Every DC Comics Movie, Ranked

We have a real love-hate relationship with movies based on DC Comics characters.

On the one hand, we absolutely loved the original (1978) Superman, played by Christopher Reeve. Wonder Woman (2017) reignited our passion for the character. And Heath Ledger’s sinister turn as the Joker in The Dark Knight (2008), rewarded with both an Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor, is impossible to forget.

Then, on the other hand, there’s Halle Berry’s Catwoman (2004), a film The Austin Chronicle called “utterly devoid of merit, fantastic or otherwise.”

And as for Shaquille O’Neal’s superhero film Steel (1997)… well, all we’ll say is “yikes” to that one.

But as mixed as DC Comics’ record at the box office has been, we still keep coming back for more. Our own Brandon Davis called the Todd Phillips-directed Joker an insane masterpiece — one that won Oscar gold, despite mixed reviews from the critics. And though our own reviewer was disappointed by the uneven storytelling in 2020’s Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), Margot Robbie still turned in a captivating R-rated performance.

Where will the newest batch of DC Comics movies fall in the ranking? The retro-styled Wonder Woman 1984, starring Gal Gadot, didn’t exactly land with a thud when it premiered on HBO Max and in theaters on December 25, 2020. But it didn’t quite capture the magic of the 2017 original, either.

In any case, the movie is a good appetizer for what’s coming in 2021, with the James Gunn-directed sequel The Suicide Squad tentatively coming in August and The Batman (with Robert Pattinson in the titular role) slated for October. And antihero film Black Adam, starring Dwayne Johnson, is on the calendar for a December 2021 release.

While we wait for these box-office treats, we thought it would be the perfect time to revisit DC Comics’ history at the box office to see which movies are truly legendary, and which are utterly forgettable monstrosities. (There’s a little wiggle room in-between, as Jason Momoa’s Aquaman proved, but not much.)

Here’s every live-action DC movie to be released in the last 40 years, ranked from worst to best via their Metacritic scores. (When there was no Metascore available, we used the corresponding Rotten Tomatoes ranking.)

31. Superman IV: The Quest for Peace

There’s not a lot to like in this 1987 film that pits the Man of Steel against the woefully forgettable villain Nuclear Man. Says Desson Thomson of The Washington Post: “More sluggish than a funeral barge, cheaper than a sale at K-mart, it’s a nerd, it’s a shame, it’s Superman IV.”

Metacritic Score: 25

30. Catwoman

Says Joe Morgenstern of The Wall Street Journal, “connoisseurs of trashy camp” will find this 2004 Halle Berry movie to be “top-grade catnip.”

Otherwise, Marc Savlov of The Austin Chronicle writes, “a more exasperating descent into the feline world is difficult to imagine.” Ouch.

Metacritic Score: 27

29. Batman & Robin

While we’re on the subject of trashy camp, let’s talk about the final Batman film of the 1990s, Batman & Robin.

“Clooney’s stiff cornball delivery and tendency to smile during the most tragic moments bring this as close to the cartoonish Batman television series of the 1960s as any of the movies have come,” writes Barbara Shulgasser of the SF Examiner.

Metacritic Score: 28

28. Steel

In this 1997 box-office bomb, weapon designer John Henry Irons (played by Shaquille O’Neal) becomes the superhero Steel to stop his former employer (Judd Nelson) from selling guns to criminals.

Says Sean Means of Film.com: “Steel isn’t a movie to excite or even entertain. It exists to move merchandise — specifically, Shaquille O’Neal’s oversized physique and marketing machine.”

Metacritic Score: N/A

Rotten Tomatoes: 12%

27. Jonah Hex

This 2010 film about a Confederate cavalryman-turned-bounty-hunter stars Josh Brolin as Hex and John Malkovich as Quentin Turnbull, his commanding officer-turned-terrorist.

Says the Orlando Sentinel‘s Roger Moore: “Brolin is so damned good in the saddle, in the hat and in the part that a half-sober viewer could half forget how half-arsed this movie he’s starring in is.”

Metacritic Score: 33

25 (tie). The Return of Swamp Thing

Despite all its body horror, this sequel to 1982’s Swamp Thing is lighter and campier than its predecessor, with plenty of (attempted) humor. It earned Heather Locklear a Razzie award for Worst Actress.

Says William Thomas of Empire: “The world can only hope The Swamp Thing’s abode is now bulldozered and turned into a shopping mall.”

Metacritic Score: 39

25 (tie). Green Lantern

This 2011 superhero film is the story of how Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds) becomes the first human Green Lantern.

“The result,” says Michael Wilmington of Reader, “is a deadly disappointment, despite Ryan Reynolds’s cocky, muscle-flexing charisma as the daredevil test pilot turned intergalactic peacekeeper and Peter Sargaard’s movie-stealing turn as a nerdy scientist turned psycho monster.”

Metacritic Score: 39

24. Suicide Squad

Though we thought the character-driven fun of this 2016 anti-hero flick, starring Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn and Will Smith as Deadshot, outweighed its flaws, other critics were far harsher.

