On a recent live stream, YouTuber Convicted Cinephile and a panel of movie lovers went through a bracket of “Films Based on Comic Books” and picked their favorites in randomly selected head-to-head battles. The majority would win the round, and many decisions came down to one vote. I decided to go through the same tournament and pick my favorites. The results were a mixture of some of the same picks as the streamer’s consensus and plenty of others (including the winner) being completely different. Be sure to check out the video to see which films got picked on the live stream.

ROUND #1

WINNER: Wonder Woman

I’m not a giant “Wonder Woman” fan, but pitted against “Morbius,” almost anything would win. Overall, I enjoyed Gal Gadot in the title role, and her chemistry with Chris Pine is undeniable. Jared Leto as Morbius, however, was eye-rollingly bad. Matt Smith was fine as the villain, but the rest of the movie was so bad that he shone in it.

WINNER: Iron Man

It might be blasphemous, but I am a bigger fan of “Iron Man” than I am of “Batman.” Having grown up with “Batman,” the film never quite reached me as it did so many others. Michael Keaton is superb as the Caped Crusader, and Jack Nicholson is iconic as the Joker, but, especially as a kid, Tim Burton’s style did very little for me. “Iron Man,” on the other hand, kicked off one of the greatest franchises of our time and did so almost immediately. I remember when it first hit theaters, I avoided it because I knew very little about the character, but when it hit the cheap second-run theaters, I went and ended up genuinely blown away. Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark is one of the best casting decisions in cinema history.

WINNER: The Dark Knight

When I first saw the trailer for “The Dark Knight,” like many others, I balked about Heath Ledger playing the Joker. The “A Knight’s Tale” and “10 Thing I Hate About You” guy? No way. But I still went to see the movie opening weekend, and my God, was I completely wrong. Ledger was unrecognizable. Christopher Nolan’s rich creativity mixed with the lore of Batman was a match made in heaven. I was, however, a massive fan of “The Punisher” as well. Thomas Jane wasn’t the most extraordinary Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal is WAY better). Still, they brought darkness to the comic book world with this film, which was refreshing then (“The Dark Knight” would eventually go SO much darker). One thing “The Punisher” does have is one of my all-time favorite songs: “Broken” by Seether and Amy Lee.

WINNER: Avengers: Infinity War

By the time “Avengers: Infinity War” was released, eighteen Marvel films had come and gone, and “Infinity War” set out to culminate them all. Bringing all the storylines together and balancing countless characters, there is not much comparison compared to “Thor: Ragnarok.” It is my favorite of the “Thor” franchise, and Taika Waititi does an excellent job of balancing the dark with the comedy, but “Ragnarok” barely makes my Top 20 favorite Marvel films. At the same time, “Infinity War” is my second favorite, just after “Avengers: End Game.”

WINNER: X-Men

The 2003 “Daredevil” has to go down as one of the most ill-advised superhero movies ever. With Ben Affleck in the title role and a slew of miscast roles, from Jennifer Garner as Elektra to Colin Farrell as Bullseye, the film stood little chance of beating any competition in this bracket challenge. The first “X-Men” may not be the greatest, but its foundation is solid, with superb casting and a decent introduction to the world of mutants.

WINNER: Deadpool

The casting of Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool is too perfect. Having an “R-Rated” superhero movie do so much more for the genre than “Guardians of the Galaxy.” Yes, Chris Pratt is excellent as Star-Lord, and the “Guardians” series of films is much better as a whole than “Deadpool,” comparing the two films apples to apples, it’s a pretty easy pick. James Gunn worked miracles with “Guardians” by taking these bizarre characters (a talking raccoon and tree) and making you care about them. But the humor of “Guardians” was one of the main things that detracted from my enjoyment of the film, while “Deadpool” thrives on its jokes.

