Highlights
- Superhero movies have become incredibly popular, with even lesser-known characters earning billions at the box office.
- Early superhero movies, such as X-Men: The Last Stand and Daredevil, have aged surprisingly well and gained newfound appreciation.
- Superman Returns and Spider-Man 3 didn't meet fans' expectations initially, but they now offer unique insights into their respective heroes' journeys.
Superhero movies have seen a shocking rise in prominence in recent years. Even relatively unknown comic book characters like Black Panther and Captain Marvel are reaching the heights of earning over $1 billion at the box office. However, the movies that are part of the MCU aren't always breaking new ground.
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The first hints of what a successful genre the superhero blockbuster could become came about in the early 2000s. There were several big movies made during this time that fans continue to revisit to this day. While some of these early superhero movies did not perform amazingly at the box office or with critics, some have aged surprisingly well. Some could even say that these movies have received a second life due to what the current superhero landscape looks like.
6 X-Men: The Last Stand
The finale of the X-Men trilogy had a lot riding on it. Movie-goers had already fallen in love with the mutants from the first two films, and a big battle for their place in society had been teased at the end of the previous film. That, and the promise that the next movie would adapt the famous Dark Phoenix Saga. With all those dominoes in place, all the studio needed was the director, Brian Singer, to shape an engaging story around them.
Sadly, Brian Singer left X-Men: The Last Stand at the last minute, so Brett Ratner had to step into the director's chair. The result was a film that lacked a lot of the promise set-up by the previous installments. Actors like Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, and Ian McKellan still did a noteworthy job, but the guiding arm of the franchise was noticeably absent. As such, fans were left with a perfectly serviceable film upon reflection, but it does not necessarily live up to the first two X-Men movies.
5 Daredevil
There was a time when grim and gritty comic book movies did not exist. That meant that 2003's Daredevil had a lot to prove when it hit screens. In terms of the character, the film does highlight what is great about Matt Murdock. Sadly, an unbalanced tone and unnecessary reaches for comedy made the movie fall flat at the time.
In recent years, Daredevil from 2003 is viewed through a much more forgiving lens. The movie did have to portray a comic book hero that isn't as colorful or fun as Spider-Man, and the director's cut of Daredevil does do away with some of the lighter moments to focus on more of the courtroom drama. Plus, Michael Clark Duncan was a fantastic Kingpin.
4 Superman Returns
Bringing Superman back to the big screen seemed like a no-brainer in the early 2000s. Brandon Routh was even a great choice to replace Christopher Reeve in this continuation of his story. Sadly, the movie lacked a lot of the action that fans expected from a Superman movie in the modern era, and plenty of the movie's highlights were spoiled in the trailers.
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However, many film buffs have started to view this movie differently. As an action-packed superhero movie, Superman Returns does not work for many. However, it is a great insight into the life of a man having to deal with the burden of having great power. Brandon Routh was even popular enough as the titular hero to make a brief appearance in DC's Arrowverse.
3 Blade 2
Many cite the first X-Men as the movie responsible for making superhero movies palatable to the general audience. However, the first Blade movie was actually released a year before to great success. That meant a sequel was inevitable, and the pressure was on. The studio was still dealing with an unknown comic book character, an R-rated property, and another director jumping on board for Blade 2.
Fortunately, that director was none other than Guillermo del Toro. He did a great job bringing Blade back to the screen in an outing that isn't as revered as the first film. Luckily, with some time having passed and the release of Blade: Trinity, many fans look back at Blade 2 with a lot more praise.
2 Spider-Man 3
Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 3 was possibly the most anticipated movie of the 2000s. The first two movies had performed especially well, and Tobey Maguire was seen as Spider-Man for an entire generation. The hype only got more real when the trailers revealed that Venom was to be the main antagonist of this third installment. However, it turns out that Sam Raimi was not big on Venom as a character, and the symbiote-clad menace took a back seat for much of Spider-Man 3, much to the disappointment of fans.
Instead, the director focused more on finishing the trilogy that he had always envisioned rather than bowing to studio pressure. What fans are now left with is a satisfying wrap-up of that era of Spider-Man, rather than a clash between Spider-Man and Venom that people wanted at the time.
1 Unbreakable
Movie studios are interested in recognizable IPs. That is why it came as such a surprise when Unbreakable was announced in 2000 as a superhero origin movie that would explore a brand-new character. Even with M. Night Shyamalan in the director's chair, and Bruce Willis as the lead, it seemed like Unbreakable would be a tough sell for audiences. While Unbreakable was a good film for the time, it did slip into obscurity as more big-name heroes made their debut in theaters.
That was until the director released a stealth sequel called Split back in 2017. What followed was another movie called Glass that brought together all the characters in this shared cinematic universe. The result was Unbreakable becoming a talking point among superhero fans twenty years after its initial release.