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Best Based on comic Movies

Ranked by how strongly each film carries the visual signature of based on comic cinema — measured across 13,017 indexed frames from 141 films, against a 404,689-frame catalogue baseline. Not by box office, and not by vote.

Based on comic films over-index on cape, armor and mask — the objects that make the genre recognisable before a line is spoken.

  1. 1

    The Batman (2022)

    Matt ReevesDP Greig FraserIMDb 7.8TMDB 7.7See in full on FrameThrower →

    Two years of nights have turned Bruce Wayne into a nocturnal animal. But as he continues to find his way as Gotham's dark knight, Bruce is forced into a game of cat and mouse with his biggest threat so far, a manic killer known as "The Riddler" who is filled with rage and determined to expose the corrupt system whilst picking off all of Gotham's key political figures. Working with both established and new allies, Bruce must track down the killer and see him brought to justice, while investigating his father's true legacy and questioning the effect that he has had on Gotham so far as "The Batman."

  2. 2

    Justice League Dark: Apokolips War (2020)

    Matt Peters, Christina SottaIMDb 7.8TMDB 8.2See in full on FrameThrower →

    Earth is decimated after intergalactic tyrant Darkseid has devastated the Justice League in a poorly executed war by the DC Super Heroes. Now the remaining bastions of good – the Justice League, Teen Titans, Suicide Squad and assorted others – must regroup, strategize and take the war to Darkseid in order to save the planet and its surviving inhabitants.

  3. 3

    Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)

    Jon WattsDP Matthew J. LloydIMDb 7.3TMDB 7.4See in full on FrameThrower →

    Our friendly neighborhood Super Hero decides to join his best friends Ned, MJ, and the rest of the gang on a European vacation. However, Peter's plan to leave super heroics behind for a few weeks are quickly scrapped when he begrudgingly agrees to help Nick Fury uncover the mystery of several elemental creature attacks, creating havoc across the continent.

  4. 4

    The Flash (2023)

    Andy MuschiettiDP Henry BrahamIMDb 6.6TMDB 6.6See in full on FrameThrower →

    When his attempt to save his family inadvertently alters the future, Barry Allen becomes trapped in a reality in which General Zod has returned and there are no Super Heroes to turn to. In order to save the world that he is in and return to the future that he knows, Barry's only hope is to race for his life. But will making the ultimate sacrifice be enough to reset the universe?

  5. 5

    Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021)

    Zack SnyderDP Fabian WagnerIMDb 7.9TMDB 8.1See in full on FrameThrower →

    Determined to ensure Superman's ultimate sacrifice was not in vain, Bruce Wayne aligns forces with Diana Prince with plans to recruit a team of metahumans to protect the world from an approaching threat of catastrophic proportions. The task proves more difficult than Bruce imagined, as each of the recruits must face the demons of their own pasts to transcend that which has held them back, allowing them to come together, finally forming an unprecedented league of heroes. Now united, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash may be too late to save the planet from Steppenwolf, DeSaad and Darkseid and their dreadful intentions.

  6. 6

    Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

    Zack SnyderDP Larry FongIMDb 6.4TMDB 6.0See in full on FrameThrower →

    The general public is concerned over having Superman on their planet and letting the "Dark Knight" - Batman - pursue the streets of Gotham. While this is happening, a power-phobic Batman tries to attack Superman. Meanwhile, Superman tries to settle on a decision, and Lex Luthor, the criminal mastermind and millionaire, tries to use his own advantages to fight the "Man of Steel".

  7. 7

    Justice Society: World War II (2021)

    Jeff WamesterIMDb 6.4TMDB 7.4See in full on FrameThrower →

    The Justice Society of America, a group of heroes aiding the allies in World War 2, acquire an ally from the future who sends them on an adventure that changes history.

