As 2016 comes to a close, we realize the year has been a milestone for films based on comic books. Four studios worked together to produce six films throughout the year, with more scheduled for 2017 than ever before.
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Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios came together to bring Spider-Man to the super hero ensemble brawl in Captain America: Civil War. 20th Century Fox bravely brought us the R-rated take on Deadpool fans have been clamoring for — which paid off in dividends. Warner Brothers brought the iconic DC Comics trinity to the big screen for the first time in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice.
New heroes were introduced in Doctor Strange and anti-heroes in Suicide Squad. A reimagining of popular names paired with beloved familiar faces arrived with X-Men: Apocalypse.
Each film had bright spots, laughs, heartbreak, and heartpounding action. Super heroes are being ripped straight out of the pages of comic books and plastered onto the big screen like never before.
With the 2016 ComicBook.com Movie Awards, we nominate the best scenes, actors, movies, and more in the following categories:
Best First Big Screen Appearance
Best Comic Book Movie Fight Scene
Best Comic Book Movie Director
Best Comic Book Movie Actress
Best Comic Book Movie Actor
Best Comic Book Movie
The winners of each category will be decided by none other the ComicBook Nation as users registered to ComicBook.com will be able to log in and vote. Categories will open starting Monday, January 2.
Each weekday, a new category will be open for voting at 10 a.m. ET and 2 p.m. ET. Voting concludes Sunday, January 8 at 11 p.m. ET.
On the following slides, we will list the nominees in full.
Best Visual Effects
As comic book movies grow to be more and more competitive, impressive visual effects may give some an edge over others. However, the Best Visual Effects category is not limited to comic book movies.
Movies have learned to masterfully craft super hero battles, such as Civil War and Batman v. Superman, but an epic space battle in its third act earned Rogue One a spot on the list.
- Captain America: Civil War
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
- Doctor Strange
- Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice
Voting for Best Visual Effects in the 2016 ComicBook.com Movie Awards begins Monday, January 2 at 10 a.m. ET.
Best Comic Book Movie Score
In addition to visual effects, a major component of any movie — often more than moviegoers realize — is an intense and emotional score which emphasizes the messages of each scene.
More often, well-respected composers lend their talents to comic book movies.
- Henry Jackman, Captain America: Civil War
- Michael Giacchino, Doctor Strange
- Hans Zimmer & Junkie XL, Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice
- Junkie XL, Deadpool
- John Ottman, X-Men: Apocalypse
Voting for Best Comic Book Movie Score in the 2016 ComicBook.com Movie Awards begins on Monday, January 2, at 2 p.m. ET.
Best Reimagined Character
In the world of reboots and reimagining, it’s no surprise that there are more than enough comic book characters adapted to the big screen to nominate five new takes for the best new version.
The best reimagined character category is selected by the actor whose portrayal is most improved in terms of appearance and fan approval against previous incarnations.
The nominees for Best Reimagined Character are:
- Tom Holland – Spider-Man
- Jared Leto – The Joker
- Ben Affleck – Batman
- Ryan Reynolds – Deadpool
- Sophie Turner – Jean Grey
Voting for Best Reimagined Character in the 2016 ComicBook.com Movie Awards opens on Tuesday, January 3 at 10 a.m. ET.
Best First Big Screen Appearance
The only thing better than a reimagined character on the big screen is a first time live-action adapation of a beloved comic book character. 2016 saw several characters debuting on the silver screen.
Suicide Squad was packed with first appearances, Batman v. Superman had a certain lady lasso-ing her way to this list, and Civil War managed to squeeze a new face into its already packed line-up.
The nominees for Best First Big Screen Appearance are:
- Harley Quinn
- Deadshot
- Wonder Woman
- Black Panther
- Doctor Strange
Voting for Best First Big Screen Appearance in the 2016 ComicBook.com Movie Awards opens on Tuesday, January 3 at 2 p.m. ET.
Best Franchise Movie
While comic book movies dominated the conversation in 2016, they were alone in all of the hype. Several iconic franchises continued their on screen sagas throughout the year.
Not only did Star Wars see the next installment to its franchise, but dormant titles like Finding Nemo and Harry Potter saw new stories unveiled and in Ghostbusters case, the franchise was somewhat rebooted.
