How Many Superman Movies Are There? Every Film Listed

The full count is seven main Superman films and one spin-off, with two team-up films and one upcoming sequel sitting alongside them. The table runs in release order, so you can see at a glance how the saga moves from Christopher Reeve to David Corenswet.

Seven films make up the main saga: Superman (1978), Superman II, Superman III, Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, Superman Returns, Man of Steel (2013) and Superman (2025). Each is built around Superman himself, which is the test for the main count. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League are counted as appearances, because Superman shares the story with other heroes. Supergirl (2026) is the spin-off, since it follows his cousin Kara Zor-El. Television series are outside the count, and Superman and the Mole Men is left out of the film list as well. If you want the sequence rather than the count, our Superman movies in order guide sets it out step by step.

Four actors have played the lead in the main films: Christopher Reeve, Brandon Routh, Henry Cavill and David Corenswet. Reeve carried the first four films, from Superman (1978) through Superman IV: The Quest for Peace. Routh played Clark Kent and Superman in Superman Returns, directed by Bryan Singer. Cavill took over in Man of Steel (2013), directed by Zack Snyder, and Corenswet leads Superman (2025), directed by James Gunn. Corenswet also appears as Superman in Supergirl (2026), so the current Superman crosses into the spin-off. For the full list of performers across every film, see the Superman cast page and the Superman actors guide.

Henry Cavill appears in three films: Man of Steel (2013), Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) and Justice League (2017). All three were directed by Zack Snyder. Man of Steel (2013) is the only one of the three that sits in the main saga, and in the other two Cavill shares the top billing, with Ben Affleck billed first as Bruce Wayne. Amy Adams plays Lois Lane across all three, and Diane Lane plays Martha Kent in each as well.

Justice League is the film that follows Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. It reached US theaters on November 17, 2017, about a year and eight months after Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice opened on March 25, 2016. Both films were directed by Zack Snyder, and the later one brings Wonder Woman, The Flash, Aquaman and Cyborg into the same ensemble. The next Superman story after that came with Superman (2025), which starts again with a new cast.

Each Superman film differs in its premise, villain and tone, from the origin story of Superman (1978) to the Hammer of Boravia plot of Superman (2025).

Superman (1978) is the origin story. Jor-El sends his infant son Kal-El to Earth from the dying planet Krypton, and the Kents raise him in Smallville, Kansas. John Williams wrote the score, and Gene Hackman plays Lex Luthor. Superman II brings General Zod, Ursa and Non out of the Phantom Zone after Superman throws a hydrogen bomb into space. Lois Lane suspects Clark Kent is Superman, which leads to the Niagara Falls scene.

Superman III is lighter in tone. Richard Pryor plays the computer programmer Gus Gorman, who is blackmailed by Ross Webster, and Annette O'Toole plays Lana Lang. Superman IV: The Quest for Peace is the shortest at 90 minutes on a $17 million budget, and it has Superman promising the United Nations that he will rid the world of nuclear weapons.

Superman Returns picks up after Superman has been away for five years, and Lois Lane has a son and an engagement. Box Office Mojo lists its budget at $270 million. Man of Steel (2013) restarts the character on a Krypton that is falling apart, with Michael Shannon as General Zod and Hans Zimmer composing.

Superman (2025) opens with Superman stopping Boravia from invading Jarhanpur, before he is beaten by a metahuman nicknamed the Hammer of Boravia. He flees to the Fortress of Solitude with his dog Krypto, where robots heal him. Nicholas Hoult plays Lex Luthor and Rachel Brosnahan plays Lois Lane. Supergirl (2026), directed by Craig Gillespie, follows a 23-year-old Kara Zor-El, played by Milly Alcock, as she tracks the outlaw Krem with a young woman named Ruthye. Jason Momoa plays Lobo.

Yes, one more main Superman film is dated: Man of Tomorrow, written and directed by James Gunn, is set for US release on July 9, 2027. Gunn announced the title and date on September 3, 2025, as ABC News reported, and the date has not changed since. Filming ran from April 20 to August 26, 2026, and Gunn confirmed on October 5, 2026 that the assembly cut was complete. The film is now in post production. Lars Eidinger is confirmed as Brainiac, according to TheWrap, and Variety reports that David Corenswet, Nicholas Hoult, Rachel Brosnahan and Skyler Gisondo return. One report, from TheWrap, said Adria Arjona is playing Maxima, but Gunn said he was not confirming it, so that remains an unconfirmed rumor. Full details sit on the Man of Tomorrow page, and the Man of Tomorrow trailer page tracks any footage.

After the film list, the most useful next steps are the ranking, the box office comparison and the streaming guide. If you want the whole saga ranked, our Superman movies ranked page picks a side, and the Superman box office page compares the grosses. To see where to stream each film, go to where to watch Superman. For the series overview, return to the Superman movies hub.