Stories by @fireboy3600

The Dark Knight 2008

The Dark Knight is a 2008 superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan from a screenplay he co-wrote with his brother Jonathan. Based on the DC Comics superhero Batman, it is the sequel to Batman Begins (2005) and the second installment in The Dark Knight Trilogy. The film follows the vigilante Batman, police lieutenant James Gordon, and district attorney Harvey Dent as they form an alliance to dismantle organized crime in Gotham City. Their efforts are derailed by the intervention of the Joker, an anarchistic mastermind who seeks to test how far Batman will go to save the city from complete chaos. The ensemble cast includes Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Heath Ledger, Kirsten Bell, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, David Tennant and Morgan Freeman. Released in July, The Dark Knight broke several box office records and became the highest-grossing film of the year, fourth-highest-grossing film of its time, and the highest-grossing superhero film. It received critical acclaim for its mature tone and themes, visual style, and performances, particularly Ledger's. He received several posthumous awards, including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, making The Dark Knight the first comic book film to receive a major Academy Award.

The Incredible Hulk 2008

The Incredible Hulk is a 2008 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character the Hulk. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Universal Pictures. It was directed by Louis Leterrier from a screenplay by Zak Penn, and stars Edward Norton as Bruce Banner alongside Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, Tim Blake Nelson, Ty Burrell, and William Hurt. In the film, Bruce Banner becomes the Hulk as an unwitting pawn in a military scheme to reinvigorate the "Super-Soldier" program through gamma radiation. Banner goes on the run from the military while attempting to cure himself of the Hulk. The Incredible Hulk premiered at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, California, on June 8, 2008, and was released in the United States on June 13. It received praise for its action sequences and was considered an improvement over the 2003 film, but it was criticized as generic and lacking in depth. The film grossed $264.8 million worldwide, making it the lowest-grossing film of the Super Hero Cinematic Universe.

Iron Man 2008

Iron Man is a 2008 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Paramount Pictures. Directed by Jon Favreau from a screenplay by the writing teams of Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby, and Art Marcum and Matt Holloway, the film stars Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark / Iron Man alongside Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges, Shaun Toub, and Gwyneth Paltrow. In the film, following his escape from captivity by a terrorist group, world famous industrialist and master engineer Tony Stark builds a mechanized suit of armor and becomes the superhero Iron Man. Iron Man premiered in Sydney on April 14, 2008, and was released in the United States on May 2, as the first film in Phase One of the MCU. It grossed over $585 million, becoming the eighth-highest grossing film of 2008. The film received praise from critics, especially for Downey's performance, as well as Favreau's direction, visual effects, action sequences, and writing. It was selected by the American Film Institute as one of the ten best films of 2008 and received two nominations at the 81st Academy Awards for Best Sound Editing and Best Visual Effects. Two sequels have been released: Iron Man 2 (2010) and Iron Man 3 (2013).

Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer 2007

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer is a 2007 American superhero film, and sequel to the 2005 film Fantastic Four. Both films are based on the Fantastic Four comic book and were directed by Tim Story. The film stars Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, and Michael Chiklis as the title characters, with Kerry Washington, Andre Braugher, Beau Garrett, Doug Jones and Laurence Fishburne in supporting roles. The plot follows the Fantastic Four as they confront, and later ally with, the Silver Surfer to save Earth from a mysterious threat. The film was released on June 15, 2007 in North America. Critical reception was generally mixed but also slightly better than the first film. The film grossed over $301 million worldwide, but earned less than its predecessor which grossed $333.5 million worldwide. A third film was planned but ultimately cancelled, which was attributed to factors such as the film's box office disappointment, the conflict between the director and Jessica Alba, and the producers having trouble finding a new director for a planned Silver Surfer spin-off. As such, the franchise even ended up in development hell.

Spider-Man 3 2007

Spider-Man 3 is a 2007 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. It was directed by Sam Raimi from a screenplay by Raimi, his older brother Ivan and Alvin Sargent. It is the final installment in Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy, and the sequel to Spider-Man (2002) and Spider-Man 2 (2004). The film stars Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker / Spider-Man, alongside Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Thomas Haden Church, James Cromwell, Rosemary Harris, and J. K. Simmons. The film also marks the final film appearance of Cliff Robertson before his retirement and death in 2011. Set a year after the events of Spider-Man 2, the film follows Peter Parker as he prepares for his future with Mary Jane Watson, while facing two new villains: Uncle Ben's true killer, Flint Marko, who becomes Sandman after a freak accident and Harry Osborn, his best friend, who is now aware of Peter's identity and seeks to avenge his father. Spider-Man 3 premiered on April 16, 2007, in Tokyo, and was released in the United States in both conventional and IMAX theaters on May 4, 2007. The film grossed $894.9 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing film of the trilogy, the third-highest-grossing film of 2007 and was the highest-grossing Spider-Man film until it was surpassed by Spider-Man: Far From Home in 2019. Despite being a box office success, it received generally Positive reviews from critics; Praising Raimi's Direction, Visuals, Church's Performance and it's emotional send off.

