The Best Comic-Book Movies in 15 Fun Categories

Early reactions to "Captain America: The Winter Soldier," the Chris Evans-led superhero sequel opening Friday, suggest that the film is Marvel's "The Dark Knight," or least the DC Comics rival's attempt at emulating Christopher Nolan's acclaimed 2008 follow-up to "Batman Begins."

With comic-book movies now practically their own genre, it's these points of reference that we as a community of super-fans now rely on (and argue over... a lot) to put them all in perspective.

It can all get a little complicated, which is why we've gone ahead and broken down Hollywood's best comic-book movies, category by exacting category:

1. Best Movie Based on a DC Comics Character

So if "The Winter Soldier" is Marvel's "The Dark Knight," would that make "The Dark Knight" DC's "The Winter Soldier"? Not really. "The Dark Knight" is simply the best of its kind. Maybe of any kind.

2. Best DC Comics Movie, Pre-"Dark Knight"
1978's "Superman," which, considering how little regard Hollywood had for comic-book movies in the decades before and after this Richard Donner classic, is nothing less than a miracle.

[Related: The 11 Unlikeliest Actors Ever Cast in Superhero Movies]

3. Best DC Comics Movie, Post-"Superman" and Pre-"Dark Knight"
Certainly, Christopher Nolan's "Batman Begins," the forerunner of "The Dark Knight" that marked Christian Bale's cape-and-cowl debut, has its admirers, but Tim Burton's 1989 "Batman," with Michael Keaton, gets the nod because it was important. It was the first major film of the graphic-novel era, and its success ensured that it wouldn't be the last.

4. Best DC Comics Movie Released Between Burton's "Batman" and Nolan's "Batman Begins"
If by "best" we mean "most watchable," and we do, then we are going to say "Catwoman," and we are not going to backpedal. (We are, however, going to duck.) The thing is, graphic novels are great and all that, but they can make for grim fodder, and there's nothing grim about "Catwoman." It's just stupid. Plus, it's under two hours. Plus, it's got Halle Berry, who's great at cat-walking, and Sharon Stone, who's great at being comic-book evil. Plus, it's impossible to deny it at least 15 minutes of your time when happening upon it during a channel-surfing spree.

5. Best Marvel Cinematic Universe Marvel Comics Movie
To recap, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is the slate of intertwined, Marvel-produced films starting with 2008's "Iron Man," culminating (for the time) with 2012's "The Avengers," and running now through "Captain America: The Winter Soldier." (The "Spider-Man," "X-Men" and "Fantastic Four" franchises, starring Marvel heroes, but controlled by studios other than Marvel's Disney partner, do not belong to the universe.) Of the Marvel Cinematic Universe batch, the all-star "Avengers" is a 10-year-old comic lover's dream, but "Iron Man 3" is any comic-lover's dream. It's a cinematic page-turner, unburdened by origin stories or set-up. Plus, it's a non-stop showcase for Robert Downey Jr.

6. Best Non-Marvel Cinematic Universe Marvel Comics Movie
2002's "Spider-Man" is the most important comic-book movie since Burton's "Batman" in terms of elevating the game for its genre, but 2004's "Spider-Man 2" is the complete package.

7. Best Comic-Book Movie, Pre-"Superman"
As we said, the pickings from this era are slim (especially since we're not counting comic strips, and therefore are eliminating from consideration wonderful things such as 1969's animated "A Boy Named Charlie Brown"). In the end, our vote goes to 1966's "Batman: The Movie" a campy-fun by-product of the campy-fun Adam West TV series.

8. Best Bad Comic-Book Movie, Post-"Catwoman"
Ben Affleck's "Daredevil" has its director's cut going for it. Nicolas Cage's "Ghost Rider" has its flaming skull going for it. Seth Rogen's "The Green Hornet" has nothing going for it. Ryan Reynolds's "Green Lantern," on the other hand, has everything going for it. It's adorably dopey, never more so then when Sinestro (Mark Strong) goes from a good-green guy to a bad yellow one. Oh, "Green Lantern," you had such hope for a sequel. So cute.

9. Best Bad Comic-Book movie, Pre-"Catwoman"
On account of there being too many contenders, we're going to rule this category invalid until there is further clarification.

10. Best Bad Comic-Book Movie, Pre-"Catwoman," to Feature a Zebra
Now we're talking! And when we're talking about good-bad comic movies that feature zoo animals we can only be talking about the 1984 Tanya Roberts classic, "Sheena."

11. Best Display of Moral Superiority Over a Woody Allen Classic by a Comic-Book Movie
When Allen's 42-year-old TV writer character from "Manhattan" tells his friends he's dating a 17-year-old high schooler, they're surprised, but not unduly fazed — in no way do they give him the business. In "Scott Pilgrim vs. the Word," based on the indie graphic-novel series, "Scott Pilgrim," when Michael Cera's 22-year-old emo dude tells his friends he's dating a 17-year-old high-schooler, the pals totally give him the business.

12. Best Comic-Book Movie You Didn't Know Was a Comic-Book Movie
All right, maybe you knew 2005's "A History of Violence" was based on a graphic novel, but Hollywood apparently didn't. How else to explain the David Cronenberg film earning two, non-tech Oscar nominations, including a Best Supporting Actor nod for William Hurt, from the notoriously comic-book-adverse Academy? ("Road to Perdition," which scored a Supporting Actor nomination for Paul Newman, could also qualify here.)

13. Best Comic-Book Movie Based on an Alan Moore Comic Book
As a literary work, "Watchmen" is one of the best all-time novels, graphic or otherwise. As a film? Moore called it "regurgitated worms." The vote here goes to the Hughes brothers' 2001 adaptation of the Jack the Ripper tale, "From Hell," starring Johnny Depp. (For the record, Moore didn't like that movie, either.)

14. Best Comic-Book Movie Starring Scarlett Johansson
She's in "The Avengers" (great). She's in "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" (already loved by critics). She's in "Ghost World" (beloved — and the hands-down winner).

15. Best Comic-Book Movie Starring Chris Evans
First off, what comic-book movie isn't Evans in? He's in "Fantastic Four" and "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer" (unbeloved, both of them). He's a voice actor in the CGI-animated "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" update, "TMNT" (unbeloved). He's in "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" (beloved). He's in "Captain America: The First Avenger" (well-regarded). He's in "The Avengers" (extremely well-regarded). He's in "Captain America: The Winter Solider" (the current Tomatometer leader). To avoid inciting a riot among the "Scott Pilgrim" faithful, we're going to call this one too close to call.