While he goes by many names and through many iterations,Supermanis a timeless figure and the inspiration for the modern-day superhero. Synonymous with truth, justice, and a better tomorrow, the Man of Steel believes in the good of all humans and wishes to protect and inspire them, highlighting the species' kindness. As the most famous superhero, Supermanhas countless live-action movies, includingJames Gunn’s upcoming film in July 2025, which will start the new DCU era.
With fans excited about the nextSupermanmovie, now is a great time to reflect on the characters' previous live-action adaptations. This list won’t include animated movies or serial movies because there are so many, and their obscurity, respectively.Zack Snyder’s Justice Leaguealso won’t be on this list since it is about the entire league and not him specifically. With a total of seven movies, this list decides their ranking based onstory, quality, enjoyability, rewatchability, impact, influence, and legacy.
7’Superman IV: The Quest for Peace’ (1987)
Directed by Sidney J. Furie
To no one’s surprise,Superman IV: The Quest for Peaceis easilythe worst live-action Superman film.The Quest for PeacewasChristopher Reeve’s last entry as Superman, which sees the character dealing with the fallout after ridding the world of every nuclear weapon. Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) responds by creating a Superman clone called Nuclear Man (Mark Pillow), which puts up a challenge for the Man of Steel. The result wasa cheesy movie with a directionless plotthat fans would best avoid.
Sequels always seem like a good idea, and when done right, they can even be better than the original. However, too many superhero sequels lose sight of the message,making a parody of themselves and ruining what made the character great. There isn’t much good aboutThe Quest for Piecebesides seeing these iconic actors one last time. It’s a shame this was Reeve’s last movie, considering he is the definitive Superman so far. Thedialogue is cheesy, things happen for no reason, and the effects look worsethan the first movie, creating one of theworst superhero movies of all time.
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace
6’Superman III' (1983)
Directed by Richard Lester
AfterRichard Lesterimpressed fans with the previous Superman film, the studio brought him back for another entry withSuperman III. Unfortunately, his second directorial effort was a major disappointment for most fans. A financial tycoon is sick of Superman always getting in his way, prompting him to hire a programmer to create a synthetic kryptonite to finally defeat the titular hero. However, the final product doesn’t kill him; instead,it makes Superman evil, resulting in a chaotic mess.
WhileSuperman IIIis by no means a good movie, it is a massive jump in quality compared to the fourth and final entry of Reeve’s Superman.The film features some entertaining aspects, including the petty nuisance of Superman, who makes life an inconvenience by doing childish schemes like straightening the Leaning Tower of Pisa. However,Superman IIIdoesn’t take itself seriouslyand is the most comedic of the character’s films, leading to varied opinions. While fans may find some enjoyment, itstrayed too far from what made the previous two so good.
Superman III
5’Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’ (2016)
Directed by Zack Snyder
Mike TysonversusEvander Holyfield, Godzilla versus King Kong, Captain America versus Iron Man. Every fan loves a fight between two of the most prominent figures in their field, which is whyBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justicewas one of the most hyped movies ever. Years after Superman’s (Henry Cavill) big battle with Zod, the city of Metropolis still struggles with his presence. With Batman (Ben Affleck) convinced that Superman will ruin the world, he goes on a personal quest to defeat the hero, while Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) plans a new scheme.
The DCEU wasn’t off to the greatest start, but fans thought this movie would change things and steer the ship in the right direction. Unfortunately, it made things worse, creating an unavoidable disaster of a movie universe.No matter how good the movie started,Batman v. Supermanquickly gets increasingly worse, fromthe nonsensical plot to the horrible characterizations. The film might not be a trainwreck, but it certainly is not good under any metric,featuring Cavill’s Superman at his angriest, broodiest, and most stoic, to the point where he only speaks a few lines throughout.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
4’Man of Steel' (2013)
After the success of the MCU, DC decided to get in on the action and start their connected movie universe, the DCEU. Kicking things off wasMan of Steel, starring Henry Cavill as the titular hero. This movie tells a grittier version of Superman’s iconic origin, from the destruction of his planet to arriving on Earth to learning his powers and dealing with adversity. However, when General Zod (Michael Shannon) comes to terraform Earth, Superman must stand up and fight.
Man of Steelisprobably the most polarizing superhero movie, with many fans despising its existence and some praising it as one of the best Superman movies. While both of those reactions are a little extreme, the movie nestles itself in the middle ground.Man of Steelisn’t great, with bothhorrible creative decisions and many outstanding elements. It was visually impressive and had great action, but the dark and edgy Superman was a mistake, abandoning many important themes about the character.Man of Steelis still entertaining buta waste of Cavill’s considerable talents.
Man of Steel
3’Superman Returns' (2006)
Directed by Bryan Singer
The Quest for Peacedid irreversible damage to Superman’s rep, holding studios back from pursuing a theatrical return for the character. However, roughly 20 years later, Warner Bros. madeSuperman Returnsin the same universe as the ’80s Superman movies. With Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey) planning to kill Superman (Brandon Routh) and reshape America, Superman must return to Metropolis after five years to stop him.
With new faces in a familiar setting,Superman Returnsdoesn’t rise to the heights of the franchise but also doesn’t fall to its lows. It made a good decision to ignore the two last entries of Reeve’s Tetralogy, paying homage to the first two movies. Much of the film honorsRichard Donner’s legacy, making for many nostalgic and moving moments. However,its main issue is its overreliance on nostalgia, with the new aspects getting lost in a sea of familiarity.Superman Returnswas a solid movie but needed more identity to truly stand out in the new millennium. Still,fans deserved aSuperman Returnssequel, and Routh more than earned his place in the character’s pantheon.
Superman Returns
2’Superman II' (1980)
After the first movie’s success, DC did the right thing and createdSuperman II, a direct sequel that introduces the iconic villain General Zod (Terence Stamp). After rising tension between Donner and the producers, he left, and they replaced him with Lester,who reshot most of the film. After Superman unknowingly frees General Zod and his followers from the Phantom Zone, the evil Kryptonian vows to kill the last living son of Krypton. Teaming up with Lex Luthor, the villain duo battle Superman as he debates whether to fight as Superman or live as Clark Kent.
While many fans will argue that the Donner cut ofSuperman IIis the better film, the first one is too revolutionary. Both cuts of this movie are fantastic, addingmore spectacle and action compared to the first film. Fans get a darker story to match the rising tension and evil villain, but it still provides the hope fans expect in a Superman tale. Stamp kills it as General Zod, showing fans why he is one of thegreatest Superman villains of all time.Superman IImight not be better than the first, but it isa worthy addition full of action and entertainment that most fans will enjoy.
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1’Superman' (1978)
Directed by Richard Donner
To no one’s surprise, the firstSupermanmovie is easily the best,revolutionizing the superhero genre forever and inspiring every movie going forward. Despite trouble getting it off the ground, filming would take off as Donner directedSupermanandSuperman IIsimultaneously but left before finishing the second. Before the film, Reeve was an unknown actor, and this role started his success and made him a legend. The film follows Superman’s origin, from infancy on Krypton to his youth in Smallville and his eventual battle with Lex Luthor.
Supermanis a classic story that fans have seen countless times, but this was the first time DC brought it to life on the big screen. Every actor gives it their all, with some of their best performances in the genre. Reeve, in particular, was a perfect casting for Superman, with fans still viewing him as one of thebest superhero castings ever. The film is a breath of fresh air compared to modern superhero flicks, delivering a wholesome story that embodies everything great about the character. The film was revolutionary and groundbreaking and easilythe best Superman movieto this day. Its triumph cannot be understated,making fans believe that a man could truly fly.
