Joey Magidson
Considering how rapturously the original Superman (or Superman: The Movie) was received, it’s interesting to note how divisive many of the other films have been. Obviously, the original franchise of four films declined in quality, but whether you’re looking at Bryan Singer‘s Superman Returns or Zack Snyder‘s Man of Steel, you’ll find folks passionately defending them, while others eviscerate them. So, with James Gunn‘s vision now in theaters, I wanted to go ahead and rank them all, which is exactly what I did today.
In my rave review here, I said the following about Gunn’s take on Superman:
A Superman movie is harder to pull off than it might appear at first glance. When you look back on all of the films that have featured the character, only a small amount have actually showcased Kal-El/Superman/Clark Kent in his best light. Now, it’s fair to say that “truth, justice, and the American way” is an antiquated term, but James Gunn sure knows how to feature the ideals that make this superhero one of our very best and brightest. Superman is all about hope, with a sense of joy that allows the clear political themes to go down easy. There’s a lot going on here, as this is also launching a new DC Universe theatrically, but when you get right down to it, what we have in this flick is a love for comic book characters, superheroes, and blockbuster cinema. I absolutely adored it and found it to be among the best works of 2025 so far.
Superman is a busy blockbuster, in terms of actual events and plotting, but it never feels overstuffed. A lot of that is due to Gunn and company making the themes very simple. Superman is an alien, so, yes…he’s an immigrant. He looks at Earth and sees the best in us, knowing all the while that we have a capacity for the worst, but still wants to save us anyway. That this is happening while America is literally sending people to foreign prisons is not lost on anyone, but the joy for the character allows this to still be an incredibly fun experience. Superman works as a character because of his earnestness, not in spite of it, which too few works hav understood.
Below, you can see where I stand on (nearly) all of the Superman movies. I chose to go from Christopher Reeves‘ appearance and beyond, mainly since I haven’t seen Superman and the Mole Men. That still leaves ten total, since I’m including both Justice League and Zack Snyder’s Justice League. For me, it’s the original and the newest one neck and neck. I suspect that will be the case for many others as well. Which one came out on top? Find out next.
Here now is my ranking of the Superman films. Behold:
10. Justice League
9. Superman IV: The Quest for Peace
8. Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice
7. Superman III
6. Zack Snyder’s Justice League
5. Man of Steel
4. Superman Returns
3. Superman II
2. Superman: The Movie
1. Superman
What is your Superman movie ranking? Let us know!
Out of curiosity, how would you rank the TV shows? Because it feels like that medium has had just as, if not more of, a cultural impression on what the world’s most iconic superhero is all about and what he “should be” than the movies. My first introduction to the character was through Superman: The Animated Series, and Smallville is probably considered the definitive take on the character for a large portion of my generation. Generation X likely feels similarly about Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, which is also significant in casting the first-ever nonwhite Superman in Dean “I’m A Reactionary Goober Now So I’m Insisting That Superman Can’t Be ‘Woke’” Cain. And we now have Superman & Lois probably leaving a similar impression on a large portion of Gen Z.
I really enjoyed the animated series and I actually liked The Adventures of Superman when I believe Nick would have re-runs when I was a kid.
On the flip side, I never watched Smallville, only saw little bits of Lois & Clark, and never saw a second of Superman & Lois, so I’m limited when it comes to small screen Supes.