In 2008, director Christopher Nolan did his part to change the world of comic book movies. Rather than use the source material to create another action blockbuster with a recognizable superhero lead, the filmmaker instead made The Dark Knight as a dark crime thriller that happened to feature Batman as the lead detective. To say it "legitimized" the genre is reductive to some of the fantastic movies that were released before it, but its unique approach garnered deserved attention from those who might not otherwise be interested in cape-and-cowl wearing vigilantes. Of course, in that same time span, Marvel Studios has left an equally impactful mark. Not only have they delivered differently toned superhero stories – favoring the bright and fun over the dark and dramatic – but they've also developed the innovative and risky Marvel Cinematic Universe that webs together all of the studio's characters into one shared world.