Look, up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a film genre that’s taken over mainstream Hollywood and multiplex culture faster than a single bullet! Superhero movies have gone through a massive evolution over the last few decades, from special-event blockbusters (“You’ll believe a man can fly”) to expanded-universe franchises that mimic serialized comic-story arcs with impressive fidelity. Not every cinematic superhero is created equal, however, even if many of their origins stories seems the same – so we’ve ranked the 50 greatest caped crusaders and friendly-neighborhood crimefighters, Justice Leaguers and Avengers, off-brand men-in-tights and MCU-and-beyond all-stars to grace the big-screen.
A note about the picks: We’ve relegated superheroes who’ve had numerous actors behind a singular character’s mask to one performer and asked writers to choose which of the performances they preferred regarding the list; we’ve done this avoid, say, six different Batman entries. We’ve identified the particular version we’re singling out and tried to mention as many of the other portrayals as we could. Also, supervillains were not eligible (see title), but a supervillain who eventually transformed into a superhero was eligible – what we call the Mystique Syndrome. Read on.
©Troma Films/Everett Collection50
The Toxic Avenger
Meet Melvin Ferd, a 98-pound weakling janitor who, thanks to a drum of radioactive sludge, finds himself turned into the Toxic Avenger – a hideously deformed do-gooder who’d dispatch drug dealers, et al. with his trusty mop and all the glee of a juvenile delinquent blowing up frogs with M-80s. His 1984 splatter-flick debut helped put the good folks at Troma on the map as purveyors of cult-friendly Z-grade schlock, yet this parody of a comic-book crimefighter took the genre into some outrageous, stomach-churningly gross and morally questionable territory. In other words, Toxie was just the superhero that the Reagan era needed and deserved. STC
Warner Bros./Kobal/REX/Shutterstock49
Speed Racer
Tatsuo Yoshida’s beloved anime introduced the world to Go Mifune, a young man with a pure heart and a need for you-know-what; you might know him, however, by the name the dubbed, Americanized version of the series gave him. (Hint: See the title.) The Wachowski siblings’ hypercolorized, CGI-apalooza live-action adaptation gave us a driven – pun 1000-percent intended – idealist played by Emile Hirsch who uses his gadget-filled racecar to strike terror into the hearts of corporate evildoers and their minions the world over. Everything around him may be careening off the tracks, but Speed keeps his cool till he crosses the finish line, every time. He’s proof that a big part of being a hero is keeping your eye on the prize. Go, Speed, go! STC
Everett Collection48
Nightcrawler
Go back to the opening moments of 2003’s X2, in which we watch the future X-Man use his ability to teleport across short spaces, infiltrate the Oval Office and attempt to assassinate the President. But that’s not who Nightcrawler is (really, he was just being mind controlled) – thanks to Alan Cumming, we soon realize this furry, blue-skinned mutant is moral, kindhearted man, one whose devilish exterior belies his devout faith. He goes from antagonist to loyal teammate, one who whisks others away from danger by hugging them. It’s a shame that the Scottish actor never returned to the role. KP
47
Raphael
Leonardo leads. Donatello handles the machinery. Michelangelo is a party dude (party!!!). But if you’re looking for the true star of the original live-action 1990 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie – accept no substitutes – only one cool but rude half-shell hero will do. Raphael brought a streetwise edge to the first incarnation of creators Kevin Eastman & Peter Laird’s insanely popular group of ass-kicking amphibians, adding some killer wisecracks for his too-cool tween audience (to an assailant wielding a José Canseco signature baseball bat: “Tell me you didn’t pay money for this”) while remaining true to the character’s roots as one of four loving send-ups of the grim-and-gritty superhero age. STC
Marvel Studios/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock46
Gamora
Is there a better sight gag in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies than Gamora just barely putting up with Peter Quill’s nonsense? This green-skinned alien comes with a tragic backstory and a drive for justice; she’s also handy with a blade. But Zoe Saldana plays this galactic heroine as a woman who’s also surprised to discover she still has potential for joy, which is all too evident in scenes in which she – reluctantly at first – entertains Starlord’s flirtatious advances. Still, you do not want to tangle with this Zen-Whoberi badass. KP
Universal/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock45
Flash Gordon
