15 greatest superhero movies of the decade

1. Wonder Woman

Released: June 2, 2017

There was a lot riding on the success of Wonder Woman. Not only was it the first time that the classic DC character would headline her own feature film (and first major project for her after Lynda Carter’s iconic TV series), it was also make-or-break for DC’s problematic Extended Universe – which had yet to release a film that was both commercially and critically successful.

To take that one step further, it was Hollywood’s chance to prove that female superhero movies could draw. And even with all of that pressure on its back Wonder Woman succeeded. No, actually, it excelled.

A tale of one woman’s attempts to rid the world of sin, Diana set out to prove to ‘man’s world’ that Ares was influencing their hate, and while she did ultimately accomplish that, she too learned that humanity is flawed – flawed but with the capability of being great. And that was a lesson that she ultimately learned by falling in love with the heroic Steve Trevor.

If the iconic No Man’s Land scene doesn’t move you, the film itself will. A masterpiece of cinema, it benefits from Patty Jenkins’ wonderful direction and an incredible leading performance from Gal Gadot as the Amazonian warrior. But let’s not take anything away from the film’s unsung hero, and that’s screenwriter Allan Heinberg who produced an incredibly meaningful script that allowed the actors (and the DCEU) to shine.

Proof that female superhero movies were just as much of a force to be reckoned with as their male-led counterparts, Wonder Woman kick-started a wave of female-led superhero movies and while it’s going to be hard for any of them (even its own sequel) to reach the level of brilliance of that this film achieved, there’s no denying that Diana Prince changed the world – both her own and ours – for the better.

What were your favorite superhero movies of the decade? Can you think of any other superhero movies that didn’t make the list? Let us know in the comments below!