Superman Movies Ranked: Best to Worst

I ranked the Superman movies best to worst by judging nine films on character understanding, set piece and villain, story, and influence, and every placement is my opinion. The nine films are Superman (1978), Superman II, Superman III, Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, Superman Returns, Man of Steel (2013), Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Superman (2025) and Supergirl. The facts behind each placement come from Box Office Mojo, The Numbers, studio pages and TMDB.

What did I judge? Four things, in this order: how well the film understands the character, how strong its main set piece and villain are, how well the story holds together from the first scene to the last, and what it added to the way later films treat Superman. Box office and budget are context, never the verdict. A film can make a fortune and still land low, and a film that struggled can still place well above its takings.

Why is Justice League missing? Justice League is missing because Superman is dead in its opening setup and the film belongs to an ensemble, so it tells us little about how Superman works as a lead. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice stays in because Henry Cavill's Clark Kent has a full storyline in it, even though the title shares him with Ben Affleck's Batman. Supergirl is included as the only spin-off, since Kara Zor-El is part of the same family and David Corenswet's Superman appears in the cast.

Which Superman movie is the best? Superman (1978) is, in my opinion, and it is ranked first because it carries the whole character. Richard Donner's film runs 144 minutes, moves from the dying planet Krypton to Smallville, Kansas, and then to Metropolis, and gives Christopher Reeve the double act of a gentle Clark and a certain Superman. John Williams wrote the main title theme that every later film is measured against. It made about $300 million worldwide on a $55 million budget, according to Box Office Mojo.

Superman II is ranked second because Terence Stamp's General Zod gives Reeve the best opponent of the original run. Directed by Richard Lester, it frees Zod, Ursa and Non from the Phantom Zone after Superman throws a hydrogen bomb into space. It plays broader than Superman (1978), but the Niagara Falls sequence, with Lois Lane suspecting Clark, is still the sharpest piece of character work in that era.

What is the best modern Superman movie? Superman (2025), directed by James Gunn, is the best modern Superman movie and is ranked third. David Corenswet's Superman is beaten for the first time early on by the Hammer of Boravia, and the film is more interested in how he recovers than in how he fights. Rachel Brosnahan's Lois Lane, Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor and Krypto, his dog, give it its personality. It grossed about $619 million worldwide on a $225 million budget, according to The Numbers.

Man of Steel (2013) is ranked fourth because Kevin Costner's Jonathan Kent and the Illinois scenes standing in for Smallville are its best material. Directed by Zack Snyder, it grossed about $670 million on a $225 million budget, according to Box Office Mojo.

Superman Returns is ranked fifth because it is a gentler film than its reputation suggests. Directed by Bryan Singer, it sends Brandon Routh back to a Metropolis where Lois has moved on, and Marlon Brando appears as Jor-El in archive footage. At 154 minutes and a $270 million budget, according to Box Office Mojo, it was too expensive to be called a success.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is ranked sixth because Superman has to share the film with Bruce Wayne and Diana Prince. It was the biggest earner here at about $874 million worldwide, but the character is rarely the focus.

Supergirl is ranked seventh because it tells a clear, focused story. Directed by Craig Gillespie, it follows Milly Alcock's Kara as she chases the outlaw Krem for an antidote after he poisons Krypto, with Jason Momoa as Lobo in support. It grossed about $126 million worldwide on a $170 million budget.

Superman III is ranked eighth because Richard Pryor's Gus Gorman and the Ross Webster plot pull the film away from Clark Kent. Annette O'Toole as Lana Lang is its best addition.

Superman IV: The Quest for Peace is ranked last because its Nuclear Man never matches the threat of Zod. Directed by Sidney J. Furie, it runs only 90 minutes, had a $17 million budget and earned about $30 million worldwide. A film can rank last and still have ideas: Superman promising the United Nations he will rid the world of nuclear weapons is a bold premise that the budget could not carry.

Who is the best Superman of all time? Christopher Reeve is the best Superman of all time, in my opinion, for four films of the same performance. Henry Cavill played the role in three films, Brandon Routh in one, and David Corenswet in two appearances so far, including a cameo in Supergirl. Corenswet is the closest to Reeve in warmth, and Man of Tomorrow, set for July 9, 2027 according to ABC News, will test that.

If you are new to the series, start with Superman (1978) and then follow the Superman movies in order guide. If you want only the modern films, go to Superman (2025) and then read about Man of Tomorrow.