6 Superhero Movies From the 2010s That Are 10/10 Masterpieces
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Unless someone has been living under a rock, pretty much everyone can say that they've seen a superhero movie. This is especially true if someone went to the movies in the 2010s, which was a huge era—the volume of superhero movies was immense, especially with how big the Marvel Cinematic Universe was growing. Among the large number of movies released in this decade, it only makes sense that there would be some real bangers amidst these ten years.
While Marvel Studios was reigning supreme—the MCU in full swing—there's still plenty of other amazing superhero flicks that released that were not made by Marvel Studios, thankfully. Superhero fans were eating in this era, and there are six films that released that could be 100% be considered masterpieces among the rest.
6 'Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 2' (2013)
The comic book story, The Dark Knight Returns (1986), is one of the most popular Batman stories—DC Comics stories as a whole, honestly—ever written. Brought to life by the one and only Frank Miller (both in writing and art), this grounded take on an older Batman returning from retirement is amazing. So, it only made sense that Warner Bros. Animation and DC Comics decided to bring it to life on screen. While Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1 was good, it was the second installment in the duology that really delivered.
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 2 is wonderful in every way an adaptation of The Dark Knight Returns (1986) would need to be. This part adapts the iconic fight between Batman (Peter Weller) and Superman (Mark Valley)—so iconic that Zack Snyder would take inspiration from it for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice—and it's executed incredibly well. Better yet, though, it delivers on all the emotion it needs to in order to truly sell the third act of this story.
5 'Kick-Ass' (2010)
A superhero movie doesn't have to be from the Marvel or DC Comics universes in order to be good and a success. The likes of Kick-Ass, directed by Matthew Vaughn, is the perfect example of this. Kick-Ass, despite having a lower budget, was a great success critically and a moderate success monetarily. Vaughn's directing is excellent, the performances across the board are compelling, and the writing is a great adaptation of the comic book that changes just enough to make it different and, honestly, enhance the story.
Kick-Ass is a great movie that truly stands out among the rest of the superhero movie space. There aren't many others like it, and that helps it be very memorable to this very day, 16 years later. Everyone wants to be a superhero, but no one in their right mind actually attempts to be in real life. Kick-Ass answers the question of what if a random comic book nerd decided to be a superhero, and does it with grace and prowess.
4 'X-Men: First Class' (2011)
The X-Men franchise has had a tough go in cinema over the years. It's been a rocky road, but one of the major highlights is the likes of X-Men: First Class. It actually shares a director with Kick-Ass, being directed by Matthew Vaughn and releasing just one year after this other superhero film. While it fights for first place with other X-Men movies—X-Men: Days of Future Past being a major one—many truly believe that this 2011 flick is the best the franchise has to offer.
Being a prequel film and telling the story of that first team of X-Men, and the backstory of Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Erik Lehnsherr's (Michael Fassbender) friendship breakup. This project is filled to the brim with love, heart, soul, and it's clear every single person involved cared a lot about making this movie something to truly be remembered and among the best of the best.
3 'Guardians of the Galaxy' (2014)
With the unfortunate news regarding James Gunn in the media recently (the loss of the DCU), it's important to remember all the good, and a huge source of light he's brought in the past is none other than the one and only Guardians of the Galaxy. Before this film, this space-based Marvel Comics team were nobodies. No one really knew them—aside from hardcore comic fans—and no one could have ever imagined that it would become one of the best Marvel films to date.
James Gunn brings a goofy, lighthearted, and electric vibe to this film, while still being able to balance that with genuine heart and soul that keeps the story and characters emotionally compelling. These misfits quickly became fan-favorite characters within the fanbase, and, without a doubt, are some of the most well-written heroes in the cinematic universe. All of that began and was established here in this film.
2 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier' (2014)
Another one of the greatest MCU films of all time came out in 2014 as well in the form of Captain America: The Winter Soldier—also the film that introduced the ever-important Joe Russo and Anthony Russo to Marvel Studios. Their prowess in making this movie allowed them to go on to spearhead the MCU into their big finale of the Infinity Saga, and, more recently, the likes of Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.
The story of Captain America: The Winter Soldier emphasizes how to do a character like Captain America (Chris Evans)—steadfast and timeless—in a modern world. He doesn't change for the world, but the world changes around him. To truly test this, the Russos take the most important people in Steve Rogers' life, Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), and make them living manifestations of how much said world has changed. Steve truly feels like a man out of time, and it helps support his arc of no longer trusting the government as much as he once did tenfold.
1 'Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse' (2018)
One of the greatest animated films of our time is none other than Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. When Sony Pictures Entertainment announced audiences would eventually be getting an animated Miles Morales film, no one could have expected the impact this project would have on the animated cinema landscape as a whole. Safe to say, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse changed everything. It inspired animation studios everywhere to get more experimental with their animation styles, and the impact is undeniable with massive projects like Arcane being direct examples.
But the quality of the movie isn't just in the immense attention to detail and animation. No, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse has an excellent story from the first minute to the last second. The story is moving, emotionally resonant, and almost every single character arc works as it should. Having a movie this amazing around every single corner of the production is genuinely astounding and an absolute triumph in every way.
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