What do you want to watch tonight?
Each title says who it's good for, and who it isn't. Tap what you want tonight, or say no to one and why.
Closest to Iron Man first
Iron Man 3 2013
Film
When Tony Stark's world is torn apart by a formidable terrorist called the Mandarin, he starts an odyssey of rebuilding and retribution.
The sides of Iron Man 3
- A hero with panic attacks
- A boy in a snowy town
- Dozens of suits at once
Good for you if
- you like a hero who jokes his way through trouble.
- you like big set pieces, like people falling from a plane.
- you like Robert Downey Jr. carrying a film on charm.
Bad for you if
- you'd rather not watch a hero fall apart. Tony has panic attacks and can't sleep after New York.
- you need the science to hold up. Soldiers glow, breathe fire and regrow lost limbs.
About: trauma · identity · technology
Iron Man 2 2010
Film
With the world now aware of his dual life as the armored superhero Iron Man, billionaire inventor Tony Stark faces pressure from the government, the press and the public to share his technology with the military. Unwilling to let go of his invention, Stark, with Pepper Potts and James 'Rhodey' Rhodes at his side, must forge new alliances – and confront powerful enemies.
The sides of Iron Man 2
- A hero who told the world who he is
- A rival with electric whips
- A heart running out of time
Good for you if
- you like a cocky hero who can't stop showing off.
- you like armour fights and a race track.
Bad for you if
- you lose track easily. Black Widow, Nick Fury, two villains and War Machine all join the story.
- you need the science to hold up. Tony invents a new element in his workshop.
About: legacy · ego · fathers
Avengers: Age of Ultron 2015
Film
When Tony Stark tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes are put to the ultimate test as the fate of the planet hangs in the balance. As the villainous Ultron emerges, it is up to The Avengers to stop him from enacting his terrible plans, and soon uneasy alliances and unexpected action pave the way for an epic and unique global adventure.
The sides of Avengers: Age of Ultron
- A robot that turns on its makers
- The team cracking apart
- A city lifted into the sky
Good for you if
- you like non-stop fights on a huge scale.
- you like a team with lots of personalities clashing.
- you want banter between the big moments.
Bad for you if
- you'd rather sit with one character's inner life. Here a dozen heroes share two hours between battles.
- you need the science to hold up. Tony Stark builds a killer AI by accident and a whole city is lifted into the sky.
About: fear · creation · responsibility
The Incredible Hulk 2008
Film
Scientist Bruce Banner scours the planet for an antidote to the unbridled force of rage within him: the Hulk. But when the military masterminds who dream of exploiting his powers force him back to civilization, he finds himself coming face to face with a new, deadly foe.
The sides of The Incredible Hulk
- A scientist hiding in Brazil
- An army that wants his body
- A fight in Harlem
Good for you if
- you like monster fights in the street.
- you like a fugitive chased across the rooftops of a Rio favela.
Bad for you if
- you watch for characters more than chases. Banner spends most of the film running from the army.
- you need the science to hold up. A gamma accident turns a scientist into a green giant whenever his pulse climbs.
About: anger · control · love
The Avengers 2012
Film
When an unexpected enemy emerges and threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Spanning the globe, a daring recruitment effort begins!
The sides of The Avengers
- A team that can't stand each other
- New York under attack
- Jokes in the middle of the fight
Good for you if
- you want a big final battle that goes on and on.
- you like a crowd of heroes, each with their own moment.
- you want to laugh between the explosions.
Bad for you if
- you want to follow one hero's inner journey. This one is about a team learning to fight together.
- two hours and twenty minutes of assembling a team is too long for your evening.
About: teamwork · ego · trust
Captain America: Civil War 2016
Film
Following the events of Age of Ultron, the collective governments of the world pass an act designed to regulate all superhuman activity. This polarizes opinion amongst the Avengers, causing two factions to side with Iron Man or Captain America, which causes an epic battle between former allies.
The sides of Captain America: Civil War
- Heroes fighting each other
- Two friends on opposite sides
- A battle at an airport
Good for you if
- you like a fight where you don't know who to cheer for.
- you like seeing a dozen heroes pick a side.
- you like friends turning against each other.
Bad for you if
- two and a half hours is too long for your evening.
- you need superhero physics to make sense. Ant-Man grows to giant size mid-fight.
About: loyalty · control · guilt
The Dark Knight 2008
Film
Batman raises the stakes in his war on crime. With the help of Lt. Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman sets out to dismantle the remaining criminal organizations that plague the streets. The partnership proves to be effective, but they soon find themselves prey to a reign of chaos unleashed by a rising criminal mastermind known to the terrified citizens of Gotham as the Joker.
The sides of The Dark Knight
- A villain who only wants chaos
- A city forced to choose
- A hero paying the price
Good for you if
- you like a villain you can't take your eyes off.
- you like scenes where every choice could cost a life.
- you like tension that comes from people talking, like the interrogation room.
Bad for you if
- you need things to end on a high. This one leaves a weight.
