From the very first - The Mask Of Zorro in 1920 - to the imminent Captain America: Civil War, superhero movies have promised us the simple pleasure of watching good over come evil mixed in with edge-of-your-seat action sequences.

Of course given that over the past 96 years Hollywood has produced over 100 superhero films and shows no sign of slowing down anytime soon - Marvel has 10 more planned between now and 2019, while rival DC Comics have added 11 to their schedule - it is inevitable that some have faired better than others.

In fact, when there are so many of such varying quality you could be forgiven for writing off anything involving men in capes for good, but that would be to denying yourself some of the most exciting, innovative and downright fun films ever made.

Don't be that guy. Instead catch up with our list of ten greatest superhero movies ever made. 

1 | Iron Man (2008)

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The first film to be released in Marvel's Cinematic Universe way back in 2008 had been in development since 1990. Robert Downey Jr was praised for his performance as Tony Stark and the film ended up taking nearly $600 million at the box office. Good things come to those who wait.

2 | Superman (1978)

Richard Donner's classic was not only pioneering for its special effects but also had a cast of Oscar winners including Marlon Brando and Gene Hackman. The film cost $55 million to make - the most expensive for its time.

3 | The Dark Knight (2008)

In addition to Heath Ledger's Oscar winning performance, Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard's Grammy award winning soundtrack really adds a whole new dimension to this film. It will, however, be best remembered as the film launched the 'superhero movie as dark psychological thriller' movement thanks to director Christoph Nolan.

4 | Batman (1989)

A number of Hollywood actors were tipped to play The Caped Crusader in Tim Burton's film, including Harrison Ford, Mel Gibson and Bill Murray. Michel Keaton was cast in the end but the real winner of this film has to be Jack Nicholson as The Joker. His reported $6 million plus box office takings salary was well worth it.

5 | Guardians of The Galaxy (2014)

Critics thought Marvel were taking a huge gamble on releasing a film with relatively unknown superheroes. How they were wrong. With a great cast (Bradley Cooper as a Racoon = genius casting) and an equally great soundtrack, this film passed all expectations and grossed over $700 million at the box office, globally.

6 | Spider-Man (2002)

The first film to pass the $100 million mark in a single weekend, Spider-Man had Tobey Maguire swinging around New York in some truly thrilling sequences orchestrated by Sam Raimi (he of Evil Dead fame). It was nominated for two Oscars but, outrageously, lost out to The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers for Best Visual Effects.

7 | Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

Set two years after the battle of New York (See The Avengers), this MCU phase two film saw Captain America reunited with Bucky Barnes to fight terrorist organisation Hydra. It was, surprisingly for a film about a superhero, also very politically astute.

8 | Blade (1998)

This film received a mixed reception when released but gained a huge cult following and grossing more than $130 million at the box office. Wesley Snipes took the lead but he almost didn't get the role as LL Cool J was favourite to become the half-vampire slaying superhero.

9 | X Men: Days of Future Past (2014)

Characters new and old got together for Bryan Singer's superhero romp as Wolverine travels back in time to save the future of mankind. The scriptwriters must've had a huge headache writing this but pulled it off with some great story telling and awesome battle scenes. The costumes are pretty spectacular too.

10 | The Avengers

The fifth highest grossing film of all time netting a whopping $1.5 billion, The Avengers saw six Marvel characters come together to save New York. The film took seven years from development to big screen and cost $220 million to make. No wonder it's so good.