11. Spider-Man (2002-2014)
Columbia PicturesEven though its only been 12 years since Spider-Man made his feature-length cinematic debut, we've already seen five movies featuring the character, including a reboot and its sequel. Despite the web-head's most recent outing being the most disappointing, the enduring popularity of the iconic hero will see the franchises collective box office takings cross $4bn by the time The Amazing Spider-Man 2 finishes its theatrical run. Sam Raimi's Spider-Man was a great big-screen debut for the character, with the director's love of the source material evident in a movie that merged colourful and energetic set-pieces with a winning dose of heart, charm and humour. The sequel was even better, delivering one of the greatest comic book movies ever made. Unfortunately, Spider-Man 3 marked a disappointing conclusion to Raimi's trilogy, suffering from too many characters and unnecessary subplots despite some jaw-dropping CGI action sequences. The rebooted Amazing Spider-Man covered much of the same ground as Raimi's original and offered an entertaining if overly-familiar reintroduction to the character. Sadly, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was a step back for the franchise, with a cluttered narrative and too many supporting players bearing the hallmarks of studio interference in a movie that was too focused on building the future of the series than focusing on the present. With The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and 3, Venom and The Sinister Six all in active development, there is a real danger that the franchise could continue its rapid descent into mediocrity.