With golden age of the big-budget superhero film in full swing, we have taken it upon ourselves to compile a list of IMDB’s top 10 superhero movies. If you ever find yourself browsing IMDB’s top 250, it becomes immediately clear that there’s a massive gap between the top entry on this list and just about everything else. While many people have predicted the demise of the superhero bubble for some time now, the respective rankings of some of these films only seems to prove an upward trajectory for the most part, especially when it comes to some of the newer entries on this list.
Unsurprisingly, all of these entries are no more than 15 years old so don’t go looking for anything that was made in the 1990’s because you won’t find any of these on IMDB’s top 250. Even though this humble writer’s opinion is that there are certainly some overlooked films that don’t appear on this list (Spider-Man 2, I’m lookin’ at you), it is also abundantly clear that we should feel very lucky to have received such a wealth of great superhero movies.
Regardless of my silly observations, what becomes painfully obvious is that IMDB user rankings are far from a perfect way of definitively, objectively defining the “greatness of a film”. With that said, we’ve tried to be as objective as possible, for better or worse. So without further adieu, let’s jump into IMDb’s top 10 superhero movies!
(Note: Tiebreakers for films with the same user ratings were determined using the number of votes tallied.)
10. X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)
IMDb Rating: 8.0
User Votes: 595,000
Tomatometer: 89%
X-Men: Days of Future Past is probably the movie that I see most fans of the X-Men franchise citing as the best of the series. While it is true that Days of Future Past certainly shoulders more responsibility in terms of bringing together the two timelines of the franchise up to that point, there’s something to be said for lack of re-watchability when compared to more stand alone films like X-Men: First Class and X2: X-Men United.
9. Deadpool (2016)
IMDb Rating: 8.0
User Votes: 760,000
Tomatometer: 84%
For many, the first Deadpool film was something that kind of came out of nowhere. While the fan community has been rallying behind this film for years–even before the infamous proof of concept footage for the film was mysteriously “leaked”—it’s ranking on this list surprised even me. Don’t get me wrong—I really, really love Deadpool a lot. It’s just that, much like DoFP, there are more worthy superhero films in terms of craft and storytelling.
8. Incredibles 2 (2018)
IMDb Rating: 8.1
User Votes: 101,000
Tomatometer: 94%
Only a few months after it’s release, Pixar’s Incredibles 2 has not only managed climb it’s way this high onto the list, but is also already the highest grossing animated film of all-time with a cool 1.2 billion and counting. Although the film delivers on the promise of the 2004 original in spades, there’s something that feels slightly troubling about how quickly Incredibles 2 has surpassed the original. While the question as to which movie is better is certainly debatable, the film ultimately has nowhere to go but up.
7. Logan (2017)
IMDb Rating: 8.1
User Votes: 510,000
Tomatometer: 93%
Out of all the films that have appeared on this list so far, 2017’s Logan is easily the most justified. Upon its release, the film was hailed as an instant classic with a refreshing exploration of the postmodern superhero that was sprinkled with hardcore rated-R violence that fans had been clamoring for years. The film’s greatest achievement however, is that fact that it so gracefully catered to Hugh Jackman’s swan song as the eponymous character. In this respect, Logan has perhaps the biggest set balls of any movie on this list.
6. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
IMDb Rating: 8.1
User Votes: 875,000
Tomatometer: 91%
Speaking of bold movies, 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy is perhaps the biggest game changer in terms of superhero movies to come out since 2008. In many ways, director James Gunn’s masterpiece was a defining movie for the MCU at that point, proving that audiences were ready and willing for an expansion into the more cosmic aspects of comic book movies in general. Either way you shake it, it’s hard to deny the impact that Guardians of the Galaxy had upon the current generation of moviegoers.
5. The Avengers (2012)
IMDb Rating: 8.1
User Votes: 1.1 Million
Tomatometer: 92%
Ah, the movie that started the era of cinematic universes in Hollywood. If 2008’s Iron Man is the granddaddy of the MCU, then The Avengers is it’s younger, more attractive sibling. Despite having a massive impact on the industry following its release, The Avengers proved to the industry that these movies were here to stay—and in a big way nonetheless. While the film may have slightly aged sine 2012, it’s still easily one of the most crucial movies in the MCU in terms of importance and execution.
4. Batman Begins (2005)
IMDb Rating: 8.3
User Votes: 1.1 Million
Tomatometer: 84%
The oldest entry on this list, 2005’s Batman Begins is arguably most important Batman film that has even been made. While this little sequel that director Christopher Nolan made in 2008 is easily more influential (more on that later), there’s absolutely no denying that you have anything that follows without the wonderful work done in Batman Begins. Aside from being this writer’s favorite comic book movie of all time, it’s quite shocking to believe that this isn’t higher on the list than it currently is.
3. The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
IMDb Rating: 8.4
User Votes: 1.3 Million
Tomatometer: 87%
The Dark Knight Rises is one of the films on this list that is easy to have sympathy for. Not only did Nolan have the impossible task of following the massive critical and commercial success of that little movie that came out in 2008, but also had to close out the trilogy in a meaningful and thoughtful way. While the film was successful for the most part, the surprising thing here is how high in the IMDB rankings this film ultimately lands considering the bevy of great superhero movies that we’ve been lucky enough to receive in this century so far.
2. Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
IMDb Rating: 8.6
User Votes: 493,000
Tomatometer: 84%
Of all the films on this list, the one that has the most potential to move backward is Avengers: Infinity War. The film had the seemingly impossible task of not only serving as culmination of the MCU to that point, but also blending dozens of characters, introducing an iconic villain, while also trying to have the film stand alone as a singular entry. Except for the latter of these, Infinity War was successful with just about everything it was trying to accomplish. Supremely popular with fans upon its release, the IMDB user ratings reflect this. Time will tell as to whether Avengers 4 eventually surpasses Infinity War, but as for now the film reigns supreme, according to the IMDB users.
1. The Dark Knight (2008)
IMDb Rating: 9.0
User Votes: 1.9 Million
Tomatometer: 94%
It should come to no surprise that Christopher Nolan’s superhero opus is the top movie on this list, according to both IMDB users and pretty much everyone else. It’s hard to objectively argue that The Dark Knight isn’t the best superhero movie ever made, from its deep thematic resonance to its masterful use of the medium, along with an instantly iconic performance form Ledger, the movie has everything going for it. The Dark Knight the only superhero movie to crack the top 100 on IMDb before Infinity War, as it currently stands at the fourth on the top 250 list. It remains to be seen if any superhero film will ever surpass The Dark Knight, but for now the film remains the high bar for superhero movies in general.
What do you think about the IMDB top 10 superhero movies? Let us know in the comment section below!