Superman Returns 2006

Superman Returns is a 2006 American superhero film directed by Bryan Singer and written by Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris from a story by Singer, Dougherty and Harris based on the DC Comics character Superman. It is the sixteenth film in the Superhero Cinematic Universe. The film stars Brandon Routh as Clark Kent/Superman, Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane, Megan Gale as Wonder Woman, Gerard Butler As General Zod, Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor, with Sam Huntington, Frank Langella, and Parker Posey. The film tells the story of the title character returning to Earth after a five-year absence. He finds that his love interest Lois Lane has moved on with her life, and that his archenemy Lex Luthor is plotting a scheme to kill Superman and reshape North America. Upon release, the film received generally positive reviews from critics, who complimented its visual effects, story, Routh and Bosworth's performances and Singer's direction. However, it received criticism focusing on its runtime and lack of action sequences. It was the ninth highest-grossing film of 2006, Warner Bros. was impressed with the worldwide box office return of the film, making a sequel planned for 2009 as a result.

X-Men: The Last Stand 2006

X-Men: The Last Stand is a 2006 superhero film based on the X-Men superhero team introduced in comic books published by Marvel Entertainment Group. It is the sequel to 2003's X2, as well as the third installment in the X-Men film series, and was directed by Brett Ratner. It features an ensemble cast including Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Ian McKellen, Famke Janssen, Anna Paquin, Kelsey Grammer, James Marsden, Rebecca Romijn, Shawn Ashmore, Aaron Stanford, Vinnie Jones and Patrick Stewart. Written by Simon Kinberg and Zak Penn from a story by Penn, Matthew Vaughn, Michael Dougherty, and Bryan Singer, the film is loosely based on two X-Men comic book story arcs: "Gifted" and "The Dark Phoenix Saga", with a plot that revolves around a "mutant cure" that causes serious repercussions among mutants and humans, and on the resurrection of Jean Grey who unleashes a dark force. X-Men: The Last Stand premiered in the Out of Competition section at the Cannes Film Festival, and was released theatrically in the United States on May 26, 2006, by 20th Century Fox. It grossed approximately $459 million worldwide, becoming the seventh-highest-grossing film of 2006; it was at the time the highest-grossing film in the series and currently the fourth-highest-grossing film of the franchise. Critical reception was mixed, with praise for its action but criticism for its lack of depth.

Batman Begins 2005

Batman Begins is a 2005 superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan and written by Nolan and David S. Goyer. The film is based on the DC Comics character Batman, it stars Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne / Batman, with Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Gary Oldman, Cillian Murphy, Tom Wilkinson, Rutger Hauer, Ken Watanabe, and Morgan Freeman in supporting roles. The film reboots the Batman film series, telling the origin story of Bruce Wayne from the death of his parents to his journey to become Batman and his fight to stop Ra's al Ghul and the Scarecrow from plunging Gotham City into chaos. Expectations for Batman Begins ranged from moderate to low, which originated from the poor reception of Batman & Robin that was credited with stalling the Batman film series in 1997. After premiering in Tokyo on May 31, 2005, the film was released on June 15, 2005. It received positive reviews from critics, who deemed the film an improvement over the Schumacher films. Critics praise for the tone, Bale's performance, action sequences, score, direction, and the emotional weight compared to previous Batman films, but criticism was directed at lack of screen time for the villains, the hand to hand combat scenes, and Holmes' performance as Rachel Dawes. The film grossed over $371.9 million worldwide, becoming the ninth-highest-grossing film of 2005 and was the second highest grossing Batman film at the time behind Tim Burton's Batman (1989).

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2005

Marvel Ultimate Alliance is a 2005 American superhero film. It is a sequel to Fantastic Four 2005, presented the way originally intended by director Zack Snyder prior to departing the production. it follows the Marvel Comics heroes Blade, X-Men, Spider-Man, Daredevil, Elektra, Hulk, Punisher and the fantastic Four as they form an alliance in an attempt to stop the catastrophic threat of the interdimensional conqueror Doctor Doom and his army. Marvel Ultimate Alliance was released in the United States on May 18, 2005. It became the fourth-most-watched film on the platform that year. The film was widely considered superior to the previous films, receiving praise for its direction, visual style, musical score, action sequences, performances (particularly Paquin's), improved characterizations, and balance of emotional weight and humor, although reception to its long 242-minute runtime was mixed.

Fantastic Four 2005

Fantastic Four is a 2005 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team of the same name, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. It was directed by Tim Story, and released by 20th Century Fox. The film stars Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, Michael Chiklis, Julian McMahon and Kerry Washington. Fantastic Four was released in the United States on July 8, 2005. Despite receiving generally negative reviews from critics, it grossed over $333 million worldwide and was a box office success. A sequel, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, was released in 2007.

