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A happy and hopefully high-flying National Superhero Day to you all!
The best way to celebrate this non-official holiday: by showing your appreciation and donating to the nurses, doctors, medical staff, essential workers and more. After all, every one of them is putting in long hours in life-or-death conditions they could never have predicted, much less asked for, often for little pay.
But then, after paying tribute to our real-world heroes, it's time to watch the fictional ones at work.
To help you find your caped crusader of choice, here's a list of all the superhero movies currently available on the major streaming services. (Some superhero movies are available on lesser-known platforms, or require additional cable or channel subscriptions to stream; if you don't see your favorite on the following list, check JustWatch.com to see if it's available elsewhere.) So be a hero yourself and stay home, stay healthy and stay entertained by one of these heroic Hollywood hits.
Netflix
"Ant-Man and the Wasp": While most of the Marvel movies have made their way to Disney+ by now, this small-scale but largely amusing chapter about the incredible shrinking Scott Lang can still be found on Netflix ... for now.
"Avengers: Infinity War": Watch the set-up for the biggest brawl in big-screen blockbuster history in this "Avengers" installment, finding the Marvel heroes trying to stop Thanos from collecting all of the infinity stones, completing his festive jewelry piece and snapping half of the universe out of existence.
"Ghost Rider": Remember the days when Nicolas Cage was a trusted and respected enough name to merit being the star of a $100 million dollar comic book superhero movie? Well, he was – at least in the case of this 2007 action movie about a stuntman who gets turned into the devil's motorcycle-riding bounty hunter.
"Hancock": The rare superhero movie not based on any pre-existing IP or comic book character, this 2008 blockbuster follows Will Smith's scruffy slacker superhero as he tries to refine his image after causing more damage than good on his drunken duty.
"The Incredibles 2": The Parrs are back to save the day in director Brad Bird's much-anticipated animated superhero sequel, which finds the super-powered family still attempting to find their super-powered place in the world. Plus, you can watch a flamingly furious baby fights a raccoon.
"Spider-Man 3": Sam Raimi's web-slinging trilogy capper is gallingly overstuffed and filled with confused choices (*cue Topher Grace talking as Venom*), but the superhero movie still has plenty to recommend. And it's not even the most overstuffed, tonally off-kilter Spider-Man movie to ever come out!
"Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse": With gorgeously animated pizzazz, a hilarious collection of unexpected characters, tense yet playful comic book-approved action and a story full of wit, color, personality and emotion, "Into the Spider-Verse" is an easy contender for one of the best superhero movies ever made.
"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles": These guys count as superheroes, right? I mean, they're radioactive pizza-eating turtles with martial arts skills; that has to qualify right? And don't worry; this is the original 1990 live-action movie, not the horrifying CGI Michael Bay-produced reboot from 2014.
"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Secret of the Ooze": Come for the heroes in a half-shell kicking ninjas in the face, stay for the random cameo performance from Vanilla Ice. The '90s, man; choices were made.
"TMNT": Before Michael Bay got his hands on them, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles appeared in this beautifully animated adventure about the brothers having to come back together as supernatural forces plot to destroy the city.
"Zoom": Not to be confused with the extremely similar (and superior) "Sky High," this kids superhero movie stars Tim Allen as an out-of-action caped crusader who has to gear up once again to save the world with a bunch of inexperienced super-powered kids.
Disney+
"Ant-Man": Not many movies can ashcan a great director like Edgar Wright, cope with the media side-eyeing that follows and still deliver a solid summer entertainment – but that's what "Ant-Man" and the first adventure of thief-turned-superhero Scott Lang pulled off in 2015.
"The Avengers": Even almost a decade later, it's still crazy that Marvel pulled off "The Avengers" – and pulled it off so well, weaving all of its major characters into one of the most enjoyable blockbusters this side of the millennium and still probably the best MCU movie of the bunch.
"Avengers: Age of Ultron": The franchise's second attempt at bringing all of the heroes together for a big blockbuster bash wasn't quite as successful – you can feel the story gears grinding much more in this mega-sequel – but you still have an incredible cast of heroes on and off duty, a decent villain (rare in many Marvel movies) and some solid comic book action.
"Avengers: Endgame": The true ultimate superhero movie, "Endgame" brought the 20-chapter Marvel Cinematic Universe to a record-smashing, audience-pleasing conclusion ... for a few months, and then "Spider-Man: Far From Home" came out. And then when "Black Widow" will come out. And then when "The Eternals" will come out. And so on and so on.
"Big Hero 6": A superhero movie on Disney+ that isn't a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Whaaaat?! Is that even possible? Yes, it is – and yes, it's also really good, an unfairly forgotten animated fun time about a young boy and his delightful inflatable buddy who create a crew of superheroes. Baymax should be more popular than Olaf, and that is not an opinion; that's a fact.
"Black Panther": A very close second to the title of best Marvel Cinematic Universe movie, Ryan Coogler's Best Picture-nominated blockbuster meshes a fun superhero actioner with the franchise's most complex villain, a thought-out world and a story and characters that feel well beyond just the usual superhero assembly line.
