It’s the end of the decade, which means we get to look back on all the good things the 2010s brought, especially in the comic book movie genre. In this top 10, we’ll look back on the best comic book movies of this decade — a risky thing to do, considering just how many classics there actually were, and how many angry nerds are out there just waiting to unleash their wrath upon our choices. To get all that hate out the way then, we’ll at least confirm off the bat that neither the brilliant Captain America: Winter Soldier, nor latecomers like Joker, even make this list. Boo-hoo, get over it. Now let’s dive in!
Photo: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
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10. 'Black Panther' (2018)
This movie didn’t just rock the film industry, but American socio-politics as well. If #OscarsSoWhite was a clarion call for the frustrations that African-Americans and other minorities rightly felt with their lack of opportunity in Hollywood, then Black Panther was the answer. Critics may have a fair point in suggesting it’s just another Marvel "origin" movie, but the performances of Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, and the rest of the cast elevated the film beyond its mere parts. Plus, it also brought us one of the most beautifully-realized sci-fi utopias ever put to film with Wakanda.
Photo: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
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9. 'Deadpool' (2016)
Rebellious, crass and disreputable in almost every way, Deadpool wasn’t just a great superhero movie; it was a triumph for modern action cinema -- and bad taste. Sure, its plot was simple and a number of its supporting characters were rather forgettable. But it’s fourth-wall-breaking and relentless toilet humor added up to one deliriously absurd crazy train. Ryan Reynolds and director Tim Miller couldn’t have put this project out at a better time, either. With so many po-faced, straight-talking Avengers about, the movie world needed an antihero as entertaining as they were contemptuous -- and Deadpool fit that need like a middle-finger-raised glove.
Photo: 20th Century Fox
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8. 'Wonder Woman' (2017)
Among the mess that was Batman v Superman, there was a little glimmer of hope that a cameo of a certain superheroine could be the catalyst for an improvement in DC’s movie fortunes. And, for a short while, Wonder Woman was exactly that -- at least until the disappointing Justice League threw a wrench in the works. All the same, with Gal Gadot as a perfect cast for Diana Prince, and that kick-ass Lasso of Truth at her side, there’s plenty of hope for the future -- especially if her upcoming outings remain as visually impressive as this one.
Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures
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7. 'Thor: Ragnarok' (2017)
Ragnarok is easily the best film that Marvel’s Thor saga has offered so far -- which might not be saying much, considering how easily the first two films have become forgotten in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s rapid evolution. But all those Avengers movies and ensuing tangled plotlines did pay off because it meant we finally got a full-on metal album of an adventure with everyone’s favorite Norse god. For everything it promised -- gladiatorial duels between Thor and Hulk, Jeff Goldblum as a villain, etc. -- Ragnarok delivered on every level, making it an all-action classic of galactic proportions.
Photo: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
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6. 'The Avengers: Endgame' (2019)
All journeys have a destination, no matter where they wind. And with Avengers: Endgame, it was the end of the road for a sizable number of Marvel’s best-loved characters. Even with the leaks, we still held our breath, gripped our seats and maybe even cried a little as they vanished from our screens -- not into dust, but for good this time. Granted, it was pretty obvious how the conclusion to Thanos’ rebalance of the universe was going to go, but the how still mattered, and Endgame’s three-hour roller coaster left us more than satisfied (if a tiny bit depressed). But at least it gave us Professor Hulk, which is not a bad thing.
Photo: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
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5. 'Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 1' (2014)
Yes, we know it had that soundtrack. But you know what else the first Guardians outing had? Soul. Creativity. An unabashed willingness to embrace the weird sci-fi that the original comics reveled in. It had one unforgettable character that could say so much with just one repeated line, and it’s also cinematic proof that Dave Bautista could act just as well as he wrestled. Most importantly, it was the kind of wild ride that the Marvel Cinematic Universe desperately needed at the time of its release. Expect this interstellar epic to carry the MCU’s fortunes well into its next phase.
Photo: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
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4. 'Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse' (2018)
It was a tough choice leaving out both of Marvel’s Spider-Man outings. Luckily, Sony Pictures’ Oscar-winning animated masterpiece was just so utterly fantastic that it would have been a crime to omit it from this list. Everything about Into the Spider-Verse just lives and breathes our modern-day zeitgeist, from its star-studded soundtrack to its bodacious art style. It also helped that the movie was an absolute riot from start to finish, introducing Miles Morales and a host of other Spider-likes from across Marvel’s alternate timelines to a mainstream, movie-going audience.
Photo: Sony Pictures
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3. 'Captain America: Civil War' (2016)
It might have had Captain America’s name alone in the title, but Civil War was an Avengers movie in every other way. It absolutely delivered on the hype too, ushering the MCU’s next phase with the hugely anticipated debuts of Spider-Man, Black Panther and Ant-Man. Civil War felt both grand in scale as well as in cast, but it coped with its load effortlessly, delivering on all the suspense built by Winter Soldier, and sparing us the overt CGI that Age of Ultron bored us with. Not to mention it packs some of the best action scenes ever put in a Marvel film. What’s not to love about that whole airport sequence?
Photo: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
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2. 'Logan' (2017)
Before Logan’s release, Wolverine’s status in the X-Men movie franchise was in a pretty questionable state. Beleaguered by some frankly average solo movies, and rising criticism among die-hard fans that Hugh Jackman wasn’t right for the role, 20th Century Fox needed to give movie-goers compelling reasons to go watch the final chapter in his own trilogy. They found them by removing the franchise’s PG restrictions and embracing the "Old Man Logan" continuity of the original comic books. The result? An unnervingly violent, yet undeniably emotional film classic, and a poignant send-off for Marvel’s most iconic antihero. It even beats out First Class and Days of Future Past as the best X-Men movie, and that’s saying something.
Photo: 20th Century Fox
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1. 'The Avengers: Infinity War' (2018)
This was the Game of Thrones of Avengers movies. If you didn’t feel at least one ounce of shock or disbelief as Thanos gazed peacefully over the forest vista -- having succeeded in murdering half the Marvel universe -- before the credits hit, then you simply have no business watching movies, period. This film made mad money, inspired speculation about Endgame, and cunningly dismantled years of MCU storytelling.
Photo: Walt Disney Motion Pictures Studios
