15 Best Superhero Movies Of All Time, According To IMDB

It's surely no coincidence that the dominance of superhero blockbusters corresponded to the social-media-fication of the internet. With people more encouraged than ever to engage with strangers and share their thoughts online, sites like IMDb flourished in part through passionate discourse and arguments about rankings. Naturally, the site's user rankings include many of the superhero movies that helped shape the present landscape of cinema.

It's worth emphasizing that the modern popularity of IMDb probably creates significant recency bias in its user rankings. Neither the original "Superman" from 1978 nor Sam Raimi's oft-lauded "Spider-Man 2" made the cut for this list of the 15 best-reviewed superhero movies of all time according to IMDb users. Of course, there's also the issue of the site's history of review-bombing — you won't see Ryan Coogler's Academy Award-nominated "Black Panther" here, either. At the same time, pure fan fervor has its limits even on IMDb, as Zack Snyder's "Justice League," which is ranked as one of IMDb's best-reviewed movies of the decade so far, was decisively outranked here.

The ensuing ranking was based on the site's live-updated ranking engine, and we've also included where each film stands on the site's official Top 250 list, which uses internal ranking methods the public is not privy to, like filtering specific ratings based on user activity.

IMDb Rating: 8.0/10 | Number of Votes: 896K | IMDb Top 250 Ranking: No. 235

At a time when it was best known for films about talking fish, living toys, and cuddly monsters, a superhero film was a genuine curveball for Pixar. This is especially true considering that the superhero subgenre was only just beginning to find its footing in the new millennium. Despite the novelty and potential risk, writer-director Brad Bird pulled zero punches and wound up creating one of the greatest and most timeless superhero movies of all time.

"The Incredibles" was a contemporary hit in 2004, becoming the highest-grossing original superhero movie ever released. The following year, it won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Over two decades later, the film's reputation is still heroic. The stylized CGI animation has aged more gracefully than it had any right to and the action set-pieces are every bit as thrilling as they ever were. But more than anything, what allows "The Incredibles" to continue to resonate with viewers of all ages is its surprisingly mature story. Themes of regret and rebirth make it an even richer viewing experience for those original fans revisiting the film as adults.

IMDb Rating: 8.0/10 | Number of Votes: 1.2M | IMDb Top 250 Ranking: Unranked

"Deadpool" doesn't get nearly enough credit for its impact on the superhero subgenre. Ryan Reynolds' profane comic book passion project wasn't even supposed to be made in the first place. "Someone" had to risk their career to leak test footage just to prove there was an audience for the kind of movie Reynolds and writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick wanted to make.

It's genuinely inspiring that an act of sheer creative passion and self-belief not only launched a multi-billion dollar superhero franchise, but paved the way for comic book movies targeted explicitly toward older fans. Without "Deadpool" taking that leap, we probably would never have gotten such solid adaptations of "The Boys" or "Invincible," nor would studios have produced the acclaimed R-rated superhero dramas that are ranked even higher on this very list.

As a film, "Deadpool" is brilliantly subversive, violent, and focused in what it wants to accomplish dramatically. It easily straddles the line between being a parody and an earnest, constructive entry in the superhero canon — while also kinda working as a romantic comedy, too. And, of course, nothing in the movie would work half as well without Reynolds, whose performance as the titular merc with a mouth remains one of the best in the subgenre's history.

IMDb Rating: 8.0/10 | Number of Votes: 1.6M | IMDb Top 250 Ranking: Unranked

If we're talking about game-changing superhero films, arguably no other movie has had as dramatic an impact on the 21st century movie business than "The Avengers." Marvel Studios was the awkward kid on the studio lot when it gambled its future on the idea that general audiences would take comic book characters so seriously they'd follow their stories through successive, interconnected movies — a "cinematic universe," if you will. "The Avengers" turned out to be more than a proof of concept — it was an inflection point for franchise filmmaking.

