2020 delivered several superhero movies in theaters and on streaming, so here's every superhero movie released this year ranked from worst to best. Superhero movies have been part of the Hollywood system for decades, but the appetite for them has grown exponentially over the last decade or so. This has come as the Marvel Cinematic Universe became the biggest franchise of all-time, DC began increasing their output with the DC Extended Universe, Fox continued reinventing the X-Men franchise, and Sony rebooted Spider-Man for the third time.
Heading into 2020, the year was packed with superhero movie offerings. However, the coronavirus pandemic shut down movie theaters and resulted in several highly-anticipated comic book films getting delayed. While some of these still managed to be released later in 2020, the changes made this the first year since 2009 with no new MCU movies. Both Black Widow and Eternals were delayed until 2021. Even Sony decided to push their two Marvel-adjacent projects Venom: Let There Be Carnage and Morbius to next year. Although many are anxious to see these delayed movies, there were still several superhero films released in 2020.
With the popularity of superhero movies and the interest from every major studio and streaming service to take advantage of the interest, there were eight superhero movies released in 2020. The year brought a few such offerings from Netflix, another from Disney+, the final installment of Fox's X-Men franchise, the hopeful launch of Valiant's Cinematic Universe, and multiple installments of the DCEU. But, how do the movies stack up against one another? Here's our ranking of every superhero movie of 2020.
8. Project Power
One of Netflix's big forays into superhero movies in 2020 came with the original idea of Project Power. At a time when almost every piece of superhero content is an adaptation of some kind, Project Power brought an intriguing premise to the table. The movie follows the spread of a new drug in New Orleans that temporarily gives the user superpowers. Written by Mattson Tomlin (The Batman) and from directors Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman, Project Power features Jamie Foxx, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Dominique Fishback in the main roles. Unfortunately, Project Power underutilizes its premise and underdelivers on the type of action expected. Although the main performances are fine, Fishback is the shining star. It's just a shame the rest of Project Power doesn't do enough to make any of the characters all that interesting.
7. Secret Society of Second-Born Royals
Disney+ also delivered an original superhero movie in 2020 with Secret Society of Second-Born Royals. The movie stars Peyton Elisabeth Lee as Sam, the second born child in a royal family. In the months before her sister's coronation, Sam learns that all second-born children from royal families have a special gene that gives them superpowers and she suddenly finds herself training with fellow second borns to join the Secret Society of Second-Born Royals. The film is essentially a rip-off of X-Men with teenagers discovering their powers and training together in a secret location equipped with an advanced training room. Secret Society of Second-Born Royals has a lot of similarities to Disney Channel original movies, for better and worse. The film's plot is a bit nonsensical, the story familiar, and it includes a third act reveal that doesn't quite work. Luckily, the charming cast led by Lee helps lift the film.
6. Bloodshot
Vin Diesel is no stranger to playing superhero-like characters, but Bloodshot puts him at the beginning of what could be a new comic book movie universe. The film, directed by Dave Wilson, is an adaptation of the Valiant comic character of the same name. Bloodshot sees Diesel play Ray Garrison, a soldier who has been given superpowers through nanites in his bloodstream that make him nearly invincible. Bloodshot features a great hook from the source material with Ray's origin story, but it doesn't wait long to move past this and become more of a revenge flick. There are plenty of action set pieces featured throughout, even if the CGI is hit and miss. Ultimately, Bloodshot does a solid job setting up an intriguing new world that might just launch the Valiant Cinematic Universe.
5. The New Mutants
2020 brought the conclusion of the X-Men franchise with The New Mutants. Despite the years of delays and reports about the trouble the movie was in, New Mutants came and went pretty quickly once it was finally released. Although it is far from the great ending to Fox's franchise that it deserved, New Mutants proved to be a fine entry in the genre and still better than some recent X-Men offerings. The movie's brisk runtime doesn't allow too much time for character development, but the romance between Dani Moonstar (Blu Hunt) and Wolfsbane (Maisie Williams) did come through. Meanwhile, the horror angle did give the film a freshness, which is saying something for a franchise that spanned two decades. And although New Mutants is far from an action-packed blockbuster, it does deliver some good action by the end with Magik (Anya Taylor-Joy).
4. We Can Be Heroes
Netflix's other original piece of superhero content, We Can Be Heroes, is a family-friendly adventure from director Robert Rodriguez. While he has a diverse filmography, Rodriguez's new movie is a return to his days as the man crafting childhood favorite adventures like Spy Kids and Sharkboy & Lavagirl. The latter even crossover with We Can Be Heroes, as the film makes the grown-up versions of Sharkboy and Lavagirl members of the Heroics. The plot turns the focus on a group of superpowered children after their parents, the members of Heroics, are kidnapped by aliens invading Earth. The young cast, Rodriguez's direction, and collection of superpowers makes We Can Be Heroes a very silly film but one that is very family-friendly. And even though the overt political references to America's current administration feel out of place, We Can Be Heroes ultimately delivers a hopeful message about the next generation making the world a better place.
3. The Old Guard
Netflix's biggest and best superhero movie of 2020 is unquestionably The Old Guard. Director Gina Prince-Bythewood adapts the comics written by Greg Rucka, who also wrote the movie's script, and tells the tale of a group of immortals tasked with protecting humanity. Charlize Theron leads the ensemble and makes the most of another action-heavy role, while KiKi Layne establishes herself as another force in the genre. Its supporting characters are a bit underdeveloped though. The Old Guard's action is easily its best feature, but the mythology of the world is also quite fascinating. Some might be frustrated with the movie bypassing answering several big questions, which now will rely on a sequel to flesh out.
2. Wonder Woman 1984
Following several release date changes in 2020 alone, Wonder Woman 1984 finally arrived on HBO Max over Christmas. After the highs that came with the original movie, director Patty Jenkins and star Gal Gadot deliver a sequel that isn't quite as good, but still plenty entertaining. The strength of Wonder Woman 1984 lies with Gadot and Chris Pine's on-screen chemistry. Although the explanation for Steve Trevor's return might not satisfy everyone, it is difficult not to enjoy their adventure in the moment. The sequel leans hard into a new tone to fit the 1980s setting, but it mostly works once the film settles in. The action sequences and villains are hit and miss though. And while there are other areas to nitpick, Wonder Woman 1984 came at the right time to deliver such a hopeful message about the goodness of people.
1. Birds of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)
For 2020, the best superhero movie just so happened to be the first one that was released. Margot Robbie's return to the DCEU as Harley Quinn for Birds of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) is an absolute blast. The film is wildly entertaining, quite funny, and packed with some great action sequences. While Robbie's Harley Quinn performance was the biggest highlight, Jurnee Smollet-Bell as Black Canary and Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Huntress immediately became fan-favorite characters. Plus, with Ewan McGregor fully embracing the maniacal villain turn to be Black Mask, Birds of Prey is dark and fun at the same time. Director Cathy Yan and writer Christina Hodson brought a clear vision to the DCEU, and even though the box office performance left much to be desired, the quality of Birds of Prey warranted a great reception.