In a world dominated by franchises, making one amazing superhero film doesn’t mean the filmmakers or studios are in the clear. If a superhero film does well, it’s pretty much guaranteed that it will get a sequel, which adds even more pressure. What’s harder than making a good superhero film? Making a sequel that’s just as good or better, of course.
While superhero cinema got its start in the 20th century, it really popped off in the 21st century, when it truly started franchising, especially after the introduction of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Half of the reason that franchising became so popular is because of the quality sequels that were released for most series. Which were the best, though? This list will rank the best superhero sequels of the 21st century based on their critical and fan reception, their place within the genre, and their overall legacy.
15
‘Hellboy II: The Golden Army’ (2008)
When Hellboy was released in 2004, it was a decent success both monetarily and critically; of course, it was going to get a sequel. Four years later, fans of the first film got to see the red, badass protagonist again in Hellboy II: The Golden Army, and boy, did it end up well. Many consider this sequel to be better than the original for a multitude of reasons.
Hellboy II: The Golden Army improved on almost everything that made the original special and successful. The visuals, overall design, and script are miles better, and the style is far lighter and more comic book-y compared to the first, which many people especially appreciated. It’s hard not to love Hellboy II: The Golden Army if one loved the first film, but even those who were more ambivalent to the original will find a lot to enjoy here.
14
‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’ (2017)
It was always going to be difficult to follow up the first Guardians of the Galaxy film, but, thankfully, James Gunn delivered on almost every front. It wasn’t better than Guardians of the Galaxy, but it took everything that worked about movie one, and tried to amplify them and improve upon them. The character arcs executed here are phenomenal, and the story in general, as always, was wonderful.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is unbelievably touching, and a story about family—found and biological. The introduction of Peter Quill’s (Chris Pratt) father, Ego the Living Planet (Kurt Russell), made for a great villain and internal conflict for Star-Lord. This is also the film that introduced the fan favorite Mantis (Pom Klementieff) to the MCU. Not to mention, the death of Yondu (Michael Rooker) is one of the most heartbreaking deaths in the entire MCU.
13
‘X2: X-Men United’ (2003)
The first X-Men movie—next to the Sam Raimi Spider-Man movie—helped redefine superhero cinema as a whole. However, when the second film came around, things got even better. People felt confident about X2: X-Men United from the very get-go, especially because it opens with one of the coolest superhero set-pieces of all time: Nightcrawler (Alan Cumming) breaking into the White House, targeting the President of the United States (Cotter Smith).
Part of what made X-Men so special is the deep and thought-provoking message depicted in the screenplay. It got even better in X2 as they continued the political and societal commentary and further developed it. X2: X-Men United also goes bigger and better with its action sequences and character arcs, making things both emotionally compelling and engaging.
12
‘X-Men: Days of Future Past’ (2014)
The X-Men franchise has always struggled a bit in film. When it’s bad, it’s horrible, but, thankfully, when it’s good, it’s wonderful. Proof of this can be found in X-Men: Days of Future Past, which is quite easily one of the best X-Men films. It acted as the reintroduction of the cast from X-Men: First Class, and introduced the iconic Quicksilver (Evan Peters) and his iconic slow-motion scene.
X-Men: Days of Future Past takes everything that should make a good X-Men film and hones in on them. The stakes are higher than they’ve ever been before, with Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) on a ticking clock, his friends in the future about to be annihilated by the Sentinels in their destroyed dystopian reality. X-Men: Days of Future Past is one to be remembered.
11
‘Thor: Ragnarok’ (2017)
Many thought the Thor franchise was dead after the horrific sequel that was Thor: The Dark World. Nobody can blame those people, either, with reviews for that second film being horrendous. So, when a third one was announced to be coming around, people were skeptical. Director Taika Waititi, however, delivered an excellent film with Thor: Ragnarok.
Thor: Ragnarok delivers on all fronts, bringing the series in a new, more lighthearted direction that allows for great contrast between the highs and the lows of the film, making them all more effective. Chris Hemsworth brought his A-game and clearly had a lot of fun playing the character like this, bringing a sweet performance to pair with the already stellar writing and direction of the movie.
10
‘Avengers: Endgame’ (2019)
Avengers: Endgame had a gigantic job to do and the weight of the entire MCU on its shoulders. Having to wrap up all the major stories and character arcs of the Infinity Saga, Avengers: Endgame had to give the original six Avengers the send-off they deserved. Following them as they try to bring half of the universe that was dusted back by traveling through time, Avengers: Endgame was a journey unlike any other up until that point.
After the massive spectacle and fast-paced story that came prior, Avengers: Endgame is slower-paced and more intimate, at least until the huge final battle sequence, and that’s most certainly for the better. It gave the audience time with the Avengers they’ve come to love and care about, and allowed directors Joe Russo and Anthony Russo the time they needed to finalize everyone’s character arcs in a satisfying manner.
9
‘Avengers: Infinity War’ (2018)
Avengers: Infinity War is commonly considered the best The Avengers film, and for very good reason. Somehow, the Russo brothers managed to balance the character arcs of numerous key players while also keeping Thanos (Josh Brolin) as the protagonist and letting him move the plot forward. The siblings also crafted some iconic and thrilling battle sequences to go alongside these stories.
Despite being fast-paced, Avengers: Infinity War still gives itself time to be emotionally resonant, especially with tragedies like the losses of Gamora (Zoe Saldaña) and Vision (Paul Bettany). Indeed, the movie lets these deaths breathe, resisting the urge to play them for laughs or to dilute their impact. This approach creates a nice contrast to the rest of the plot-driven action, resulting in a movie with big stakes but even bigger character moments.
8
‘X-Men: First Class’ (2011)
When it comes to the best of the best that the X-Men franchise has to offer, many consider X-Men: First Class the best that it has. This film is one of the best superhero origin films, and it introduced audiences to a whole new cast for the X-Men series that they weren’t used to, and still made it work. In fact, because of this movie, there are people who enjoy this cast far more than the original.
With consistently great reviews across critics and audiences, it’s very clear that people simply adore X-Men: First Class, and it doesn’t take much viewing to see why they would. This also sets the stage for this era of the X-Men universe to be brought back later in X-Men: Days of Future Past, just a few years later.
7
‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ (2023)
The Guardians of the Galaxy have one of the best trilogies in the MCU. It’s so well-done and thoughtfully crafted, with James Gunn turning a bunch of misfits from the comic books that not many people cared about into genuine fan favorites. It’s a space-based superhero series that is beloved all over the world; obviously, the trilogy-capper had so much weight on its shoulders.
While nothing can surpass the first Guardians of the Galaxy, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is quite easily the most emotional of the three and probably most people’s second favorite. Telling the backstory of Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper) as he’s dying makes this third installment a heart-thumping story that had people laughing one moment and crying another.
6
‘The Suicide Squad’ (2021)
After the horrific result of the first Suicide Squad movie — often considered one of the worst superhero movies of all time — no one thought that this franchise was ever going to see the light of day ever again. After James Gunn had a brief tenure away from Marvel Studios, he hopped over to DC. When given the option of what project to make, he made the seemingly absurd choice to make a sequel to Suicide Squad.
However, James Gunn thrives in absurdity and crafted a genuinely phenomenal film. Despite being held back by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, The Suicide Squad did great on streaming and digital and received considerable love from fans everywhere. It also had a spin-off focused on John Cena‘s Peacemaker that was just as, if not more, successful.
