Few superheroes maintain the stature and notoriety afforded to Superman, DC Comics’ iconic caped champion. When Jerry Seigel and Joe Shuster created the red-yellow-and-blue clad character together with his unmistakable emblem — the letter “S” overlaid on a diamond form — additionally they gave rise to the most typical superhero archetype ever devised: the every-day civilian who hides their superpowers till they’re wanted, donning a cape and adopting a pseudonym to hide their id as they take the struggle to evil in all places.
Superman has grow to be a family identify and is now close to synonymous with the ideas of heroism, altruism and righteousness. His recognition actually took off when the long-running Superman movie franchise started hitting theaters within the late Nineteen Seventies.
Thus far, there have been 11 Superman films launched which can be thought-about mainline cannon movies, and the subsequent entry James Gunn’s Superman, is set to hit U.S. theaters on July 11, 2025.
For those who’re able to discover the whole Superman cinematic universe earlier than the brand new film drops, we’ve obtained your again: Right here’s the final word information to watching Superman films, from 1978’s Superman: The Film to 2021’s Zach Snyder’s Justice League.
And, you possibly can watch the Man of Metal in motion proper on DIRECTV! Don’t have DIRECTV but? Signing up in the present day is simple!
Superman Motion pictures in Chronological Order (Launch Date)
The Superman films can typically be damaged up into three distinct eras: the Christopher Reeve period (1978-1987), the Brandon Routh period (2006), and the Henry Cavill/Zach Synder period (2013-2021).
The upcoming movie marks the start of the James Gunn period. Gunn has loads of expertise engaged on superhero films, each with the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the DC Extended Universe. He directed all the MCU’s Guardians of the Galaxy movies plus the Guardians vacation particular and DC’s The Suicide Squad (2021). He was an government producer on Avengers: Infinity Conflict and Avengers: Endgame, and he’ll even be directing the upcoming movie Supergirl in 2026.
Right here’s all the Superman films so as.
WARNING: SUPERMAN MOVIE SPOILERS AHEAD
‘Superman: The Film’ (1978)
Christopher Reeve is undoubtedly probably the most recognizable face of Superman in movie, and 1978’s Superman: The Film is the place he made his debut because the Man of Metal. It’s additionally thought-about one of many earliest examples of the trendy superhero genre.
Superman: The Film options Superman’s origin story: He survives the destruction of his dwelling planet, Krypton, and arrives on Earth within the suburb of Smallville. He’s adopted by human mother and father is raised as Clark Kent, creating the highly effective skills that grow to be his calling card as he grows up. As an grownup, Superman battles the evil Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) to cease his plan to destroy California, then flies across the planet at excessive speeds to reverse time and save his love, Lois Lane (Margaret Kidder.)
Marlon Brando additionally seems within the movie, enjoying Superman’s biological father, Jor-El.
‘Superman II’ (1981)
Superman II introduces one of many franchise’s different most well-known villains: Zod, a rogue Kryptonian common who possesses powers much like Superman’s personal, making him one of many Man of Metal’s archenemies.
Within the movie, Superman decides to surrender his powers to be with Lois. Unbeknownst to him, a hydrogen bomb that he lobbed off of Earth had detonated near the Phantom Zone, a Kryptonian jail, and launched Zod and his lackies. When the villains take over the White Home and pressure america to give up, Superman restores his powers and works to defeat them.
Superman: The Motion pictures’ director, Richard Donner, was changed midway by means of the filming of Superman II, and a “Donner minimize” model of the movie was launched in 2006. Many think about each variations to be one of many best superhero films ever made.
‘Superman III’ (1983)
This movie launched the now-familiar idea of corrupted, evil variations of Superman. The plot revolves round a proficient pc scientist who’s roped right into a sinister billionaire’s self-enrichment plots. After Superman foils the billionaire’s plans, he has the scientist create an artificial model of Kryptonite, which corrupts Superman and splits him into an excellent model and an evil model of himself.
Although Superman III is often thought-about one of many franchise’s weaker entries, it’s additionally one of many extra modern movies: It consists of some spectacular particular results and wire work, and the thought of Superman preventing himself was novel on the time, and the movie was initially titled Superman vs. Superman.
‘Superman IV: The Quest for Peace’ (1987)
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace is broadly thought-about the worst Superman movie made up to now and marked the top of the Christopher Reeve period.
Superman commits himself to ridding the world of all nuclear weapons, whereas archnemesis Lex Luthor makes use of Superman’s personal DNA to create a solar-powered warrior named Nuclear Man. Superman battles Nuclear Man to avoid wasting New York Metropolis by making a photo voltaic eclipse and trapping him in a nuclear energy plant to transform him to electrical vitality.
Superman IV was Reeve’s final look as Superman: In 1995, he was paralyzed from the neck after being thrown from a horse in a driving accident.
‘Superman Returns’ (2006)
It took practically 20 years after the discharge of Superman IV for the world to see the Man of Metal on the massive display once more.
Superman Returns is finest seen as an try to erase the reminiscence of the third and fourth movies of the Reeve period. It follows the Man of Metal as he returns to Earth after a five-year journey to survey the ruins of Krypton, solely to search out that Lois has moved on from him and began a household. In the meantime, Lex Luthor (with Kevin Spacey changing Gene Hackman within the position) escapes from jail (once more) and hatches a plot to create a brand new continent made solely of Kyptonite.
Brandon Routh, who performed Superman on this movie, was chosen due to his resemblance to Reeve, an homage to the late actor’s legendary time within the position. The movie was typically well-received, although it grossed far less than it cost to make.
