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.