10 Superhero Movies That Saved Bad Franchises

Ever since the dawn of the motion picture, plenty of comic book superheroes have had their stories told on the big screen, with different adaptations offering audiences something fresh.

But sometimes a superhero movie comes around that breathes new life into an existing IP, reinventing or reinvigorating the franchise for a new generation of fans eager to experience something invigorating.

Unlike previous Fantastic Four films, The Fantastic Four: First Steps subverts fan expectations by eschewing the group’s well-known origin story and bypassing their most iconic villain, Doctor Doom, for a cosmic battle against the all-consuming Galactus during the 1960s.

Visually and tonally, it plunges its super-powered quartet into a brave new world of shiny, highly stylized mid-century retro-futurism — a far cry from the mid-2000s comic-book cheese of the 2005 and 2007 Fantastic Four movies, or the dull, joyless grit of the forgettable 2015 reboot.

READ MORE: The Best Superhero Movie of Each Year of the 1990s

But The Fantastic Four: First Steps is hardly the first time a superhero movie has offered fans a bold new vision for their favorite comic book franchise.

Batman, for instance, has been re-imagined many times on the big screen, with each adaptation of the Dark Knight’s movie mythos seemingly darker than the one before. A new Spider-Man has also swung into theaters every few years since the early 2000s, with two movies in particular setting new standards, while the X-Men franchise has also been recharged by a handful of fresh iterations with unexpected tones, aesthetics, and settings.

Below, discover 10 superhero movies that took its franchise in exciting new directions.

Superhero Movies That Reinvented Their Franchise

From gritty, Western-inspired superhero swan songs to campy, comedic spectacles, these comic book movies either reinvented or reinvigorated their film franchise.

Gallery Credit: Erica Russell

READ MORE: 12 Forgotten Marvel Movies

The 10 Worst Blockbusters of the Last 10 Years (2016-2025)

These movies of the recent past (which all cost at least $150 million to make, according to various online sources) were not the best expenditures of their resources.

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