Alex Raymond’s influential newspaper-strip character – who’d previously starred into a popular string of motion-picture serials in the late 1930s – got a Pop-Art update in 1980, courtesy of spectacle-loving producer Dino De Laurentiis and kitsch-friendly Batman TV writer Lorenzo Semple, Jr. This Flash Gordon (played by ex-Marine and Playgirl centerfold Sam J. Jones) comes across as more than just a former New York Jets player transported to the planet Mongo; his heroic blond hunk is a sexy, planet-hopping demigod, ready to take on Ming the Merciless and his minions at a moment’s notice. He’s also a great reminder that every white knight should be so lucky to fight evil to sound of a crushing, anthemic score by Queen. Flash, ahhhhh! Savior of the universe! NM
20th Century Fox Licensing/Merchandising / Everett Collection44
Quicksilver (Evan Peters)
There is the MCU’s version of the speed-demon/Scarlet Witch sibling, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson – but it was the “mutant” version crafted by Evan Peters who channeled the character’s blasé wit. Starting with 2014’s X-Men: Days of Future Past, this rascal made a compelling argument for extraordinary fastness being both a tremendous power and one of the coolest. In the film’s most fantastic scene – cheekily scored to Jim Croce’s “Time in a Bottle” – Quicksilver doesn’t just save the day and protect his fellow Homo superiors from harm. The kid also has enough time to enjoy some food and prank his foes. What’s the point of being a superhero if you can’t be a bad-ass while flaunting your powers? TG
©Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett Collection43
Baymax
Disney’s Big Hero 6 began life as a fairly obscure Marvel Comics series, about a team of clever tinkerers and super-powered nerds. On-screen, rendered in cartoonish CGI, the characters ranged from from cutesy to cool – or both, in the case of the friendly inflatable robot Baymax, who’s equally skilled in medicine, psychology and karate. The movie takes full advantage of its animated format, allowing its puffy, mechanical breakout star to flop about adorably in ways a live-action hero never could. NM
Marvel Entertainment/Perception/Spi/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock42
The Winter Soldier
Other Marvel superheroes have tragic backstories, but one of the MCU’s greatest ongoing dramas is the luckless legacy of Bucky Barnes. Steve Rogers’ dear friend was presumed dead after the events of Captain America: The First Avenger; we later discovered he’d been rehabilitated and reprogrammed to become his old partner’s nemesis decades later in The Winter Soldier. As played by Sebastian Stan, Barnes is a man robbed of his humanity as he’s transformed into an elite killing machine, and his journey to reclaim his former self powers Civil War’s narrative engine. He’s a singularly haunted figure – a good guy who was brainwashed into becoming a bad guy, and has to fight his way back to becoming a hero again. Not even Hydra could squash his inherent decency. TG
Warner Bros/DC Comics/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock41
Dr. Manhattan
In Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ groundbreaking graphic novel Watchmen, the blue-skinned, omnipotent Doctor Manhattan stands in for every aloof comic-book super-scientist, from Reed Richards to Brainiac. Director Zack Snyder’s movie adaptation smartly hews close to the source material, retaining much of the imagery and dialogue that covers the Doc’s origins and outlook on life. Give credit too to actor Billy Crudup, for taking a character that’s practically a deity and giving him a human personality and body – and a frequently naked one, no less. NM
Marv Films/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock40
Hit-Girl
Chloë Grace Moretz was only 11 years old when she appeared in Matthew Vaughn’s gleefully violent superhero comedy Kick-Ass (2010) as everyone’s favorite underage murder-happy vigilante. And despite her youth (or perhaps because of it), she’s really damn scary. Under the guidance of her equally screwed-up dad – played Nicolas Cage – the gun-toting Mindy Macready is foul-mouthed and ultra-deadly, raining down bullets and C-bombs with equal ardor. She’s 10 times more, well, kick-ass then Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s mopey teen hero, and proof positive that the most effective costumed crimefighters are the ones you never see coming. Never underestimate a little girl with an ax to grind. JS
Deana Newcomb/Orion/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock39
RoboCop (Peter Weller)
Unlike many of the superheroes on this list, Detroit’s robotic protector didn’t originate in a comic book. Instead, it sprung from the mindof a young screenwriter, Ed Neumeier, who hung around the set of Blade Runner, inspired by the idea of characters who didn’t know if they were man or machine. From that came the devoted policeman Alex Murphy (Peter Weller), who gets gunned down by some goons – only to be resurrected by an evil corporation into a crime-fighting cyborg. Thanks to Weller (essentially acting with just his lips), there’s a touching vulnerability to this mechanized super-soldier; you never forget about the beating heart under all that alloy. TG
Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock38
Storm (Halle Berry)
You don’t want to mess with the X-Men in general, but you specifically don’t want to mess with Storm, a.k.a. Ororo Munroe. She can control the freakin’ weather, after all – calling down a dense fog, a blizzard or your run-of-the-mill showers depending on her mood. That, and she generally steers clear of the soap-operatic hijinks the other members of her team tend to get caught up in (we’re lookin’ at you, Scott and Jean). Halle Berry’s ride-the-lightning mutant was a highlight of those early X-Men movies; the younger mohawked version played by Alexandra Shipp also gets a thunderous shout-out. JS
Paramount/DC Comics/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock37
The Phantom
The grungy Nineties weren’t ready for a superhero as happily stuck in the past as the Phantom. The 1996 movie adaptation of Lee Falk’s classic comic strip is charmingly square, filled with exotic jungle adventure and swanky New York nightlife, all presided over by a masked man in a garish purple unitard. Inside the costume? Billy Zane, an impossibly handsome leading man who looked like he traveled through time from Tinseltown’s studio heyday. Yes, he’s old-fashioned – but the character’s just so effortlessly awesome, skintight jumpsuit and all. NM
Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock36
Doctor Strange
He’s the Sorcerer Supreme, a former surgeon who became a Master of the Mystic Arts – and thanks to Benedict Cumberbatch, the MCU’s resident magic man has slowly revealed himself as one of the stealth MVPs of the franchise’s ongoing end-of-the-world saga. Yes, the gravity with which the good doctor intones “protecting your reality” regarding his purpose on Earth definitely squares with the self-serious sage envisioned by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko all those decades ago. The fact that Strange follows it up by calling Tony Stark a “douchebag” adds a whole extra dimension to this dimension-hopping superhero. You get someone with charm and smarts, an Avenger-friendly cohort who can take on planet-sized demons and put someone like Loki in his place. And not even the Caped Crusader himself has such a helpful cape at his disposal. DF
Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock35
Ant-Man
There’s an appealing modesty to a superhero who shrinks in size to fight evil, and while there are complicated narrative reasons for Ant-Man’s absence from Avengers: Infinity War, the character is both a part of and apart from the MCU, inconsequential in the best possible sense. His two movies are the lowest-stake entries in the Marvel line, enforced by Paul Rudd’s reading of the character as a cool-dad wiseacre who doesn’t suffer the origin-story torments of superheroic peers. Ant-Man’s size-shifting abilities can minimize him to subatomic levels or maximize him to a 100-foot-tall giant who uses flatbed trucks as a skateboard. The fact that the latter makes him feel a little sleepy is part of the charm. ST
Marvel Studios/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock34
Drax the Destroyer
Drax has floated around the Marvel universe since 1973, originally conceived as a energy-blasting beast formidable enough to take on cosmic foes like Thanos; eventually, the Destroyer found a permanent home among Star-Lord’s misfit rogues in Guardians of the Galaxy. His longstanding beef against the purple-hued villain remains, having lost his wife and daughter to one of his henchmen, but Dave Bautista’s performance suggests a more approachable Hulk – an imposing beast with a big heart and natural deadpan. He takes care of business in fight sequences and quietly steals scenes from the sidelines. Only weakness? Sensitive nipples. ST
20th Century Fox/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock33
Mystique
She started out as a villain, part of Magneto’s Brotherhood of Evil Mutants – but once the X-Men franchise started going back to the past and revamping its Homo superior superheroes, this shapeshifter began morphing into a good guy. As played by Jennifer Lawrence, Mystique slowly turned into the series’ unlikely heart, becoming both a leader and a kind of mutant folk hero in the process – as well as a valuable asset to Professor X & Co. in battles both apocalyptic and more down-to-earth. She’s proof that you can change … sometimes, several times in a single movie. KP
20th Century Fox/Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock32
Domino
She doesn’t show up until somewhere around the halfway mark of Deadpool 2 and is only in a handful of scenes – yet this lucky-in-cards, lucky-in-love, lucky-in-everything-really mutant immediately makes enough of an impression to land a spot on this list. Blessed with an ability to make things go her way no matter which way they’re going, Domino brims with a confidence bordering on arrogance … though to be fair, if you inherently knew that getting thrown from a moving vehicle would end in you landing safely on a giant panda balloon, you’d probably move with a little extra swagger as well. (And man, can this lady fight!) As played by Atlanta‘s Zazie Beetz, this X-Force member virtually steals the movie away from Ryan Reynolds’ scarred smartass super-antihero. Two words: solo movie. DF
