10 Steps to Making a Successful Superhero Movie

"Iron Man 3," "Man of Steel," and "The Wolverine" didn't match up to the superhero blockbusters of 2012. What did they miss that "The Amazing Spider-Man," "The Avengers," and "The Dark Knight Rises" got right?

This year's summer superhero movies were either last chapters or new beginnings. We likely saw the last standalone films for Iron Man and Wolverine, and we were introduced to a new Superman franchise with Man of Steel. In 2012, we saw the last chapter of Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight franchise, the culmination of Marvel's first phase in their cinematic universe, and the reintroduction of our favorite web-slinger. So with a seemingly identical set of incentives to go see superheroes in the theater, why were 2012 films so much more successful?

Here's a video that takes the similar themes and settings of The Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises, and The Amazing Spider-Man, and breaks them down into a 10-step guide to making a successful superhero movie.