Top Ten of the 2010’s: Superhero Movies

That’s right, we here at BroSports are hopping on the bandwagon, summing up the best of the last decade. We’re going to be talking everything from quarterbacks to hip hop albums to video games, ranking the top ten of the 2010’s. Today, Ryan takes on a challenging task, ranking the ten best superhero movies of a decade dominated by caped blockbusters.

Top Ten of the 2010’s: Superhero Movies

10. The Avengers (2012)

I actually don’t care for this movie. It isn’t as enjoyable nearly a decade later, as Marvel has gotten so much better at making these movies. But at the time, it was a lot of fun, and arguably, the most important movie of the decade. I say that because it started the trend of expanded cinematic universe. Nobody else, save maybe Star Wars, has been able to replicate the MCU’s success, and it wouldn’t have happened if this movie had been a flop.

Just ask the Mummy.

9. Wonder Woman (2017)

I love this movie, I really do, but I have a massive issue with it. This film is basically Captain America: The First Avenger. I mean, to a T, the plot is basically identical. I prefer this movie to the First Avenger, but it did come first, with this exact plot. Gal Gadot is a wonderful Wonder Woman, and this is easily the best film that D.C. has put out since…

8. The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Embarrassing confession, when I started this list, I was really excited to put Batman Begins really, REALLY high. But uh… Batman Begins came out in 2005, which is slightly before this decade started. Just in case you wanted to feel old, there are high schoolers who were born when Batman Begins hit theatres. So… yikes.

I know a lot of people don’t love this movie, and I’ll confess, it’s the worst of the series, but it’s still very, very good. Tom Hardy’s Bane is divisive, but I enjoyed it. It’s nice to see the cerebral Bane get a chance to shine on the big screen, and Anne Hathaway’s Catwoman was brilliant. I think we all would’ve liked this movie a lot more if the third act was better.

7. Spider-Man: Homecoming

There were five big screen Spider-Man movies during the 2010s and only two of them were direct sequels. That. is. insane. We had to watch Big Ben bite the dust so many times that when the Tom Holland Spidey came around, they just kinda skipped over it. Since there were five tries, this is a spoiler, a few of them make this list… starting with Homecoming.

Homecoming is so much fun. In an era of repetitive snarky MCU movies, Homecoming feels very real. It’s heartfelt, genuinely funny in a very sincere way, and so down to Earth. We’re not worrying about giant purple aliens and his magic pebbles, this is a high school movie that just happens to feature Spider-Man. Tom Holland is a gift.

6/5. Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019)

Yep, I cheated and slapped these two together, but let’s be real, they’re basically one movie. If you never saw Infinity War and you sat down to watch Endgame, you would be so incredibly lost.

The Infinity Game (or End War) is easily the most ambitious media crossover in history. All of the movies from the MCU converging at once for this amazing story, and if you’re a fan, it does not get better than this. This is the cherry on top of the MCU, the greatest shared universe in cinematic history.

However, that’s just it. If you decided to skip the Spider-Man or Ant-Man movies, you’re not going to understand these films. You need to watch everything else in the MCU to have a loose grasp on the context, and for that, it slides down the ranking. It’s not a sit-down-and-enjoy experience, and unfortunately, that’s what you want from superhero movies.

4. Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)

Spider-Man FFH takes everything that made Homecoming great and builds on it. High school troubles? He’s trying to woo a girl while balancing his Spidey-life. A good villain? Jake Gyllenhaal’s Mysterio is one of the very best in the entire MCU. And everything about a certain scene in a jet gets the ol’ tear ducts working.

I love Led Zepplin.

3. Deadpool (2016)

It took all my willpower to not put Deadpool at number one. For about ten years, I was ridiculed by my friends for being such a big fan of the Merc with a Mouth. “Is that Spider-Man?” is a joke I heard about as often as Peter Parker’s series was rebooted. Then that dreadful Wolverine movie came out and it only got worse.

But then god-send worldly treasure Ryan Reynolds rescued him. Until recently (that’s foreshadowing), it was the highest grossing Rated R movie of all time, capturing Wade Wilson’s fourth-wall breaking, katana-wielding, genetically insane brilliance perfectly. Now you can’t walk past a Hot Topic without accidentally buying $890 dollars worth of Merc Merch.

Thank you, Mr. Reynolds, as a Ryan, I’m proud to call you our king.

2. Joker (2019)

Deadpool is an anti-hero, but he ends up saving the day, so he got some wiggle room on this list. Joker? Not so much. There’s an argument to be made that Joker isn’t a superhero movie, and I totally understand and respect it.

However, I’m going to completely ignore it for two reasons. Firstly, nobody said the main character of the movie had to be a superhero. Secondly, Bruce Wayne makes a cameo in this movie, and despite what actual idiots will tell you, Batman is a superhero. So suck it.

I was genuinely disturbed throughout this entire movie. I mean literally, physically uncomfortable. Part of that is how brilliantly this movie was shot, big ups to the musical ques that slowly deteriorated with his madness over the movie, and part of that was Joaquin Phoenix’s brilliant performance.

In an era where it feels like 90% of comic book movies have the same writers, this one told a brilliant, original story about one of the best villains in fiction that still keeps me up at night.

1. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

I recently said that Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is the best superhero movie ever made, so, it’s a pretty safe bet that I’m going to give it the top spot over the last decade or so. For a longer explanation, just click the link. In the meantime, here’s the reader’s digest version.

Superhero movies are supposed to bring out the hero in all of us. By using many spider-people (and one pig, voiced by John Mulaney of all people), it gives the audience a chance to find the spider-person (or pig) in themselves, while still subscribing to Uncle Ben’s values. It’s funny, heartfelt, and a genuinely enjoyable watch. Every time I talk about it, I feel the urge to watch it again.