While it’s a near impossible task to rank superhero movies because there are so many these days, undoubtedly, there are a few that are always at the top of the pack. From Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight to Jon Favreau's Iron Man, there’s a list of films that are essential to the lexicon of superhero movies, and it’s safe to say that the beloved and incredibly well-reviewed Captain America: The Winter Soldier lives on it too. So, when Deadpool’s director Tim Miller was asked about his favorite recent superhero movie he reflected back on the Russo Brothers' first film in the MCU, and spoke about why the Marvel classic is one of the best superhero movies.
When asked what his favorite “recent superhero movie” was, Miller revealed it was Captain America: The Winter Soldier, giving the caveat that while his top movie isn’t exactly recent anymore (it came out in 2014), it is his all-time favorite. The director explained his reasoning to Collider, saying:
I'm not gonna say recent, I’m gonna say—because it's been for a long time—[Captain America: The] Winter Soldier is my favorite comic book. It was just done so well. The movie is engaging, and it feels like the real world, but it also feels like a comic book, so I love that. But I love them for different reasons.
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How could you argue with that logic? In CinemaBlend’s ranking of Marvel movies, Winter Solider is among the top five, and for years now the political drama of a superhero movie has remained a fan-favorite. This film is a fantastic sequel, that acted as both a continuation of the first Captain America and an expansion of the MCU, which is on full display if you go back and watch the Marvel movies in order.
The plot is contained to its own story, and it's grounded in the MCU’s history too. Overall, The Russo Brothers really did a fantastic job with the film on all fronts, and it makes it obvious why they went on to direct three more Marvel movies.
Along with Winter Soldier, Miller also noted how Taika Waititi’s Thor: Ragnarok – which is tonally totally different from the Captain America sequel – also stood out as a favorite to him. The Deadpool director said:
Taika Waititi’s Thor [Ragnarok], the first one, was so cool for a variety of different reasons that Winter Soldier didn't have. So that's what I mean by, I think there's a lot of room to maneuver inside that, and I feel like there's a lot of superhero content coming out now. It's not just the movies anymore. There are these big Marvel productions that feel like the same production quality as a movie, the same epic scope as the movies often have. So there's just a lot more content out there.
Like Winter Soldier, Ragnarok showed how Marvel movies can thrive when they’re given the chance to play with genre. Both films have distinct voices, and they weren’t afraid to push the characters to unexpected and new places.
Both these choices, but specifically The Winter Soldier, make so much sense to me. Like Deadpool, the Captain America film showed how a superhero movie can thrive when it jumps outside of the typical tropes of the genre. While those jumps were in two polar opposite directions – Deadpool is a meta comedy while Winter Soldier is a very straight political thriller – they are fantastic examples of the range superhero movies can have, and how good they can be when there’s a unique and distinct vision behind them.
Luckily, we’ll get to see how Captain America’s and Deadpool’s stories continue as they both have films slated on the 2024 movie schedule. While Shawn Levy’s Deadpool 3 now has a release date that is in flux, it seems likely it’ll still come out sometime next year. Meanwhile, the Anthony Mackie-led Captain America: Brave New World is set to hit theaters in July. So, while we wait to see if these two movies can live up to their predecessors, you can stream Tim Miller’s favorite superhero movies, as well as his own Marvel film, with a Disney+ subscription.