- two and a half hours is too long for your evening.
About: chaos · order · sacrifice · corruption
X-Men 2000
Film
Two mutants, Rogue and Wolverine, come to a private academy for their kind whose resident superhero team, the X-Men, must oppose a terrorist organization with similar powers.
The sides of X-Men
- A school for gifted mutants
- A loner with claws
- Two old friends on opposite sides
Good for you if
- you like Hugh Jackman's Wolverine, all claws and bad temper.
- you like outsiders finding a family.
Bad for you if
- you need the science to hold up. A machine on the Statue of Liberty turns humans into mutants.
- you'd rather your superheroes skip politics. A senator wants every mutant registered.
About: prejudice · belonging · fear
The Fantastic Four return to the big screen as a new and all powerful enemy threatens the Earth. The seemingly unstoppable 'Silver Surfer', but all is not what it seems and there are old and new enemies that pose a greater threat than the intrepid superheroes realize.
The sides of Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
- A silver alien on a surfboard
- A wedding interrupted
- A planet-eater coming
Good for you if
- you want a light, short superhero film.
- you like the Human Torch chasing a silver surfer through the skies of New York.
Bad for you if
- you want a character study. This one goes from the Surfer's first sighting to the final fight in about 90 minutes.
- you need the science to hold up. A man of fire and a man of rubber stand up to a planet eater.
About: family · sacrifice
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse 2018
Film
Struggling to find his place in the world while juggling school and family, Brooklyn teenager Miles Morales is unexpectedly bitten by a radioactive spider and develops unfathomable powers just like the one and only Spider-Man. While wrestling with the implications of his new abilities, Miles discovers a super collider created by the madman Wilson "Kingpin" Fisk, causing others from across the Spider-Verse to be inadvertently transported to his dimension.
The sides of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
- A Brooklyn teen becoming Spider-Man
- Spider-people from other worlds
- Graffiti, comics and hip-hop
Good for you if
- you want animation that looks like a comic book come alive.
- you like a spider-pig and a noir detective in the same team.
- you like a hip-hop soundtrack.
Bad for you if
- you don't watch animated films.
- you can't take grief tonight. Under the jokes, this is a story about mourning.
About: identity · family · courage
Justice League 2017
Film
Fuelled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman's selfless act, Bruce Wayne and Diana Prince assemble a team of metahumans consisting of Barry Allen, Arthur Curry and Victor Stone to face the catastrophic threat of Steppenwolf and the Parademons who are on the hunt for three Mother Boxes on Earth.
The sides of Justice League
- Heroes brought together
- A villain from another world
- A fast kid who's never fought
Good for you if
- you like a team-up of big DC heroes.
- you like a nervous new hero cracking jokes.
Bad for you if
- you want long character studies. Here six heroes share two hours.
- you need the logic to hold up. Here everything turns on three alien boxes that can end the world.
About: unity · hope · loss
Avengers: Infinity War 2018
Film
As the Avengers and their allies have continued to protect the world from threats too large for any one hero to handle, a new danger has emerged from the cosmic shadows: Thanos. A despot of intergalactic infamy, his goal is to collect all six Infinity Stones, artifacts of unimaginable power, and use them to inflict his twisted will on all of reality. Everything the Avengers have fought for has led up to this moment - the fate of Earth and existence itself has never been more uncertain.
The sides of Avengers: Infinity War
- A villain who thinks he's right
- Every hero at once
- A fight across several planets
Good for you if
- you want battles on several planets at the same time.
- you want the biggest possible version of everything.
- you like seeing heroes from different films finally meet.
Bad for you if
- two and a half hours of battles is too much for you.
- you hate a story left unfinished. This is the first of two parts, and Endgame picks up where it stops.
About: sacrifice · power · loss
Spider-Man: Homecoming 2017
Film
Following the events of Captain America: Civil War, Peter Parker, with the help of his mentor Tony Stark, tries to balance his life as an ordinary high school student in Queens, New York City, with fighting crime as his superhero alter ego Spider-Man as a new threat, the Vulture, emerges.
The sides of Spider-Man: Homecoming
- A teenager juggling school and saving people
- A villain who's a working man
- Homecoming night
Good for you if
- you like a hero who is awkward, chatty and fifteen.
- you want a light, feel-good superhero film.
- you like action with a bit of clumsiness in it.
Bad for you if
- you want something dark and serious.
- over two hours of school days and web slinging is too long for your evening.
About: growing up · responsibility · belonging
X-Men: Days of Future Past 2014
Film
The ultimate X-Men ensemble fights a war for the survival of the species across two time periods as they join forces with their younger selves in an epic battle that must change the past – to save our future.
The sides of X-Men: Days of Future Past
- Sending a mind back to 1973
- Old and young mutants at once
- A kitchen scene in slow motion
Good for you if
- you like a time-travel mission with high stakes.
- you like two generations of characters in one film.
- you like a dark future racing against the past.
