Search results
- Senior Author
- 'Zack Snyder's Justice League' (2021) — 242 Minutes Long. The runtime of Zack Snyder's Justice League is nothing if not impressive—And yet, it's even more impressive that the film was even made in the first place.
- 'Avengers: Endgame' (2019) — 181 Minutes Long. Avengers: Endgame had the titanic task on its shoulders of giving closure to the biggest movie franchise in the history of the medium, while also leaving a portal wide open for the series to continue into the future.
- 'The Batman' (2022) — 177 Minutes. Expectations were exorbitantly high for Matt Reeves's The Batman, his take on the Caped Crusader, and it miraculously managed to meet them.
- 'The Dark Knight Rises' (2012) — 165 Minutes Long. Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy had to go out with a bang, and that it most definitely did. The Dark Knight Rises is as complex, ambitious, and thoughtful as the rest of its director's filmography, and an excellent ending for his version of Batman.
- Overview
- 31. Joker (2019)
- 30. Shazam! (2019)
- 29. Unbreakable (2000)
- 28. Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
- 27. Watchmen (2009)
- 26. Wonder Woman (2017)
- 25. The Suicide Squad (2021)
- 24. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 (2014)
- 23: X-Men: First Class (2011)
Features
By Tom Power
last updated 28 November 2023
Wondering what the best superhero movies are? Read our guide on the greatest comic book films ever made
Avengers: Infinity War had to make it onto our list, didn't it? (Image credit: Marvel Studios)
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Where to stream: Max in the US, rent or buy in the UK, Netflix/Prime Video in Australia
Our first entry is controversial for a few reasons. For one, it’s not technically a superhero movie. You could also argue that it deserves to be higher, based on its awards circuit success. Or, due to its divisive elements, ask why it even takes up last place on our list.
Where to stream: Max in the US, rent or buy in the UK, Netflix/Paramount Plus in Australia
It might not be as highly regarded as other DCEU films, but the Zachary Levi-starring Shazam! deserves more credit than it gets.
Where to stream it: Max in the US, Disney Plus in the UK and Australia
One of our list’s few non-Marvel or DC entries, but a worthy addition nonetheless. M. Night Shyamalan’s superhero-esque flick follows his penchant for suspenseful thrillers with a shocking (but now routine) twist.
Where to stream it: Disney Plus worldwide
Thor’s third solo movie was a marked departure from his previous standalone adventures, but it breathed new life into a character in desperate need of reinvention.
Where to stream it: Prime Video/Max in the US, Netflix/Sky in the UK, and Binge/Stan in Australia
Yes, a Zack Snyder film makes it in, but not the one you expected (i.e. Zack Snyder's Justice League). Four years before he directed Man of Steel, Snyder cut his teeth on another massive DC comic book property in Watchmen.
Based on Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ legendary graphic novel, Watchmen is as faithful an adaptation as we’re ever likely to see. It retained the R-rated content that the source material was famous for, and felt so visceral that it really seemed like the comics had been brought to life – even if some of Snyder's choices felt a tad lacking.
The film’s altered ending was disappointing, given how accurate the rest of it was and Snyder has since said he’d change it if he could. Still, Watchmen is a great example of an adaptation with impressive ambition, even if it didn’t please everyone – Moore included.
Where to stream it: Max/Prime Video in the US, Sky in the UK, Paramount Plus in Australia
Wonder Woman was the DCEU’s strongest movie until James Gunn's The Suicide Squad (in our view, anyway). Set during World War I, it stars Gal Gadot as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman, who helps the Allied Forces turn the tide of the conflict and thwart Ares, the god of war, in the process.
Where to stream it: Max/Prime Video in the US, Netflix in the UK, Foxtel in Australia
The Suicide Squad is Warner Bros’ Guardians of the Galaxy in all-but-name. And, as the latter’s success has proved, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Where to stream it: Disney Plus worldwide
Not to be outdone by its DCEU counterpart, Gunn’s first MCU movie is the blueprint that The Suicide Squad owes its success to. Led by Chris Pratt’s charismatic Star-Lord, this ragtag group of loners become galactic saviors as they look to halt Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace) from committing planetary genocide.
Where to stream it: Starz in the US, Disney Plus in the UK and Australia
Fox’s second X-Men movie series – learn how to watch the X-Men movies in order while you're here – was ultimately marred by some dreadful entries but, early on, it had two of the franchise's best movies. The first of those was First Class, the Cold War-era film that put the series back on the right path after the dreadful X-Men: The Last Stand.
Sep 22, 2021 · It did, however, manage to set the bar for the shortest runtime of any Marvel movie with a total of one hour and 27 minutes on air, according to IMDb. "Generation X" adapted the X-Men spinoff ...
- Matthew Kang
- Avengers: Endgame — 3h 2m. Avengers 4. Superhero. Action. Adventure. Sci-Fi. Release Date. April 24, 2019. Director. Anthony Russo. Cast. Robert Downey Jr. , Chris Evans , Mark Ruffalo , Chris Hemsworth , Scarlett Johansson , Jeremy Renner.
- Black Panther: Wakanda Forever — 2h 41m. Black Panther Wakanda Forever. Superhero. Action. Adventure. Drama. A sequel that will continue to explore the world of Wakanda and all the characters introduced in the 2018 film.
- Eternals — 2h 37m. Eternals. Superhero. Action. Adventure. Fantasy. Release Date. November 5, 2021. Director. Chloé Zhao. Cast. Gemma Chan , Angelina Jolie , Richard Madden , Salma Hayek Pinault , Kit Harington , Kumail Nanjiani.
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 — 2h 29m. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Superhero. Action. Adventure. Comedy. Sci-Fi. Release Date. May 5, 2023. Director. James Gunn.
- Jeremy Urquhart
- 'Unbreakable' (2000) Director: M. Night Shyamalan. M. Night Shyamalan was ahead of his time when he made Unbreakable, as this feels like a grounded deconstruction of modern superhero movies, made just before the current wave of superhero movies really took off.
- 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' (2021) Director: Jon Watts. Multiverse movies are all the rage nowadays, and though an abundance of them will likely fatigue audiences at a point, for now, people seem to like the opportunities afforded by the multiverse.
- 'Batman Returns' (1992) Director: Tim Burton. With Batman Returns, Batman returned in a movie that proved even darker and less kid-friendly than the 1989 movie it was a sequel to.
- 'X-Men: Days of Future Past' (2014) Director: Bryan Singer. Time travel is always tricky to do well in a movie, and needing to balance a premise so dependent on it with superhero-heavy action/thrills is extra ambitious.
Sep 29, 2023 · The Marvels runtime has been confirmed and, as it turns out, the early whispers were true: it really is the shortest MCU ever. A listing on AMC Theaters has the Captain Marvel cosmic team-up ...
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Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is a film franchise and shared fictional universe that is the setting of superhero films independently produced by Marvel Studios, based on characters that appear in publications by Marvel Comics. A list by endtheme.