Susan Wloszczyna of RogerEbert.com says: “With a few, rare exceptions, the attempts at humor in Suicide Squad land with a thud—that is, if you can hear such a sound over the deafening din of gunfire and the bombastic score.”

Metacritic Score: 40

23. Supergirl

Though there are many connections between this 1984 film and the Superman franchise — the title character (played by the relatively unknown Helen Slater) poses as Clark Kent’s cousin Linda Lee and befriends Lois’s sister Lucy — Christopher Reeve opted not to appear in Supergirl, even as a cameo.

Writes David Ansen of Newsweek: “Slater makes you believe that people wouldn’t know brunette Linda Lee was actually blond Supergirl. That may not be a major cinematic achievement, but it’s about the best that Supergirl has to offer.”

Metacritic Score: 42

21 (tie). Superman III

In this relatively unsuccessful-though-profitable 1983 film, beloved hero Superman turns into a total jerk due to counterfeit Kryptonite made by Gus Gorman (Richard Pryor).

“Superman III emerges as a surprisingly soft-cored disappointment,” writes Variety in is review. “Putting its emphasis on broad comedy at the expense of ingenious plotting and technical wizardry, it has virtually none of the mythic or cosmic sensibility that marked its predecessors.”

Metacritic Score: 44

21 (tie). Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

In this 2016 film, Batman (Ben Affleck) distrusts Superman (Henry Cavill) and sees him as a future threat, while Superman seeks to expose the vigilante Batman. The end result: A disappointing movie where Superman dies.

Slate‘s Jonathan Fischer says, “this comics fan hated Batman v Superman with the fury of a thousand red-dwarf suns,” calling the film blunt, humorless and baffling.

Metacritic Score: 44

20. Justice League

Despite making more than $657 million at the box office, this CGI-heavy fifth installment in the DC Extended Universe that sees the resurrection of Superman actually lost money overall.

“It’s better than you may expect,” says Allison Shoemaker of Consequence of Sound, “a mostly tolerable movie made occasionally enjoyable by a few lively performances, one good fight sequence, and a solid punchline or two.”

Metacritic Score: 45

18 (tie). Swamp Thing

Wes Craven’s 1982 cult classic about a researcher-turned-swamp-monster drew mixed reviews. Roger Ebert of Chicago Sun-Times says “there’s beauty in this movie, if you know where to look for it.”

TV Guide, meanwhile, says “the whole thing is merely silly and not much fun.”

Metacritic Score: 50

18 (tie). Constantine

This adaptation of the DC Comics series Hellblazer, starring Keanu Reeves in the title role, is about a revived occult detective who can see the half-angels and half-demons walking among us.

Says M.E. Russell of The Oregonian, “the movie’s stuffed (some might say overstuffed) with wonderfully staged moments and set pieces.”

Metacritic Score: 50

17. Batman Forever

This kitschy 1995 film, directed by Joel Schumacher, pits Val Kilmer’s Batman and Chris O’Donnell’s Robin against Two-Face (Tommy Lee Jones) and the Riddler (Jim Carrey). It’s much more family-friendly than the better-reviewed Batman films that preceded it.

Rolling Stone’s Peter Travers says: “Schumacher’s method is to use a lighter touch, to stay closer to the cartoon that Bob Kane created for DC Comics in 1939 and to temper Burton’s nightmare world with an accessible, brightly colored TV palette.”

Metacritic Score: 51

15 (tie). Man of Steel

This first movie in the DC Extended Universe, released in 2013, retells the origin story of Superman (Henry Cavill), who must stop General Zod (Michael Shannon) from destroying humanity and remaking Earth as a new Krypton.

“It has heft, it looks amazing, and it’s businesslike to a fault,” says Tim Robey of The Telegraph.

Metacritic Score: 55

15 (tie). Aquaman

This 2018 origin story follows Jason Momoa’s Aquaman from his birth in a Maine lighthouse to his claiming of the Trident of Atlan and his battle against Orm (Patrick Wilson), the King of Atlantis.

Says Emily Yoshida of Vulture: “Aquaman’s as formulaic, excessively thrashy, and mommy-obsessed as any other entry in the DCEU, but its visual imagination is genuinely exciting and transportive, and dare I say, fun.”

Metacritic Score: 55

14. Watchmen

This 2009 film, based on the classic 1986-7 DC Comics limited series of the same name, is set in an alternate reality circa 1985 where superheroes exist and Richard Nixon serves as president.

“Watchmen is a fitting tribute to Alan Moore’s fascinating graphic novel, even if he refused to let his name be used in the credits,” writes Lawrence Toppman of The Charlotte Observer.

Metacritic Score: 56

13. Joker

This controversial 2019 Todd Phillips-directed film earned mixed reviews from film critics. A.O. Scott of The New York Times called the movie “an empty, foggy exercise in second-hand style and second-rate philosophizing,” while ScreenCrush’s Matt Singer simply called it “immature.”

But not everyone found such severe fault in Joker: Rolling Stone‘s Peter Travers called the movie “simply stupendous,” while Variety‘s Owen Gleiberman hailed Joaquin Phoenix’s Oscar-winning performance as “astonishing.”