Bad for you if
- you need time travel to follow strict rules. Wolverine's mind is simply sent back to 1973.
- you'd rather skip politics. Mystique's hunt runs through peace talks in Paris and Nixon's White House.
About: second chances · hope · fear
DC's Legends of Tomorrow 2016
Series
When heroes alone are not enough ... the world needs legends. Having seen the future, one he will desperately try to prevent from happening, time-traveling rogue Rip Hunter is tasked with assembling a disparate group of both heroes and villains to confront an unstoppable threat — one in which not only is the planet at stake, but all of time itself. Can this ragtag team defeat an immortal threat unlike anything they have ever known?
The sides of DC's Legends of Tomorrow
- A team of misfit heroes and villains on a time ship
- Missions in the Old West, Camelot and the 1980s
- An assassin who becomes the captain
Good for you if
- you like superheroes who never take themselves seriously.
- you like a big crew of heroes and ex-villains sharing one time ship.
- you want a show that goes sillier every season.
Bad for you if
- seven seasons of time missions is too much for you.
- you need time travel rules that hold together.
About: found family · second chances · time
Spider-Man: No Way Home 2021
Film
Peter Parker is unmasked and no longer able to separate his normal life from the high-stakes of being a super-hero. When he asks for help from Doctor Strange the stakes become even more dangerous, forcing him to discover what it truly means to be Spider-Man.
The sides of Spider-Man: No Way Home
- A secret identity gone public
- Villains from other worlds
- Friends paying the price
Good for you if
- you like a superhero film that hits hard in the last act.
- you like Peter, MJ and Ned sticking together once the whole city knows who he is.
- you like a teenage hero who's still funny under pressure.
Bad for you if
- you'd rather not watch a teenage hero pay a heavy personal price for one spell gone wrong.
- two and a half hours is too long for your evening.
About: responsibility · loss · forgiveness
Spider-Man: Far From Home 2019
Film
Peter Parker and his friends go on a summer trip to Europe. However, they will hardly be able to rest - Peter will have to agree to help Nick Fury uncover the mystery of creatures that cause natural disasters and destruction throughout the continent.
The sides of Spider-Man: Far From Home
- A school trip across Europe
- A new hero who seems too good
- A crush on the Eiffel Tower
Good for you if
- you like a light teen comedy with superpowers.
- you want an easy, holiday-feeling film.
- you like Peter, MJ and Ned on a school trip through Venice, Prague and London.
Bad for you if
- you want something dark and serious.
- you need the science to hold up. Tony Stark's glasses can call in a drone strike.
About: growing up · trust · grief
Guardians of the Galaxy 2014
Film
Light years from Earth, 26 years after being abducted, Peter Quill finds himself the prime target of a manhunt after discovering an orb wanted by Ronan the Accuser.
The sides of Guardians of the Galaxy
- Misfits becoming a family
- A 70s mixtape in space
- A talking raccoon and a tree
Good for you if
- you want an adventure that never takes itself too seriously.
- you like a soundtrack of old hits you'll hum for days.
- you like space battles full of colour.
Bad for you if
- you're in the mood for something dark and serious.
- a talking raccoon and a walking tree are too silly for you.
About: found family · loss · belonging
Thor: Ragnarok 2017
Film
Thor is imprisoned on the other side of the universe and finds himself in a race against time to get back to Asgard to stop Ragnarok, the destruction of his home-world and the end of Asgardian civilization, at the hands of a powerful new threat, the ruthless Hela.
The sides of Thor: Ragnarok
- A god stuck on a junk planet
- A gladiator fight with an old friend
- Colours from an 80s album cover
Good for you if
- you want a superhero film that's basically a comedy.
- you like neon colours and wild costumes.
- you like fights set to rock music.
Bad for you if
- you want something dark and serious.
- loud, silly space humour isn't for you.
About: home · family · letting go
Captain America: The Winter Soldier 2014
Film
After the cataclysmic events in New York with The Avengers, Steve Rogers, aka Captain America is living quietly in Washington, D.C. and trying to adjust to the modern world. But when a S.H.I.E.L.D. colleague comes under attack, Steve becomes embroiled in a web of intrigue that threatens to put the world at risk. Joining forces with the Black Widow, Captain America struggles to expose the ever-widening conspiracy while fighting off professional assassins sent to silence him at every turn. When the full scope of the villainous plot is revealed, Captain America and the Black Widow enlist the help of a new ally, the Falcon. However, they soon find themselves up against an unexpected and formidable enemy—the Winter Soldier.
The sides of Captain America: The Winter Soldier
- A conspiracy inside the agency
- A masked killer from the past
- A fight in an elevator
Good for you if
- you like a spy thriller where nobody can be trusted.
- you like close, hard-hitting fights.
- you like uncovering who's really giving the orders.
Bad for you if
- you need the science to hold up. A super soldier frozen for seventy years takes on flying aircraft carriers.
- you roll your eyes at speeches about freedom and doing the right thing.
About: trust · freedom · friendship