‘Man of Metal’ (2013)
Man of Metal ushered within the Henry Cavill period, placing the “King of the Nerds” into the fabled Kryptonian’s spandex and cape.
Man of Metal was Zack Snyder’s first foray into — and the primary official movie of — the DC Cinematic Universe, DC’s response to the wildly fashionable Marvel Cinematic Universe of superhero films. It’s a straight reboot of the unique Superman movies, that includes Superman’s origin story from the primary film and the villain Basic Zod from the second, who tries to geo-engineer Earth right into a alternative for Krypton.
Man of Metal is the top-grossing Superman movie of all time, pulling in $670 million on the field workplace, and featured an A-list solid together with Amy Adams (as Lois Lane) and together with Russell Crowe, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, Lawrence Fishburne and Michael Shannon. Nonetheless, the movie was criticized for its extreme violence and considerably emotionally muted tone.
‘Batman v Superman: Daybreak of Justice’ (2016)
This film promised the showdown each superhero film fan had been craving: Superman takes on the Caped Crusader of Gotham Metropolis, Batman. Batman v Superman: Daybreak of Justice set the stage for the DCU’s deliberate supergroup film, Justice League, and launched Ben Affleck as Batman, Gal Gadot as Surprise Lady and Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor.
The story focuses on Batman’s unease with Superman’s rising unequalled energy and his makes an attempt to neutralize the Man of Metal. The conflict is a juxtaposition of Batman’s mortality and reliance on superior expertise and Superman’s unearthly powers. Luthor, who stokes the schism between the 2 heroes, finally unleashes Doomsday, a grossly mutated model of Basic Zod from Man of Metal, forcing the Justice League’s three founding members to crew up and handle the better risk.
Although extremely anticipated previous to its launch, this entry principally fell flat with followers, who once more took concern with the brand new Superman movies’ overly darkish tone, half-baked plot traces and the dour, jaded perspective that the usually optimistic Superman adopts for a lot of the film.
‘Justice League’ (2017)
Justice League was imagined to be the DCU’s response to Marvel’s Avengers films however, like Superman II, a mid-production director change triggered main issues throughout filming. Zack Snyder stop the movie midway by means of and was changed with Joss Whedon (Avengers, Firefly, Serenity). This resulted in a big tone shift within the Cavill period in comparison with its earlier two movies and triggered the story to really feel rushed and disjointed at occasions.
The story facilities on the formation of the Justice League — a supergroup composed of Superman, Batman, Surprise Lady, Aquaman (Jason Momoa), The Flash (Ezra Miller) and Cyborg (Ray Fisher) — and their battle with Steppenwolf, a demonic alien warlord who makes an attempt to overcome Earth.
‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’ (2021)
Regardless of Snyder’s untimely departure from the manufacturing of Justice League, many suspected he had put sufficient time into filming to supply a director’s minimize, much like how Superman II’s “Donner Lower” was launched in 2005. Seems, they had been proper, and in 2021 Warner Bros. launched Zack Snyder’s Justice League on HBO Max.
Although this model isn’t thought-about canonical to the DCU’s principal films, the four-hour-long movie was significantly better acquired by followers. The Snyder minimize included considerably extra element on the principle character’s backstories and subplots.
‘Black Adam’ (2022)
Black Adam options the origin story of the eponymous antihero, Black Adam. This movie marks each Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s entry into the DCU and Henry Cavill’s reprisal of his position as Superman for the primary time since 2017’s Justice League (He seems in a mid-credits scene to struggle Black Adam).
On this movie, Black Adam, an historic superhero, emerges after 5,000 years of imprisonment and begins to actual a novel type of justice. This at first brings him into battle with the Justice Society of America, then sees him crew up with them to cease a demonic invasion.
Reception was combined: Followers cherished this one, calling it among the best DCU movies up to now, however critics panned it — laborious.
‘Tremendous/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story’ (2024)
Tremendous/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story is technically thought-about a DCU film, regardless of it being a documentary concerning the lifetime of the actor who gave us Superman’s most well-known and beloved cinematic portrayal.
The movie follows Reeve’s life after his 1995 horseback-riding accident and his transformation from an actor right into a disabled rights activist. Many nonetheless thought-about Reeve synonymous with Superman throughout this time, and his efforts to each overcome the adversity introduced on by his accidents and advocate for disabled individuals in all places gave him a superhero aura of his personal.
‘Superman’ (2025)
The newest entry within the Superman franchise, Superman, is about to hit theaters on July 11, 2025. Gunn’s reboot will function David Corenswet (Home of Playing cards, The Politician, Hollywood) as Superman.
Bucking the pattern of the Cavill period reboot, Superman isn’t anticipated to concentrate on Superman’s origins. Fairly, the story will soar proper right into a world the place he’s a longtime super-presence and discover his interactions with different superheros from the DC universe. And sure: Lex Luthor is in this one, too.
The movie’s unique title was Superman: Legacy, and Gunn has stated it marks the beginning of an try to reset the general public narrative across the DCU.
Right here’s the trailer for the brand new movie:
‘Superman’ Motion pictures Ranked Finest to Worst
So, which of the Superman films are the most important fan-favorites? Listed here are all the Superman film, ranked from finest to worst (not together with the Christopher Reeve documentary or the Snyder minimize):
1. Superman: The Film
2. Superman II
3. Superman Returns
4. Man of Metal
5. Superman III
6. Batman v Superman: Daybreak of Justice
7. Justice League
8. Superman IV: The Quest for Peace
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