Just when I thought 2008 was the greatest year for superhero movies, 10 years later the ante has been upped.

2008*

In 2008, we were gifted with best superhero movie of all time, The Dark Knight, as well as the splendid Iron Man, the movie that launched the greatest superhero franchise of all time, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

2018**

Somehow, someway 2018 has been better. In February, the biggest budget ($200 million) superhero movie featuring a hero of African descent, Black Panther, captivated audiences worldwide to the tune of $1.3 billion dollars (and counting).

The MCU’s money-machine kept rolling with the scintillating Avengers: Infinity War which dropped in late April. And last but not least, Marvel’s well-received (82% Rotten Tomatoes score) Deadpool 2 (not part of the MCU) was released this month.

The List

With the recent boon of great superhero films, I’ve updated my list of the top five superhero movies to-date.

1. The Dark Knight (TDK) is still my number one, for now. Heath Ledger’s Joker has been the best comic book movie villain so far.
2. Logan is arguably the best superhero movie that I have ever seen. But I need to let it age a bit more before it leaps TDK.
3. Still my favorite MCU film, Captain America: The Winter Soldier (TWS) still resonates with me. And I am not alone in that opinion.
4. Similar to TWS, Black Panther rocks because it has strong messages (e.g. isolationism vs. globalization), great fight sequences (the waterfall battles are breathtaking), and a multi-layered villain (Erick Killmonger).
5. I am still very fond of Iron Man because it launched the groundbreaking MCU, but more importantly, because it is still one the best comic book movies ever! This side of Ryan Reynolds, I can not think of an actor (Robert Downey, Jr.) better suited (pun intended) to play a particular superhero.

It was hard leaving Avengers and Avengers: Infinity War outside of my top five. But with great power (of the pen), comes great responsibility.

*Marvel’s solid, but unspectacular The Incredible Hulk, and the disaster that was Punisher: War Zone (not part of the MCU) were also released in 2008.

**Ant-Man and the Wasp, Venom and Aquaman are slated to release later in 2018.