The Best Superhero Movies Available On Netflix Instant Stream

As you know, Netflix has a massive library of movies in all genres. Action, drama, thriller, horror, romance and sci-fi just to name a few. Superhero movies have always existed, but in the past decade, as special effects and technology have improved and interest peaked, it has become a massive genre of film in it's own right. While in the past, we may have lumped Superhero movies into other genres, it has earned the right to have it's own list, and Netflix has a number of great Superhero films. Some of them you may know well, and some you may be surprised to see. Check out this list of the best Superhero movies on Netflix and start adding them to your queue!

The biggest Superhero movie in terms of scale, perhaps of all time, Marvel's The Avengers did what nobody believed possible. It put 4 of the biggest superhero franchises on earth into one movie, without pulling any punches in terms of big names. Robert Downey Jr as Tony Stark/Iron Man. Chris Hemsworth as Thor. Chris Evans as Captain America. The only hero to change it's actor is The Hulk, who is played brilliantly, but for the first time by Mark Ruffalo. The four of them blend brilliantly on screen, and throw in Jeremy Renner, Samuel L Jackson and Scarlett Johansson among others and you have one of the biggest blockbusters ever. The plot itself is solid, the action fantastic and the humor is sharp and funny. Films this big don't come around too often, so hurry up and check it out if you haven't already. The sequel 'Age of Ultron' is due up in 2015.

Speaking of The Avengers, the original Avenger is Captain America, and his film is also available for streaming on Netflix. One of the most easy to relate to Superheros that Marvel ever created, he started as a tiny runt and became a superhuman warrior during World War 2. What makes this one interesting is that it takes place in the past, and shows how Captain America ended up in the present day. It is an alternate view of a huge historical event, which always makes for great entertainment, and you know that the villain in the film is guaranteed to be a true bad guy when he is a part of Hitler's Nazis. Chris Evans makes for a perfect Steve Rogers and he is supported well by Tommy Lee Jones and his love interest Peggy Carter played by the beautiful Hayley Atwell. Then Huge Weaving does a fantastic job as the truly evil Red Skull.

One thing that Marvel and the filmmakers have done extremely well is casting their superheroes. Thor is a truly fantastic example of this, as one really could not select a more perfect actor than Chris Hemsworth to play our Asgardian Hero Thor. He truly looks the part, and certainly must have bulked up for the role, but he definitely nails it. Natalie Portman plays his wonderful romantic interest Jane Foster and Anthony Hopkins is also well cast as Thor's father Odin. The story is probably the most difficult to translate to the screen realistically because of the outer space aspect, but they manage to pull it off. Then throw in a great villain in Loki, played by Tom Hiddleston and you have a fantastic superhero film.

One of the more bizarre superhero movies on this list, and anywhere else, Super stars Rainn Wilson as a below average guy who's wife falls for a drug dealer. This leads him to become The Crimson Bolt, a less than average superhero who vows to rid the world of the kind of people that took his wife from him. He is joined by a sidekick named Boltie, played brilliantly and crazily by Ellen Page. Boltie is much more enthusiastic about the job, and is his only friend on his mission to get his wife back. The film is bizarre, quirky, overly violent and completely ridiculous at times. It is also completely hilarious and is a very unique take on the genre. Be sure to check it out.

A somewhat underrated movie is Mystery Men, which starts Ben Stiller alongside William H Macy, Hank Azaria, Geoffrey Rush an others. Stiller leads a group of misfit, wannabe superheroes who actually get called into action when a supervillain, played by Geoffrey Rush, threatens to destroy the city as well as it's most beloved real superhero, Captain Amazing. This leads to numerous humorous situations, crazy strokes of luck and quirky action scenes. One of Stiller's earlier films, it is a solid effort and a funny take on the down on their luck superhero idea, with some great actors doing their part.

One of my personal favorites, is a slightly lower profile superhero who packs a big punch. Ron Perlman takes the starring role, as our big red monster, Hellboy, a demon who was discovered during WWII in an attempt to stop the Nazis from releasing hell on earth. In the present day, our fully grown Hellboy acts to protect earth from these very demons with the help of his mentor (John Hurt) and his crush Liz (Selma Blair). The film boasts a hilarious black humor, quirky and creepy villains, and a surprisingly strong and interesting plot. Definitely don't sleep on Hellboy.

Perhaps not a true superhero movie, I couldn't help but include this cult classic on the list. The Crow stars the late Brandon Lee (son of Bruce Lee, who was killed in an accident during the film) as a man who is engaged to be married before he and his fiancé are brutally murdered. However, he is revived from the dead and heads out to avenge his own and his fiance's death. Aided by a young girl named Sarah, 'The Crow' is able to use a telepathic connection with a real crow to assist in his violent and merciless revenge. A dark and violent film, this has become quite a cult classic and has recently been added to Netflix Instant Stream.