Elektra 2005

Elektra is a 2005 superhero film directed by Rob Bowman. It is a spin-off from the 2003 film Daredevil, starring the Marvel Comics character Elektra Natchios (portrayed by Jennifer Garner). The story follows Elektra, an assassin who must protect a man and his prodigy daughter from another assassin who was hired by The Hand. The film was released on January 14, 2005. Upon its release, Elektra was a commercial and critical failure, grossing $56 million against a production budget of $43–65 million. It received negative reviews from critics, who found the script and storyline lacking, but many praised Garner's performance.

Blade Trinity 2004

Blade: Trinity is a 2004 American superhero film written and directed by David S. Goyer, who also wrote the screenplays to Blade and Blade II. It stars Wesley Snipes as Blade, based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, who also produced with Goyer, Peter Frankfurt and Lynn Harris, with a supporting cast of Jessica Biel, Kris Kristofferson, Dominic Purcell, Parker Posey and Triple H in his acting debut. The third and final installment in the Blade trilogy, the war between humans and vampires continues. Blade has been framed for numerous murders by the vampire leader Danica Talos, who is determined to lead her bloodthirsty compatriots to victory. Blade must team up with a band of rogue vampire hunters to save humanity from his most challenging enemy yet: Dracula. Blade: Trinity was released in the United States on December 8, 2004. The film grossed $132 million at the box office worldwide on a budget of $65 million and received mostly negative reviews from critics for its formulaic themes, directing and acting; it is the worst-reviewed film in the trilogy.

Spider-Man 2 2004

Spider-Man 2 is a 2004 American superhero film directed by Sam Raimi and written by Alvin Sargent from a story by Alfred Gough, Miles Millar and Michael Chabon. Based on the fictional Marvel Comics character of the same name, it is the second installment in Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy and the sequel to Spider-Man (2002), starring Tobey Maguire alongside Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Alfred Molina, Rosemary Harris, and Donna Murphy. Set two years after the events of Spider-Man, the film finds Peter Parker struggling to stop Dr. Otto Octavius from recreating the dangerous experiment that kills his wife and leaves him neurologically fused to mechanical tentacles, while also dealing with an existential crisis between his dual identities that appears to be stripping him of his powers. Spider-Man 2 was released in both conventional and IMAX theaters on June 30, 2004. It received widespread acclaim from critics, who praised its emotional weight and visual effects, as well as Maguire and Molina's performances and Raimi's direction, and grossed $789 million worldwide, making it the third-highest-grossing film of the year. The film is widely regarded as one of the greatest superhero films ever made and a blueprint for future movies in the genre. Its success led to Spider-Man 3 (2007).

The Punisher 2004

The Punisher is a 2004 American vigilante action film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, directed by Jonathan Hensleigh, written by Hensleigh and Michael France, and starring Thomas Jane as the antihero Frank Castle and John Travolta as Howard Saint, a crime boss who orders the death of Castle's entire family with Josh Duhamel making his debut in the Superhero Cinematic Universe as Nick Fury. The film was released on April 16, 2004, by Lions Gate Films and Columbia Pictures, grossing $13 million in the United States over its opening weekend, and reached a total gross of $54 million against a budget of $33 million. It has a 29% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Hulk 2003

Hulk (also known as The Hulk) is a 2003 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Directed by Ang Lee and written by James Schamus, Michael France, and John Turman from a story by Schamus, it stars Edward Norton as Bruce Banner/Hulk, alongside Liv Tyler, William Hurt, Josh Lucas, and Nick Nolte. The film explores Bruce Banner's origins. After a lab accident involving gamma radiation, he transforms into a giant, green-skinned creature known as the "Hulk" whenever stressed or emotionally provoked. The United States military pursues him, and he clashes with his biological father, who has dark plans for his son. Hulk was released by Universal Pictures on June 20, 2003, and grossed $245 million worldwide, becoming one of the highest-grossing films of 2003. Rotten Tomatoes' critical consensus calls it an ambitious film, with praise for its style and Norton's Performance, but criticism for its dialogue and lack of action sequences. A sequel titled The Incredible Hulk and released on June 13, 2008.

