Long before Marvel Studios started struggling with its Marvel Cinematic Universe (which might be better left to die at this point) there were some historic superhero movie missteps. The first real superhero blockbuster, 1978's "Superman" remains one of the greatest comic book movies of all time, but even that birthed some seriously questionable sequels, thereby setting a precedent for the best and worst superhero films to come.

In the years since Christopher Reeve's Supes convinced audiences of the late-70s that a man could fly, we have had some downright abject superhero outings. When done right, these films can offer the ultimate escapist fantasy, tapping into our collective inner child and taking us on rapturous thrill-rides through our own imaginations. Or, they can be "Black Adam." I kid ... sort of. The problem exemplified by that notoriously underwhelming DC effort is that these films can often just be lazy, formulaic,...