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Writer's pictureChristine Hunsicker, MD

Unveiling the Superhero Universe: A Mother-Son Journey from Skepticism to Admiration



As a lifelong skeptic of superhero movies, I never expected they would bring such joy to our family. The idea of idolizing fictional characters with superhuman abilities seemed like a slap in the face to honoring real heroes. After all, it’s the everyday individuals fighting for justice and making tangible changes in the world with their human limitations, who deserve recognition. However, everything changed the day I took a leap of faith and decided to join my son for an evening of superhero films. What films could we watch that we’d both enjoy?


What began as a one-time movie night soon turned into an eye-opening journey that transformed my perception of both superhero stories and my relationship with my son. From the first film, I noticed something special happening. He was fully engaged and his excitement was infectious. His interest carried far beyond the movie time into everyday play.


While I initially questioned the stories, I became captivated by the lessons embedded within them. Superhero tales aren't just about entertainment; they’re modern storytelling that carries significant morals relevant to our lives today. The superhero genre became our bonding language. In the end, superhero films brought me closer to my son and transformed my understanding of heroism—reminding me that sometimes embracing make-believe can lead us to uncover remarkable truths about ourselves.


Navigating the superhero film landscape can be overwhelming for novice parents, but worthwhile. As a mom who didn’t like superheroes, I was clueless where to begin. Not to mention knowing which films are age appropriate and will contain my son’s attention. I present to you my list of all the superhero movies categorized by decade in order of release date. I’ve included where you can currently stream the movie and a rating system.


5 year old boy key:

👍 He like it.

⬚ On our list to watch.

🫸 Waiting until he is older.

🤸 Couldn’t pay attention.

👎 He didn’t like it.


Our favorites are Thor, Avengers , Guardians of the Galaxy and the original X-Men.

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1970s

🤸Superman: The Movie (1978) - HBO Max, Amazon Prime


1980s

🤸 Superman II (1980) - HBO Max, Amazon Prime

🤸 Superman III (1983) - HBO Max, Amazon Prime

🤸 Batman (1989) - HBO Max, Amazon Prime


1990s

⬚ Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) - Paramount+, Amazon Prime

🫸 Darkman (1990) - HBO Max, Amazon Prime

⬚ The Rocketeer (1991) - Disney+

🤸Batman Returns (1992) - HBO Max, Amazon Prime

🫸 Blade (1998) - HBO Max, Amazon Prime

🤸 Batman Forever (1995) - HBO Max, Amazon Prime

👎 Steel (1997) - Amazon Prime


2000s

👍 X-Men (2000) - Disney+, Hulu

⬚ Spider-Man (2002) - Starz, Amazon Prime

🫸 Daredevil (2003) - Disney+, Hulu

👍 X2: X-Men United (2003) - Disney+, Hulu

⬚ Hulk (2003) - Disney+, Amazon Prime

⬚ Spider-Man 2 (2004) - Starz, Amazon Prime

👍 The Incredibles (2004) - Disney+

🫸 Batman Begins (2005) - HBO Max, Amazon Prime

⬚ Fantastic Four (2005) - Disney+

🫸 V for Vendetta (2006) - HBO Max, Amazon Prime

👍 X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) - Disney+, Hulu

⬚ Superman Returns (2006) - HBO Max, Amazon Prime

⬚ Spider-Man 3 (2007) - Starz, Amazon Prime

⬚ Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007) - Disney+

⬚ Transformers (2007) - Paramount+, Amazon Prime

🫸 The Dark Knight (2008) - HBO Max, Amazon Prime

🤸 Iron Man (2008) - Disney+, Hulu

⬚ The Incredible Hulk (2008) - Disney+, Hulu

🫸 The Spirit (2008) - Amazon Prime


2010s

🫸 Iron Man 2 (2010) - Disney+, Hulu

⬚ The Green Hornet (2011) - Amazon Prime

👍 Thor (2011) - Disney+, Hulu

🤸 X-Men: First Class (2011) - Disney+, Hulu

🤸 Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) - Disney+, Hulu

👍 The Avengers (2012) - Disney+, Hulu

⬚ The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) - Starz, Amazon Prime

🫸 The Dark Knight Rises (2012) - HBO Max, Amazon Prime

👍 Man of Steel (2013) - HBO Max, Amazon Prime

🫸 Iron Man 3 (2013) - Disney+, Hulu

👍 Thor: The Dark World (2013) - Disney+, Hulu

🫸 Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) - Disney+, Hulu

👍 Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) - Disney+, Hulu

⬚ The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014) - Starz, Amazon Prime

🤸 X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) - Disney+, Hulu

⬚ Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) - Max, Amazon Prime

🫸 Deadpool (2016) - Hulu, Disney+

🫸 Captain America: Civil War (2016) - Disney+, Hulu

🤸 Doctor Strange (2016) - Disney+, Hulu

🫸 Suicide Squad (2016) - Max, Amazon Prime

⬚ Wonder Woman (2017) - Max, Amazon Prime

⬚ Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) - Disney+, Hulu

👍 Thor: Ragnarok (2017) - Disney+, Hulu

🤸 Black Panther (2018) - Disney+, Hulu

👍 Avengers: Infinity War (2018) - Disney+, Hulu

🤸 Ant-Man and The Wasp (2018) - Disney+, Hulu

⬚ Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) - Netflix, Amazon Prime

👍 Shazam! (2019) - Max, Amazon Prime

👍 Avengers: Endgame (2019) - Disney+, Hulu f

⬚ Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) - Starz, Amazon Prime

👍 Captain Marvel (2019) - Disney+


2020s

🫸 Birds of Prey (2020) - Max, Amazon Prime

🫸 Bloodshot (2020) - Amazon Prime

⬚ Wonder Woman 1984 (2020) - HBO Max

⬚ Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021) - HBO Max

🫸 Black Widow (2021) - Disney+ (Premium), Amazon Prime

🫸 Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) - Disney+

⬚ Eternals (2021) - Disney+

⬚ Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) - Starz, Amazon Prime

🫸 Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) - Disney+

👍 Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) - Disney+

🫸 Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) - Disney+

🤸 Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania (2023) - Disney+

👍 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) - Disney+

⬚ Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) - Netflix (expected), Amazon Prime

👍 The Marvels (2023) - Disney+

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