The best superhero movie on this list is Black Panther (2018). It has the highest Metacritic score of the ten, at 88, and it was the first superhero film nominated for Best Picture. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and The Dark Knight follow close behind. The whole list runs by Metacritic score, so a film can make $2 billion and still land near the bottom. All ten scored 85% or better on Rotten Tomatoes.
Updated October 11, 2026.
Superhero movies have been a family movie-night staple for me for years, and the ones I come back to share one thing: a hero worth caring about out of costume. Effects date quickly. A good villain and real stakes do not.
The best superhero movies at a glance
| Rank | Film | Year | Metacritic | Rotten Tomatoes | Worldwide gross |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Black Panther | 2018 | 88 | 96% | $1.375 billion |
| 2 | Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse | 2018 | 87 | 97% | $393.6 million |
| 3 | The Dark Knight | 2008 | 85 | 94% | $1.009 billion |
| 4 | Spider-Man 2 | 2004 | 83 | 93% | $784.6 million |
| 5 | Incredibles 2 | 2018 | 80 | 93% | $1.243 billion |
| 6 | Logan | 2017 | 77 | 93% | $619.2 million |
| 7 | Guardians of the Galaxy | 2014 | 76 | 91% | $773.4 million |
| 8 | Captain America: Civil War | 2016 | 75 | 90% | $1.155 billion |
| 9 | The Avengers | 2012 | 69 | 91% | $1.521 billion |
| 10 | Avengers: Infinity War | 2018 | 68 | 85% | $2.052 billion |
1. Black Panther (2018)
Ryan Coogler directed it, with Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa and Michael B. Jordan as Killmonger. It opened on February 16, 2018, and grossed $1,374,959,729 worldwide, according to the box office table on its Wikipedia page. That made it the highest-grossing film ever directed by a Black filmmaker. At the 91st Academy Awards it earned seven nominations and won three.
It tops the list because its villain has a point. Killmonger’s anger at Wakanda’s isolation is a real argument, and the film lets T’Challa lose that argument before he wins the fight. Few films in the genre trust the audience that far.
2. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey and Rodney Rothman directed this Sony Pictures Animation film. Shameik Moore voices Miles Morales, a Brooklyn teenager who meets other Spider-People pulled in from parallel worlds. It holds a 97% Rotten Tomatoes score, the highest on this list. It also won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, beating Incredibles 2.
Its box office, $393.6 million, is the smallest here. That is why this list goes by critics and not by money. The film made comic-book animation look like a printed page in motion, and every animated superhero film since has been measured against it.
3. The Dark Knight (2008)
Christopher Nolan’s sequel opened in the U.S. on July 18, 2008. Christian Bale plays Batman and Heath Ledger plays the Joker, a role that won Ledger the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Its worldwide gross passed $1.009 billion with re-releases. The Library of Congress added it to the National Film Registry in 2020.
It plays as a crime film first. Ledger’s Joker has no origin and no superpower, which makes him harder to beat than any cosmic villain on this list. Is The Dark Knight the best of the lot? A case can be made, and it trails Black Panther by three Metacritic points.
4. Spider-Man 2 (2004)
Sam Raimi directed Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst and Alfred Molina, who plays Doctor Octopus. The film grossed $784.6 million and won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects at the 77th Academy Awards. Critics gave it 93% on Rotten Tomatoes and 83 on Metacritic.
Peter Parker’s problems here are rent, missed classes and a job he keeps losing. That ordinary pressure is what gives the elevated-train fight its weight. Later Spider-Man films borrowed the template and rarely improved on it.
5. Incredibles 2 (2018)
Brad Bird wrote and directed the Pixar sequel, released June 15, 2018. It opened to $182.7 million in North America, the biggest opening ever for an animated film at the time. Its worldwide total reached about $1.243 billion. It was nominated for Best Animated Feature and lost to Into the Spider-Verse.
This time Helen Parr does the hero work while Bob stays home with the kids. The baby, Jack-Jack, gets the best set piece in the film, a backyard fight with a raccoon. It earns its place as the strongest family film in the genre.
