Superhero Movie Primer

With it being a new month, it is time for a new set of genre primers. The first primer for this month is the Superhero Movie Primer. The superhero genre is one of my favorite genres and probably the one that got me into movies as much as I am. The Avengers was the first MCU movie I ever saw, and ever since then, I have gotten super into all kinds of movies and monitoring movie releases. As with a few other of these primers, I could not get the list down to 10, but with the 12 I selected, you'll see why they were essential to be included. With all that said, here is the Superhero Movie Primer.

1. Superman (1978)

Superman is the quintessential Superhero movie. This was the first big-budget Superhero movie to ever hit theaters. That had been superhero movies prior to this, but they were all either made as a pilot for a TV show or had extremely low budgets. This is the movie that brought superheroes out of comic books and into Hollywood. Aside from that, the special effects were also groundbreaking for the time. The flying effects were so special and made the world believe that a man could fly. The movie also cemented Christopher Reeve as Superman and made him one of the most iconic superhero castings of all time. Superman is probably the most important movie on this list. Without it, there wouldn't be the superhero craze that we have today.

2. Batman (1989)

Batman was another essential superhero movie from the '70s and '80s. For the 1970s, 80s, and most of the 90s, there were two good superhero movies, Batman and Superman. This movie set the tone for Batman movies for years to come. The music and gothic aesthetic would continue to be used in countless Batman projects. Up to this point, everyone knew Batman as super campy and goofy from Adam West, but Batman 1989 brought a darker tone to the character. This was also one of the first movies to launch a big merchandising buzz for superhero movies, with Batmania hitting all of culture with things like trading cards, lunch boxes, t-shirts, cereal boxes, and toys. This movie was also crucial to bringing superhero films into mainstream culture. Michael Keaton is also viewed as one of the most iconic Batman actors, so much so that he was brought back in 2023's The Flash.

3. Blade (1998)

Blade was a bit ahead of its time, being a movie about a black comic book character and an R-rated movie paving the way for films like Black Panther and R-rated movies like Deadpool and Logan. Blade was released at a time when Superhero movies were struggling to prove that lesser known characters could be both commercially and critically successful if done well. The movie is also credited for paving the way for movies like X-Men, Spider-Man, and Iron Man. Much like Batman, Blade brought a more grounded approach to the Superhero genre as compared to the campy feel that had been present up to this point. The movie also wasn't afraid to be R-rated and show blood and gore, which was uncommon for Superhero movies at the time.

4. X-Men (2000)

X-Men was one of the first big "team-up" superhero movies. While most movies up to this point focused on introducing a single hero, X-Men brings us a whole team of mutants as both heroes and villains. X-Men, along with Blade, helped revitalize the superhero genre, bringing a more serious tone to the characters instead of the campy energy up to this point. The X-Men was also one of the first superhero movies to launch a successful franchise with an original trilogy, two spin-off trilogies, and a prequel quadrilogy ultimately paving the way for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The movie was also big for its take on deep themes like prejudice and the struggles of minority groups, topics that were not as big at the time as they are today. The movie also featured one of the most iconic superhero castings of all time with Hugh Jackman as Wolverine.

5. Spider-Man (2002)

Spider-Man was ultimately the movie that paved the way for the modern-day superhero film. Blade and X-Men paved the way so Spider-Man could swing through the doors. This movie effectively set the standard for Superhero movies with compelling characters, relatable themes, and action and spectacle. The movie was also groundbreaking for its practical visual effects, especially those with Spider-Man swinging. The movie and its sequels also set a standard for compelling comic book villains, with Willem Dafoe as Green Goblin, regarded as one of the best comic book movie villains of all time. The movie was also a huge cultural hit when it came out, bringing the Superhero genre further into the limelight and establishing Spider-Man as one of the most popular superheroes of all time.

6. Iron Man (2008)

Iron Man is essential to the superhero genre for multiple reasons. It features one of the best superhero castings of all time in Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark. The movie also showed that B-list superheroes can lead high-quality blockbusters. The pitch for this film was "let's make a movie about a B-list superhero starring a washed-up actor by the director of Elf," and look how successful it became. Prior to this film, nobody outside of comic book fans knew who Iron Man was; now he is a household name. The biggest influence this film had was that it was the movie that birthed the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Prior to Iron Man, a shared universe was unheard of. But with the success of Iron Man, Marvel was able to build an expansive universe that still exists almost 20 years later. Iron Man also established a new tone for superhero movies featuring more comedic elements while still taking the characters seriously, a tone that would be copied by many superhero films to come. Finally, the movie established a new superhero origin template that would go on to be used in other films in the MCU and beyond.

