Several superhero movies have stood out as genre masterpieces, but only a few can claim the title of the best or most important of the month they were released in, and these 12 genre entries from Marvel, DC, and more just stand a step above the rest. 2026 has proven itself a major year for the superhero genre on the big screen.
While DC’s Supergirl movie became a box office bomb, Tom Holland’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day from Marvel and Sony just keeps piling up box office records. It is one of the three highest-grossing movies of all time. Additionally, Marvel has Avengers: Doomsday on the way, which could be another $2 billion hit waiting to happen. As for DC, Clayface will be a nice test as a body horror movie.
Blockbuster superhero movies like Spider-Man: Brand New Day tend to dominate theaters during the summer, with that period being historically full of Marvel and DC movies. That said, studios have used other key dates, such as Valentine’s Day, Halloween, Christmas, and more to maximize their gains on superhero movies every year. As such, most of the months in the year are packed with superhero movies.
However, it is true that some months have barely had noteworthy superhero films. With all of that in mind, I have put together a list of the best superhero movies released for every month of the year. They were decided based on performance with critics and fans, box office, story, cast, importance to their individual franchise and/or shared universe, and more. Check them out below:
12
January – Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 2
The first month of the year, January, is the one with the fewest superhero movies. With that in mind, the animated hit Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 2 makes for the perfect entry to occupy this spot. On Rotten Tomatoes, the Batman movie boasts a near-perfect 94% audience score. The film adapts the final beats of Frank Miller’s iconic DC Comics series. The Joker’s resurgence elevates the tension, which culminates in a brutal fight with Superman near the end of the movie, making it a must-watch.
11
February – Black Panther
February is the first month of the list where there are a few major choices to choose from, and I was tempted to pick Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool. That said, few superhero movies have had as big a cultural impact as Black Panther. The MCU movie ended up grossing $1.35 billion worldwide, racking up several nominations on the awards circuit, which led to seven Academy Awards nominations, including Best Picture, the only time the MCU got such a nod. Black Panther beautifully set up the layered world of Wakanda.
10
March – Logan
March is one of the months of the list where I was most conflicted. There is really no wrong choice between Matt Reeves’ The Batman and James Mangold’s Logan. However, the Wolverine movie just edges out DC’s Dark Knight here for the importance of the release. Sure, Jackman has since returned as the mutant in the MCU’s Deadpool & Wolverine, but Logan tells a poignant tale of Wolverine’s final days. It is a haunting superhero movie with an aging hero and a Western tone that make it unique. Logan earned a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar nomination.
9
April – Avengers: Endgame
One of the best superhero solo movies, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, would also be fitting here. However, no other superhero movie to date can compete with the historical impact of Avengers: Endgame. At one point, it stood as the highest-grossing movie of all time, currently ranking 2nd with 2.8 billion. Avengers: Endgame effortlessly juggled characters from all over the MCU to deliver a satisfying, action-packed, emotional, and made for the big screen adventure to conclude the Infinity Saga. Avengers: Endgame Encore‘s release on September 25 will allow fans to relive that unique theatrical experience.
8
May – The Avengers
May is one of the most packed months of the year for superhero movies, if not the most. That said, due to its groundbreaking factor in the genre, The Avengers is the one to take the spot. The Marvel movie was the first major crossover event in modern cinematic history. It was this MCU movie that proved just how successful shared universes could be, and then everyone started copying the franchise’s formula, though none quite perfected it in the way the MCU did. Seeing the Avengers team up for the first time will always be epic.
7
June – Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is an achievement for the animated medium. Its predecessor, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, had already pushed the envelope in terms of its intricate visuals. However, Across the Spider-Verse did even better, integrating different art styles for different Spider-Men and their worlds, and the way Spider-Punk keeps shifting is nothing short of a miracle. Story-wise, it delivered a more mature story for Miles Morales with immense stakes and yet a deeply personal arc. It is a genre masterpiece.
6
July – The Dark Knight
July might be the month with the best superhero movie of all time. Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight might be more grounded than most superhero movies, but it’s a masterpiece through and through. Heath Ledger’s Joker performance, for which he won a posthumous Best Supporting Actor Oscar, is perhaps the genre’s most revered. The Joker is a force of nature in The Dark Knight, surrounded by Christian Bale’s pitch-perfect performance as the different sides of the DC hero, Batman and Bruce Wayne, and Aaron Eckhart’s tragic turn as Harvey Dent/Two-Face. The Dark Knight is incredibly rewatchable.
5
August – Guardians of the Galaxy
James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy is a lesson in making obscure characters from the comics household names on the big screen. Outside of comic book readers, no one had really heard of Guardians of the Galaxy. Through the immense amount of heart Gunn infused in the 2014 movie, Star-Lord, Rocket Raccoon, and the rest of the gang instantly became characters the audience cared for and needed to see more of. Guardians of the Galaxy is hilarious, has great action, and stands out due to its space opera nature among other MCU movies.
4
September – Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
September is one of the months where we desperately need more superhero movies, but Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is an exciting project to claim the spot. Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, who has now helmed one of the biggest movies of all time in the form of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the Marvel movie features perhaps the best hand-to-hand fighting scenes in the entire MCU, rivaling Netflix’s Daredevil and Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Its fantasy elements and fun inclusion of Ben Kingsley’s Trevor Slattery, as well as the real Mandarin’s debut, helped it succeed.
3
October – Joker
While this DC franchise had a massive fall from grace, 2019’s Joker is still easily one of the most intriguing superhero movies of all time. Grossing over $1 billion worldwide, the movie was not only adored by the audience, but also on the awards circuit, earning 11 nominations at the Academy Awards, with Joaquin Phoenix taking home the Best Actor Oscar. Joker perfectly gave the iconic Batman villain a grounded, realistic, and tragic origin story. It explored Arthur Fleck’s fractured psyche with incredible nuance, and stands as one of the genre’s most powerful releases.
