Superheroes began appearing in American movie houses almost as soon as the Golden Age of comics began.
In just three years, Superman made the leap from his 1938 Action Comics debut to theaters in the classic Fleishman serial cartoons.
Batman's first big screen serial followed just two years later in 1943.
Superman and Batman went on to dominate the superhero cinema until the end of the 1990s. Then early in the 21st century the cinematic field
exploded with heroes. And audiences' appetites for the genre continued unabated. Nearly every superhero film was released to remarkable success.
Traditional heroes like Batman, Superman, Spider-Man, the Hulk and the X-Men made powerful showings. But, in this period, there was also a strong
emergence of darker, alternative superheroes in films like My Super Ex-Girlfriend, Hellboy, Hancock and The Watchmen.
Though superhero films frequently drew Oscar-caliber talent, it wasn't until 2009 when the first Academy Award was presented to an
actor for a role in a superhero film: Heath Ledger was honored posthumously for his mesmerizing role as the Joker the one of the most successful
movies of all time, The Dark Knight.
Click your way through posters and trailers from over 70 years of Superhero cinema. Selecting a poster from the main
page will take you to a trailer and additional official movie posters which, when clicked, are presented in larger form.
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