It may be hard to imagine a world were the House of Mouse didn’t own the rights to every Marvel property. From the Avengers, to the X-Men and now, most recently, The Defenders and The Punisher. All they need now is the complete rights to Spider-Man. However, it was only a few years ago that other companies (Fox, Netflix, and Sony) were releasing Marvel movies and shows to a varied degree of critical success and praise from fans. There have been numerous Marvel movies released by other companies aside from Disney. Sure, some of these titles don’t compare to the power of the MCU, but some deliver an experience very different from any the MCU has offered so far. Here are the best Marvel movies not released by Disney.

8 Blade (1998)

Wesley Snipes as Blade in Blade
New Line Cinema

1998’s Blade most likely predates all your favorite Marvel movies, even Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy, which we will get to later. Blade brought one of Marvel's coolest superheroes to the big screen in spectacular fashion, and essentially kick-started the whole superhero movie craze. Although Blade isn’t perfect, its dark tone, brutal action, and exceptional performance from Wesley Snipes as the “day-walker” makes Blade an iconic and ground-breaking Marvel movie.

7 X-Men: First Class (2011)

X Men First Class
20th Century Fox

Most were rightfully doubtful of a brand-new reboot of the X-Men franchise, especially considering the original trilogy didn’t have the best of endings. However, we were all wrong, and X-Men: First Class delivered a very engaging X-Men movie with an exceptional cast and an awesome villain. Kevin Bacon was terrifying and intimidating as Sebastian Shaw, giving the mutants much more dire stakes. The young cast was perfect in this movie, with Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, and Jennifer Lawrence leading the new crew, all bringing their A-games to their respective characters. X-Men First Class certainly isn't the best X-Men movie, but it certainly is an underrated gem.

6 X2: X-Men United (2003)

Jackman as Wolverine
20th Century Studios

Sure, the original X-Men is an amazing comic book movie in its own right, but X2: X-Men United doubled down on everything that made the first so great, as well as fixing the issues that fans and critics had with the first movie. For a very long time, X2 was the best X-Men movie, as well as one of the best comic book movies ever. It gave fans more from the characters they loved, as well as introduced some new faces, like Nightcrawler and William Stryker. The film's story was far more interesting, and came with much greater stakes. It still goes without saying that the cast is impeccable, with Hugh Jackman, Sir Ian McKellen, and Patrick Stewart leading this superhero epic.

The action was also ahead of its time, and contains some of the best comic book movie action scenes ever. Including Wolverine’s berserker rampage through the X-mansion, Nightcrawler invading the White House, and the brutal battle between Wolverine and Lady Deathstrike.

Related: Hugh Jackman's Best Wolverine Moments in the Franchise, Ranked

5 Spider-Man (2002)

Sami-Raimis-Spiderman-With-Tobey-Maguire
Sony Pictures

Superhero movies were pretty rare to come by around the time that Spider-Man was released, let alone good ones. But in came Sam Raimi, who delivered one of the best comic movies and origin stories of all time. What’s not to love about this movie? Yes, Spider-Man certainly is cheesy and dated, but there is no denying that Spider-Man has a certain comic book energy that you won’t find anywhere else.

Tobey Maguire delivered a brilliantly-layered performance as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, a character fans have an undying connection and nostalgia to. Similarly, Willem Dafoe was brilliantly over-the-top as Green Goblin, giving fans a performance and villain that they will never forget. Sam Raimi delivered some phenomenal action, alongside some pretty scary moments for a superhero flick, mostly due to Raimi’s horror background. Spider-Man is nothing less than iconic, and even with the outstanding superhero movies we have been graced with since, Spider-Man still stands as one of the best comic book movies to date.

4 Deadpool (2016)

Deadpool
20th Century Studios

Deadpool had been a movie fans were clambering to see ever since Ryan Reynolds made his debut as the merc with a mouth (or should we say merc without a mouth) in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Finally, seven years later, Deadpool was released, and was far better than fans could have ever expected. Likewise, Deadpool was proof that not only do R-rated superhero movies work, but they can become incredibly successful, breaking new ground for more R-rated superhero movies to come, from both Marvel and DC.

Ryan Reynolds proved he was born to play Deadpool, delivering hilarious jokes and memorable quotes, while also looking awesome in the red suit. The action was very creative and incredibly exciting, even if most of the action was CG. The fourth wall breaks are incredible and far better than anyone could have imagined. The villain is perhaps the weakest aspect of the movie, but the comedy, performances, and action all make up for it.

3 X-Men Days of Future Past (2014)

X-Men
20th Century Fox

Years before Spider-Man: No Way Home, X-Men Days of Future Past spectacularly brought together the First Class cast alongside the cast of the original X-Men trilogy. This was a genius concept, and director Bryan Singer pulled it off perfectly. Not only do we get the old cast and the First Class cast together, but audiences were introduced to Quicksilver, played impeccably by Evan Peters. Quicksilver quickly (no pun intended) became a fan favorite, mostly thanks to Evan Peters, but also the jaw-dropping slow-motion scene, which kick-started the speedster slow-mo trend, that is starting to feel very tiresome. Similarly, the story was engaging, Hugh Jackman was back as Wolverine, which is always delightful, and Peter Dinklage was a very intimidating villain.

Related: All X-Men Movies, Ranked

2 Spider-Man 2 (2004)

Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker in Spider-Man 2
Sony Pictures Releasing

It goes without saying, that Spider-Man 2 is a superhero classic. Delivering everything fans loved about the first and more. Over-the-top action, interesting characters, along with great, although sometimes cheesy performances from the whole cast. Tobey Maguire proves to be a perfect Peter Parker, bringing so much charm, intrigue, and awkwardness to the character, making him someone that is so incredibly hard not to love. Although Spider-Man 2 may have lacked in the Willem Dafoe department, Alfred Molina’s Doctor Otto Octavius, or “Doc Ock”, more than made up for it, as an incredibly layered and maniacal villain. While not as over the top as Dafoe, his performance was still nonetheless entertaining. Not to mention, J. K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson, was one of the best live-action comic book movie castings ever. Spider-Man 2 is a classic with an unprecedented amount of nostalgia, making it one of the best comic book movies ever.

1 Logan (2017)

Hugh Jackman in Logan
20th Century Fox

If it wasn’t for Deadpool paving the way for R-rated superhero movies, its doubtful we would have received one of the best superhero movies of all time, Logan. Logan is an exceptional character study that most modern movies attempt to live up to, and is proof that superhero movies can come with many layers. Thankfully, Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart return to their respective roles as Wolverine and Professor X, to deliver exceptional performances and heart-breaking send-offs to their beloved characters. Sure, most of the movies on this list are cheesy superhero affairs, which arguably makes them so enjoyable. But Logan is an impeccably layered comic book movie, which has been hailed as one of the greatest movies, not just comic book movies, of all time. Logan brilliantly leans into its R-rating, and delivers much glorious gore that adds to the enjoyment and realism to the flick.