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All 7 Superman movies ranked from worst to best

By Bryce Olin

LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 22: Henry Cavill attends the European Premiere of 'Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice' at Odeon Leicester Square on March 22, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Anthony Harvey/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 22: Henry Cavill attends the European Premiere of 'Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice' at Odeon Leicester Square on March 22, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Anthony Harvey/Getty Images) /
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24-year-old American film actor Christopher Reeve stands before the Manhattan skyline dressed as the comic-book hero of the film ‘Superman’. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images) /

Superman movies ranked

When it comes to recognizable superheroes, there are only a few characters more popular than Clark Kent/Superman. There are also few DC superheroes with as many movies about them as Superman. To celebrate the great Superman movies, we ranked the Superman movies from worst to best.

There are more Superman movies on the way in the near-ish future. James Gunn is currently working on a new Superman movie that’s reportedly coming in 2025, and it’s called Superman: Legacy. We don’t know many details about the film, but we do know it’s not starring Henry Cavill, who played Superman in the Justice League movies, as well as a couple of Superman movies that you’ll find on the list.

Here are the Superman movies in order:

  • Superman (1978) 
  • Superman II (1981) 
  • Superman III (1983) 
  • Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987) 
  • Superman Returns (2006)  
  • Man of Steel (2013)
  • Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) 

Let’s get the list started with the worst Superman movie, Superman IV: The Quest for Peace. 

7. Superman IV: The Quest for Peace

  • Release Year: 1987
  • Director: Sidney J. Furie
  • Cast: Christopher Reeve, Gene Hackman, Jackie Cooper, Marc McClure, Jon Cryer, Sam Wanamaker, Mariel Hemingway, Margot Kidder, and Mark Pillow

Superman IV: The Quest for Peace is the worst Superman movie. It pains me to say that Christopher Reeve’s final Superman movie is bad, especially with everything he brought to the character and the role. It’s iconic! In the era of so many actors playing superheroes, Reeve is the one who truly started it all.

In Superman IV, Superman throws all the nuclear weapons in the world into the sun, but this creates a new enemy in the form of Nuclear Man, played by Mark Pillow, a being created by Lex Luthor from a strand of Superman’s hair. Nuclear Man, then, wreaks havoc on the world, causing Superman to face his toughest challenge yet. Meanwhile, Superman also attempts to reconnect with his childhood love, Lana Lang, played by Annette O’Toole, and uncover the mystery of his Kryptonian heritage.

It’s hilarious how ridiculous this premise is, and this movie is so bad. Shoutout to Annette O’Toole, though! She’s holding it down on Virgin River, which is a very popular Netflix series!

Up next is Superman III!

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