When it comes to movie franchises,trilogies are a beloved favorite. The setup is modeled after the classic three-act structure and gives a series of films an arc to appear as one bigger story. They also make for great box sets for home video releases. Superhero films are some of the most popular stories in the 21st century, there are plenty of superhero films and trilogies. Some even extended farther beyond trilogies into quadrilogies. Yet one interesting thing to note is how few directors actually get to complete their superhero trilogies.
There are numerous stories of filmmakers directing two superhero films before departing ahead of the third film which includes Richard Donner onSuperman, Tim Burton onBatman, Bryan Singer onX-Men, and Joss Whedon onThe Avengers. There are times when a third film never materializes due to underperformance at the box office and a trilogy remains unfinished as was the case with Guillermo del Toro onHellboyor Marc Webb onThe Amazing Spider-Manseries.
Even recently,Patty Jenkins’Wonder Woman 3was scrapped by the new DC plans and it appears her trilogy will remain unfinished. It is unclear if Ryan Coogler will return forBlack Panther 3, or if DC has plans to bring David F. Sanberg back for aShazam 3or James Wan forAquaman 3.
Yet there are a few rare cases where one director does stay on for a superhero trilogy. This director lends a guiding hand to a franchise and can use the three films in their superhero trilogy to tell a grander story. These are the six filmmakers who actually got to finish their superhero trilogies.
After high-profile superhero directors like Richard Donner, Tim Burton, and Bryan Singer departed their superhero films after two entries, it just seemed like that was the fate for all superhero franchises. YetSam Raimidefied the odds and made the first superhero trilogy with hisSpider-Manfilms.
It began in 2002 withSpider-Man, continued in 2004 withSpider-Man 2, and concluded in 2007 withSpider-Man 3. Raimi’s first two films were critically acclaimed and box office hits, and whileSpider-Man 3was still a box office hit the movie was less warmly received by fans and critics due to the film feeling overstuffed with too many characters.
Raimi’sSpider-Mantrilogyin many ways quintessential Spider-Man, with the three films each pitting him against his most iconic enemies of Green Goblin, Doc Ock, and Venom all while showing a young man trying to navigate the world and be with the person he loves.Spider-Manwas intended to extend beyond a trilogy withSpider-Man 4but that film was canceled due to behind-the-scenes disagreements with Raimi and Sony Pictures and the film was morphed into a reboot:The Amazing Spider-Man.
Christopher Nolan
Christopher Nolannever seemed like a franchise filmmaker, but it is a franchise that launched him into a new level of success that he is still enjoying to this very day. What began withBatman Beginsin 2005 led toThe Dark Knightin 2008 and while the director was skeptical about a third film he returned in 2012 withThe Dark Knight Riseswhich marked the conclusionofThe Dark Knighttrilogy. The film series was all well-reviewed and was a box office hit, withThe Dark Knightbeing a cultural phenomenon and shattering box office records at the time.The Dark Knighttrilogy is not only regarded as one of the best superhero trilogies but one of the best trilogies of all time.
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Unlike every other superhero trilogy,The Dark Knight Rises was truly meant to be the end of the franchise. Nolan’s trilogy explores the origins of Batman, a traditional Batman story with him facing off against his greatest foe the Joker, and concludes with an epic battle for Gotham City. Nolan’s trilogy explores the idea of Batman as a symbol, one of fear but also of hope for the citizens of Gotham. Batman the character in the film, much like the icon of popular culture, is more than a man and will live on forever.
Zack Snyder
Zack Snyder’ssuperhero trilogy is sort of a Schrödinger’s cat situation where it exists but also does not exist. He originally had a five-film plan for the DCU that began withMan of Steelin 2013, continued withBatman V. Superman: Dawn of Justicein 2016, and then was supposed to continue in 2017 withJustice League.Justice Leaguewould be a middle point and lead to twoJustice Leaguesequels making a Justice League trilogy that also was part of a five-part story arc for Superman.
Snyder was removed fromJustice Leagueand the 2017 film released in theaters was far removed from his original vision. His director’s cut was finally released in 2021 titledZack Snyder’s Justice League, and in many ways marked the end of Snyder’s vision of the DCU. While Snyder did not get to finish his five-part story, the three films he did release do serve as a trilogyfor his version of Supermanand the birth of the DCU.
For all the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchises, none of the film series had ever had the same directors see the franchise through, asIron Man, Thor, Captain America, andThe Avengerswere all done by multiple filmmakers. The MCUSpider-Man, however, was all overseen by filmmakerJon Watts. The MCU Spider-Man trilogy includes 2017’sSpider-Man: Homecoming, 2019’sSpider-Man: Far From Home, and 2021’sSpider-Man: No Way Home.
Related:MCU: Why Peter Parker Is the Most Tragic Hero to Date
Watt’s Spider-Man trilogy is very much an extended origin story for Peter Parker, that does skip the spider-bite but uses the three films as a coming-of-age story for Peter Parker where he goes from a kid at school and by the end finds himself in the classic Spider-Man set up. The light breezy high school nature of the series is very similar to the early Stan Lee/Steve Ditko comics and with the addition of Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man and Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man in the third entry it feels like a celebration of Spider-Man as a film character.
Peyton Reed
The most recent addition to this list isPeyton Reed, who directed all three entries in the MCUAnt-Manfilm trilogy. Reed was brought on as a replacement director after Edgar Wright dropped out of directing 2015’sAnt-Man, and has stayed on for the 2018 sequelAnt-Man and the Waspand the most recent film 2023’sAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
While many may want to downplay Reed’s contributions to theAnt-Maemphasizetainly has left a major impact. Notable each film tends to put the emphasis on one unique element of Ant-Man’s powers, with the first film having an interest in ants, the sequel playing up the different aspects of size changing, and the third movie delving into the quantum realm area of the franchise. Reed also put a great emphasis on family dynamics, likely a sign of his love for The Fantastic Four, which he wasat one point set to directin the 2000s.
James Gunn
The MCU concludes two trilogies in 2023, followingAnt-Manis the wrap-up toThe Guardians of the Galaxyfranchise under directorJames Gunn. James Gunn launched the franchise in 2014 withGuardians of the Galaxyand continued in 2017 withGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3is set to open in theaters on June 20, 2025, and will not only mark the end of theGuardians of the Galaxytrilogy but James Gunn’s time at Marvel Studios as he is now the co-head of DC Studios and is overseeing the new DCU.
Gunn himself almost did not get to finish his trilogy as in 2018the director was fired by Disneydue to some old offensive tweets the director had made in the early part of his career that had resurfaced. Gunn was rehired in 2019 andGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3was put back on track. While it did not meet its original 2020 release date as part of the kick-off to Phase 4 it will now be part of Phase 5 and hopefully serve as a fitting end to this beloved series.