Metacritic Score: 59

11 (tie). Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)

Hailed by Comicbook’s own Brandon Davis as “a good movie bogged down by a sluggish start,” this film features compelling performances from Margot Robbie as Quinn, Jurnee Smollett as Black Canary, Mary Elizabeth Winstead as The Huntress and Rosie Perez as alcoholic Gotham City P.D. detective Renee Montoya.

Metacritic Score: 60

11 (tie). Wonder Woman 1984

Though at times you’ll “really start to feel that two-and-a-half-hour run time,” says Comicbook’s Brandon Davis in his review of Wonder Woman 1984, the latest DC Comics movie is an “inspirational journey with abundant messages of triumph and hope — just when we need such themes in the world.”

Metacritic Score: 60

10. Batman Returns

This 1992 sequel to 1989’s Batman, directed by Tim Burton, pits the Caped Crusader (Michael Keaton) against Catwoman (Michelle Pfeiffer) and the Penguin (Danny DeVito), who wishes to kill all of Gotham City’s first-born sons.

Writes Variety of the film: “Burton has once again managed to pursue his quirky personal concerns in the context of broadly commercial entertainment, although the idiosyncrasies of the villains clearly interest him far more than the programmable heroics of the title character and the related mandatory action sequences.”

Metacritic Score: 68

9. Batman

This moody 1989 film, directed by Tim Burton and starring Michael Keaton as Batman and Jack Nicholson as the Joker, was a massive box office success.

“Batman is perfect summertime fare,” says Hal Lipper of Tampa Bay Times. “Its secret is levity hidden in a dark and troubled soul.”

Metacritic Score: 69

 

8. Batman Begins

The first Batman film of the 2000s reboots the franchise with Christian Bale in the lead. It pits him against Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy) and Ra’s al Ghul (Liam Neeson), whom plan to destroy Gotham City using a specially engineered hallucinogen that causes fear.

Says Rene Rodriguez of The Miami Herald, “Batman Begins is a mature take on material often relegated to the kiddie file, and it’s simply the latest proof that, when treated properly, comic books are a viable art form for all ages. Bring on the sequel.”

Metacritic Score: 70

7. Shazam!

This 2019 film tells the incredibly fun story of a “pure of heart” teenage boy (played by Asher Angel) who, after meeting an ancient wizard, is granted the power to transform into an adult superhero (Zachary Levi).

In Brandon Davis’s review of Shazam! here on Comicbook.com, he says, “all things considered, Shazam! shapes up to be the best movie based on a DC Comics character since The Dark Knight changed the comic book movie game in 2008.”

Metacritic Score: 71

6. Superman Returns

In this 2006 film directed by Bryan Singer, Superman (Brandon Routh) returns to Earth after a 5-year absence, only to learn that Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth) has moved on and nemesis Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey) has been released from jail.

“The new Superman has its visionary charms,” says Peter Rainer of The Christian Science Monitor, “but there’s only so far you can go without great characters.”

Metacritic Score: 72

5. Wonder Woman

In this movie, largely set in the year 1918, an immortal Amazon warrior (Gal Gadot) learns of the existence of World War I from a stranded pilot and sets out to stop the god she believes to be responsible for it.

“In the recent flood of superhero movies, several have managed to be quite good,” explains Alonso Duralde of The Wrap, “but Wonder Woman ranks as one of the few great ones.”

Metacritic Score: 76

4. The Dark Knight Rises

In this final Christian Bale Batman film, the Caped Crusader is forced out of retirement by terrorist Bane (Tom Hardy), who seeks to complete the work of Ra’s al Ghul and destroy Gotham City.

Says Lou Lumenick of the New York Post: “Christopher Nolan’s dramatically and emotionally satisfying wrap-up to the Dark Knight trilogy adroitly avoids clichés and gleefully subverts your expectations at every turn.”

Metacritic Score: 78

3. Superman

This is it: The superhero origin film that started a movie empire. Superman (Christopher Reeve) battles Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) and his plan to sink California into the Pacific and nuke Hackensack, New Jersey.

“Superman is a pure delight,” says Roger Ebert of Chicago Sun-Times, “a wondrous combination of all the old-fashioned things we never really get tired of: adventure and romance, heroes and villains, earthshaking special effects, and — you know what else? Wit.”

Metacritic Score: 80

2. The Dark Knight

Though Heath Ledger would not live to see the release of this 2008 blockbuster, his turn as Joker is absolutely unforgettable, winning almost every award for best supporting actor that Hollywood has to offer.

“Twisted, tortured, terrifying — and terrific,” raves Joe Neumaier of the New York Daily News.

Metacritic Score: 84

1. Superman II

A sequel that’s better than the original? Believe it. In fact, Superman II (1981) is the best-reviewed DC Comics movie of all time. Reeve’s Superman gives up his powers to spend the rest of his life with Lois, only to find that a trio of villains from Krypton have invaded Earth.

Says Variety: “Superman II emerges as a solid, classy, cannily constructed piece of entertainment which gets down to action almost immediately.”

Metacritic Score: 87