The nominees for Best Franchise Movie are:
- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
- 10 Cloverfield Lane
- Finding Dory
- Ghostbusters
Voting for Best Franchise Movie in the 2016 ComicBook.com Movie Awards will open on Wednesday, January 4 at 10 a.m. ET.
Best Comic Book Movie Fight Scene
Heroes fought more than just villains on the big screen in 2016. In a couple of films, they were fighting each other. Super hero versus super hero was actually a recurring theme with a couple of the heavy hitting titles.
Some fights in comic book movies destroyed cities and others were more intimate between old friends.
In any case, it was all great for popcorn sales.
The nominees for Best Comic Book Movie Fight Scene are:
- Deadpool – 12 Bullets
- Captain America: Civil War – Airport Battle
- Batman v. Superman – Trinity vs. Doomsday
- X-Men: Apocalypse – Astral Plane Battle
- Doctor Strange – Rewinding Time & Bargaining
Voting for Best Comic Book Movie Fight Scene opens on Wednesday, January 4 at 2 p.m. ET.
Best Comic Book Movie Director
Once the script is handed over, the fate of a comic book movie is in the hands of the director. With such a great power comes a massive responsibility. Some directors have learned how to handle it all better than others.
The best director category is selected to honor the filmmakers who poured their hearts into a comic book movie to create a character both true to the comic book counterparts of the characters with which they have worked and a satisfying experience for moviegoers.
The nominees for Best Comic Book Movie Director are:
- The Russo Brothers – Captain America: Civil War
- Zack Snyder – Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice
- David Ayer – Suicide Squad
- Tim Miller – Deadpool
- Scott Derrickson – Doctor Strange
Voting for Best Comic Book Movie in the 2016 Comic Book Movie Awards will open at 10 a.m. ET on Thursday, January 5.
Best Comic Book Movie Actress
As heroines continue to emerge in comic book movies, the list of best females actresses in comic book movies becomes a more and more difficult topic to select each year.
This year, the nominees have been given to the women whose characters underwent the most intense arcs in their respective films, with their portrayals truly delivering every emotional beat. Of course, the action sequences, ability to add humor, and accuracy of adaptation were all factors, as well.
The nominees for Best Comic Book Movie Actress are:
- Scarlett Johansson
- Morena Baccarin
- Margot Robbie
- Gal Gadot
- Elizabeth Olsen
Voting for Best Comic Book Movie Actress in the 2016 ComicBook.com Comic Book Movie Awards opens on Thursday, January 5 at 2 p.m. ET.
Best Comic Book Movie Actor
As with actresses, the best actor category factors in a number of elements. Not only do some actors have to be impressively fit to match a look of a certain heroes as they appear in comics but a level of emotional talent is required to deliver the true feeling of betrayal as seen in Captain America: Civil War or the sarcastic wit captured in Deadpool.
In this case, the actors nominated covered a wide array of accomplishments and characters. Some actors were burdened with reimagining a role they have played before while other took on the role for the first time with a daunting shoe size to fill. Others have been around in the comic book movie world but continue to thrive as their characters build.
The nominees for Best Comic Book Movie Actor are:
- Ryan Reynolds
- Robert Downey Jr.
- Will Smith
- Benedict Cumberbatch
- Ben Affleck
Voting for Best Comic Book Movie Actor in the 2016 ComicBook.com Movie Awards opens on Friday, January 7 at 10 a.m. ET.
Best Comic Book Movie
2016 was a milestone year for comic book movies.
The Avengers were torn apart. Batman and Superman duked it out in their first joint on screen appearance. Deadpool proved that R-ratings can be beneficial for certain characters. Suicide Squad made us love to bed bad. X-Men: Apocalypse reinvented a franchise with an almost entirely new cast. Our minds were bent into new dimensions.
Every comic book movie from 2016 is nominated for Best Comic Book Movie this year, giving fans the opportunity to be heard, once and for all.
The nominees for Best Comic Book Movie are:
- Deadpool
- Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice
- Captain America: Civil War
- X-Men: Apocalypse
- Sucide Squad
- Doctor Strange
Voting for Best Comic Book Movie in the 2016 ComicBook.com Movie Awards opens on Friday, January 7 at 2 p.m. ET.
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