Avengers: Age of Ultron (Marvel Studios)

Can the Marvel sequel top 2012's The Avengers, the highest-grossing superhero film of all time? It's off to a strong start already, hitting $627 million globally as of May 3.

The Avengers (Marvel Studios)

Joss Whedon's The Avengers went on to earn $1.5 billion worldwide. 

Iron Man 3 (Marvel Studios)

The first Marvel Studios film to be released post-Avengers enjoyed a box office boost from the megahit. Iron Man 3 earned a total of $1.2 billion worldwide, including $409 million in the U.S. and $806.4 million overseas. It remains the top-grossing of Marvel's standalone films.

The Dark Knight Rises (Warner Bros.)

Christopher Nolan closed out his Dark Knight trilogy with a global haul of $1.08 billion, putting it just ahead of 2008's The Dark Knight. The film's release was marred by a deadly mass shooting at a midnight showing in Colorado, but it went on to nab the opening weekend record for a 2D release with $160.8 million. In all, it earned  $448.1 million domestically and $636.3 internationally.

The Dark Knight (Warner Bros.)

Released in July 2008, Christopher Nolan’s Batman sequel grossed massive $1 billion worldwide, including $533.3 domestically and $468.6 overseas.  

Spider-Man 3 (Sony)

The threequel, released in May 2007, grossed $890.9 million globally, including $336.5 million in North America and $554.3 million internationally. Sony’s now going back to the beginning with origins pic The Amazing Spider-Man, which opens in July 2012.

Spider-Man (Sony)

The pic, released in May 2002, made superhero history when grossing $821.7 million worldwide. It made $403.7 million in the North America, and $418 million overseas, launching one of the most successful film series of all time.

Spider-Man 2 (Sony)

The 2004 sequel didn’t do as much as the first, but was certainly no slacker, grossing $783.8 million globally, including $373.6 million domestically and $410.2 internationally.

The Amazing Spider-Man (Sony)

Marc Webb's Sony reboot didn't swing to the heights of Sam Raimi 's original trilogy, but his first installment relaunched the franchise in a "spectacular" fashion, according to one studio insider at the time. It earned $262 million domestically and $495.9 overseas for a total haul of $757.9 million.

X-Men: Days of Future Past (Fox)

Director Bryan Singer united two generations of mutants for what became the biggest hit of the X-Men franchise to date. The 20^th Century Fox film brought in $233.9 million domestically and $514.2 million internationally for a total haul of $748.1 million. The No. 2 X-Men movie was 2006's The Last Stand, which earned more than $459.3 million worldwide.

Guardians of the Galaxy (Marvel Studios)

Guardians of the Galaxy was a surprise hit of summer 2014, proving audiences are more than happy to embrace a talking raccoon and walking tree — if done right. The Marvel Studios film took in $333.1 million domestically and another $441 million overseas for an overall haul of $744.1 million.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (Marvel Studios)

Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) suited up once again for the superhero spy thriller, which brought in $714.7 worldwide, including $259.7 million domestically and $450 million from overseas. The 2014 sequel far exceeded 2011's, Captain America: The First Avenger, which took a little more than $370.5 million worldwide.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (Sony)

Andrew Garfield's Spidey swung back into theaters to a franchise low in 2014, which helped put the kibosh on this version of the wallcrawler. The Amazing Spider-Man sequel, which also starred Jamie Foxx as the villain Electro and Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy, earned more than $708 million worldwide, but was generally panned by fans. Garfield was dropped as Spider-Man, and Marvel and Sony made a deal for a new version of Spider-Man to appear in Marvel Cinematic Universe films.

Man of Steel (Warner Bros.)

Superman returned to the big screen with Henry Cavill donning the cape under the guidance of director Zack Snyder and producer Christopher Nolan. The film earned $291 million in the U.S. and $377 million internationally, for a worldwide total of $688 million. The film is serving as springboard for a DC shared universe, with the upcoming Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice pitting Cavill's Superman against Ben Affleck's Batman.

Thor: Dark World (Marvel Studios)

Chris Hemsworth's god of thunder ignited the box office with the 2013 sequel, which brought in $644.78 worldwide. The film followed Iron Man 3 as the second post-Avengers film, and it also enjoyed a boost from that film's success. The first Thor earned $449.3 million in 2011.

The Incredibles (Disney/Pixar)

Brad Bird's animated family comedy remains among the few hit superhero films yet to produce a sequel. The beloved film, which centers on a family of superpowered heroes, earned $261.4 million domestically and $370 million overseas, for a worldwide total of $631.4 million.

Hancock (Sony)

Thanks to the box office prowess of Will Smith, this off-beat superhero movie grossed $624.4 million all told, including a domestic total of $227.9 million in North America and $396.4 million overseas.

Iron Man 2 (Paramount/Marvel Studios)

The sequel, returning Robert Downey Jr. in the title role, rang up $622.1 million worldwide after its release in May 2010. It earned $300.5 million domestically and $398 million at the international box office.

Iron Man (Paramount/Marvel Studios)

X-Men: The Last Stand (Fox)

Released in 2006, the threequel grossed $459.4 million globally, including $234.4 million domestically and $225 million overseas.