12 Best Superhero Movie Trailers Of All Time

3. The Dark Knight

Context matters when picking the best superhero movie trailers of all time. In the case of The Dark Knight, there are a few things you need to remember: Batman Begins was only a modest box office success by the standards of previous Batman movie outings. Christopher Nolan had yet to establish himself as one of Hollywood’s go-to talents, and fandom was divided, to say the least, on the choice of the late Heath Ledger to play the Joker.

Then Warner Bros. dropped this baby on those same fans, and all of a sudden it was easier to understand what we were getting. Unlike the first movie, which focused on Bruce Wayne and his journey, this trailer shined its spotlight on Ledger’s Joker, and the results were magnificent. Not only was it an advance hint that the Australian was making the character his own, it also framed the villain as a response to Batman himself, a concept that has always troubled the Dark Knight.

You want iconic moments? Take your pick. “Why so serious?” is the one that stood out, but we also got new Bat-vehicles, the sight of the Bat-signal getting smashed and Alfred giving Bruce a memorable speech. There was even some nice back and forth between Batman and the Joker with the hero’s, “Then you’re going to love me” line.

An underrated part of this particular trailer is that it keeps the second villain of the film hidden. It’s fair to wonder if you could have a Batman film with the Joker and Two-Face in it without giving them both away ahead of time, but the restraint shown here was admirable. Good stuff from beginning to end.

Next: 2. The Avengers