The Best & Worst Comic-Book Movies Of All Time

The plethora of superheroes gracing the big screen can be overwhelming. Batman's fighting Superman, Captain America's fighting Iron Man — and who the hell is this Deadpool guy? However ubiquitous these movies are, comic books have been the source material for some great films. From Richard Donner's classic Superman films to the Joss Whedon's quippy Avengers, we love a hero story done well.

But comic-book movies are not faultless. The genre has given short shrift to women, and when things get bad, they can get really bad. (We're lookin' at you, Fantastic Four.) In this slideshow, we take you through the best and the worst of the genre, which we define as movies adapted from comic books or graphic novels with stories that hinge upon a classic hero vs. villain conceit. This means terrific films like Ghost World are left off our roundup. (Don't worry, we'll think of another list to honor that one.)

Without further ado, cue up the John Williams, and click through.