In the 21st century, no genre can be said to have dominated popular culture more thansuperheromovies. The new millennium began withX-Men, and what followed has been twenty-five years' worth of superhero stories, including multiple incarnations of Batman, Superman, and Spider-Man. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has given rise to multiple attempts at creating a shared superhero universe, and even other studios are trying to replicate the superhero movie formula. Even with reports of superhero fatigue, the genre’s entries are still among the highest-grossing films of their respective years.
Superhero movies in the 20th century, though, were a different story altogether. For as difficult as it is to imagine now, there once was a time when superhero movies were not a given. In fact, sometimes, there would be years without a new superhero movie. The 20th century saw the genre undergo some growing pains, often associated with notable misfires, such as Roger Corman’s unreleasedFantastic Fourfilm and franchise killers likeSuperman IV: The Quest for PeaceandBatman & Robin. The genre did have some high marks. The 20th century saw the release of superhero movies that would lay down genre conventions that the films of the 21st century would build upon, improve, and sometimes subvert.
From Superman and Batman all the way to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, here are the 10 best superhero movies of the 20th century.
10’Batman' (1989)
There is no denying that Tim Burton’s originalBatmanis one of the most influential movies ever made. It redefined the summer blockbuster, as the marketing campaign was inescapable, and the world was swept up in Batmania. It not only launched Batman to the top of the superhero genre and made Tim Burton the biggest director in the world, but its impact is still being felt today as it led to the creation of the DC Animated Universe, helped Toy Biz gain the money to buy Marvel Comics eventually leading to the birth of the MCU, and made Hollywood take note of IP based blockbusters.
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The actual film itself is a bit of a mess, though Tim Burton’s incredible style more than makes up for what is, on paper, a rather generic 1980s action movie script. Michael Keaton proved everyone who wrote letters saying he would be terrible as Batman wrong to the point that he is now considered by many to be the best Batman. Jack Nicholson’s portrayal of the Joker was so iconic that it wasn’t until Heath Ledger’s version inThe Dark Knightthat the character was redefined in the public eye.Batmanwas the biggest movie of 1989, and there is a chance the superhero movie genre, as fans know it today, would not exist without it.
9’Batman: The Movie' (1966)
Twenty-three years before Tim Burton’sBatmanredefined the Caped Crusader,Adam West took his incarnation of the characterto the big screen. Released just two months after season 1 ofBatmanended,Batman: The Moviekicked into theaters and put the Caped Crusader and his ward Robin up against four of his most iconic foes: The Joker, Catwoman, The Riddler, and The Penguin. Although the 1966 incarnations of Batman and his world are largely regarded as a joke by a significant portion of the fandom, they have become an instrumental part of the character’s legacy that has gained more appreciation over time.
Batman: The Moviemight be a giant episode of the television series, but it is an entertaining one. With bright, colorful costumes, comic sound effects with every hit, and a hopeful optimism that captured the comics of that era,Batman: The Moviestill stands today as a great adaptation of the Silver Age of Comics. The movie’s influence can still be felt today, as Christopher Nolan’sThe Dark Knight Risesput its own spin on Batman carrying a bomb. At the same time, Matt Reeves’The Batman, in many ways, acted as a dark, gritty reimaging of the 1966 film, as it featured all four of the movie’s central villains in some capacity. After years of being regarded as an embarrassment to the Batman franchise, we can now admit thatBatman: The Movieis good.
8’The Mask' (1994)
Even thoughBatmanwas a box office smash hit, it didn’t quite inspire a wave of traditional superhero movies. Instead, it was pulp heroes and underground indie comic titles that were snatched up for adaptation, and one of the standouts of this period isThe Mask.Loosely based on the Dark Horse comic of the same name,The Masktakes the rather dark and disturbing comic and uses the initial concept of an ancient mask giving someone cartoon-like abilities to turn it into a broad slapstick comedy filled with greater Tex Avery-inspired gags.
