1. Iron Man
In 2005, the superhero genre was firmly established. The mainstream popularity of comic book films was big enough to inspire Marvel Entertainment to become its own movie studio. There was only one problem; the company had already licensed the movie rights of its biggest properties, like Spider-Man and X-Men, to other studios. The brand new Marvel Studios continued existence was dependent on the steady production and release of superhero films. It had to grow fast and do so while pulling from its next tier of characters. Fans know it all worked out phenomenally well for Marvel Studios since the company successfully completed Phase One of its Marvel Cinematic Universe and heads toward Phase Two this year. The truth, however, is that none of this would have happened, or at least not come together this quickly, were it not for Iron Man clawing its way to mainstream relevance in a summer that many thought would be solely dominated by The Dark Knight in 2008. Yes, Marvel already had developmental plans in place for a crossover universe before Iron Man was released, but those intentions were not set in stone until Robert Downey, Jr.s Tony Stark charmed moviegoers to the tune of $98.6 million on the films domestic opening weekend. Nick Furys post-credit cameo was already included in Iron Man, as was Tony Starks own cameo in The Incredible Hulk just weeks later, but each of those scenes could have easily become afterthoughts if the first film had not delivered in a big way. As confirmation of this theory, just look across the aisle at Warner Bros. That studio tried to duplicate Marvels plan by starting things off with Green Lantern in 2011 while treatments for The Flash, Wonder Woman, and more waited in the wings for a DC Universe on film. Green Lantern flopped and Warner Bros. still has not completely recovered, as the studio now pins its hopes for growth within in superhero properties on Man of Steel. Aside from Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk, no Phase One film had a green light until after the formers release and success. The Marvel Cinematic Universe needed a foundation upon which it could be constructed and it found one in the Armored Avenger. Because of Iron Man, Marvel Studios was able to carry out its crossover plans, which in turn led to unprecedented, rapid growth within the genre and the biggest superhero film of all time in The Avengers. Gone are the days of waiting all year for one, maybe two cinematic superhero adventures. In its place is a time when a handful of superhero films entertain us each year, and will now spread outside of our summer calendars with Thor: The Dark World this November. As amazing as all of this may sound, it really is only the beginning. Phase Two is right in front of us and Phase Three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe can already be seen in the distance. Iron Man is the most important film in the history of superhero cinema for all that it has already inspired, and the growth it has ensured for years to come.