Credit: Marvel StudiosThere are many criteria when it comes to deciding who is the best superhero of all time. How smart are they? How strong are they? Which one is the most critically well-received? But one metric often goes by the wayside: which hero brings in the most cold, hard cash? Who are the highest-grossing superheroes?
While this may not be the most noble metric for what makes a good superhero, it is still an interesting statistic. If a hero is making more money, that means people like them enough to drop down their hard-earned money for them. So when it comes to movies, these heroes are arguably the most beloved because of their massive box office earnings.
This list will include individual heroes as well as superhero teams. However, it will not include entire an entire cinematic universe. So while the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the DC Extended Universe would easily have a place on this list, they are excluded.
Also, individual movies won’t count toward an entire team’s score. Yes, Iron Man is an Avenger, but that doesn’t mean the Iron Man movies belong in the Avengers category. So without further ado, let’s see which superheroes bring in the most green as we examine the highest-grossing superheroes of all time.
15. Deadpool – $1,568,159,899
If a singular member of the X-Men were to make it onto a list of the highest-grossing superheroes, it would make sense for it to be Wolverine. After all, Hugh Jackman’s portrayal of the character is iconic and was the star of three of his own films. Surprisingly, this is not the case. Instead, that position belongs to the merc with a mouth: Deadpool.
Deadpool (2016) and Deadpool 2 (2018) are both filthy, violent, and hilarious, a combination that isn’t really seen in most superhero fare. After playing a massively downgraded version of the character in X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), Ryan Reynolds returned to bring the fourth-wall-breaking badass to his deserved glory.
Much like in Marvel Comics, Wade Wilson’s existence is wholly tied to that of Wolverine, so it only makes sense that the two of them will finally be sharing the screen in the upcoming Deadpool 3 (2024), further cementing Deadpool as one of the highest-grossing superheroes.
14. Ant-Man – $1,618,057,284
The first Ant-Man movie was a surprising success, mainly due to a charming performance by Paul Rudd and incredible supporting performances by Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, and the absolutely hysterical Michael Peña. It also brought in the unique combination of comedy and heist movie that had yet to be seen in the MCU.
Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) did more of the same but managed to take it a step further by creating a double heist: one based on retrieving Michelle Pfeiffer from the Quantum Realm and one trying to prevent the lab from being taken from the villain, Ghost. While this is an interesting touch and creates many nice moments, it didn’t have the same punch as the first film.
Unfortunately, the final film left much to be desired. While the idea of going into the Quantum Realm to face Kang the Conqueror sounds exciting, it wound up becoming a boring generic action film with way too much CGI. That being said, each movie still did decently well at the box office, meaning we’ll probably see Paul Rudd in the MCU again soon.
13. Doctor Strange – $1,633,494,199
The Doctor Strange movies are often considered to be more intellectual, with their constant use of dimension-hopping as well as multiple instances that aren’t necessarily driven by action. Despite this, they make for some of the most visually fascinating set pieces in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
While this is true for Doctor Strange (2016), it is especially true for Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness (2022). Much like Captain America: Civil War (2016), Multiverse of Madness felt much more significant than just a Doctor Strange adventure. Patrick Stewart greeted audiences as Professor X, John Krasinski as Mr. Fantastic, and a terrifying performance by Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff.
Where the first film was a proof in concept, Multiverse of Madness showed would Doctor Strange could be, and hopefully will be, in the third film. The second earned almost one billion dollars and was the third highest-grossing movie of 2022 behind Top Gun: Maverick (2022) and Avatar: The Way of Water (2022).
12. Neo – $1,795,011,841
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When formulating this list, the question arose regarding what makes a character a superhero. While many other lists included the likes of Godzilla or King Kong, they feel like they belong in their own category as monsters or kaiju. However, another surprising entry that was often mentioned was Neo in the Matrix film series. And the more you think about it, the more it makes sense.
Neo is the protagonist of what is arguably one of the best science fiction series of all time. In a world filled with people who are gun and martial arts masters, Neo is able to surpass all of them and even utilize powers other humans can’t. That’s the definition of a superhero!
While the first movie is easily the most iconic and best of the four films that made it to theaters, The Matrix Reloaded (2003) is actually the most financially successful film in the franchise, bringing in almost $742 million. And that’s more than enough to earn a place as one of the highest-grossing superheroes out there.
11. The Incredibles – $1,875,825,093
Written and directed by Brad Bird, The Incredibles franchise follows the Parrs, a family of superheroes, as they try to navigate supervillains, society, and family dynamics. While they don’t have comic book origins, the 1960s comic book aesthetic can be felt throughout the film, as well as motifs to spy films from the same era. This is aided even more by the incredible score that plays throughout both films.
Representing the nuclear family, Bob Parr, AKA Mr. Incredible, has super-strength; Helen Parr, AKA Elastigirl, can shapeshift her body like rubber; Violet Parr turns invisible and can create force fields, Dashiell “Dash” Parr possesses superhuman speed, and Jack-Jack is a baby who can’t entirely control his wide assortment of powers.