Released in 1994, betweenAce Ventura: Pet DetectiveandDumb & Dumber,The Maskwas part of a three-film punch that made Jim Carrey not only a movie star but also one of the biggest names in comedy.The Maskallowed Carrey to chew every piece of scenery, dropping a live-action cartoon character into a straightforward gangster crime drama and watching the wackiness unfold.The Maskis still just as funny today as it was in 1994, and was an early indicator that it wasn’t the audience of the comic that would translate to box office sales, but the appeal of the concept.
7’Batman Returns' (1992)
Batman Returns
After 1989’sBatman, Warner Bros. was so desperate to get Tim Burton to return to the franchise that they gave him full creative control on the sequelBatman Returns. While that ultimately might have backfired on them as the studio quickly went into damage control mode afterbacklash from parentsled to the franchise pivoting to a brighter aesthetic withBatman Forever, Batman Returnsstands out as a striking piece of a director truly being allowed to take a classic comic book character and reimagine through their creative lens. The Penguin and Catwoman inBatman Returnsmay not be like their comic book counterparts, but they are Tim Burton’s spins on the material that have now permeated popular culture.
Even though Batman is largely an afterthought in his own movie,Batman Returnsis a visually stunning film that, alongsideEdward Scissorhandsand Tim Burton’sThe Nightmare Before Christmas, acts as a comforting Christmas trilogy for the outcast. Michelle Phieffer’s turn as Catwoman is iconic and one that every live-action incarnation since has had to live up to. Danny DeVito’s Penguin makeup is a technical marvel.Batman Returnsis a movie that wouldn’t be made today, and it was a miracle it was made back in 1992. It is an odd, messy sequel whose scattered shot plot is made up for thanks to the strong authorial voice of Tim Burton.
6’The Rocketeer' (1991)
The Rocketeer
Long beforeIron Manmade audiences go crazy for an armored-clad flying superhero, and years before director Joe Johnston would perfect the 1940s serial throwback superhero movie withCaptain America: The First Avenger, there wasThe Rocketeer. An adaptation of the 1980s cult comic,The Rocketeer’s 1940s World War II setting made audiences think he was a more classic superhero than he was. The Art Deco production design, including one of the greatest movie posters of all time, has madeThe Rocketeera cult classic.
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Greenlit by Disney as a way to capitalize onBatman’s success,The Rocketeersadly failed to capture audiences' attention. There was a Disney Junior continuation, and a legacy sequel orreboot has been in development at Disney for yearsbut has failed to take off. Yet the originalThe Rocketeerstill remains an enjoyable throwback to both a classic 1940s adventure serial and the big swings that potential blockbusters of the 1990s took.
5’Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' (1990)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
The most successful superhero franchise of the 1990s, alongsideBatman, was none other than theTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, with their 1990 solo film marking a high point in the franchise.Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesis a bizarre movie that combines the colorful character traits and looks of the popular 1980s cartoon and toy lines but drops the characters into a realistic and gritty New York City that was straight from Mirage Comics, blending the two worlds of the Ninja Turtles' history into one cohesive whole. It’s a kids' movie combined with an urban crime drama.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtlescaptured the two popular trends that Batman popularized, adaptations of television shows for the big screen and independent comic books, and made a unique film that connected with audiences. Beautifully brought to life, thanks to the incredible puppetry and costume work at Jim Henson Creature Shop, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles themselves are still a sight to behold today, a feat that no amount of CGI could ever top. It was the most successful independent movie for nine years, until it was dethroned byThe Blair Witch Project.Even 35 years afterTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtleshit theaters, and even more adaptations of the iconic heroes in a half shell have hit the big and small screen, fans still line up to see this version in theaters.
4’Darkman' (1990)
“What about Darkman though?”
That brief quote from aKey and Peelesketch, released twenty-two years afterDarkmanhit theaters, speaks to the movie’s enduring legacy. Before Sam Raimi would redefine the superhero genre in the 21st century withSpider-Man,he created his own original character, Darkman.Darkmanwas partially a result of Raimi failing to secure the film rights to the popular pulp hero,The Shadow, whose 1994 film doesn’t hold a candle to Raimi’s original film.
