Superman (1978)
We begin, of course, withRichard Donners 1978 filmSuperman.
Superhero movies didnt simply have to appease comics fansthey could befilms.
Singer, for all intents and purposes, ignited the fire that is the modern superhero movie.
WhereSpider-Manreally changed the game, though, was at the box office.
DoesSpider-Manset that record without the slow-and-steady word-of-mouth success ofX-Mentwo years earlier?
While it’s getting better, female-fronted superhero films are still incredibly rare.
Image via Warner Bros.
DidHulkandThe League of Extraordinary GentlemenandBlade: Trinitystop Hollywood from making male-fronted comic book movies?
CatwomanandElektrawere notoriously panned by critics and were D.O.A.
at the box office, and there wasn’t another major superhero movie with a female lead until 2017.
Image via Warner Bros.
It reintroduced an iconic character to audiences in a refreshing way, and it took its story and charactersveryseriously.
It is every bit as influential to blockbuster filmmaking asThe Empire Strikes Back.
I remember the lead-up toIron Manfolks had no idea who this character was and were dubious from the start.
Image via 20th Century Fox
Taken as-is,Iron Manisnt particularly groundbreaking.
What the success ofIron Mandid, however, was make the MCU possible.
IfIron Manfails, there is no Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Image via Sony Pictures
The Avengers (2012)
The Avengersis the culmination of the end credits sequence fromIron Man.
Spurred by the success ofThe Avengers, studios began looking to craft their own interconnected universes.
This is a movie that 20th Century Fox repeatedly said they did not want to make.
So when Fox finally relented, they did so with a fraction of the budget of other superhero movies.
Deadpoolproved that superhero movies dont have to fit into one specific box.
They can be filthy and violent and juvenile, and audiences will still turn out in droves.
Image via Warner Bros.
Image via Warner Bros.
Image via Marvel Studios
Image via Marvel Studios
Image via 20th Century Fox