©Warner Bros/Everett Collection31
Rorsharch
If the Watchmen movie has a dark spiritual center, it’s Walter Kovacs, a troubled, violent vigilante who compulsively trudges through the sickest segments of humanity to fight crime. (As he explains to a clueless psychologist hoping to “cure” him, “Once a man has seen society’s black underbelly, he can never turn his back on it.”) Jackie Earle Haley plays the man in the ever-changing mask with the brooding cynicism of a great noir detective, along with a potent cocktail of anger, sorrow and mental instability. Rorsharch seethes because he cares so deeply – as if doing enough good in the world could somehow silence the anguish in his head. TG
©Sony Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection30
Hancock
What if Superman were an obnoxious, unpopular alcoholic? The dark, twisted 2008 action-comedy Hancock beat the likes of Kick-Assand Deadpool to the punch with its depiction of a problematic hero, who tends to make everything worse when he tries to save the day. As played by Will Smith, this accidental menace to society may be funny, but he’s also a walking (and flying) example of how a fickle public can be unnecessarily cruel to famous folks. He could also stand to work on his crowd control skills a bit more as well (“What you want, a cookie? Get outta my face”). NM
©Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett Collection29
Rocket Racoon
The Guardians of the Galaxy crew are a bunch of misfits and dorks – but when it comes to snideness, nobody beats the Rocket. Thanks to Bradley Cooper, this galaxy-trotting smart-ass and a thief gives the franchise a solid dose of unfettered piss and vinegar; as for the voice, the Osbar-nominated actor hit upon a combination of what he called “Gilbert Gottfried meets Joe Pesci” to give the little varmint extra ‘tude. But the more that Rocket positions himself as a bad-ass gunner and pilot, the more obvious it is that underneath his fur and sass is a big heart. Just watch him around Baby Groot: That adorable little twig brings out his softer side. TG
Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock28
Barbarella
Roger Vadim’s camp-classic adaptation of Jean-Claude Forest’s racy space opera is a fascinating glimpse into a what-if world where sex rather than violence is the fuel for superheroic adventures. In her star-making role, Jane Fonda is the title character, a space-faring, world-saving heroine whose swinging-Sixties blend of innocence and insatiability is her true superpower. STC
Marvel Enterprises/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock27
Hulk (Mark Ruffalo)
With all due respect to Eric Bana’s and Edward Norton’s considered portrayals of Marvel’s giant green guy, Mark Ruffalo has made the role his own – and without even getting the benefit of a standalone Hulk movie. As he morphs into the monster, his Hulk (aided by CG wizardry) is a fearsome, rampaging wonder. But it’s when he’s Banner that the character really comes alive. A mixture of giddy nerd, insecure outsider and expert straight man – his deadpan reactions in Thor: Ragnarok are golden – the scientist is the closest thing to a “regular guy” among the Avengers’ superstars. The scene in The Avengers when Banner reveals that he doesn’t have to “get” angry to activate the Hulk – because he’s actually always angry – shows the superhero in a whole new light. He’s not just an incredible brute. He’s a tormented soul consumed by a rage he can barely contain. TG
Marvel/Disney/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock26
Okoye
Quick: Name another hero who can use both a spear and a wig as a deadly weapon. You don’t get to be the leader of Dora Milaje without being a fierce fighter, and the Okoye we see in Black Panther and (briefly) Infinity War is as ferocious as they come. Even if you’ve watched Danai Gurira slay zombies for six seasons on The Walking Dead, you’re still apt to be surprised by the way she turns this Wakandan warrioress into a first-rate, grace-under-pressure badass. But it’s the ride-or-die loyalty to T’Challa, as well as her ability to call him out on his posturing (“Just don’t freeze when you see her”), that makes her so valuable to king and country. She’s the person we want watching our back in an all-or-nothing fight. DF
Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock25
The Crow
Actor Brandon Lee, a.k.a. Bruce’s son, seemed born to play writer-artist James O’Barr’s undead vigilante, who returns from the grave to murder his way through the gang responsible for his girlfriend’s death. But despite the on-set tragedy that claimed the actor’s life, Lee helped create a no-holds-barred hero with an unforgettable look and vibe. The Crow doesn’t need the bulky armor and high-tech gadgets of his peers: His body is his weapon, and his spectral presence alone is enough to strike terror into criminals’ heart. Batman beware. STC
Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock24
Judge Dredd (Karl Urban)
Sorry, Mr. Stallone, but there’s only room for one “I am the law”-man on this list – and that’s the version from the punishing 2012 film Dredd. Played with unsmiling fury by Karl Urban, that judge is an instrument of capital punishment so pure and implacable that you never see his full face – an unknowable and untouchable avenger behind his helmet. This deliberate dehumanization does the original ultraviolent comics by John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra proud, and when this Dredd shows up at the ground floor of a skyscraper apartment complex, one look at him is all it takes to know he’ll kill his way through every floor to get to the gang boss at the top. Which he does, with honors. STC
Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock23
Neo
“He is the One.” Played by Keanu Reeves with his usual zen chillness, The Matrix‘s black-clad hacker-turned-messiah is the lynchpin of the Wachowski siblings’ visionary hodgepodge of wuxia combat, cyberpunk philosophy and CGI-enhanced action. His balletic grace during those bullet-time slo-mo shootouts and his bone-crunching fights with Hugo Weaving’s Agent Smith remain high-water marks for late Nineties sci-fi/action – dig his final revolution-sparking flight into the skies! – but make no mistake: This is a superhero story. And Neo is nothing if not a Superman for the AOL age. STC
Bruce Talamon/New Line/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock22
Blade
Originally modeled after African-American icons of the early Seventies, Blade is the son of a woman bitten by a vampire. Technically, he’s a “Dhampir”: a hybrid creature who’s human but has all the awesome qualities of a vampire … and then some. Dressed in a floor-length black leather ensemble with a blood-red lining, Wesley Snipes plays the monster-hunter at maximum glower, shredding through vampires in a vengeful mission to protect folks from his fanged brethren. He’s a peerless martial artist and swordsman, with all the super-strength and speed expected of a Marvel hero, but y’know, more antisocial. He’s the cool jerk in humanity’s corner. ST
Jay Maidment/Marvel/Walt Disney/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock21
Thor
The Avengers’ resident alpha jock has come a long way since Kenneth Branagh’s Thor (2011), in which Chris Hemsworth tossed his beautiful blond man-mane and brooded about his place in the Norse pantheon. Thankfully, the MCU powers that be have since figured out what gives Thor his crackle, lightning powers aside: namely, tempering his mythic powers with broad comedy, and his might with sweetness – two of Hemsworth’s IRL superpowers. And Taika Waititi’s spin on the character in the endlessly fun Thor: Ragnarok (2017), which stripped him of his hammer, his haircut and his kingdom, transformed the Asgardian into one of the franchise’s most lovable characters. The only thing funnier than a pratfall is a pratfall performed by the literal god of thunder. JS
20th Century Fox/Marvel Ent Group/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock20
Professor X (Patrick Stewart)
He’s the telepathic brains behind Marvel’s team of do-gooder mutants; his commitment to bridging the gap between human and mutantkind (and his on-again/off-again bromance with Magneto) forms the backbone of the vast and varied roster of X-Men movies. James McAvoy does admirable work as a younger Professor X, but it’s Sir Patrick Stewart’s turn as the older incarnation that carries a necessary Shakespearean gravitas – whether he’s the wise, avuncular father figure we first meet in Bryan Singer’s X-Men (2000) or the bitter, broken Xavier of James Mangold’s Logan (2017). JS
©Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett Collection19
Violet Parr
Okay, she’s not the flashiest member of the team we know as the Incredibles … but then that’s the whole point, isn’t it? Pixar’s Brad Bird designed this superpowered family to reflect the traits of a typical American household: the flexible mom, the impetuous kid brother, etc. So the shy teenager Violet turns invisible, just like countless embarrassed adolescents have longed to do. And thanks to Sarah Vowell’s appropriately low-key voice performance, the often-unseen Incredible is really the one that’s easiest to identify with. NM
Marvel Studios/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock18
Groot
Has there been a catchphrase in superhero movie history more enduring than “I am Groot”? The gentle sometimes-giant of the MCU is also one of its weirdest creations: an alien who’s basically a sentient tree, and the irrepressible sweetheart of the Guardians of the Galaxy‘s prickly misfit space crew. Voiced to gravelly perfection by Vin Diesel, the hero is irresistible in all sizes – whether he’s a towering bruiser, a little twig dancing in a flowerpot or a moody teen who literally gives his right arm to be used as a handle for Thor’s shiny new god-killing ax. Sacrifice, thy name is Groot. JS