In hindsight, the film itself ironically feels quaint. Everything Joss Whedon does here as a writer and director was almost immediately outdone by Marvel in subsequent projects, from "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" to Netflix's first season of "Daredevil." And yet, despite how quickly it aged, the iconic first meeting of Earth's Mightiest Heroes still gives one chills. Of all the Marvel Cinematic Universe films, "The Avengers" carries the most earned nostalgia. It's a time capsule, certainly, but one you'd be hard-pressed not to cherish.

IMDb Rating: 8.0/10 | Number of Votes: 1.4M | IMDb Top 250 Ranking: Unranked

Look, we know it's been said time and time again, but come on — how in the flark did James Gunn make the Guardians of the Galaxy become one of the most beloved comic book teams of all time? Much hay is made about how Marvel Studios built its first phase on the backs of B-list heroes like Iron Man and Thor, but in 2014, there wasn't even an alphabet extensive enough to articulate how unknown Rocket Raccoon was to general audiences.

Gunn's talent for off-the-wall humor and endearing underdogs made the Guardians the early champions of Marvel's second phase. In addition to turning Chris Pratt into a blockbuster action star, it introduced the director himself as one of the defining visionaries of the superhero movement — the start of a tumultuous journey that would eventually see him assume creative control of Marvel's rival over at DC Studios.

IMDb Rating: 8.1/10 | Number of Votes: 922K | IMDb Top 250 Ranking: No. 213

One of the first beneficiaries of the new, adult-friendly era of the superhero genre heralded by "Deadpool," 2017's "Logan" has a somewhat complicated legacy today. Its quality is indisputable — its script was nominated for an Oscar, for crying out loud. Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart are phenomenal in what could have been their final performances as James "Logan" Howlett and Charles Xavier, two superheroes the men had played since 2000's "X-Men." They are, in many ways, founding figures in the subgenre as a whole, and having them lead a film that explores frailty, finality, and legacy still feels hugely emotional. Just ... somewhat less so, given how many times they've come back since then.

What made "Logan" feel so special at the time was that it appeared to be a dramatically ambitious, triumphant final chapter for the franchise. Few franchises have ever attempted something like this, much less successfully, and it was especially gratifying given how notoriously uneven the "X-Men" franchise had been overall. Forgive us our bittersweet feelings that movies like "Avengers: Doomsday" and "Deadpool and Wolverine" slightly blunt the impact "Logan" once had.

IMDb Rating: 8.1/10 | Number of Votes: 1.2M | IMDb Top 250 Ranking: No. 171

Admittedly, this is probably the most surprising inclusion on this list — though that isn't to say it's unwelcome in the slightest. Every other film here has a clear place within the evolution of superhero cinema. "V for Vendetta" doesn't — it's just a great, underrated entry in the subgenre.

If you've yet to see this 2006 film based on Alan Moore's classic '80s comic book series, "V for Vendetta" follows a young woman (Natalie Portman) who finds herself swept up in the antifascist crusade of a masked vigilante named V (Hugo Weaving). Contemporary critics were lukewarm on the adaptation at the time, and, though financially successful, it made a fraction of what other superhero blockbusters were making. Even so, the fact that real antifascist groups like Anonymous adopted its symbolism was arguably an early hint that the film was a bit ahead of its time and would expand its fanbase as audiences developed their own political consciousness.

IMDb Rating: 8.1/10 | Number of Votes: 1M | IMDb Top 250 Ranking: No. 200

Jon Watts' "Spider-Man" movies were always a highpoint in the MCU, but "No Way Home" restored some faith that the waning franchise could continue to create once-in-a-lifetime moviegoing events. To do so, he brilliantly used the current saga's overarching multiversal motif to bring all three beloved, live-action iterations of the character together on screen.

There has been a soft but nonetheless notable critical reevaluation of "No Way Home" in the few years since its release. Some question the load-bearing nature of the nostalgia it employs. Would the story be as compelling without its ties to the previous "Spider-Man" films? But that critique risks overlooking how artfully Watts used those ties to tell a kind of "Spider-Man" story that had never been told before. Every bit of fan service worked dramatically to explore how Tom Holland's Peter Parker could become the truest representation of the character we've seen thus far.

