2016 Superhero Films, Ranked From Worst To Best

With the end of 2016 fast approaching it is good to look back at what this year has brought us in terms of incredible superhero films.

Deadpool Ryan Reynolds Marvel

2016 was an extremely interesting year for Superhero films. It was the first year of the beginning of the DC Extended Universe, Marvel had their annual two films, and Fox released two films from their X-Men Universe. There was a lot of interesting releases and a lot of controversy, but this year has marked a new age in the recent trend of shared universes.  It’s been a big year not only for us as a site, but also for all of you who get to see all of our favorite heroes come to the big screen in big and exciting ways. With the year winding down it’s a good time to look back at the films that came out this year and see which one stands at the top. While I enjoyed almost all of them there were films I found to be better than others. So without further ado onto the list!

7. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out Of The Shadows

The worst superhero film should be no surprise. The film is not great by any means. It’s filled with poorly written dialogue, mediocre action, and poor performances, but it’s entertaining in ways. It’s a lot closer to the cartoon then the first film and the added elements of memorable villains and characters like Casey Jones makes this film a vast improvement over the first film but it’s still not enough to hold a candle to the rest of the films on this list.

6. X-Men: Apocalypse

After the Fox X-Men Universe wowed me with Days of Future Past this superhero film left me feeling a little bit underwhelmed with Apocalypse. The film still has the elements that usually make an X-Men film work, but Apocalypse was not that interesting of a villain and the lack of focus hurt this film. It’s not without it’s merits including an incredible performance from Evan Peters as Quicksilver and a scene where Hugh Jackman came back to play Wolverine in a short sequence. The film is a mixed bag, which is extremely disappointing given the film that preceded it.

5. Batman V Superman Dawn of Justice

One of the most divisive superhero films of the year. Batman v Superman is the first real film to kickstart the formation of the DCEU and it did a lot of things to make sure of that.  It set up the trinity of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman and even introduced the rest of the Justice League.  It’s an important film in setting up the universe, but as much as I do like it it has its flaws including some poor editing and writing decisions in addition to questionable portrayals of certain characters. Even the Ultimate Edition couldn’t fix all of these problems. With that being said it did a lot of good, but these flaws keep it from reaching the best of this year.

4. Suicide Squad

Suicide Squad is the second DCEU film from this year and it is a lot of fun. It brings these characters to life with care and personality that make for a journey that’s memorable and exciting. The standouts in this film happen to be Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn and Will Smith as Deadshot. Their performances as these characters are spot on and they bring life to the film.  The characters are what make this film a fun and thrilling entry in the newly forming DCEU.

3. Doctor Strange

Marvel’s latest hero is introduced in this visually stunning adventure. Scott Derrickson’s direction of Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange makes for a well rounded character that is extremely interesting.  As a fan of Doctor Strange seeing the character brought to the big screen in this way was a real thrill. His appearance adds an interesting new layer into the MCU in addition to the film itself being a particularly entertaining ride.

2. Captain America Civil War

The Captain America Trilogy may feature the strongest films in the MCU and Civil War is is no exception.  This superhero film feels much more like an Avengers film considering the large cast of characters who make appearances including the arrival of Black Panther and Spider-Man. The film relies on these characters and integrates them into the universe while simultaneously crafting a rendition of Civil War, which is different from the comics, that helps fill out this universe. The story, characters, and ideologies collide in this spectacle with some of the best action sequences in the MCU so far. It’s definitely a film to remember and it deserves this spot.

1. Deadpool

I am surprised by this but I feel like Deadpool is the most solid and entertaining superhero film this year.  Led by an incredibly strong performance from Ryan Reynolds the film captures the spirit of the character from the comics.  It breaks the fourth wall, it’s violent, and it’s hilarious.  This is a film that will set a path for how filmmakers adapt characters to the big screen seeing as this is one of the most successful films this year both critically and financially.  I’ve watched this multiple times probably will keep coming back to it.Fox outdid themselves with this one.

The superhero films being made keep getting more and more interesting and I’m looking forward to what 2017 has in store for us.

Christian Michael Stoic

Christian Michael Stoic

Christian Michael Stoic is a writer, filmmaker, and comic lover from Los Angeles, CA. Heroic Hollywood is his introduction into the world of Journalism which...