17
Valkyrie
Thor is surrounded by enemies, everything seems hopeless … then a spaceship hatch opens to reveal a leather-armored, war-painted Valkyrie chugging a 40. “He’s mine,” she growls – at which point the woman who’s here to “rescue” the God of Thunder loses her balance and falls to the ground in a drunken heap. Equal parts savior and sellout, badass and buffoon, Tessa Thompson’s outer-space opportunist is normally the kind of Han Solo role reserved for a strapping young white dude. So kudos to Thor: Ragnarok, which turns an often stodgy comic character into a scene-stealer with a sneer, a swagger and a knack for thriving in cosmic chaos. The fact that she turns out to be an Asgardian warrior goddess in exile only makes her that much cooler. JS
Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock16
Black Widow
Scarlett Johansson’s Avenger proved early on that a female superhero could be just as compelling and dangerous as her male counterparts. (Not that we needed convincing, unlike the slow-to-greenlight-a-solo-movie production company and the folks who make toys.) Natasha Romanoff is first seen using her wits to turn the tables on some would-be Russian torturers, and she keeps demonstrating new skill sets (like hacking government computers and riding motorcycles out of planes); and while she not be the largest member of the MCU all-star team or has the most tricked-out gear, she definitely ranks high in the running, jumping and beating-the-crap-out-of-bad-guys department. KP
Big Talk Productions/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock15
Scott Pilgrim
Bassist for a middling Toronto garage band called Sex Bob-Omb, boyfriend to a too-young high-schooler, passive to the point of slacker paralyzation – Bryan Lee O’Malley’s alternative comic Scott Pilgrim vs. The World created an alternative superhero, a 23-year-old townie layabout who meets his dream girl. There’s just one catch: He can’t get to her without fighting her “Seven Evil Exes” first. Edgar Wright’s screen adaptation turns its Pilgrim (played by Michael Cera) into a powered-up arcade character, walloping all comers for level-ups and bonus coins. For a certain breed of culture-addled young romantic, he’s the most identifiable of superheroes – and a good lesson in not getting hung up in your partner’s romantic history. ST
Michael Muller/Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock14
Deadpool
Remember that first, unfortunate version of Deadpool, the one that showed up in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, (2009)? Ryan Reynolds was determined to get it right the next time – so after stumping hard for a solo movie, the comic actor went on to deliver the raunchiest, bloodiest, most irreverent and vulgar version of a mainstream Marvel superhero yet. This is the Merc with a Mouth we know and love, a killer with a knack for breaking the fourth wall and taking the piss out of comic-book-movie conformity. The star spends most of the original Deadpool and its sequel behind a mask, but you just know he’s grinning under there. TG
Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock13
Hellboy
Writer-artist Mike Mignola’s jolly crimson giant is a creation at war against his nature – a half-demon summoned by Nazi occultists as the ultimate weapon against the Allied forces, yet eternally resentful of his calling. He keeps his devil horns filed and springs to action with comic reluctance, despite the oversized right hand made of stone and a matter-obliterating revolver in his left. Over two Guillermo Del Toro movies, Ron Perlman’s gruff, cigar-chomping Hellboy beats back the forces of evil alongside the other affable monsters in the United States Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense. Still, he’d rather be doing just about anything else. Like playing with cats. ST
©Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett Collection12
The Rocketeer
Remember when Hollywood studios threw money at some truly off-the-wall superhero projects? That’s how cult cartoonist Dave Stevens’ delightfully retro, Commander Cody-esque comic character known as the Rocketeer made it to the big screen. A shiny-helmeted, jetpack-sporting Nazi-fighter may have felt like an anachronism in 1991, but as fans of vintage pulp magazines and Thirties showbiz glamor know, fun and original characters like dashing stunt pilot Cliff Secord’s alter ego never really go out of style. Also, he has a knack for punching fascists – which means he’d fit right in with 2018’s landscape. NM
Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock11
Captain America
No movie superhero is so innately good as Steve Rogers – a scrawny kid from Brooklyn who couldn’t get into the army and wound up a super serum-jacked crime fighter/OG Avenger. “I don’t like bullies,” he says in Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), and this policy is his mantra whether he’s fighting WWII Nazis or contemporary government-sanctioned corruption. Decked out in the red, white and blue with a smile as sweet as apple pie, Cap represents the ideals of what America could be if its heart were only so pure as his. And as portrayed by Chris Evans (who, judging from his Twitter account, basically is Steve Rogers), the patriotic good guy is a hard-nosed leader who’s also a big ol’ dork. Keep your brooding, snarky, supercool superheroes; Captain America proves it’s hip to be square. JS
