Every Superhero Movie This Decade Ranked - Worst To Best

2. The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Christopher Nolan's climactic entry into his beloved Dark Knight franchise didn't quite reach the genre-defining heights of 2008's Oscar-winning The Dark Knight, but it was nevertheless a thunderous and emotionally gratifying finale to Bruce Wayne's (Christian Bale) story.

Bane's (Tom Hardy) scheme starts to crumble apart the longer you look at it, sure, but Hardy's physical performance is magnificent, the unexpectedly bleak characterisation of an over-the-hill Batman is fantastic, and that sweeping climax remains a high-point for superhero cinema.

It could've been tighter and less indulgent in areas, yes, but given the enormous task Nolan had attempting to match The Dark Knight, he did a splendid job indeed.