The 10 Best Superhero Movies, Ranked According To Rotten Tomatoes

Generally, audiences can’t get enough of the seemingly endless movies full of web-slinging and hilarious banter. But on the other side of the spectrum, critics tend to favor the superhero movies laced with strong messages and ones that honestly reflect the times they were released.

However, even though it took them a while to fully come around to the MCU, even the critics can’t ignore the spectacle of superhero movies anymore. Between a Hulk and Thor team-up comedy, the first major female-led superhero film, and a cell-shaded Spider-Man flick, Rotten Tomatoes’ list differs massively from IMDb’s top superhero movies.

10 Thor: Ragnarok (2017) – 93%

Thor: Ragnarok caused a sea change in the MCU, as it had such an impact on how the character would be used from that point on. Thor had always been a fish out of water-type character, but director Taika Waititi turned him into a dummy with a heart.

Though there had been comedy-heavy movies in the series previous to Ragnarok, Waititi’s unique brand of comedy has been injected into every Marvel Studios movie since. But it isn’t just one of the funniest movies in the MCU, as it’s also one of the best proper team-up movies outside of The Avengers, as Hulk is just as much of a lead character as Thor.

9 Spider-Man 2 (2004) – 93%

Though X-Men came first, Spider-Man was the first superhero movie that encompassed what Marvel movies would largely become known for. It was exciting, full of humor, and there’s loads of heart. But Spider-Man 2 took it a step further, as director Sam Raimi implemented more of his own brush strokes.

Coming from a horror background, having helmed the classic Evil Dead series, there were heavy hints of that style whenever Doctor Octopus was on screen. The tentacles with a mind of their own are almost terrifying, especially when Octavius attempts to get them surgically removed. With Raimi’s unique spin on the source material and the iconic villain, it’s a perfect superhero sequel.

8 Wonder Woman (2017) – 93%

It’s hard to make a no-nonsense, grounded-in-reality movie about Wonder Woman, as the character has a glow-in-the-dark lasso and an invisible jet, but director Patty Jenkins pulled off the impossible. The movie is a well-made period war film just as much as it is a great superhero movie, as it was the most epic movie about World War I before the release of 1917.

Some think Wonder Woman is attempting to be empowering rather than actually being empowering, but it was widely regarded as heroic and inspirational. It has had a lasting cultural impact due to Wonder Woman being depicted as a female warrior rather than a sex object.

7 Superman (1978) – 94%

Superman is the perfect amalgam of everything that goes into a movie, whether it’s the superb casting, the high-end production value, or, of course, the iconic score from John Williams. The movie also has a huge legacy, as it was the first superhero movie to spawn several sequels.

It was the first time a superhero movie had been shot with such a giant budget, and the first time that large-scale visual effects were used for a character based on a comic book. The scale models of monuments like the Golden Gate Bridge and the use of blue screens were revolutionary at the time. And though Henry Cavill has his fans, Christopher Reeve will always be Superman to a whole generation of cinephiles.

6 Iron Man (2008) – 94%

Though the MCU is now full of purple aliens and wizards, looking back at all the movies now, Iron Man actually seems the most different of them all. As it was the only movie released in the MCU before Disney acquired Marvel Studios, it heavily revolved around the Iraq war, and Tony Stark began as a weapons manufacturer.

It’s more mature, there’s more violence, and there are more adult themes compared to something like Iron Man 3. And as it was the first movie that introduced Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark, no other hero has ever been more perfectly cast.

5 Avengers: Endgame (2019) – 94%

Avengers: Endgame is the culmination of a 20+ movie series, and the fact that it’s three hours in length is a significant achievement in itself. The movie had to wrap up the story arcs of dozens of characters, set up the future of the MCU, and kill off Thanos twice.

After Infinity War set up the big finale to the Infinity Saga, Endgame received overwhelmingly positive reviews from not just fans, but critics too. Even the franchise’s biggest critics couldn’t help but get excited by the dollops of fan service and buckets of pop culture references. But that’s just the wrapping, as the resounding emotional attachment to the characters after all these years is almost unbearable, especially when Tony snaps his fingers with the Infinity Gauntlet.

4 The Dark Knight (2008) – 94%

Christopher Nolan had done the impossible by making audiences take Batman seriously again after Batman Forever. Batman Begins grounded the superhero in reality, turned him into a trained ninja, and removed the Batnipples, and The Dark Knight expertly built on that world. The Dark Knight introduced Joker into Nolan’s Gotham, and it was the first time an actor had ever won an Academy Award for acting in a superhero movie.

But even despite the magnificent portrayal of the villain, it isn’t just Heath Ledger’s incredible performance that carries the movie. The Joker’s diabolical plans, such as the opening heist and the two cruise ships rigged to blow in the finale, are the most deranged and captivating villainous plots ever found in a superhero movie.

3 Black Panther (2018) – 96%

Black Panther captured lightning in a bottle, and its time of release was a big component of the movie’s success, as the film came right at the time when race issues in the country were reaching boiling point.

The costume and set design are based on real ethnic groups in Africa, and every part of the production value seeps in some kind of influence from African culture. Though Black Panther features a messy final battle that’s full of CGI, and it isn’t the greatest looking final act, the movie is most beautiful looking. From the garments that the different tribes of Wakanda wear to just how slick the futuristic city of Wakanda is, it stands unique in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

2 The Incredibles (2004) – 97%

The Incredibles is an outlier when it comes to superhero movies. Even though The Incredibles is influenced by other superheroes, the characters were specifically created for the movie and had never been in a comic book. But ironically enough, despite being fairly derivative of The Fantastic Four, The Incredibles is better than any on-screen depiction of the Marvel series.

Though it’s essentially a superhero movie, it’s the way it intertwines elements of a family drama that makes the films so beloved. It follows a family that is struggling financially, it sees adolescent teenagers locking horns with their parents, and features a couple on the verge of divorce. The Incredibles is another glowing example of how Pixar makes mature kids’ movies that adults can learn from too.

1 Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse (2018) – 97%

There have been more Spider-Man solo movies than any other superhero. Since 2002, there have been eight Spider-Man movies, and the ninth is due for release later this year. However, though there have been so many exciting live-action movies, it’s Into The Spider-Verse that’s better than any of the others according to critics.

Visually, the movie has one of the most unique animations ever, as it’s cell-shaded and looks like it’s ripped straight out of a comic book. Into The Spider-Verse is funny, poignant, and superbly voice-acted, but what makes the movie more thrilling than anything is the prospect of the future of the series. The movie introduced the idea of a multiverse way before the MCU did it with Loki.