WINNER: Spider-Man: No Way Home

The way “Spider-Man: No Way Home” was able to weave in the past iterations of Spider-Man was an incredible accomplishment, and as a Spider-Man fan, when people call out “fan service” as a bad thing, I guess I’m one of the people they were servicing. Seeing Tobey Macguire, Andrew Garfield, and Tom Holland interacting in the same film, fighting villains from their past battles, was a moment I never imagined I would ever see. And to have them back, with all the original stars, is sincerely an iconic moment. “Joker,” on the other hand, felt a bit too artsy. I enjoyed it immensely, Joaquin Phoenix is great in the role, but ultimately, it was far less superhero and way more Scorsese.

WINNER: Logan

I’ve never been a big fan of the Superman character. As much as Christopher Reeve is fantastic in the role, the “Superman” movie has never done much for me. “Logan” took characters we thought we knew and put them in brand new situations, with a famous storyline in the comics of “Old Man Logan.” Injecting superhero films with other genres tend to make them the best, and with “Logan” being a part of the Western genre, it infuses so many more elements that we don’t usually get from other X-Men films.

WINNER: Black Panther

As classic as “Men In Black” is, I find it hard to compare it to other films “based on comic books.” It’s a great science fiction comedy and would rank high in that category of movies, but when it comes to straight-up superhero films, “Black Panther” is the winner. Not only was Chadwick Boseman perfect casting in the title role, but Michael B. Jordan as Killmonger might rank as one of the best villains ever. Overall, the film felt like an event and a shift in the dichotomy of movie-going.

WINNER: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

“The Lego Batman Movie” is fun and well-animated, but I’ve got to go with the film I loved as a kid, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.” Legos were a staple in my childhood playtime, but Batman was not one of my favorites. However, I owned a ton of TMNT figures, and even though I was extremely young when the 90s films came out when I was a little bit older, they were everything to me.

WINNER: Hellboy

This one is easy, as I haven’t seen “Dick Tracy.” Even so, as much as I enjoy Guillermo del Toro’s “Hellboy,” I don’t think there’s anyway “Dick Tracy” could beat it. As the title character of Hellboy, Rob Perlman is perfect casting, and you get the sense that del Toro is passionate about this storytelling.

WINNER: Spider-Man 2

Sam Raimi’s “Spider-Man 2” is one of my favorite films ever. The portrayal of Peter Parker’s struggle between living an everyday life and being a web-slinger is one of the best put in a movie. Alfred Molina as Doc Ock encapsulates the iconic villain and delivers a brilliant and terrifying performance. The rest of the cast is excellent, the soundtrack is phenomenal, and no superhero film matches what Raimi did here. “Watchmen” was the first of its kind and set Zack Snyder on the path to directing DC films, but there’s no comparison between “Watchmen” and “Spider-Man 2.”

Ang Lee’s “Hulk” gets a little too much hate, but in the era of fantastic superhero films we’ve gotten, it does not compare. “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” surprised me when I first saw it. I’m already a Spider-Man fan, and my expectations were low, and the film blew me away. The animation style was revolutionary, the voice-acting was incredible, and it offered so much of the Spider-Man lore that was untouched in anything we had seen.

WINNER: X-Men: First Class

“Blade” hit at a time in my life when I just wasn’t into it, and even when I got older, it still didn’t mean much to me. “X-Men: First Class,” on the other hand, got me excited about the X-Men franchise after several missteps in the franchise (“X-Men: The Last Stand” and “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”). With a reset of the characters by going the prequel route, the story is captivating, Michael Fassbender is a scene stealer, and James McAvoy and Jennifer Lawrence bring a level of prestige that no one else was carrying at the time. Even the fact that they could connect this era to the Hugh Jackman-Patrick Stewart era made me love this film even more.

WINNER: Man Of Steel

I have heard of “The Crow” but have never watched it. Not being a huge Superman fan, I could see a world where I might like “The Crow” better than “Man Of Steel,” but since I haven’t seen it, I have to go with the latter. Henry Cavill embodied the role admirably and rose above the overly desaturated world that Zack Snyder was building. Michael Shannon is the cherry on top of this film, as the villain General Zod. But at the end of the day, it’s just two gods fighting through the skies, destroying high rises, and punching each other for no reason.