  8. 8

    Thor: The Dark World (2013)

    Alan TaylorDP Kramer MorgenthauIMDb 6.7TMDB 6.5See in full on FrameThrower →

    Thousands of years ago, a race of beings known as Dark Elves tried to send the universe into darkness by using a weapon known as the Aether. Warriors from Asgard stopped them, but their leader Malekith (Christopher Eccleston) escaped to wait for another opportunity. The warriors find the Aether, and since it cannot be destroyed, they try to hide it. In the present day, Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) awaits the return of Thor (Chris Hemsworth), although it has been two years since they last saw once another. In the meantime, Thor has been trying to bring peace to the nine realms. Jane discovers an anomaly similar to the one that brought Thor to Earth. She goes to investigate, finds a wormhole, and is sucked into it. Back on Asgard, Thor wishes to return to Earth, but his father, Odin (Sir Anthony Hopkins), refuses to let him. Thor learns from Heimdall (Idris Elba), who can see into all of the realms, that Jane disappeared. Thor then returns to Earth just as Jane reappears. However, when some Policemen try to arrest her, an unknown energy repulses them. Thor then brings Jane to Asgard to find out what happened to her. When the energy is released again, they discover that when Jane disappeared, she crossed paths with the Aether and it entered her. Malekith, upon sensing that the time to strike is now, seeks out the Aether. He attacks Asgard and Thor's mother Frigga (Rene Russo) is killed protecting Jane. Odin wants to keep Jane on Asgard so that Malekith will come. Thor disagrees with his plan, so with his cohorts, he decides to take Jane away. He enlists the aid of his brother, Loki (Tom Hiddleston). Unfortunately, Loki's motivations remain unknown.

  9. 9

    Man Of Steel (2013)

    Zack SnyderDP Amir MokriIMDb 7.1TMDB 6.6See in full on FrameThrower →

    A young boy learns that he has extraordinary powers and is not of this Earth. As a young man, he journeys to discover where he came from and what he was sent here to do. But the hero in him must now emerge if he is to save the world from annihilation and become the symbol of hope for all mankind.

  10. 10

    Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)

    Peyton ReedDP Bill PopeIMDb 6.0TMDB 6.2See in full on FrameThrower →

    Super-Hero partners Scott Lang and Hope van Dyne, along with with Hope's parents Janet van Dyne and Hank Pym, and Scott's daughter Cassie Lang, find themselves exploring the Quantum Realm, interacting with strange new creatures and embarking on an adventure that will push them beyond the limits of what they thought possible.

What based on comic films are made of

How much more often each element appears in a based on comic frame than in an average frame from the catalogue. A ratio, not a share — cape is not in most frames, it is simply far more common here than anywhere else.

  • cape9.5×
  • armor9.3×
  • mask8.0×
  • debris3.6×
  • helmet3.0×
  • smoke2.6×
  • fire2.3×
  • trench coat2.0×

How based on comic films are shot

Weaker signals than the objects above, and worth saying so: most dramatic genres skew dark and night-heavy, so these numbers separate based on comic from the catalogue far more than they separate it from its neighbours.

  • 12%low anglevs 5% baseline
  • 29%dayvs 43% baseline
  • 32%naturalvs 44% baseline
  • 50%low keyvs 39% baseline
  • 53%nightvs 42% baseline

What breaks the pattern

Popeye (1980) is the least typical film here — it carries the least of what the rest of this list is made of. Which is either a failure of the genre label, or the most interesting film on the page.

Method

Every frame in the FrameThrower catalogue is tagged for shot size, lighting, time of day, camera angle, colour and the objects visible in it. This page aggregates those tags across 13,017 frames from 141 films carrying the based on comic label, and compares each figure to the same measurement across the whole catalogue (404,689 frames). Films are ranked by how closely they match the theme’s over-indexed elements, weighted by how distinctive each element is; one film per series. Only films with at least 20 indexed frames and 500 TMDB votes are listed.

Machine-readable: /api/list/based-on-comic

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These are real movie frames, shown at reduced resolution. All rights remain with their respective owners; they appear here for study, commentary and education under fair-use principles. How these are meant to be used