Chuck Zlotnick/Columbia/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock10
Spider-Man (Tom Holland)
The wide-eyed, unfailingly earnest, good-with-a-wisecrack webslinger of the Tobey Maguire era proved that you could bring your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man to the big screen. Then came Tom Holland, who perfectly captures the beleaguered, insecure, resolute teenaged Peter Parker of the comics – and suddenly, you felt like you were seeing the character for the very first time. His freshly minted Spidey balances a determination to be someone who makes a difference against a fear he’s going to screw everything up and let everyone down. You still get the sarcastic quips, but you also get the vulnerability. It’s sometimes hard to figure out whether we should cheer for this amazing young man or give him a hug. KP
Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock9
Iron Man
When Marvel announced the casting of Robert Downey Jr. as billionaire playboy/armored suit-wearing superhero Tony Stark, some people chalked up to an intriguing stunt-casting gimmick. Clearly, the skeptics had never read an issue of Iron Man: Everything that made the actor seem like a less-than-traditional choice to play a superhero – his braininess, his quippiness, his kidding-but-not-really egotism, his troubled past – has made him the ideal big-screen version of this weaponized industrialist who slowly grows a conscience. (And who also designs a robot whose A.I. capacity turns him into a humanity-hating psychopath, but hey, never mind that.) The comic character hasn’t just become a cornerstone of the MCU; this Avenger has deepened with each successive appearance as Stark becomes increasingly aware of what he has to lose and what he’s already given up. KP
©Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett Collection8
Elastigirl
It’s all in the name: Elastigirl – a.k.a. Helen Parr, a.k.a. Mrs. Incredible – cannot be like her ungainly battering ram of a husband, staving off midlife crisis and workaday irrelevance through brute force alone. She has to be flexible enough to play whatever role a situation requires, whether she’s patching up Mr. Incredible’s ego-driven mistakes (see: the original Incredibles movie) or stepping out as the new face of superherodom (see Incredibles 2) while her competence stabilizes a wavering public trust. Voiced by Holly Hunter, this supple savior can act as a parachute or a bridge or the ultimate rubber adhesive – whatever it takes to keep the world, and her family, from falling apart. ST
Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock7
Darkman
A decade before director Sam Raimi made the first Spider-Man, he poured his passion for Marvel Comics and Universal monster pictures into a wildly imaginative, unapologetically R-rated superhero thriller. Liam Neeson goes all-in as an eccentric scientist Peyton Westlake, who creates realistic human masks out of unstable “liquid skin” to get revenge on the criminals who melted his face. Thus is born the vigilante known a “Darkman,” a moral crusader who’s brilliant, brave and more than a little crazy – not to mention one of the single best off-brand heroes the genre has given us. Skills include: dangling from helicopters, dropping his enemies off buildings and skulking in the shadows like the Creature from the Black Lagoon. NM
Marvel/Disney/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock6
Black Panther
Debuting in comics in 1966 but not a central comic-book figure until the 1970s, Wakanda’s No. 1 champion T’Challa roared onto the big screen in Captain America: Civil War (2016) providing rising star Chadwick Boseman with a superhero character as quietly magnetic as the real-life heroes – James Brown, Jackie Robinson, Thurgood Marshall – he’d played in biopics. Mourning the murder of his regent father, the man behind the mask spends most of his blockbuster solo adventure learning what it means to be a leader – and also, how to reconcile with a past that’s not nearly as rosy as he once believed. No Avenger is as thoughtful or reflective as Black Panther, no one as noble in trying to overcome his flaws and be the figurehead his people require him to be. He’s the exact superhero we need for this moment. TG
Clay Enos/Warner Bros/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock5
Wonder Woman
