10 Superhero Movies That Defined Other Superhero Movies

That new direction that Warner Bros. hoped to take the Batman franchise in during the mid-90s led to the infamous Batman & Robin.

While Batman Forever was admittedly a decent movie, the 1997 sequel was something else entirely, taking the worst that its predecessor had to offer and magnifying it to produce a film that is renowned for two things: Bat-nipples and ice puns. Needless to say it killed the franchise.

Influenced by the backlash that this unforgivable pantomime received, Warner Bros. sought to amend their relationship with the Bat-fans by producing a darker follow-up that would reinvigorate the Batman franchise and, perhaps more importantly, wipe Batman & Robin from our minds forever. Enter Christopher Nolan.

2005's Batman Begins was a grim tale that relied so heavily on its dark tone that it was more akin to Tim Burton's Batman than any of Joel Schumacher's offerings. However, this drastic change paid off, as the film became both a critical and commercial success - one that managed to breathe new life into the Caped Crusader.

It sounds wrong to say that the critically-acclaimed Dark Knight trilogy owes anything to Batman & Robin but it's hard to deny that the sheer lunacy of the '97 film (and the reaction it received) finally influenced Warner Bros. to return to Batman's darker roots. And for that, the world might just owe it a debt of gratitude.