Blade (1998)

What? Whaat? Blade? Shut up. That’s what you just said. Well how about you shut up, and we explain by the hell Blade is in a top 10 list of Marvel movies. It’s exciting, fun and rare when a movie defies the critics to become a cult favorite. Blade Runner did it – the critics had no idea what was going on, then BAM, a few decades later, it’s considered one of the finest sci-fi films ever made.

Originally, the mercurial Wesley Snipes baffled the critics as Blade: a vampire hunting dude with sunglasses – who, might we add, is immune to vampires. It was considered dated, genre-confused and lifeless. But now it attracts the gaze of a nostalgic fan with gusto, proving that time can heal any wound – even one caused by a stake through the heart.

55% on Rotten Tomatoes deprived the film of the hallowed status of ‘certified fresh’. And $131m doesn’t exactly represent a blockbuster, but the work done by director Stephen Norrington paved the way for a golden generation of comic book adaptations.

Spiderman (2002)

Spiderman transcended the comic book niche when it channeled itself onto a cinematic format intended for popcorn-scoffing and big screens. 2002 saw a generation’s spidey-sense tingle vivaciously as Tobey Maguire climbed up walls and kissed Kirsten Dunst upside down.

SpidermanTobey Maguire's Spipderman helped launch the franchise in a big way

Everyone loves an underdog story, and unlike many of the superheroes that have punctuated cinema over the last glorious decade for the genre, Tobey Maguire befitting the status with consummate ease. How he became a superhero – within the legend of Spiderman – is well known, but how Maguire managed to encapsulate both naivety and superpowers was masterful, and by all intents and purposes, a mystery.

The film has accumulated over $800m in the worldwide box office market since its release in 2002, and its fiscal success was matched by a slew of positive reviews on its release. “Full of swinging action but finding plenty of time to explore the people behind the masks, Spider-Man is a franchise with real legs. At last, a blockbuster that lives up to the hype,” said Total Film. 89% on Rotten Tomatoes for director Sam Raimi.