The ingenuity of “Sin City” sets it apart from so many films, but “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” is the better film. Robert Rodriguez brings to life a film noir unlike any other, with an attention to detail that he rarely shows in his career. The cast gives it their all, resulting in a unique experience. But, “The Winter Soldier” kicked the Marvel Cinematic Universe into a new gear. Mixing the superhero genre with an espionage thriller was genius. Even if you’ve never seen a comic book film prior, you could watch and be just as invested as someone who’s seen them all.

ROUND #2

WINNER: Iron Man

Both “Iron Man” and “Wonder Woman” are origin stories, but it’s hard to find a single thing wrong with “Iron Man.” At the same time, “Wonder Woman” has a few questionable moments, with the villain being lackluster and the CGI not looking finished. The casting of Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man is more of a highlight than Gal Gadot as Diana Prince. Also, the kick-off of the entire MCU was thanks to “Iron Man.” While “Wonder Woman” may be one of the only bright spots in the DCU franchise, it did little to lift the series.

WINNER: The Dark Knight

“The Dark Knight” versus “Avengers: Infinity War” must be one of the most complex decisions in this bracket. They both accomplished things no other superhero movie had done in their time, both have next-level villains in Joker (Heath Ledger) and Thanos (Josh Brolin), and both are the highlights of their franchises. Having to pick just one, I would go with “The Dark Knight,” because it impacted me in 2008 more than “Infinity War” did in 2018. I also don’t think “Infinity War” works without “End Game,” whereas “The Dark Knight” works perfectly well with “Batman Begins” or “The Dark Knight Rises.”

WINNER: Deadpool

It’s funny that both films are from the X-Men universe, but it’s an easy pick of “Deadpool” here. It was an admirable introduction to the mutants in “X-Men” in 2000, and the casting choices stood up to decades of films after, but “Deadpool” is just the more enjoyable film to me. Ryan Reynolds is perfect as the title character, and with the R-rating, they could do so many more things than “X-Men” was allowed to do.

WINNER: Spider-Man: No Way Home

Another tough decision because “Logan” is such a departure from what we had come to expect from X-Men films. The Western tones helped make this a much more emotionally complex film. But, “Spider-Man: No Way Home” found a way to tie together decades worth of Spider-Man movies I grew up loving. Bringing back all the previous live-action Spider-men and a handful of their greatest villains, it was a dream come to life.

WINNER: Black Panther

As pivotal for my childhood as “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” was, “Black Panther” is the better film. Chadwick Boseman and the entire cast of characters do more for the genre than almost any other film. I also tend to like “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze” better than the original, whereas I like “Black Panther” better than its sequel, “Wakanda Forever.”

WINNER: Spider-Man 2

I wouldn’t call myself the biggest fan of the “Hellboy” series. I love Guillermo del Toro’s work and appreciate what he does with those films. But, pit against one of my favorite films ever, not just in the superhero genre, it is no contest. To me, “Spider-Man 2” is the pinnacle of telling a fantastic story. The first “Spider-Man” was enjoyable, but the sequel took the characters to such new, extraordinary levels that it was one of the first times I felt blown away in a movie theater. The only comics I grew up reading were Spider-Man, and no one else I knew was reading them. So seeing some of my favorite comic book pages brought to life in such an epic way, in a big-budget movie was a validation I had not yet encountered in my early years.

Again, my Spider-Man love overcomes my enjoyment of the X-Men series. “First Class” was great for what it did for the X-Men franchise, but “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” reinvented how to make superhero movies and how to make animated movies. Exploring Miles Morales’ genesis for the first time was a landmark, and it’s hard to find anything wrong with the film.

With no question, my pick here is “Captain America: The Winter Soldier.” It is one of my favorite Marvel films, there are so many tense, iconic moments in the film, and once again, the casting is impeccable. “Man of Steel” has a few moments that make it better than many of the DCU franchises, but that doesn’t take much. Being one of the best films in the MCU is a real feat.

