Before you say that we only had a handful of superhero films this year, I’m also considering Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Ghostbusters, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children and the like as superhero films as well. As long as it’s set in contemporary times and the characters are more powerful than the average human being, I’ll classify them as superheroes. Hardcore Henry and Now You See Me 2 were also up for consideration, but since I’m listing them here, they’re clearly not in my list. And before you ask, yes, Assassination Classroom 2 and Death Note: Light Up the New World were also in the running.
But yeah, they all mostly went to Marvel or DC offerings.
So, which where the best superhero films of 2016?
5. HK Forbidden Super Hero: The Abnormal Crisis
I can’t gush enough about “HK Forbidden Super Hero: The Abnormal Crisis”. It’s got all the trappings of a regular super hero film – a muscular character with super powers, a quest to regain/improve said powers, and colourful villains that would have been beaten up as kids in real life. He’s even got the requisite love interest and a strange mentor who teaches him how to be more… perverted.
Seriously, this film doesn’t get enough credit. I hope it becomes a classic.
“Doctor Strange” was a breath of fresh air in a world where the standard super hero tropes were in danger of being overused. How many more origin stories do you need of Superman and Spider-Man and Batman? Is there any super hero who does not have a tragic back story? Can you still consider super strength and endurance as a super power when every other method of acquiring powers will just dump them on you anyway?
I love Spider-Man, don’t get me wrong. And Superman. But to see something as bizarre as “Doctor Strange” on the big screen was one of the coolest things this year.
Maybe we can see a Squirrel Girl movie one day.
3. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
It’s frigging Superman fighting frigging Batman! What is there not to like? I still don’t understand people who hate on the film so much. It was intense, but it also had Wonder Woman, Lex Luthor, Lois Lane, Doomsday, Alfred, black Perry White, cameos by Flash, Aquaman, Cyborg, hints of Darkseid and Robin, a short-lived Jimmy Olsen, a dead General Zod.
It was gritty and flawed in its own way, but come on. It’s about an alien teaming up with a Mr Fixit in a mask. “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” was splendid. Not perfect, but magnificent.
I’m not actually a “Deadpool” fan, though it’s not that I dislike him. It’s just that I don’t like him enough to have bought his toy, and I would buy a Hydro-Man figure (please please please come to Singapore). That being said, I loved the film for its comedy and irreverence. Deadpool is still a douchebag and I like my heroes to be, well, heroic (I don’t like Guy Gardner for that same reason).
But yes, “Deadpool”! Please don’t try to improve on the original for the sequel, OK? It was wonderful the way it was.
1. Captain America vs Iron Man: Civil War Captain America: Civil War
We’re talking about superheroes here, right? And which film had the most superheroes this year? That’s right, “Avengers 2.5 Captain America: Civil War”. Rather than creating brand new super-powered villains, they just smooshed everyone into an airport and had them duke it out. That airport scene was the dream of every comic book fan who wanted to see their favourite characters make it to the big screen.
Plus, Spider-Man! OK yeah Black Panther, cool OK you have vibranium claws and some panther powers. But Spidey really showed us that he was just as capable, if not more so, when he caught Winter Soldier’s cyborg-armed punch (also reminding us that Winter Soldier is really just a third class superhero compared to Spider-Man) that wiped the floor with Iron Man and Black Widow earlier in the film.
You couldn’t come up with a more imaginative way to play with your toys than in “Captain America: Civil War”.
So, did you think “Deadpool” should have taken first place? Flame me with a comment!
Marcus Goh is a Singapore television scriptwriter. He’s also a Transformers enthusiast and avid pop culture scholar. He Tweets/Instagrams at Optimarcus and writes at marcusgohmarcusgoh.com. The views expressed are his own.
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