There are many ways to define the current era of Hollywood cinema. But there’s no question that one sub-genre looms largest over the rest: Superheroes.
Before the turn of the 21st century, Hollywood largely looked at comic books and their brightly-colored characters as exploitation fare. Even the occasional blockbuster adaptation, like 1978’s Superman or 1989’s Batman, did little to alter the general perception that comics were pow-biff-zap kids stuff, and no matter how much money you threw at them, that’s all that would ever be.
The early 2000s, and movies like X-Men and Spider-Man, changed all that. Superheroes went from occasional novelties to the very center of mainstream filmmaking, with big-budget adaptations now a reliable annual tradition every summer (and early spring … and late fall too). Instead of just turning household names like Superman and Batman into films, Marvel, DC, and others began adapting increasingly obscure characters — and turning them into improbable franchises. (Go read up on the early years of the Guardians of the Galaxy, and you’ll see what I mean.)
Today, we’re going to take a look at this era of Hollywood cinema, and the superheroes that define it — the best comic-book movie of every year from 2000 to today. Some years, especially at the start of the century when there were still relatively few of these films, the title of a year’s best superhero film is very easy to choose. A decade or two later, the competition becomes so fierce it gets a little big trickier. But I’ll do my best, in the name of truth, justice, and all that stuff.
The Best Superhero Movie Of Every Year From 2000 to Today
There are a lot of comic-book movies these days. If you could only pick one best one from every single year of the 21st century, what would you choose? Here are our picks.
READ MORE: The Worst Superhero Movies of the Last 20 Years