Many of us had all been waiting for an honest-to-Hippolyta female-centric superhero movie since … well, forever. And Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman is everything we could have asked for – an ass-kicking goddess with an unshakable sense of justice and a refreshing policy when it comes to all the men who tell her to sit down. (Answer: Hell No.) She’s powerful without sacrificing compassion, in love with the fallen world in all its violent imperfection. The character had been a feminist icon from her very appearance in All Star Comics to her portrayal by Lynda Carter in the 1970s TV show. But it’s Gadot’s turn that has cemented the Amazon warrioress as the superhero that the #TimesUp era deserves: strong, steadfast and the sort of person who stands up for what’s right while taking zero amounts of shit. Wonder, indeed. JS
Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock4
David Dunn
Most of us would love to be superheroes – the mournful protagonist of Unbreakable (2000) has the exact opposite problem. As played by Bruce Willis, who reunited with Sixth Sense writer-director M. Night Shyamalan, David Dunn is a humble security guard trying to duck his destiny, scared at the prospect of what it would mean to have extraordinary powers. The movie’s bittersweet irony is that, while this everyman could be a prototypical comic-book hero, he isn’t feeling very super: His marriage is collapsing, and the massive media attention directed his way after surviving a deadly train crash has left him with an existential crisis. The thrill of this underrated supernatural drama is watching a seemingly ordinary person finally embrace his incredible potential – we can hardly wait to see his return in Shyamalan’s forthcoming semi-sequel Glass. TG
Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock3
Batman (Michael Keaton)
Even in the pre-internet days of the late 1980s, Michael Keaton, then best known for his comedic roles, was a controversial choice to play Batman. How could the guy from Beetlejuice and Mr. Mom convince us he was the Dark Knight of Gotham? And would Tim Burton’s take on the caped crusader just be a return to the campy 1960s TV series? They needn’t have worried. Others have done well by the part – we’re looking at you, Christian Bale – but when it comes to capturing the cracked psyche that might prompt a man to dress up like a bat, no one’s touched Keaton. Rather than play tough, the actor goes goes weird and obsessive, and his superhero is a man who fights crime to avoid falling apart – an element as central to the character as the cape and cowl. From the first time he growled “I’m Batman,” he embodied the part in the 1989 original and its 1992 sequel, Batman Returns. He took this vengeful vigilante seriously, laying the groundwork for the superhero explosion of the 2000s and beyond. You don’t get the Batmen who came after without him. KP
Warner Bros/DC Comics/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock2
Superman (Christopher Reeve)
“You’ll believe a man can fly.” Richard Donner’s 1978 big-budget vehicle for the character who started it all – arguably the single most recognizable character in caped-hero comics history – bet the farm that moviegoers would walk out bona fide believers. They did – and beyond original creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, those viewers had one man to thank. With his matinee-idol looks and sly comedic charm, actor Christopher Reeve was like a leading man from Golden Age of Hollywood transported into the 1970s for a single purpose: to bring the bravest, strongest, truest hero of all time to life. This was the film that essentially gave birth to the entire superhero-movie genre, and the late actor’s take on the Man of Steel with a heart of gold basically set the pace for how to faithfully bring someone dedicated to truth, justice, etc. from the funnybooks to the big-screen. It’s a bird, it’s a plane … it’s a performance that’s 100-percent perfection. No one else who’s donned that giant S on their chest has come close to matching it. STC
Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock1
Wolverine
Blessed with indestructible adamantium fused to his skeleton, some intimidating razor-sharp claws, the power to heal almost instantly and Hugh Jackman’s impervious charisma, this all-star mutant has been the MVP of the Fox’s X-Men universe for 20 years now, starting off as the lone-wolf antihero in the original X-Men movie and going out in a blaze of glory in the somber 2017 swansong Logan. The character eventually learns to play nice with others (somewhat), but he also remains consistent in sticking to a very particular code of honor; it’s a testament to Jackman’s commitment to this mutant’s tortured journey to rid himself of his demons that we never doubt the character’s soulfulness or ferocity. And it’s through Wolverine’s last appearance, in which Jackman guides his iteration of the character toward a violent endgame, that we also see what superhero movies are capable of becoming: moral parables capable of being both thrilling and thought-provoking, blockbusters that reflect the world beyond the comic-book shop and the multiplex. Someday, eventually, another actor may don the claws of this iconic character – when that happens, they’ll have to walk in Jackman’s long, formidable shadow. We don’t envy them. TG
Super Heroes 