1) Batman Begins
As is shown by his getting top billing, 1989’s Batman was really Jack Nicholson’s film. With the Joker owning the screen, then, the Caped Crusader’s own origin story had to play second fiddle to Jack Napier’s fall into a vat of acid. Thankfully, Bruce Wayne’s personal history was properly documented in Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins in 2005. Through its commitment to showing Bruce’s long road to donning the cowl with as much detail and care as possible, it became the superhero origin movie to beat in the process.
In a strange way, beneath the grit and realism, Batman Begins has much in common with Superman as both movies keep the hero out of his iconic costume for much of the runtime. As such, we get to care about the man behind the mask first and fully understand what leads Bruce to choose the tough, selfless life of a hero. Which is exactly what a superhero origins movie should always do.