The Best Movie Superheroes Of The 21st Century

For the longest time, comic books and the movies based on them were considered shlock for geeks and nerds. But then came the 2000s, when a slew of increasingly well-made superhero movies began to win significant critical acclaim and broadened the audience for the genre. The "X-Men" movies and Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man" trilogy garnered widespread interest. Christopher Nolan's "Dark Knight" trilogy legitimized comics and elevated the genre to literary, award-worthy status. The Marvel Cinematic Universe took the reigns from there, becoming an unstoppable box office juggernaut that has everyone else scrambling to keep up.

Along the way, we've gotten to know some pretty incredible characters, delivered to us by great performances and sharp scripts. That means the competition is quite stiff for the title of "best movie superhero." So who's in the running? From Star-Lord to Batman, Deadpool to Wonder Woman, and everyone in between, we've assembled a list of the 21st century's best-ever cinematic superheroes. 

No other superhero group on this list was as obscure as the Guardians of the Galaxy was — until the arrival of James Gunn's 2014 superhero comedy of the same name. The movie was hysterical, zany, and full of unforgettable characters and a galaxy's worth of heart, all anchored around Chris Pratt's charming, buffoonish bad boy performance as Peter Quill, aka Star-Lord. After defeating Ronan the Accuser and capturing an Infinity Stone, Pratt's Quill leads the Guardians on another adventure (this time battling his godlike, genocidal father) before joining up with the rest of the Avengers for "Infinity War" and "Endgame," in which he battles the mighty Thanos. 

It's kind of a wonder he manages to pull any of this off, given the fact that, like many of the other members of his team, he's a bit of a doofus. But he's also brave, good with those dual blasters, and armed with a heart of gold — especially when it concerns his alien love interest Gamora, another Guardian and the daughter of Thanos. Speaking of which, though: Quill's outburst upon learning that the Mad Titan murdered Gamora to obtain the Soul Stone does dramatically undermine his own (nearly successful) plan to take down the big bad. We'll have to knock him for that. But not too hard.

It's a shame the latest run of DC movies has been so underwhelming, because Henry Cavill has proven himself to be as worthy of the big red "S" as anyone who's ever donned the iconic cape and tights. He's got it all: The looks. The muscle. The chin. But handsome, shredded white dudes with jet-black hair are a dime a dozen in Hollywood: The most important quality Cavill brought to the table was that sense of boyish, selfless nobility.

Even when the films he starred in suffered due to lousy writing and often so-so visual effects, Cavill anchored them with his dedicated performance. It wasn't enough to salvage the DCEU, which sank after riddling itself with self-inflicted wounds, but it was enough to secure Cavill a rank among the best live-action Supermen of all time. The good news? Although it looks like he's done playing Clark Kent, the actor went out on a high note: Zack Snyder's cut of "Justice League" received unexpected critical and audience acclaim. Before that, fans might not have loved every narrative decision DCEU writers made about Supes (or anyone else). But nobody can deny that Cavill sold the character well. 

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has an uncanny ability to turn obscure comic book heroes into household names. That's doubly true for Black Panther, who, in pre-MCU days, only comic fans would occasionally mention as a Batman-type hero buried deep in Marvel lore. Then the character appeared in 2016's "Captain America: Civil War," and Chadwick Boseman's performance as the African warrior-king was extremely well-received (although arguably overshadowed by Spider-Man's first MCU appearance in the same film).

But then came his 2018 standalone film. Moviegoers flocked to theaters to explore Wakanda and see T'Challa take on Killmonger in what is, according to Rotten Tomatoes, the greatest MCU film ever made. And that's saying something: Fans saw him again just weeks later in that same year's "Infinity War," in which the character is dusted by Thanos alongside half the people on the planet. We didn't realize it at the time, but that moment, despite being reversed in "Avengers: Endgame," was tragically prophetic: Chadwick Boseman died of cancer in August 2020, shocking the world and devastating fans of his incredible performance. It's easy to heap excessive praise on the performances of late actors, but a re-watch of "Black Panther" should convince you that Boseman truly earned every bit of it.