IMDb Rating: 8.2/10 | Number of Votes: 1.7M | IMDb Top 250 Ranking: No. 134

It's easy to forget that Christopher Nolan's "Batman Begins" was as much a landmark in franchise filmmaking as "The Avengers." Despite being a box office disappointment, it gave Hollywood a blueprint for rooting through old intellectual property and making it new and exciting once more. Its impact in that regard was immediate and continues to endure — so much so that critics have argued only half-jokingly that Nolan's "Oppenheimer" is, on a personal level, about a filmmaker wrestling with how he shaped his industry for better and for worse.

Endless reboots aside, "Batman Begins" was groundbreaking for the same reason it continues to be enjoyable. Nolan and his team took the world of Bruce Wayne seriously, not just in aesthetics but in ideas. Christian Bale's take on the hero is decidedly the Dark Knight — a morally complicated defender who believes he can resolve his own trauma by weaponizing it against the systems responsible. It's a deeply flawed worldview that is vividly rendered in "Begins," and later challenged in its sequels.

IMDb Rating: 8.3/10 | Number of Votes: 1.7M | IMDb Top 250 Ranking: No. 90

Todd Phillips' 2019 "Joker" movie is simultaneously entirely unnecessary and one of the more compelling superhero movies to come out since the subgenre boomed into cultural dominance. The "Hangover" director set out to make a film that was more interested in rehashing the themes of "Taxi Driver" and "King of Comedy" than it was in exploring a comic book character. As such, "Joker" discovers little of note about its titular character.

But the movie, which became a billion dollar box office sensation, resonates with audiences despite its flawed execution because, ultimately, it's a superhero story that actually identifies what a real villain is. Whether one reads it as a commentary on incel culture and social alienation, a repudiation of anarchism or political violence, or a damning portrait of a broken society that makes all of the above seem sane by comparison, it offers the viewer something that at least feels true. Credit is also due to Joaquin Phoenix, whose Academy Award-winning portrayal of Arthur Fleck is one of the more interesting takes on the Joker.

IMDb Rating: 8.4/10 | Number of Votes: 1.4M | IMDb Top 250 Ranking: No. 61

When "Avengers: Infinity War" was first released in 2018, a lot of critics had the same sticking point with the otherwise solid MCU entry. With "Endgame" on the horizon, "Infinity War" felt like it was only half of a good movie, and one that couldn't be judged entirely without understanding how its lingering plot threads would be resolved. That was true at the time — today, it's much easier to celebrate the film on its own terms as one of the most morally challenging movies Marvel has ever dared to make.

"Infinity War" is a movie about failure, where each Avenger discovers their own physical and ideological limits against an impressive foe (Josh Brolin's exceptionally rendered Thanos) who outclasses them in both regards. It's the turning point "Age of Ultron" should've been, where the heroes are laid so low that they're actually forced to grow beyond themselves and make sacrifices from which they can't come back.

IMDb Rating: 8.4/10 | Number of Votes: 2M | IMDb Top 250 Ranking: No. 75

"The Dark Knight Rises" really only suffers in comparison to the two films that came before it. Christopher Nolan built a "Batman" universe that felt ideologically challenging, thematically rewarding, and grounded in a world that resembled our own. The weakest moments of his 2012 finale feel muddled in their intent and messaging, and a bit too straining of the viewer's suspension of disbelief. We can admit those truths while still acknowledging that "The Dark Knight Rises" is one of the most ambitious superhero movies ever made.

At the climax of Bruce Wayne's crusade against crime, he's forced to confront what his lasting impact on Gotham will actually be. His second life and death as the Dark Knight is a grand if imperfect redemption epic where he finally succeeds in turning himself into an inspiring, incorruptible ideal that will protect his city long after he's gone.

