presented a fresh version of the expendable supervillain team. With an ensemble cast, the movie sees the team assembled once again in order to take on the dictator of a remote island nation harboring some sinister secrets.

Once again, James Gunn proves he knows how to handle an ensemble cast with The Suicide Squad's eclectic collection of oddball characters. The film is utterly hilarious while combining the campiest of superhero ideas with visceral gore, a delicate balancing act that pays off wonderfully. If nothing else, The Suicide Squad proved that the DCU is in good hands.

8 Logan

2017

The Fox X-Men series has finally come to a close within the last ten years after being one of the most important original franchises to begin the superhero craze. While Logan wasn't the absolutely final entry in the series, the swansong of Hugh Jackman's Wolverine presented a poignant and fitting ending to an iconic performance. Loosely based on the excellent elseworlds comic Old Man Logan, the film follows an aging Wolverine whose powers are finally beginning to fail him struggling to take care of both a senile Professor X and a hot-blooded new adoptive daughter.

There's so much that simply works about 2017's Logan. The growing relationship between Laura and her progenitor makes for an unforgettable dynamic, and the bleak, dystopian world of the film evokes the isolation of a Western with powerful emotional beats. It's a shame that the Deadpool & Wolverine will mean that the film will no longer be Hugh Jackman's final performance as Wolverine, considering how brilliant of an end to his tale it served as.

7 Avengers: Infinity War

2018

Avengers: Infinity War was the culmination of the Infinity Saga that the nascent Marvel Cinematic Universe had sprinkled breadcrumbs alluding to across its entire first three phases. The climactic "season finale" of the TV show that is the MCU, Avengers: Infinity War was a triumph of pop culture that even the most high-brow critics couldn't ignore the success of. There are several things that the spectacular cinematic event did that made it unique among Marvel fare.

For one, despite the MCU being notorious for its villain problems, Avengers: Infinity War essentially treats Thanos as the main character, making him the emotional anchor that holds the saga together despite his vile actions. The movie is also incredibly dark, killing off multiple integral characters with seemingly no remorse. Shocking, satisfying, and groundbreaking in of pop culture development, Avengers: Infinity War deserves to be ed as peak MCU.

6 Avengers: Endgame

2019

After leaving audiences with bated breath in Avengers: Infinity War, the Marvel Cinematic Universe had an impossible task laid ahead of them in outdoing their previous work. Yet somehow, against all odds, the franchise managed to outdo themselves, presenting a satisfying conclusion to not only the Infinity Saga, but the arcs of some of the series' most beloved and iconic heroes that had been operating for over ten years. Although the film had so many moving pieces to juggle, Avengers: Endgame managed to tie all relevant plot threads together in a satisfying conclusion.

In truth, Avengers: Endgame feels more like an event than a movie, making it hard to judge by conventional cinematic standards. But even without the necessary context, Avengers: Endgame is hypnotically engrossing as a film, hitting all the right notes in its emotional carnival of ideas. It's no wonder that many still wish Avengers: Endgame was the final film of the MCU, considering how excellent a send off it truly provided.

5 Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse

2018

In the last ten years, Sony has struggled to capitalize on their Spider-Man rights in the same way Marvel Studios have, with the box office performances of Sony's villain movies speaking for themselves. However, in the animated realm, Sony Pictures Animation have managed to redefine the medium with Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. For the first time, Miles Morales was at the center of a mainline Spider-Man film, with some phenomenal results.

Few animated superhero films can boast the same influence as Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.

The breathtaking animation and comic book art style of the film became an influence on the medium far and wide, clearly inspiring later films like Puss In Boots: The Last Wish and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. Beyond the incredible visuals, however, the film was also a perfect coming-of-age story, setting up a whole new universe of Spider-Man characters just begging to be explored. Few animated superhero films can boast the same influence as Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.

4 Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse

2023

The long-awaited sequel to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse somehow managed to soar beyond the lofty heights of even its predecessor. Maturing Miles Morales to continue on his journey into superhero stardom, the film introduces a whole new crop of Spider-People while expanding the concepts first explored in the original. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse proved that despite the ongoing onset of multiverse fatigue, the concept can still turn heads when done well.

It goes without saying that the sequel manages to somehow outdo the daring animation of its predecessor, with brilliant innovations like Spider-Punk's unique art style and the captivating sequences with The Spot pushing the boundaries of the medium even further. Speaking of, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse also improves on the one weak area of the original, with an intimidating and well-developed lineup of meaningful villains. Though the film feels like a lot of set-up for a future movie yet to come, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is an undisputed comic book movie triumph.

3 Captain America: Civil War

2016

The Captain America trilogy is one of the better trilogies within the MCU, and its final entry, Captain America: Civil War, firmly confirms as much. Despite its title as a solo film, Captain America: Civil War is essentially a mini-crossover film analogous to The Avengers, bringing together many of the MCU's most iconic heroes to wage ideological warfare. Adapting the famous Marvel Comics run Civil War, the movie managed to precariously balance a lot of moving parts without feeling too overwhelming.

Captain America: Civil War is famous for introducing both Tom Holland's Spider-Man and Chadwick Boseman's Black Panther to the MCU, two performances which went on to become some of the most iconic in the entire series. There's something to be said for the poignant emotional drama mirroring the actual physical conflict of the different heroes, all orchestrated by one of the most quietly successful villains the series has ever seen. Captain America: Civil War deserves more recognition for utilizing the vast potential of the MCU's many characters.

2 Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2

2017

Supplanting even the Captain America trilogy, James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy presents some of the undisputed best films of the MCU. While each of the three spacefaring adventures through Marvel's cosmic side have their own merits, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 might be the most successful, not having the weak villain of the original nor the lingering effects of Avenger: Endgame compromising Gamora's character of the third film. For so many reasons, the second entry in the Guardians of the Galaxy's story is one of the best superhero films of the decade.

For one, Kurt Russell's Ego is one of the best MCU villains ever put to screen, at once powerful, charming, and despicable. But more importantly, the interpersonal development between the Guardians' diverse roster of characters is at its best here, from Star-Lord and Yondu's father-son dynamic to Gamora and Nebula's sibling rivalry, not to mention the new addition to the roster in Mantis. Without Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, films like The Suicide Squad and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse would have little precedence.

1 Joker

2019

While superhero movies have been disparaged by prestige cinema darling Martin Scorsese, one of the best among them in the last ten years drew heavy inspiration from his work for fantastic results. More of a straightforward psychological drama than a traditional comic book film, Joker dissects mental health and societal woes with a thoughtful exploration of the infamous villain's origins. While the film was somewhat divisive, it's impact on pop culture and what it means to tell a superhero story can't be denied.

The film's art design and mood elevate it beyond the scope of most comic book films, redefining what a superhero movie can truly be.

Joaquin Phoenix deservedly won the coveted Best Actor Academy Award for his performance as Arthur Fleck, and his slow descent into nihilism is a worthy spectacle to behold. The film's art design and mood elevate it beyond the scope of most comic book films, redefining what a superhero movie can truly be. Hopefully, the Joker: Folie à Deux will have a similar impact on comic book movies of the future.