"Captain America: Civil War": Call it "Avengers 2.5." "Civil War" brought almost the entire gang together for an airport rumble between Steve Rogers and Tony Stark, brought to ideological odds before eventually deeply personal odds.
"Captain America: The First Avenger": Welcome to the team, Steve Rogers – and what a welcome it was in this winsome World War II throwback adventure featuring Captain America fighting off the evil Red Skull. He even travels to Milwaukee at one point!
"Captain America: The Winter Soldier": Captain America kicks a lot of modern-day secret Nazis in the face really hard in this movie, and it's very awesome. That is all.
"Captain Marvel": Marvel finally got around to giving a female superhero her first solo adventure in 2019 with this '80s-set origin story starring Brie Larson as a fighter pilot turned intergalactic space cop.
"Doctor Strange": In easily one of the most visually interesting and psychedelic entries to the MCU, Benedict Cumberbatch's Stephen Strange goes on a rehab journey from broken man of science to powerful man of spirituality. And also he gets a funny cape.
"Guardians of the Galaxy": You knew Marvel had something special on its hands when it turned a talking raccoon and a giant humanoid tree into multi-million dollar superstars – and, even more crazily, turned them into a really good movie.
"Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2": Director James Gunn managed to pull off an impressive second act with his ragtag group of interstellar superheroes, making a sequel even more boldly colorful and inventive. It's low-key one of the best of the Marvel bunch.
"The Incredibles": A family of retired and closeted superheroes must suit up and fight their nemesis on a desert island in this delightful animated Pixar jaunt. It's basically the best Fantastic Four movie ever made, despite not actually being a Fantastic Four movie.
"Iron Man": The Marvel movie that started it all, the original "Iron Man" surely feels small-scale compared to how the MCU has grown – heck, it felt small-scale at the time – but that tighter focus on the characters, balance of humor and drama, and performances is what made it great and made it the perfect launching pad for the biggest cinematic franchise ever.
"Iron Man 2": It's a mess, but it's still got some respectable action, it introduced the series to Black Widow in style and it's got Sam Rockwell dancing. So it can't be all that bad.
"Iron Man 3": Probably the most polarizing entry in the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe due to its wild liberties taken with the source material and even within the MCU as a whole. I land on the side of loving it. Shane Black's dialogue and worldview fits Tony Stark like a metal, energy-beam-shooting glove; the action is playful yet intense; and it's one of the rare comic book superhero movies that feels thrillingly unpredictable and unexpected.
"Thor": Remember the days when a Marvel summer blockbuster could climactically end with ... saving a small New Mexico town with, like, a gas station and maybe a bar? This early MCU installment is light on action but heavy on the fun performers (and heavy on the canted angles ... for some reason).
"Thor: The Dark World": We went from Thor having to come to our silly world and hang out powerless in New Mexico to going back to Asgard and diving right into their silly world of Dark Elves and no-holds-barred fantasy tomfoolery. I'm for it – especially when it evolves into the portal fight.
"Thor: Ragnarok": I like all of the Thor movies – but "Thor: Ragnarok," under the guidance of future "Jojo Rabbit" Oscar winner Taika Waititi, finally got the character totally right, making a smart and psychedelic action comedy in the vein of "Flash Gordon." And also: Jeff Goldblum is there.
Hulu
"Fast Color": Love superhero movies but tired of the same overblown CGI-drenched punch-ups and loud derivative action sequences? Try out "Fast Color," a small original take on the genre about a woman with secret superhero abilities hiding out with her family.
"Spider-Man": One of the first movies to start the modern superhero movie boom, Sam Raimi's original "Spider-Man" is still a sweetly enjoyable ride with fun web-slinging action, Raimi's quirky sense of tone and humor, and Willem Dafoe just going nuts as the villainous Green Goblin.
"Super": Before he directed Groot and company to box office and pop cultural glory, writer-director James Gunn directed this very R-rated superhero satire starring Rainn Wilson as a troubled loner who takes to bone-crushing vigilante justice when life doesn't go his way.
Amazon Prime
"Captain America: The First Avenger": What I said above – but this time, it's on Amazon Prime.
"Fast Color": Love superhero movies but tired of the same overblown CGI-drenched punch-ups and loud derivative action sequences? Try out "Fast Color," a small original take on the genre about a ... oh, I already said all of this stuff in the Hulu blurb, didn't I? Well, it's on Amazon Prime too, so you have no excuse not to check it out.
"The Phantom": A relic from late in the '90s wave of comic book movie adaptations, "The Phantom" adapts the classic comic strip character into a pulpy retro-style adventure film starring "Titanic" villain Billy Zane. (Well, the second villain after the iceberg).
As much as it is a gigantic cliché to say that one has always had a passion for film, Matt Mueller has always had a passion for film. Whether it was bringing in the latest movie reviews for his first grade show-and-tell or writing film reviews for the St. Norbert College Times as a high school student, Matt is way too obsessed with movies for his own good.
When he's not writing about the latest blockbuster or talking much too glowingly about "Piranha 3D," Matt can probably be found watching literally any sport (minus cricket) or working at - get this - a local movie theater. Or watching a movie. Yeah, he's probably watching a movie.