6. Logan (2017)
James Mangold directed Hugh Jackman’s final turn as Wolverine. It premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival before its U.S. release on March 3, 2017, and grossed $619.2 million. Scott Frank, Mangold and Michael Green were nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay. No live-action superhero film had been nominated in that category before.
Logan is a western in all but name. An aging Logan and a failing Charles Xavier protect a young mutant girl on the run, and the film lets its hero get old. That restraint is why it outranks louder X-Men entries.
7. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
James Gunn directed Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana and Dave Bautista. The film opened August 1, 2014, and earned $773.4 million worldwide. It carries a 91% Rotten Tomatoes score and a Metacritic score of 76.
Marvel took a team almost nobody outside comics knew and made it a hit. The jokes land, the 1970s soundtrack does real storytelling work, and a talking raccoon gets a sad scene that works. It proved audiences would follow Marvel well past its famous names.
8. Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Anthony and Joe Russo directed it, and it opened May 6, 2016. Worldwide it took in $1,155,046,416. Critics gave it 90% on Rotten Tomatoes and 75 on Metacritic.
The fight between Steve Rogers and Tony Stark is about government oversight, and both men have a fair case. The airport battle is the showpiece. Still, the final fight is better, because it is personal and nobody in it is wrong.
9. The Avengers (2012)
Joss Whedon wrote and directed the first team-up, released May 4, 2012. It grossed $1,520,538,536 worldwide. Its Rotten Tomatoes score is 91%, while Metacritic sits lower at 69.
Every shared movie universe since has copied this plan. Four years of solo films led to one payoff, and it worked on the first try. The Battle of New York still holds up as a model for putting six heroes in one fight.
10. Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
The Russo brothers directed this one too. It opened April 27, 2018, and grossed $2,052,415,039, the most of any film in this ranking. Reviews were the lowest of the ten, at 85% on Rotten Tomatoes and 68 on Metacritic.
Thanos is the lead character in all but billing, and the film follows his plan to its end. It ranks last only because it is half of a story, and the other half came out a year later.
Best superhero movies released since 2019
Three later films would break into this top 10 on Metacritic score alone. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) scores 86 on Metacritic and 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, which would put it third. It grossed $690.8 million.
Avengers: Endgame (2019) finished the story Infinity War started. It scores 78 on Metacritic and 94% on Rotten Tomatoes. Its worldwide gross of $2,799,439,100 is the largest of any film covered here. Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) scores 71 and 93%, with $1.921 billion worldwide. For a Marvel-only ranking, see the best MCU movies of all time. DC fans can start with the best Superman movies, and the most-loved Marvel characters covers the heroes themselves.
What are the best superhero movies of all time?
Which superhero movie has the highest Metacritic score?
Of the films covered here, Black Panther has the highest Metacritic score at 88. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is one point behind at 87, and Across the Spider-Verse scores 86. The Dark Knight follows at 85. On Rotten Tomatoes the order shifts, and Into the Spider-Verse leads with 97%.
Is The Dark Knight still one of the best superhero movies?
Yes. The Dark Knight holds a 94% Rotten Tomatoes score and an 85 on Metacritic, and it ranks third here. Heath Ledger won Best Supporting Actor for playing the Joker. The Library of Congress selected the film for the National Film Registry in 2020, which few superhero films can claim.
Which superhero movie made the most money?
Of the films covered here, Avengers: Endgame (2019) made the most, with $2,799,439,100 worldwide. Avengers: Infinity War is next among the films ranked here at $2,052,415,039. Spider-Man: No Way Home earned $1.921 billion. Box office and quality do not line up, since Infinity War has the lowest critic scores of this top 10.
Which of the best superhero movies won Oscars?
Four films on this list won Academy Awards. Black Panther won three of its seven nominations and was the first superhero film nominated for Best Picture. Into the Spider-Verse won Best Animated Feature. Heath Ledger won Best Supporting Actor for The Dark Knight, and Spider-Man 2 won Best Visual Effects.