2018 — Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
The storied halls of the Marvel Cinematic Universe have been praised the world over for their near perfect comic-to-screen adaptations of their characters, but 2018’s Into the Spider-Verse may have taken the crown from them — at least for the classic web-slinging hero. Embracing the multitude of universe-hopping narratives and the pop art style of the pages themselves, the uproarious animation is gorgeous, evocative, and filled with more Easter eggs than a modern Star Wars film.
While Peter Parker has always been the focus of any Spider-Man film, Into the Spider-Verse dedicates most of its run-time focusing on Miles Morales — a half African-American, half Hispanic high school student whose love for art and music is interrupted by a spider bite.
Soon, universes literally collide, bringing together so many underutilized characters that only comic book fans — not comic book movie fans — would know. Like any great superhero film, Spider-Verse shows us that having powers doesn’t make you any more special than someone that doesn’t — true heroes are born when they choose to use that power to help.
Image Source: IMDb