Spider-Man 2 & 9 Other Perfect Superhero Sequels

Making any superhero movie is a daunting task because diehard fans are waiting for the filmmakers to slip up and casual moviegoers are inundated with the genre in an oversaturated market. An even tougher challenge is making a sequel to a superhero movie that fans loved (or, worse yet, one that fans hated), as the movie has to go above and beyond what the original accomplished.

Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2 is a prime example of a perfect superhero sequel, and for many fans, it remains the benchmark for the endless onslaught of MCU and DCEU entries to top. But there are plenty of other examples of superhero sequels that get everything right.

10 Spider-Man 2 (2004)

After giving Tobey Maguire’s quintessential portrayal of Peter Parker his superpowers in the first Spider-Man movie, Sam Raimi took them away in the second one. This conflict is what makes Spider-Man 2 the ultimate Spidey movie because it forces Peter to question whether he’s truly a hero.

Alfred Molina’s Doctor Octopus is one of the all-time greatest supervillain performances. He leans into the mustache-twirling villainy but still brings plenty of nuance to the table.

9 Blade II (2002)

Guillermo del Toro’s visionary direction elevated a by-the-numbers action-horror pic to the status of cult classic. After the initial Blade movie gave Wesley Snipes’ definitive on-screen portrayal of the iconic vampire slayer a stellar introduction, del Toro dove right into the action with a series of thrilling, kinetic set pieces in the sequel.

Snipes’ rapid-fire one-liner improv reached its peak in Blade II, while regular del Toro collaborator Ron Perlman and a pre-Walking Dead Norman Reedus give memorable supporting performances.

8 Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

The Russo brothers weren’t particularly interested in the Captain America character when they were hired to direct his second solo movie, so they had to go the extra mile to make him a hero they rooted for. The result was so successful that Marvel ended up keeping the Russos on board to continue Cap’s on-screen journey all the way to Endgame.

While The First Avenger was a fun World War II adventure worth the price of admission, The Winter Soldier made a much stronger impression on audiences with visceral action like the elevator fight, a handful of scenes that humanize Steve, and a more emotionally engaging villain in Bucky.

7 X2 (2003)

As Charles Xavier’s school is attacked and the mutants are split into groups before being reunited in the final battle, X2 essentially set the template for ensemble superhero movies like Avengers: Endgame.

The original’s legendary cast continued to knock their iconic roles out of the park — with Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen in particular nailing Professor X and Magneto’s unique frenemy dynamic — while the story moves at a brisk pace and builds to satisfying payoffs (payoffs that were, unfortunately, undone by the infamous Brett Ratner in X-Men: The Last Stand).

6 Batman Returns (1992)

Tim Burton’s initial 1989 Batman movie was very dark and weird, but he went even darker and weirder in the 1992 sequel, Batman Returns.

Michael Keaton’s performance as Bruce Wayne is as spot-on in the sequel as it was in the original, while Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman and Danny DeVito’s Penguin remain two of the most iconic portrayals of Batman villains.

5 Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

After Thor: The Dark World was panned as the worst Marvel had to offer, Taika Waititi stepped in to revitalize the franchise. By leaving behind the dreary, pseudo-serious tone of the first two Thor movies and instead telling a story about magic space Vikings with a sense of humor, Waititi turned the God of Thunder’s solo franchise from one of the MCU’s least popular to one of its most beloved.

While Black Panther, Guardians of the Galaxy, and a couple of Avengers entries challenge it for the title of the MCU’s best movie, Thor: Ragnarok is undeniably the MCU’s most fun movie to date.

4 Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)

One of the great tragedies of the comic book movie genre is that audiences never got to see Guillermo del Toro and Ron Perlman’s third Hellboy movie and instead got a bland, uninspired reboot with a gratuitous R rating and not an ounce of heart.

Del Toro and Perlman’s Hellboy movies perfectly captured the cynical spirit of the character and the pulpy tone of the stories and it’s a shame they never got to complete their trilogy.

3 Superman II (1980)

Just as Spider-Man 2 takes away Peter Parker’s superpowers, Superman II takes away Clark Kent’s. But in this case, it’s a conscious choice so he can be with Lois Lane. Right on schedule, after Supes gives up his abilities, some Kryptonian war criminals arrive to invade Earth.

Christopher Reeve’s Superman and Margot Kidder’s Lois have a more interesting relationship in this one, and Terence Stamp makes for a great Zod.

2 Logan (2017)

Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine was the most popular character in Fox’s X-Men franchise, but he was short-changed in the solo movie department. James Mangold’s The Wolverine was a vast improvement over X-Men Origins: Wolverine, but with the trappings of the PG-13 rating, it felt like Mangold was directing with one hand tied behind his back.

For Wolvie’s third solo movie, which Jackman intended to be his final appearance in the role, Mangold was allowed to go hard-R. Heavily inspired by Shane and Paper Moon, Logan is the greatest Wolverine movie, one of the best comic book movies ever made, and a neo-western masterpiece.

1 The Dark Knight (2008)

In following up his origin story Batman Begins, Christopher Nolan helmed the Caped Crusader’s greatest on-screen outing to date. Christian Bale continues to nail the Bruce Wayne/Batman dichotomy, but he loses the spotlight to Heath Ledger’s Joker — not just the greatest on-screen portrayal of a comic book villain, but one of the greatest villains in movie history alongside Norman Bates and the Wicked Witch of the West.

Nolan swapped out Batman Begins’ gloomy, expressionist Gotham for a crime-ridden American metropolis with startling realism inspired by Michael Mann’s Heat.

About The Author

Ben Sherlock
(3465 Articles Published)

Ben Sherlock is a writer, comedian, independent filmmaker, and Burt Reynolds enthusiast. He writes lists for Screen Rant and features and reviews for Game Rant. He’s currently in pre-production on his first feature (and has been for a while, because filmmaking is expensive). You can catch him performing standup at odd pubs around the UK that will give him stage time. Previously, he wrote for Taste of Cinema, Comic Book Resources, and BabbleTop.

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