ROUND #3

WINNER: The Dark Knight

Someone mentioned that if you take Heath Ledger out of “The Dark Knight,” you’re left with an average Batman movie. I wholeheartedly disagree. Christopher Nolan’s take on the character was unlike anything we’d seen before. The 1960s Batman was fun and goofy; the Tim Burton era was also about style and goofiness. But when Nolan came along and added darkness to the subject matter, grounding everything in reality, it made someone who wasn’t the biggest Batman fan into someone who would pick “The Dark Knight” over almost everything. It’s jaw-dropping to see that both of these films came out in 2008 because without either, we wouldn’t be where we are in the superhero genre today.

WINNER: Spider-Man: No Way Home

I saw both of these films in theaters on their opening weekends. During “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” the audience I watched it with interacted in a way that no other crowd I’ve been a part of has replicated before. They were cheering, crying, and whooping at all the pivotal moments. That experience, combined with a deep love for the story and characters, is enough to make this a favorite of mine. There were plenty of laughs in my “Deadpool” screening, but nothing even remotely close to my “No Way Home” experience. “Deadpool” is great, but “Spider-Man: No Way Home” is far superior.

WINNER: Spider-Man 2

Both of these films are like comic book pages coming to life. They transpose their source material to the big screen epically and satisfactorily. They both have perfect villains and dive into more profound philosophical questions about what it is to be a hero and what you give up in the process. My choice comes down to personal preference. As “Spider-Man 2” is one of my favorite films, I would pick it over “Black Panther.”

It looks like my Spider-Man love only goes so far because “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” is my choice over “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.” Both films were better than I anticipated, but I think I know where the difference comes in. I’m a huge Spider-Man fan, and even though I didn’t know what to expect when I saw “Into the Spider-Verse,” my love for it was more apt to set me up for loving it. However, I was not the biggest fan of “Captain America: The First Avenger.” I found the character a little dull. So for “The Winter Soldier” to completely turn me around on Steve Rodgers was a more considerable feat than liking a Spider-Man movie that I probably would have enjoyed no matter what.

ROUND #4

WINNER: The Dark Knight

As incredible as the experience was of seeing “Spider-Man: No Way Home” in theaters with an audience just as invested as me, I remember when “The Dark Knight” screening I attended finished, I sat in the theater awe-struck. It was such an incredible experience seeing a character I had written off as not being interested in portrayed in such a new and intense way. Time will tell if it stays this way, but at this moment in time, “The Dark Knight” looms more significant in my love of movies than “No Way Home.”

WINNER: Spider-Man 2

“Captain America: The Winter Soldier” may have turned me around on the character of Steve Rodgers, but “Spider-Man 2” was the culmination of a deep love for Spider-Man.

FINAL ROUND

Both “The Dark Knight” and “Spider-Man 2” are ranked as two of my favorite films of all time. They both left me stunned after seeing them. Heath Ledger as the Joker and Alfred Molina as Doc Ock set the bar for villains in superhero movies. What it ends up coming down to is my lifelong affinity for Spider-Man. I still remember finding my first Spider-Man comic book at a garage sale with my mom. It was “Amazing Spider-Man Volume 1 #12,” where Dr. Octopus unmasked Peter, and I read it until the pages started falling out. So, as much as “The Dark Knight” forever holds a spot as one of my favorites, “Spider-Man 2,” and the character, in general, is intertwined with my childhood in a way that almost no other story, movie, or character could ever compare.

WINNER

Spider-Man 2

Reading the comics as a kid, I often questioned why Spider-Man would want to keep fighting crime when it messes with his life as Peter Parker. It’s impossible to balance the two personas and give either one your all. It messed with his relationships and studies, and he was often distracted during his battles. So, for Sam Raimi to tackle all those questions I had as a kid in “Spider-Man 2,” with one of my favorite comic book villains, Doc Ock, it felt like someone was making a movie just for me. To take that idea to the next level, my favorite band at the time, Dashboard Confessional, announced they had written a song for the film called “Vindicated” at the first concert I had ever gone to. It, too, remains one of my favorite songs ever. Overall, “Spider-Man 2” combined many vital elements of my life in a well-made, standing-the-test-of-time film. And the fact that they were revisited in “Spider-Man: No Way Home” only made me love it more.