With only two movies in the series, The Incredibles franchise has grossed an astounding $1,875,825,093, with The Incredibles 2 (2018) taking its place as the most successful Pixar movie yet, cementing the Parr Family as some of the highest-grossing superheroes. The first film (2004) earned an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, but the second lost to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018).
10. Captain America – $2,238,138,536
Oh, captain, my captain! Marvel’s resident moral compass is probably the most consistent member of the original Avengers. Not only have all of his films done well at the box office, but all of the movies starring Steve Rogers have been critical successes as well.
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) is the perfect origin story for a superhero, showing everything that happened to Rogers in World War 2. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) is where things kick into high gear with plenty of espionage, intrigue, great action set pieces, and one of the more intriguing villains: Bucky Barnes, AKA The Winter Soldier.
Stever Rogers’ most significant financial success was Captain America: Civil War (2016), which was basically an Avengers movie disguised as a Captain America film. It put every member of the team on opposite sides and added in a Spider-Man for good measure. The battle was epic, and the numbers showed it, with the film bringing in well over a billion dollars and cementing Captain America as one of the highest-grossing superheroes.
9. Black Panther – $2,241,457,662
No other movie in the Marvel Pantheon has left as much of an impact as Black Panther (2018). Despite being the youngest franchise on this list, many fans still consider it the best film in the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe. A large part of this was because of the incredible performances by Michael B. Jordan as Killmonger and Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa, AKA Black Panther.
Boseman’s tragic passing left a large hole at Marvel. How could they possibly fill his shoes? In this unfortunate circumstance, director Ryan Coogler made the right decision to address this in the sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022). Not only did this establish Letitia Wright’s Shuri as the new Black Panther, but it also cemented every character within Wakanda as a necessary part of the MCU.
Black Panther is the highest-grossing hero who only has two films under their belt, and it’s clear to understand why. Both movies felt like cultural touchstones that everyone needed to know. And if the third film is even half the quality of the previous two, you’ll definitely see Black Panther moving up the ranks of highest-grossing superheroes.
8. Iron Man – $2,425,306,783
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The one that started it all. Without Iron Man (2008) and an unbelievably charismatic performance from Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, we wouldn’t have the MCU as we know it today. So it only makes sense that he’d be one of the heroes to have a movie break $1 billion. However, this wasn’t always the case.
While the first Iron Man movie felt like a breath of fresh air, Iron Man 2 (2010) was much more lacking. The villains weren’t all that interesting, and Robert Downey Jr. could only do so much to make a movie interesting. Fortunately, this was all proven wrong in Iron Man 3 (2013) when even more focus was put on Downey Jr., and they took a risk with a twist on the traditional villain, The Mandarin.
All that being said, Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark is arguably the best and most interesting hero in the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe, and his presence is missed. Fortunately, we’ll always have these three movies to remind us why we fell in love with Tony Stark and this entire cinematic universe.
7. Guardians of the Galaxy – $2,460,269,066+
Of all the entries on this list, no one’s success is more surprising than the Guardians of the Galaxy. Easily the most obscure team of heroes here, the Guardians started strong with their first movie, aptly named Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), and only got better with each subsequent film.
Not only are these movies absolutely hilarious, but they are also some of the most heart-breaking films that Marvel has ever released. This has only become more true with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023), which is still in theaters. Follow Rocket Raccoon’s journey through all three films and try not to cry.
Part of why this works so well is because we get to see each character go on a journey. Every member of the team has experienced some form of loss and is in a different stage of grief. And the only way they can get through it is by working with each other. Director James Gunn created something extraordinary with this trilogy. Hopefully, he’ll bring that same energy to DC now that he’s in charge.
6. Superman – $2,540,541,110
While Iron Man gets credit for kicking off the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Superman deserves all the respect for creating the superhero genre as we know it today. The 1978 film starring Christopher Reeve is the template by which every other genre film is judged.
While there have been multiple versions of the Man of Steel, this list will specifically focus on the feature-length films from 1978 on, meaning there are a whopping eight films in this total. Some were massive successes, like Man of Steel (2013) and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016). Others definitely weren’t, like Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987) and the double billing of Death of Superman/Reign of the Supermen (2018).
But no matter which Superman you prefer, there is something for everyone here. If you’re more old-school and campy, enjoy the Christopher Reeve movies. If you’d rather be serious and dramatic, the Henry Cavill movies are for you. And if you’re a contrarian, Brandon Routh in Superman Returns (2006) is a surprising delight. Hopefully, Superman: Legacy (2025) will live up to its title and maintain this impressive legacy.