IMDb Rating: 8.4/10 | Number of Votes: 783K | IMDb Top 250 Ranking: No. 63

Most of the films on this list had an indelible impact on the business of moviemaking, either by proving that certain perceived-to-be-risky projects could be mainstream box office hits or by introducing the industry to novel franchise formulas they could repeat for decades to come. "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" is unique in that its impact on the superhero subgenre and the medium of animation at large was purely artistic in nature.

The 2018 film's stunning hyper-stylized animation was genuinely revolutionary. Without "Spider-Verse," we may never have gotten beloved contemporary animated features like "Puss in Boots: The Last Wish," "Nimona," "Entergalactic," or "KPop Demon Hunters." Within the superhero subgenre, Miles Morales' origin story proved two things definitively. Multiversal stories can be confusing and fun, and used to tell a meta-narrative about legacy, identity, and cultural impact; and fans are ready and excited to see new faces behind old masks, especially if the storytelling rises to the level of "Into the Spider-Verse."

IMDb Rating: 8.4/10 | Number of Votes: 1.4M | IMDb Top 250 Ranking: No. 74

Accuse "Avengers: Endgame" of being carried by the box office or the hype all you like. Maybe it wouldn't be considered a great or even good film without the decade of buildup before it. It's still a one-of-a-kind franchise finale that surpassed the impossible standards MCU fans had going in, creating a cultural, cinematic event the likes of which we may never see again.

Plenty of hardcore superhero fans who appreciate "Endgame" might understandably balk at its placement above "Into the Spider-Verse," "Infinity War," or even a lower entry like "Logan," based solely on their judgment of its quality as a standalone work. But the prominence of "Endgame" on this list is the result of the broader fanbase honoring what the franchise overall achieved. Ultimately, that sits just fine with us. (And if you haven't read our oral history of the film's epic final battle, check that out.)

IMDb Rating: 8.5/10 | Number of Votes: 517K | IMDb Top 250 Ranking: No. 45

It's incredibly gratifying for me to see "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" recognized as the best MCU-era superhero film — and on both the live ranking and the official Top 250, for that matter.

The creative team didn't have the element of surprise this time around — in fact, all of the narrative and stylistic elements they pioneered in the first film had been expanded upon by other films in the intervening years since the release of "Into the Spider-Verse." The sequel not only had to live up to the high bar set by its Academy Award-winning predecessor, but everything it inspired.

"Across the Spider-Verse" does so by taking the story of Miles Morales in mature and audaciously dark directions, so much so that one wonders if they've written themselves into a corner for the long-awaited sequel. Two years of delays aside, "Across the Spider-Verse" is another landmark in animation and superhero cinema, and film historians will remember it as such in the decades to come.

IMDb Rating: 9.1/10 | Number of Votes: 3.2M | IMDb Top 250 Ranking: No. 3

Nearly two decades after its release, Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight" is even better than you remember. The director masterfully incorporates elements of crime thrillers and action dramas into his second "Batman" film, all while honing his signature style and achieving a formal precision (especially in regard to its pacing, dialogue, and act structure) that makes it feel as though it were scientifically engineered to entertain at the highest level possible throughout its breezy-feeling 150-minute runtime.

That "The Dark Knight" rose to become the highest-rated superhero movie on IMDb is entirely unsurprising and hardly controversial. Aside maybe from "Iron Man," no 21st century superhero film has had the same influence on its character's subsequent depictions both on screen and in the comics themselves (we see and respect you, "Batman" '89).

Since its release in 2008, this movie has remained the high-water mark for the subgenre that commentators and marketers alike attempt to compare new releases to. Such comparisons always wind up feeling hollow. Contemporary films often struggle even in simply creating a villain half as entrancing as Heath Ledger's Academy Award-winning Joker. In my view, and apparently in those of IMDb users, not a single superhero film outside the "Spider-Verse" series has even approached Nolan's work in terms of ambition or execution in "The Dark Knight."