X2: United 2003

X2: X-Men United is a 2003 American superhero film directed by Bryan Singer and written by Michael Dougherty, Dan Harris and David Hayter, from a story by Singer, Hayter and Zak Penn. The film is based on the X-Men superhero team appearing in Marvel Comics. It is the sequel to X-Men (2000), as well as the second installment in the X-Men film series, and features an ensemble cast including Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen, Halle Berry, Famke Janssen, James Marsden, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, Brian Cox, Alan Cumming, Bruce Davison, Shawn Ashmore, Aaron Stanford, Kelly Hu, and Anna Paquin. Its plot, inspired by the graphic novel God Loves, Man Kills, concerns the genocidal Colonel William Stryker leading an assault on Professor Xavier's school to build his own version of Xavier's mutant-tracking computer Cerebro, in order to destroy every mutant on Earth and to save the human race from them, forcing the X-Men to team up with the Brotherhood of Mutants, their former enemies, to stop Stryker and save the mutant race. X2 was released in the United States on May 2, 2003 by 20th Century Fox, and received positive reviews for its storyline, action sequences, and performances (particularly Jackman, Janssen, Paquin, Stewart and McKellen and Cox). The film grossed $407 million worldwide, and received eight Saturn Awards nominations. A sequel, X-Men: The Last Stand, was released on May 26, 2006.

Daredevil 2003

Daredevil is a 2003 American superhero film written and directed by Mark Steven Johnson, based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, created by Stan Lee and Bill Everett. The film stars Ben Affleck as Matt Murdock, a blind lawyer who fights for justice in the courtroom and on the streets of New York as the masked vigilante Daredevil. Jennifer Garner plays his love interest Elektra Natchios; Colin Farrell plays the merciless assassin Bullseye; David Keith plays Jack "The Devil" Murdock, a washed up fighter and Matt's father; and Michael Clarke Duncan plays Wilson Fisk, the crime lord also known as the Kingpin. Daredevil was released on February 14, 2003. It received generally mixed reviews from critics, with praise aimed at the action sequences, acting performances, soundtrack, storyline, visual style and stunts, while criticism was aimed at Affleck's performance and its perceived lack of ambition. Nevertheless, the film became the second-biggest February release to that time and went on to a worldwide total gross of $179.2 million against a production budget of $78 million.

Spider-Man 2002

Spider-Man is a 2002 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero of the same name. Directed by Sam Raimi from a screenplay by David Koepp, it is the first installment in Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy, and stars Tobey Maguire as the titular character, alongside Willem Dafoe, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Bryce Dallas Howard, Cliff Robertson, and Rosemary Harris. The film chronicles Spider-Man's origin story and early superhero career. After being bitten by a genetically-altered spider, outcast teenager Peter Parker develops spider-like superhuman abilities and adopts a masked identity to fight crime and injustice in New York City, facing the sinister Green Goblin (Dafoe) in the process. Spider-Man premiered at the Mann Village Theater on April 29, 2002, and was released in the United States on May 3. The film received positive reviews from audiences and critics who praised Raimi's direction, the performances of Maguire, Dafoe and Howard, visual effects, action sequences, and musical score. It was the first film to reach $100 million in a single weekend as well as the most successful film based on a comic book at the time. With a box office gross of over $825 million worldwide, it was the third highest-grossing film of 2002, the highest-grossing superhero film and the sixth highest-grossing film overall at the time of its release. After its success, the film spawned two sequels, Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man 3, released in 2004 and 2007 respectively.

Blade 2002

Blade II is a 2002 American superhero film based on the fictional character Blade from Marvel Comics, directed by Guillermo del Toro and written by David S. Goyer. A sequel to Blade (1998), it is the second installment in the Blade franchise, followed by Blade: Trinity and it is the third film in the Superhero Cinematic Universe. The film follows the human-vampire hybrid Blade in his continuing effort to protect humans from vampires, finding himself in a fierce battle against a group of mutant vampires who seek to commit global genocide of both vampire and human races. Blade and his human allies are coerced into joining forces with a special elite group of vampires. Blade II was released on March 22, 2002 and was a box office success, grossing over $155 million. It received mixed reviews from critics, earning praise for its performances, atmosphere, direction, and action sequences, although its script and lack of character development have been criticized.

X-Men 2000

X-Men is a 2000 American superhero film directed by Bryan Singer and written by David Hayter from a story by Singer and Tom DeSanto. The film is based on the Marvel Comics superhero team of the same name, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, and features an ensemble cast consisting of Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Halle Berry, Famke Janssen, James Marsden, Bruce Davison, Rebecca Romijn, Ray Park, Tyler Mane, and Anna Paquin. The film depicts a world where an unknown proportion of people are mutants, whose possession of superhuman powers makes them distrusted by normal humans. It focuses on mutant Rogue as She is brought into a conflict between two groups that have radically different approaches to bringing about the acceptance of mutant-kind: Charles Xavier's X-Men, and the Brotherhood of Mutants, led by Magneto. X-Men premiered at Ellis Island on July 12, 2000, and was released in the United States on July 14. It was a box office success, grossing over $296.3 million worldwide, and received generally positive reviews from critics, citing its performances (particularly Paquin), story, and thematic depth. The film's success led to a series of sequels, prequels, reboots, and spin-offs, with the overall success of the series helping spawn a reemergence of superhero films.