The 10 Best Superhero Movies Of the 2020s (So Far)

While the superhero film subgenre isn’t quite as financially viable as it was from the late aughts to the late 2010s, it is still more than capable of releasing films that standout in the now crowded arena. Not all of the true superhero movie winners from the 2020s have been box office juggernauts, but they have all either advanced the genre or put a fun new spin on it. What follows are the 10 best that were released between the years 2020 and 2025. Now, because we narrowed it down to 10, there were quite a few underrated or generally solid superhero movies that didn’t make the cut but deserve a shoutout, nonetheless. These included Black Widow, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Blue Beetle, The Marvels, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, Thunderbolts*, and The Fantastic Four: First Steps.

While all of the following superhero movies are terrifically entertaining, and oftentimes even moving, there was one that stood above all others. One that was so all-around excellent that it represents the best of what early to mid 2020s superhero cinema had to offer. Was our number one pick your number one pick? Let’s find out.

10) Deadpool & Wolverine

Deadpool & Wolverine is just shy of being overstuffed, but few can argue that it’s a total blast from front to back. And, without a doubt, it is one of the most important entries of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as it was the first foray into R-rated territory. And much to its credit, it doesn’t pull its punches in being that.

But at the end of the day, Deadpool & Wolverine soars because of two primary factors. For one, if there was a movie that actually needed to have a ton of fan service, it was this one, and its shoutouts to Marvel films of the past universally work. The second and more important factor is the chemistry between Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, which couldn’t be any better and is more than enough to make fans wish for this to just be the start of their MCU collaboration.

Stream Deadpool & Wolverine on Disney+.

9) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Like the second film, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 shows director Gunn’s penchant for telling personal stories that allow the audience to grow closer to his characters. In the case of the trilogy-capper: Rocket Raccoon.

It’s something of a small miracle we ended up getting a Gunn-helmed third Guardians movie, because for a while there it sure looked like that wouldn’t happen. He didn’t disappoint, and the end result is one of the best MCU trilogies to date, second only to Captain America’s.

Stream Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 on Disney+.

8) Zack Snyder’s Justice League

Sure, the theatrical cut of Justice League was a product of the 2010s, but the true version, original director Zack Snyder’s version, was released in 2021. And unlike the theatrical cut it’s an effective epic with a personality and some engrossingly bombastic action sequences.

Zack Snyder’s Justice League is a night and day improvement over the bland and butchered monster that flopped at the box office (and did some serious damage to the DCEU as a whole). It’s a shame we won’t get to ever see the final two parts of Snyder’s overarching five-film vision, because it’s clear it was all leading to some terrifically entertaining and thematically heavy terrain (for a Snyder movie, anyway).

Stream Zack Snyder’s Justice League on HBO Max.

7) The Batman

After his iterations in the Burton and Schumacher films, Nolan’s trilogy, and the DCEU, it was easy to think Batman had been done to death by the time Matt Reeves put his hands on him in The Batman. Yet it works very well by deviating from the traditional style of the superhero film.

Robert Pattinson was a great choice for Batman, but just as solid was the casting of Colin Farrell, Paul Dano, and Zoë Kravitz. Furthermore, the film has as enthralling a realistic style as Burton’s trilogy, some gorgeous cinematography, and was finally the movie to actually care about Bruce Wayne’s skills as a detective.

Stream The Batman on HBO Max.

6) Superman

Considering it was the official start of an entire soft reboot of a cinematic universe, a lot was riding on Gunn’s Superman. Fortunately, it proved that his The Suicide Squad and the first season of Peacemaker were no flukes: he truly knows how to bring DC characters to life just as well as he knew how to turn Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy into A-list players.

Like with The Suicide Squad, Gunn has a good time playing with the notion of storytelling here. It’s a linear narrative, but in medias res, which helps it stand apart from the origin stories seen before, be they traditionally linear as was seen in the Christopher Reeve movies or non-linear as seen in the flashback-heavy Man of Steel. The casting is top-notch across the board, the action is energetic, and all in all Superman makes the audience excited for what else the DCEU has in store for them.

Stream Superman on HBO Max.

5) Birds of Prey

Partially a victim of burgeoning fears about COVID and partially a victim of plummeting interest in the DCEU as a whole, Birds of Prey flopped hard at the box office. And that’s deeply unfortunate, because it’s the solo venture Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn deserved.

The film is stylish, fast-paced, funny, and is benefitted by a pair of phenomenal villain performances by Ewan McGregor and Chris Messina. But, of course, it’s really Robbie’s movie, and she’s given an interesting arc as a former abused and neglected appendage of the Joker turned extremely flawed maternal figure.

Stream Birds of Prey on HBO Max.

4) Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

It’s been four years since Simu Liu debuted as the title character of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and suffice to say audiences are ready to see more of him. After all, his is one of the outright strongest MCU character introduction movies to date.

What makes Shang-Chi one of the top movies of the middling Phase Four is its consistent attention to character building. The tumultuous relationship between the title character and his father is the true appeal of this movie, though of course the acrobatic fight scenes help keep the whole thing brisk and entertaining.

Stream Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings on Disney+.

3) Spider-Man: No Way Home

For the most part, the MCU hasn’t really made the whole multiverse angle work. Spider-Man: No Way Home is the exception.

On top of being a wish come true for anyone who grew up on the Sam Raimi trilogy, No Way Home has a strong narrative that knows just when and how hard to tug on the heart strings. But its greatest accomplishment, on top of how it ties three eras of the title character together, is how it ties a nice bow on the Andrew Garfield The Amazing Spider-Man movies, which ended unceremoniously after two installments, and on a major downer, at that.

Stream Spider-Man: No Way Home on Starz.

2) Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Like the film before it, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is stunningly animated and comes equipped with a story that carries real emotional weight. It’s a Marvel movie masterpiece, one of the best of its kind, be the film animated or live action.

The film’s toying with the notion of a multiverse is so ingenious and clever that it makes the MCU’s failure with that all the more glaring. Across the Spider-Verse is a movie that knows how to be smart, entertaining, and moving, often all at the same time. Here’s just hoping the upcoming Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse can stick the landing and make this one of the very best trilogies of all time.

Stream Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Disney+.

1) The Suicide Squad

Like Birds of Prey, James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad gave Robbie’s Harley Quinn a storyline she deserved. But on top of that we also get a heavy serving of Gunn’s unique, irreverent, black comedy and a nice merger of new characters and returning heavy hitters from David Ayer’s tampered with 2016 movie.

The Suicide Squad is undoubtedly the most rewatchable film that ever came out of the DCEU, and it will remain as such considering it’s a tonal bridge between that now-defunct universe and the DCU. The non-linear narrative is compelling without ever being confusing, each primary character is given an interesting story, and the action culminates in a fight with a starfish kaiju. It’s hands down the best movie to come from the DCEU.

Stream The Suicide Squad on HBO Max.

What is your favorite superhero movie of the 2020s thus far? Let us know in the comments.

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