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Home › Entertainment ›The 6 Best Superhero Movies of 2012, Ranked

The 6 Best Superhero Movies of 2012, Ranked

· · 11 min read

Each year since the top of the 2000s, multiple superhero movies have hit the big screen and taken audiences by storm. People love the worlds of superheroes and the characters that live within them, and it’s because of these things that it has continued to go on strong for decades. There are, however, some years that have had more standout films than the rest.

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One of those years is none other than 2012. This was a huge time for superhero films, whether it was because of the end of one of its most popular trilogies, the start of a grand new universe, or a reboot of the most famous superhero of all time, 2012 was massive. But of the movies that released that year, how do they rank against one another? For some, it’s hard to say, but there are also a few releases that are very clearly rougher around the edges than most. The real question, though, is which is the best?

6

‘Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengegance’ (February 17th)

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    &lt;<img src="https://static0.colliderimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/mcdghri_ec065-1.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=2" />
    Image via Columbia</figure>

The one and only Nicolas Cage is a titan within the comic book movie space. He’s been in a whopping eight superhero projects (technically nine when counting his canceled Superman project). One of his most popular roles as a superhero character is as none other than Johnny Blaze, Ghost Rider. It’s safe to say that the first Ghost Rider did a relatively good job, given the fact that they got a second installment that released worldwide on February 17th, 2012 titled Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance.

This sequel is a truly mixed bag when it comes to praise and criticism. On one hand, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance is filled to the brim with style and cool action. On the other hand, however, it has an abysmally weak script that causes the film to completely fall apart. Nicolas Cage, of course, brings his all to his performance—hard to find a role in which he doesn’t—and adds to how fun it is to watch this Ghost Rider sequel. While it may be rough, it is still enjoyable to watch on a night where someone wants to have friends over to watch bad films.

5

‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ (July 3rd)

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    Image via Sony Pictures Releasing</figure>

Spider-Man is the most profitable superhero of all time and, therefore, one of the most popular. So, it only made sense that after the conclusion of Sam Raimi‘s Spider-Man trilogy, Sony Pictures Entertainment was going to reboot the character into an all-new franchise. This change came in the form of Marc Webb‘s The Amazing Spider-Man, which released on July 3rd, 2012. With this new series taking a wholly new tone and direction, people were both nervous and enticed—especially with the beloved Andrew Garfield at the helm of playing Peter Parker.

The Amazing Spider-Man is far different from any other cinematic and televised Spider-Man franchise out there. It’s far darker in tone—most likely thanks to the success of the dark tone of the extremely popular The Dark Knight franchise at the time—and goes far more in depth with Peter’s parents’ history than ever before. This script isn’t “amazing,” but there are still plenty of aspects of this film that are exemplary that help make up for it. The suit is a great darker redesign of the classic Spider-Man suit, Andrew Garfield gives one of the best Spider-Man performances out there, the chemistry between Andrew and Emma Stone is pungent, and the visuals are great. Despite it not being the strongest Spider-Man movie of all time, there are still plenty of great things in it that keep it from being the weakest superhero movie of 2012.

4

‘Dredd’ (September 21st)

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    Image via Lionsgate</figure>

Speaking of reboots, 2012 has another franchise reboot that was excellent. Despite not many people actually liking the original movie, Judge Dredd, back in 1995, studios decided to try to give it another go in 2012 with Dredd. This clearly was a great decision on their part, as people actually love this film. The casting of Karl Urban as the protagonist was perfect, and he gives an outstanding performance through the entire runtime.

Aside from the main character, there’s also some great female characters, who are written with a plethora of agency and capability—especially Judge Anderson, played by Olivia Thirlby. This flick also doesn’t bother with the classic origin story. Dredd opts to instead drop the viewer in the middle of this world and has fun just bringing the character to life at his full capacity from the get-go. It also does the difficult job of bringing the gritty, violent, and dark vibe and tone of the universe to life in a way that doesn’t feel overly coarse.

Four people, four completely different ideas of what it means to have
somebody in your corner. Here is who picked up, what they would ask of you, and what you would get
back.

You want the friend who does not leave. Steve is the one who
turns up at the door without being asked, who remembers what you said you were worried
about, and who has never once made you audition for his attention.

  • His entire character is built on a single sentence, which is that he will not abandon
    somebody just because it has become expensive to keep them.
  • He is far funnier than people give him credit for, and the joke is almost always at his
    own expense rather than yours.
  • The friendship comes with a cost, since being close to Steve means being dragged into
    fights that were never yours and being glad about it later.
  • You would get a friend who tells you the hard thing to your face and then defends you to
    everybody else in the room.

You want the friend who is genuinely exhausting and completely
worth it. Tony will forget your birthday, then build you something at four in the morning
that you did not know you needed, and hand it over as though it were nothing.

