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100 Best Superhero Movies (The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Superman)

Rotten Tomatoes’ superhero guide ranks films by Tomatometer, not audience score. Here are the current top eight, the 2025 releases, and the list’s broad definition of the genre.
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Rotten Tomatoes’ 100 Best Superhero Movies Ranked is a critics’ ranking, not an audience popularity poll. Its order is based on the Tomatometer, while the Popcornmeter appears as a separate audience measure. The current guide ranges from major comic-book franchises to animation, satire, and superhero-adjacent films.

That broad definition is part of what makes the list useful for documentary and film fans: it places familiar Marvel and DC titles alongside films such as The Incredibles, Megamind, The Rocketeer, Darkman, Unbreakable, and The Toxic Avenger.

How Rotten Tomatoes built the ranking

The guide includes superhero films that are Fresh or Certified Fresh and have at least 20 reviews. Eligible films are ordered by their Tomatometer score. That means the ranking reflects the percentage of critics who rated each film positively; it is not calculated from box office, awards, franchise size, or a vote by a Rotten Tomatoes editorial panel.

The audience score is displayed beside the critics’ score under the name Popcornmeter. It can be useful context, but it does not determine a film’s position. Two films with the same Tomatometer can therefore appear in an order that is not explained by their audience score alone.

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The current top eight

Rank Film Year Tomatometer Popcornmeter
1 Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse 2018 97% 93%
2 The Incredibles 2004 97% 75%
3 Black Panther 2018 96% 79%
4 Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse 2023 95% 95%
5 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem 2023 95% 90%
6 Avengers: Endgame 2019 94% 90%
7 The Dark Knight 2008 94% 94%
8 Iron Man 2008 94% 91%

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse occupies the top position with a 97% Tomatometer and a 93% Popcornmeter. It shares the critics’ score with The Incredibles, which is placed second and has a 75% audience score. This is a useful illustration of why the list should not be described as a ranking by audience approval.

The top eight also show the guide’s range. They include computer animation, a standalone animated superhero family, a culturally significant Marvel film, two Spider-Verse films, a stylized Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot, a massive ensemble finale, Christopher Nolan’s crime drama, and the film that launched the modern Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Where the two films in the headline appear

The guide’s headline highlights two 2025 releases, but neither is currently in the top ten.

Film Current rank Director Tomatometer Popcornmeter
The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025) 38 Matt Shakman 86% 90%
Superman (2025) 53 James Gunn 83% 90%

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is listed with Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn among its principal cast. Superman features David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, and Edi Gathegi among its principal cast.

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The placement of the new Superman should not be confused with the position of Superman: The Movie from 1978. The earlier film is separately ranked at number 32, with an 87% Tomatometer and an 86% Popcornmeter.

Why the list is wider than Marvel and DC

“Superhero movie” is being used broadly. The selection is not restricted to live-action adaptations of Marvel or DC comics. Animated films qualify, as do comedies, spoofs, and original stories that use superhero conventions without adapting a familiar comic-book property.

  • Animation: The Incredibles, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, and Megamind show that the format is not tied to live action.
  • Satire and comedy: Films such as The Toxic Avenger and Mystery Men approach the genre through parody or irreverence.
  • Superhero-adjacent stories: The Rocketeer, Darkman, and Unbreakable expand the category beyond straightforward comic-book adaptations.

That approach makes the list more interesting than a simple inventory of cinematic universes. It also means that viewers should check the individual entries rather than assume every title follows the same model of origin story, costume, and franchise crossover.

How to use the ranking

  1. Start with the Tomatometer. Use it to understand the ordering and the level of critical agreement.
  2. Check the Popcornmeter separately. A gap between the two scores may point to a difference between critical reception and general audience response.
  3. Look beyond the franchise names. The strongest discoveries may be films that are not part of Marvel or DC’s central continuity.
  4. Verify the live page before publishing or treating the order as permanent. Rotten Tomatoes can update review totals, scores, and the pool of eligible films.

A ranking that can change

This is a snapshot rather than a permanent critical canon. Tomatometer scores can move when Rotten Tomatoes updates its review data, and newer releases can enter the eligible pool. The current page includes recent titles such as Thunderbolts, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and Superman.

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For that reason, the positions and percentages above should be read as a dated account of the guide, not as fixed historical facts. The underlying films do not change, but their placement on a review-aggregator list can.

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FAQ

Is Rotten Tomatoes’ list ranked by audience score?

No. The ordering is based on the Tomatometer, which aggregates critics’ reviews. The Popcornmeter is shown separately and does not determine the ranking.

What is the number-one superhero movie on the current list?

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) is currently number one, with a 97% Tomatometer and a 93% Popcornmeter.

Where does The Fantastic Four: First Steps rank?

It is currently number 38, with an 86% Tomatometer and a 90% Popcornmeter. Rotten Tomatoes lists Matt Shakman as its director.

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Does the list include films outside Marvel and DC?

Yes. It includes animation, spoofs, comedies, and superhero-adjacent films, including The Incredibles, Megamind, The Toxic Avenger, Mystery Men, The Rocketeer, Darkman, and Unbreakable.

The Bottom Line

Rotten Tomatoes’ current superhero ranking is best understood as a Tomatometer-based guide to critically well-received films, not a definitive audience poll. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse leads the list, while The Fantastic Four: First Steps and Superman provide newer entries at numbers 38 and 53. Because scores and eligible titles can change, consult the live Rotten Tomatoes page when an exact current position matters.

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