Many filmgoers now struggle with a familiar phenomenon: superhero fatigue. Superhero fatigue is when audiences grow bored of caped crusaders for a myriad of reasons, whether it be the oversaturation of superhero films, non-cohesive storylines, or even just a plain disinterest in these stories and genre.
I am a casual superhero fan, but I would also say that I understand and get the concept of superhero fatigue. The last superhero movie I saw in theaters was Blue Beetle back in 2023. But with the upcoming release of James Gunn’s Superman, I feel like that fatigue might finally be lifting.
My experience with Superman
Superman (2025) may bring me back from waiting for superhero films to come to streaming and back to theaters. It’s time for a confession, both in this article and online. I have never seen a standalone Superman film. The most I have delved into Superman is Batman vs Superman and the occasional Smallville clips on my TikTok. I haven’t even seen any of the Superman TV series, animated or live action. I’ve never even read one of his comics. If I had to choose a DC hero, Superman is never my first choice, or even the second or third. I have just never had all that much of an interest in Clark Kent. For Gunn’s take on the beloved hero, I decided to finally dip my toes into the Superman franchise.
Films Included
I chose to only focus on solo Superman outings. So, if you were wondering what my take on Batman V. Superman and Justice League is, then sorry to disappoint. I’ll be focusing on the Christopher Reeve films, Brandon Routh’s solo appearance, and Henry Cavill’s origin story. So, without further ado, here are my thoughts and reviews of the Superman series.
Superman: The Movie (1978)
To begin the viewing journey, we have to go back to 1978. We have all of our typical Superman story beats and all of our usual cast of Superman characters. This movie serves as the introduction of the character of Eve Teschmacher, an original character written specifically for Superman 1978. Teschmacher is slated for an appearance in the new 2025 film. Superman 1978 also sets up characters for future film installments, such as General Zod and Lana Lang. That being said, this film can be slow at times since it’s really an origin story for Superman. Overall, though, for 1978, I think that a lot of the production design and effects still hold up. This film also brings classic characters such as Lois Lane and Lex Luthor to life. Pacing issues aside, I found this to be a fun beginning to the series.
IMDb: 7.4/10
Superman II (1980)
The sequel was released two years after the original and surprisingly brought a payoff from the first film. At the beginning of Superman: The Movie, Jor-El sentences General Zod and his henchmen, Ursa and Non, to the Phantom Zone. This comes back as Zod and company return as the villains of Superman II, alongside Lex Luthor, who also reappears. We also see Clark grappling with his true identity and alter ego, all while trying to pursue Lois Lane. Clark does almost give up on being Superman, but we all know that wouldn’t be the final result. I always enjoy seeing the internal and external struggles of the two identities within a superhero story. I also found Zod to be a much more interesting character than Lex Luthor. While this film can be admittedly goofy at times, I found it to be pretty enjoyable overall.
IMDb: 6.8/10
Superman III (1983)
The third film was released three years after its predecessor. Unlike the first two movies, Lex Luthor does not appear as one of the villains. The villain title for this entry goes to industrialist Ross Webster, who, like Eve Teschmacher, was created specifically for the film. This movie also brings back a previously introduced character in the form of Clark’s high school crush, Lana Lang. Lois Lane ends up taking a backseat, spending most of the movie in Bermuda. This film does have some memorable moments, like the evil Superman versus Clark Kent junkyard fight, but overall, it fell flat for me and was largely forgettable. I wouldn’t say it’s a bad movie, but a bit mediocre.
IMDb: 5.0/10
Superman IV: The Quest For Peace (1987)
The final film of the Christopher Reeve series was released four years after its predecessor. This movie is part anti-nuclear war message, part Superman adventure. Lex Luthor returns and creates an entity named Nuclear Man to fight and kill Superman. The Quest for Peace has a reputation for being a bit of a disaster. I wanted to give it the benefit of the doubt and form my own opinion. After watching, I can confirm the reputation is well-earned. This movie is… not great. Not even Lex Luthor’s return could save it. While Superman III is goofy and forgettable, I’d still rather rewatch that than this one.
IMDb: 3.7/10
Superman Returns (2006)
After the previous film, Superman didn’t return to the big screen for 19 years. And in 2006, true to the title, Superman returns. This is Brandon Routh’s only theatrical appearance as the hero, though he would later reprise the role in DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. The film was directed by Bryan Singer, known for his work on the X-Men series. In this movie, Superman has disappeared for five years and is now back, but so is Lex Luthor, newly released from prison. I wouldn’t call this a bad film. It had a unique concept and some solid ideas. That said, it’s not exactly a memorable movie either. It’s pretty much okay. I did enjoy Brandon Routh’s take on the character and was happy to see him return on the small screen.
IMDb: 6.1/10
Man of Steel (2013)
Seven years after Brandon Routh’s short time as Superman, audiences were introduced to a new version of the character. The titular Man of Steel was played by Henry Cavill in this adaptation. While part of the film serves as Superman’s origin story, it makes a key change: rather than introducing Lex Luthor as the primary villain, the story begins with General Zod. I think choosing Zod as the introductory villain was a great decision. This was by far my favorite of the Superman films and the most memorable to me.
IMDb: 7.1/10
Where do the films stand?
Here’s how I’d rank the Superman films I watched:
6) Superman IV: The Quest for Peace
5) Superman III
4) Superman Returns
3) Superman: The Movie
2) Superman II
1) Man of Steel
My final thoughts
While my time with Superman may have been a mixed bag, there are some of these films that I would think about revisiting. However, I’m still going to pick other DC heroes such as Batman or Swamp Thing before I pick Superman. That being said, my experiences with these films have made me excited to see Superman 2025.
All Superman films featured in this list are streaming on HBOMax.