  • He is bad at saying the warm thing out loud, so he says it in hardware instead, which is
    why everybody around him ends up with upgraded everything.
  • Being his friend means putting up with the disappearing, the deflecting and the jokes
    that arrive about ninety seconds too early.
  • What you get in return is somebody who will spend an unreasonable amount of money and
    effort on a problem the moment it becomes yours.
  • He is the loudest person in the room and the one most likely to be quietly panicking
    about all of you.

You want the friend who replies in four seconds and apologises
for it. Peter is earnest in a way that is almost unfashionable, and he will take on far more
than he can carry rather than admit that he is struggling.

  • He is the only one on this list who needs looking after as much as he looks after you,
    and that balance is exactly what makes it a real friendship.
  • Nobody in the MCU is better at the small stuff, from remembering the thing you were
    nervous about to showing up with food you did not ask for.
  • Spider-Man: Brand New Day arrived in July 2026 and put him back where he works best,
    which is broke, local and carrying the weight on his own.
  • You would get a friend who is sincerely, embarrassingly happy for you when something
    goes right, with no edge to it at all.

You want the friend who insults your shoes, fixes your phone and
then quietly rearranges your entire life for the better. Shuri does not do soft reassurance,
and that is the reason you would believe her when she says you are fine.

  • She is the smartest person in almost any room she walks into and treats that as a reason
    to tease you rather than a reason to lecture you.
  • The teasing is the affection. When Shuri stops making fun of you, something has gone
    seriously wrong and you should probably ask her about it.
  • Her story is the one on this list that goes somewhere genuinely dark, which is what
    turned her from a scene stealer into the emotional centre of the films.
  • You would get a friend who never pities you, never softens the truth, and never once
    lets you take yourself too seriously.

3

‘Chronicle’ (February 3rd)

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    Image via 20th Century Studios</figure>

Before Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance was released in February, another superhero film made its debut on the 3rd: Chronicle. Directed by Josh Trank, this project takes an extremely new approach to superhero filmmaking that has yet to be replicated and that is telling the story through a found footage style. With a phenomenal cast behind it, made up of the likes of Dane DeHaan, Michael B. Jordan, Alex Russell, Ashley Hinshaw, Michael Kelly, and more, the characters of Chronicle really stand out.

Therefore, not only does Chronicle ooze with style and specialty, but its massively character-driven, which makes it very engaging to follow. The protagonists are all super compelling, and the performers behind them make them come to life perfectly. The ability to tell an entire feature-length story via found footage is not easy—probably why there aren’t as many out there as one would think—and Chronicle is up there with the best, and an exemplary showcase of how to do it right.

2

‘The Dark Knight Rises’ (July 20th)

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    Image via Warner Bros.</figure>

Christopher Nolan‘s trilogy of Batman movies is commonly considered one of the best superhero trilogies of all time. It came to an end on July 20th of 2012 with The Dark Knight Rises and, while it’s consistently discussed if the movie lives up to the standards of the franchise, it’s a good movie at the end of the day. It’s not perfect, but it has all the makings of a classic Nolan Batman movie, which automatically sets it above a lot of superhero films out there.

There’s zero question that Christopher Nolan is a remarkable direction and even his weakest works—The Dark Knight Rises being one of them—are great watches. Is it as good as Batman Begins or The Dark Knight? Definitely not. But that doesn’t stop it from being an awesome film that serves as a good ending to this wonderful trilogy. Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Anne Hathaway, Gary Oldman, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and the rest of the cast obviously do splendid jobs and reimagine the Batman world very well. The Dark Knight Rises truly tests the character of Bruce Wayne, and provides a character arc that is abundantly satisfying.

1

‘The Avengers’ (May 4th)

    &lt;<img src="https://static0.colliderimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/avengers-final-pose-loki-takedown-2012.jpeg?q=49&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=2" />
    Image via Marvel Studios</figure>

There’s absolutely no denying that the Marvel Cinematic Universe is one of the most popular media franchises ever made. The MCU has taken over the planet and two of the top three highest-grossing films of all time contain MCU movies. While the franchise itself started with 2008’s Iron Man, Marvel Studios proved a cinematic universe was actually possible with 2012’s The Avengers. For the first time, all the MCU heroes came together on the big screen, and audiences saw as Marvel Studios said, “Yeah, this works, let us show you how.”

Because of this, The Avengers had to be a stellar film. It had to fire on all cylinders. Thankfully for fans everywhere and the studio itself, it ended up setting the standard for what a good team-up film could be. The Avengers brings everyone together with grace, weaves their solo plots into the main one, and every actor brings a great performance—bringing chemistry between each character that is undeniable and got people begging to see more from this world.

  • <

    Chris Evans

    Steve Rogers / Captain America

  • <

    Robert Downey Jr.

    Tony Stark / Iron Man

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Nairavoice
Contributor at NairaVoice.com.ng