5. Thor – $2,703,347,820
When it comes to quality, no hero slingshots back and forth quite like Thor. While the first Thor (2011) was critically well-received, Thor: The Dark World (2013) was seen as the most boring movie in the MCU. Then Thor: Ragnarok (2017) put the entire series on its head by being fun and silly, but this energy was almost completely lost in Thor: Love and Thunder (2022).
However, one thing remains consistent throughout the series: these movies make a ton of money. While the first Thor movie only brought in around $450 million, every other film has earned well above that, capping out at about $850 million for Thor: Ragnarok.
There are two things that make the Thor movies stand out from the rest: Thor and Loki. Chris Hemsworth plays Thor perfectly, successfully maintaining the Thunder God’s ethereal energy while remaining down to Earth. Meanwhile, Tom Hiddleston as Loki is deliciously evil, bringing Shakespearean energy to a series that could easily take itself too seriously. As long as these two remain in the franchise, Thor will remain among the highest-grossing superheroes.
4. X-Men – $3,109,306,489
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Before the Avengers were ever a thing, there was one team of superheroes that stood out above the rest: the X-Men. While they had already been successful with an awesome Saturday morning cartoon, the X-Men really planted themselves in the public consciousness with their movies.
First of all, everyone was perfectly cast. To this day, Patrick Stewart as Professor X, Ian McKellen as Magneto, Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, Halle Berry as Storm, and Rebecca Romijn as Mystique are still absolutely iconic and the definitive versions of their characters. Hugh Jackman is still the gold standard when it comes to Wolverine.
Things only improved when the younger versions of these characters appeared in X-Men: First Class (2011). This was immediately followed by time travel shenanigans linking these complex and beloved characters together. It truly felt like the Multiverse before everyone was doing a Multiverse. It only makes sense that the X-Men are some of the highest-grossing superheroes.
3. Batman – $5,688,821,424
It’s hard to think of a singular hero more universally beloved than Batman. While other heroes may have superpowers, Bruce Wayne is just a regular guy. Ok, he’s not just a regular guy. He has two things that separate him from everyone else: an incredibly high intellect and a ton of money. Frankly, that’s enough to make him most people’s favorite superhero.
One of the things that makes the Batman movies stand out is the sheer amount of variety. With fifteen movies to choose from, there better be some differences! If you like 60s camp, try Batman: The Movie (1966) starring Adam West. If you like things more realistic, try the Christopher Nolan movies or The Batman (2022) starring Robert Pattinson. If you want something in the middle, the Tim Burton movies starring Michael Keaton are for you.
And this isn’t even getting into Batman Forever (1995), starring Val Kilmer, Batman & Robin (1997), starring George Clooney, or even The LEGO Batman Movie (2017) with Will Arnett voicing the Caped Crusader. I promise that there is a Batman out there for you. It makes sense that he is the highest-grossing DC superhero of all time, and it doesn’t look like he’ll be giving up that mantle any time soon.
2. Avengers – $7,767,483,610
When The Avengers (2012) was released, you could tell that something was different. The entire MCU was building up to this: an epic film reminiscent of the traveling roadshows that used to bring audiences to the theaters. This was special. This was different. This was The Avengers.
While Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) didn’t quite hit the same highs as the first one, it was still bigger than anything else at the time. Then came Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019). Suddenly, every single hero that had been built up for over a decade was taking on the most powerful villain Marvel had to offer. It was a spectacle like no other.
The Avengers movies aren’t just movies. They are events that you absolutely have to see in theaters. That’s why these four movies have the highest average box office with almost $2 billion. So why aren’t they sitting at number one on the list of the highest-grossing superheroes? Well, that’s because one of their own is swinging above them, higher than they could ever dream.
1. Spider-Man – $8,899,504,195+
While he doesn’t have the epic spectacle of an Avengers flick or the broody intelligence of a Batman movie, your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is easily the most popular, having earned over a billion dollars more (and counting) than its next competition.
What’s most wild about Spider-Man films is that there is something to like in every version. Sam Raimi’s was first and had the most sympathetic villains, The Amazing Spider-Man series had incredible chemistry between Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone, and the MCU version has Tom Holland as the most believable Peter Parker and charming Peter Parker to date!
And then you have the Spider-Verse movies, one of which is in theaters now. While Morbius (2022) and the Venom movies aren’t included on this list, it seems fair to include Miles Morales. These classic animated films have more Spider-People than you can shake a stick at and arguably influenced the three Peter Parkers audiences got in Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), the Wall-Crawler’s most successful film.
But even if we weren’t going to consider the Miles Morales version of the Web-Slinger, Spider-Man would still easily top this list. Whether you prefer Tom Holland, Tobey Maguire, or Andrew Garfield, Peter Parker is the most relatable alter ego a superhero can have. While others may be billionaire playboys, tech geniuses, or brilliant doctors, Peter is just a kid trying his best. And that’s something that everyone in the audience is trying to do.
It’s no wonder Spider-Man is at the top of the list of the highest-grossing superheroes ever.
Who is your favorite superhero or super team? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!