Combining pulp detective stories of the 1930s with the visuals of a classic Universal monster movie,Darkmannot only stood out from other superhero movies of the time, but it also remains a standout even today.Darkmanhas a punk rock sensibility wrapped in a respectable aesthetic, blending tragic gothic romance with old-school gangster storytelling.Darkman’s legacy has continued with direct-to-video sequels, comics, and video games, as well as talk of a potential reboot, but the original still remains a high mark in both Raimi’s career and the superhero genre.
3’Batman: Mask of the Phantasm' (1993)
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
Released at the height ofBatman’s film popularity in the 1990s,Batman: Mask of the Phantasmwas a box office bomb, but its legacy now lives on as not only a cult classic but also one of the best Batman movies ever made. Similar toBatman: The Movie,Batman: Mask of the Phantasmwas released between the first and second seasons of the popularBatman: The Animated Series. The film tells two parallel stories, one a flashback set to Bruce Wayne’s origins before becoming Batman, while the other is set in the present day when Bruce Wayne’s former fiancée, Andrea Beaumont, returns while a mysterious new villain, The Phantasm, is killing the crime bosses of Gotham.
Batman: Mask of the Phantasmis a breathtaking animated film, one filled with drama that also, at the time, represented the most profound exploration of Bruce Wayne as a character ever put on film. The film received rave reviews from critics at the time, praising it for blending classic crime drama and noir detective stories in a manner that none of the live-action films had attempted.Batman: Mask of the Phantasmhas become a cult classic, whose popularity continues to grow every year. Two years afterBatman: Mask of the Phantasmdisappointed at the box office, the live-action franchise releasedBatman Forever. That film was a more cartoonish approach to the material. Yet the animated film felt more grounded, honest, and emotional than the live-action films.
2’Blade' (1998)
Blademight be one of the most important superhero movies ever made. Released in August 1998, it was the right movie at the right time, as it was released two years after Marvel Comics filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and one year after flops likeBatman & Robin,Spawn, andSteelseemingly killed the superhero movie genre.Bladechanged perceptions, as it took a relatively obscure Marvel Comics character that most mainstream audiences hadn’t heard of and turned him into a blockbuster franchise, setting the template for what Marvel Studios' creative ethos would be for characters like Iron Man, The Guardians of the Galaxy, and Ant-Man. It also shifted the boundaries of what a superhero movie could be, as it was a dark, horror-driven crime drama that would lay the groundwork for serious superhero adaptations likeX-MenandBatman Begins.
Yet,Bladeon its own is also just an incredible movie. The opening set piece at the blood rave is an all-time great start to a superhero movie, and the film continues on with impressive martial arts-inspired action set pieces that would be pushed forward the following year inThe Matrix. Wesley Snipes' performance as Blade became instantly iconic, with his take on the character bleeding into how the comics are written and visualized. No wonderMarvel Studios is having a difficult time rebooting Bladesince the original 1998 film still casts such a large shadow.
1’Superman: The Movie' (1978)
Superman: The Moviechanged everything. While there had been superhero movie serials in the past,Superman: The Moviewas the first time a Hollywood studio gave a comic book superhero the big-budget A-picture spectacle treatment that has become the basis of Hollywood today. It, alongside the release of films likeThe Godfather,Jaws, andStar Warsin the 1970s, changed the movie industry forever. Its influence has been cited by Christopher Nolan in his Dark Knight trilogy,Kevin Feige in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and even James Gunn for his Superman. Yet apart from its legacy,Superman: The Movieis a great film. While some elements may not age well, particularly Lois Lane’s “Can You Read My Mind” thought scene, the rest of the movie remains spectacular.
Director Richard Donner finds the right balance of incorporating comic book elements and bringing them to life within established cinematic genres and styles. Its impact on the Superman mythology is still being felt today, from Krypton being a crystal planet to the S-shield being part of the House of El, which has been brought over into subsequent media. John Williams’Supermanscore is one of the composer’s finest works in a career that includes some of the greatest music ever composed. Yet what truly sells it is Christopher Reeve, who not only convincingly plays two distinct personas of Clark Kent and Superman but also captures the essence of the character. It is as if Superman leaped off the page and onto the screen. Reeve makes the audience believe not only that a man can fly but that someone can be so good.Superman: The Movieis not only one of the best superhero movies of the 20th century butone of the best superhero movies of all time.