Since he was created in the '40s, Captain America has essentially served as Marvel's Superman, and that's not necessarily a compliment: He's a morally and physically flawless, nearly unkillable man who fights for honor and justice and has no real sense of humor to speak of. In other words, he's boring.

But then came Chris Evans, who first played the Star-Spangled Avenger in 2011's "Captain America: The First Avenger." Evans turned him from yet another sleep-inducing comic book hunk into a genuinely charming character while remaining true to his roots. And once his take on the increasingly popular superhero took hold, his movies just got better and better.

"Captain America: The Winter Soldier" is as good a political thriller as any Bourne movie you've ever seen. "Captain America: Civil War" was a landmark MCU release (even if it was more of a soft third Avengers film rather than a purely Captain America endeavor). His appearances in all four Avengers movies were consistently excellent. Not many people cared about him one way or the other in 2011. But when he picked up Thor's hammer in "Avengers: Endgame," it brought the house down. It's proof that Evans' Steve Rogers made being a good guy cool again, even without a bad boy streak.

While Marvel was turning even the most obscure franchises like "Guardians of the Galaxy" into blockbuster gold, Warner Bros. was struggling to get even household names off the ground. By the time 2017's "Wonder Woman" was released, the DCEU had become notable mainly for eating Marvel's dust: "Batman vs. Superman," where Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman made her first appearance, was widely panned by critics and lukewarmly received by audiences.

But when Wonder Woman finally got her first standalone feature, Gal Gadot was simply electric in the starring role. She brings truckloads of humor and heart to her performance as the Amazonian super-warrior, who is thrown into the madness of World War I with no knowledge of modern human society and a naïve belief that she can save us from ourselves by setting a better example. In a franchise known for dark themes and what often amounts to a pessimistic, joyless outlook, this was a refreshing, sorely needed approach. Gadot's Diana Prince has been in a few movies since, and some are better than others. But she's always the best thing in them. 

It's understandable that 20th Century Fox was hesitant to greenlight Ryan Reynolds' "Deadpool," given that it would be the first R-rated superhero film. But it's a good thing they gave in, even if they waited until after never-before-seen-footage from the unproduced film, which showed Reynolds in the titular role as the unkillable, loudmouth mercenary taking out a truck full of baddies, was leaked online. Fan response was electric, and all ill-will towards Reynolds for his initial, loathed take on the character (as seen in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine") evaporated overnight.

Reynolds has only appeared as this version of the character in two films and a handful of fourth-wall-breaking cameos and commercials, but he left an enormous mark on 2016's pop culture and beyond. The best part? Reynolds kind of just gets to be himself — sarcastic, funny, and lovably dorky — all while flipping SUVs, firing submachine guns with arms akimbo, and lopping off bad guy limbs with bladed weapons. Every appearance is a fan-pleasing, hyperviolent, riotously funny good time: Nobody familiar with the comics should expect any less. Thank goodness the character will be joining the MCU.

When the MCU kicked off with 2008's "Iron Man," leading man Robert Downey Jr. was a has-been, and the titular character, a genius billionaire in a crime-fighting mech suit, was a B-list comic book hero at best. A decade later, he was among the most acclaimed, highest-paid actors in Hollywood. His take on Tony Stark-slash-Iron Man had become the heart and driving force behind a behemoth blockbuster franchise that thrilled global audiences and raked in seemingly impossible amounts of money.

How did this happen? It's simple. As sprawling and fantastical as the MCU eventually became, Robert Downey Jr. — and the powers-that-be behind Disney's Marvel Universe — never lost sight of the small human elements that make this character work. The snarky quips. The awesome tech. The peerless brain. The heart of gold. Remove or fail to properly capture any one of these attributes and it's unlikely the MCU would've made it longer than a few years. As it stands, we could watch Downey Jr.'s Stark all day long and it'd never get old. In fact, we think it's just about time for a re-watch.