7. The Dark Knight (2008)

The Dark Knight came out the same year as Iron Man and was just as big, if not bigger, a success both commercially and critically. While most superhero films up to this point faithfully stuck to the superhero genre, The Dark Knight took the Batman universe into more of a crime thriller direction. Of course, the movie features one of the most iconic movie villains of all time in Heath Ledger's Joker, with a performance that was so influential that it is still cited and quoted today. The movie was also groundbreaking in its rejection of the superhero formula. Instead of a normal good vs evil story, The Dark Knight goes for a more morally ambiguous conflict, testing the limits of how far Batman and other characters are willing to go. The Dark Knight also had a big influence on The Oscars, with its snub from the Best Picture race and subsequent backlash prompting The Academy to expand the nominations to 10 films.

8. The Avengers (2012)

The Avengers was groundbreaking in that it changed the way movies and franchises were consumed. Up to this point, nobody would have thought it possible to have a movie combining multiple franchises together in a single film. The Avengers pulled it off and influenced countless other franchises to attempt to launch shared universes. After the success of The Avengers, franchises like DC and The Dark Universe scrambled to develop their own shared universe and ultimately failed with The Dark Universe failing before it could even begin. The Avengers also set the gold standard for how to balance a team-up or ensemble film while still prioritizing individual character arcs. The success of The Avengers ultimately proved that the ambitious idea of a shared universe could work and led to greater films such as Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame.

9. Deadpool (2016)

Deadpool is groundbreaking for its success as an R-rated superhero film and set the stage for more R-rated movies to come. Deadpool changed the game with how R-rated movies were viewed, proving that there was a market for R-rated superhero movies. Deadpool was the highest-grossing R-rated movie when it was released and launched the success of more films like it. Prior to Deadpool, the only standout R-rated superhero movies were with Punisher and Blade. After Deadpool's success, studios had more courage to make more like it, such as Logan, The Suicide Squad, Birds of Prey, Joker, as well as two Deadpool sequels. The film also created a new style of superhero movie with crass jokes and r R-rated violence that films like The Suicide Squad and Birds of Prey would pick up on.

10. Wonder Woman (2017)

Wonder Woman was a groundbreaking superhero film as it was the first woman-led superhero film that received widespread positive reception. Prior to Wonder Woman, there were films like Elektra and Catwoman, but these were both poorly received by critics and performed poorly at the box office, which in turn discouraged studios from developing more women-led superhero movies for 15 years. The success of Wonder Woman, both critically and financially, caused a resurgence of women-led superhero films with movies like Birds of Prey, Black Widow, and Captain Marvel. This movie also gave young girls a strong female character to look up to who had more to offer than just the gymnastics in skin-tight suits that previous films gave. The movie also helped challenge gender norms, with the men not being the ones saving everyone.

11. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse not only changed the game with animation but also brought the idea of the multiverse to comic book movies. A lot of people think of the MCU when it comes to taking on the multiverse, but this movie was actually the first to do it, with the MCU and DCEU not doing it until 2021 and 2023. Into the Spider-Verse set a gold standard for how the multiverse should be done right. This movie also launched the popularity of Miles Morales and Spider-Gwen, causing them to be popular characters and actually feature in a kids' TV show. The movie is also groundbreaking in its animation style. It decides to go with a more comic book style of animation, something that would continue to be used in later films like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the TV show What If?

12. Black Panther (2018)

Black Panther was groundbreaking in a couple of ways. It was the first black led superhero film to gross over a billion dollars and was the first superhero film to ever be nominated for Best Picture. The film challenges typical stereotypes for the continent of Africa by portraying Wakanda as a technologically advanced nation. The film not only brings forth more prominent roles for black actors but also elevates women by giving them substantial roles in the film. The movie also features a complex villain who actually wins the moral argument in the film and causes the hero to change his ways, something that is not common in any film. The film has also paved the way for more cultures and races to have themselves represented in films, such as with Blue Beetle, Ms. Marvel, Captain America: Brave New World, and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the 10 Rings.