Superman Movies Ranked Worst to Best

On July 11, 2025, a new film about Superman will be released. The director is James Gunn, known for the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy. Of course, this is far from the first film adaptation of the comics about the Man of Steel. We decided to remember other films about an alien from the planet Krypton, who became the protector of the Earth.

Superman debuted in the graphic novel Action Comics #1, which was released in June 1938. The hero's real name is Kal-El, and he is an alien from the distant planet Krypton. His parents sent him to Earth to save him from death, because Superman's home world was destroyed. The alien looks the same as ordinary people, and he was taken in by a family from Kansas, who named the boy Clark. When the boy grew up, he began to combine his regular job at a local newspaper with superhero activities.

The Man of Steel got his nickname for a reason. His skin is so strong that it protects him from bullets and explosions. In addition, he has enormous physical strength, shoots lasers from his eyes and can fly. Moreover, Superman often faces really serious dangers, for example, with villains capable of destroying the entire universe. In addition, he is vulnerable to kryptonite, a special material that makes Clark Kent very weak and can even kill him.

Superman comics have sold 600 million copies, which still remains an absolute record among graphic novels. A full-length film about him has been filmed since 1978. However, not all films featuring the Man of Steel deserve your attention. We will start with the frankly unsuccessful ones and end with the best ones.

The third "Superman" was criticized by both superhero fans and casual viewers. It stars comedian Richard Pryor, who makes weird faces and makes stupid lines. And overall, the film is a bit of a buffoonery. For example, our hero's main enemy is ordinary criminals and their supercomputer, which turns people into robots. As a result, the film feels like a silly comedy with unfunny jokes.

By the time this film came out, viewers had already gotten used to quality comic book movies. They had seen the X-Men trilogy and Sam Raimi's Spider-Man adaptation, and Christopher Nolan had already released Batman Begins. In comparison, "Superman Returns" turned out to be drawn-out and surprisingly boring. It has neither lively action nor deep meaning. Even the huge budget for 2006 of $270 million and Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor did not help the film.

As in the third Superman film, there are many comedy elements. However, the fourth film turned out to be better due to the return of Lex Luthor, a curious villain in the person of Atomic Man, and the problem of nuclear weapons in the conditions of the Cold War. However, the topic is not developed as well as in the comic book "Watchmen", which was published around the same time.

The second Superman showed us three evil Kryptonians who arrive on Earth and try to figure out how human society works. It's really interesting to watch them. Kal-El himself loses his powers as the film progresses and tries to adapt to a world where he's just like everyone else.

There are two versions of the second Superman, the original and the director's cut, which includes a number of previously unreleased scenes. Each of them is good in its own way.

The original 1978 Superman is one of the first full-length comic book films. Of course, you can remember "Batman" with Adam West, which was released in 1966, but it is perceived as an extended episode of the series of the same name.

In the 47 years that have passed since the premiere of the film, it has become noticeably outdated. The flying effects look simple, and the final scene with rewinding time looks like a grand piano in the bushes and a universal way to solve all problems. Meanwhile, the film perfectly conveys the feeling of the Clark Kent comics from the Golden Age (1938-1951). In addition, I want to praise it for the opening scene with Marlon Brando. If you decide to get acquainted with the classics, you can start with the first "Superman".

When this film is mentioned, many viewers recall the ridiculous dialogue about Martha, Bruce Wayne's mother. However, if we take it out of the equation, we get an excellent movie with spectacular fights, where the confrontation between Batman and Superman turns into a fight against the villain Doomsday. Wonder Woman, played by Gal Gadot, also appears in the plot.

It is better to watch the films of the cinematic universe in chronological order, so it is worth getting acquainted with the story told in Dawn of Justice after Man of Steel.

The first film of the DC cinematic universe. Zack Snyder transformed the image of Superman and, in fact, turned him into an antihero who physically kills enemies and achieves his goals by any means necessary. Not everyone liked these changes, but as a result, the character looked more interesting than before. In addition, this picture was supposed to be the first chapter of a long story that would eventually lead to Superman's transition to the dark side. It is noteworthy that the fighting game Injustice: Gods Among Us with a similar plot was released in 2013, a few months before Man of Steel.

Today, there are two versions of Justice League, the theatrical version by Joss Whedon and the director's version by Zack Snyder. And this is the case when additional scenes and different editing completely change the meaning of what is happening. The author of these lines highly recommends Snyder's film. This is not just an analogue of DC's Avengers, but a dark work where there is room for unexpected turns and deaths of key characters.

Superman is the key character here — without him, the heroes of the Earth cannot stop the alien invasion. After certain events, he loses his mind for a while and does not even recognize his closest allies. And although he was brought to his senses, it was obvious that we were looking at a Chekhov's gun that was supposed to go off in the future. The final scene deserves a special mention, showing the plans for the development of the cinematic universe, which were ultimately abandoned.

Which Superman movie do you like? Share your opinions in the comments!