Superman Movies In Order 2025 Guide

Throughout time, Superman has been incorporated into live-action movies which were equally loved and admired by the audience. In this article, we will look at the chronological order to watch all the Superman movies to date. So, Sit back, relax, and begin your journey to explore the world of Superman.

1. Superman (1978)

Release Date: December 15, 1978 Cast: Christopher Reeve, Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman, Margot Kidder, Terence Stamp Director: Richard Donner Runtime: 2 Hours 23 Minutes IMDB/Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 7.4/ 94%

This was the first time Superman was seen on the big screen and even after his first-ever appearance, this movie set a standard for Superhero movies to come. The story was written by Mario Puzo while the director was Richard Donner. In this first Superman movie, we are also introduced to Lex Luthor played by Gene Hackman as well as the very first introduction of Krypton and the Villainous General Zod played by Terence Stamp.

2. Superman 2 (1981)

Release Date: June 19, 1981 Cast: Christopher Reeve, Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman, Margot Kidder, Terence Stamp Director: Richard Lester Runtime: 1 Hour 56 Minutes IMDB/Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 6.8/ 87%

Superman 2 was a direct continuation of the first Superman movie with Christopher Reeve reprising the role of Superman this movie was initially directed by Richard Donner but was later removed as the director by the final leg of the movie being replaced by Richard Lester. This movie features General Zod once again along with Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor. This movie was quite anticipated both by the audience as well as the team of the movie since its production began even before Superman(1978) was released.

3. Superman 3 (1983)

Release Date: June 17, 1983 Cast: Christopher Reeves, Richard Pryor, Annette O’Toole, Margot Kidder, Pamela Stephenson, Robert Vaughn, Marc McClure Director: Richard Lester Runtime: 2 Hours 5 Minutes IMDB/Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 5/29%

Superman 3 was the third installment of Christopher Reeve’s Superman, in this movie, we see Gus Gorman, played by Richard Pryor, being hired by an industrialist named Ross Webster played by Robert Vaughn to gain control over the weather but Superman sabotages his plans. An annoyed Ross asks Gus to locate Kryptonite to kill Superman, but they instead create an alter ego of Superman, who is not exactly a good guy.

4. Superman 4: The Quest for Peace (1987)

Release Date: July 24, 1987 Cast: Christopher Reeve, Mark Pillow, Gene Hackman, Jon Cryer, Margot Kidder, Marc McClure, Don Fellows Director: Sidney J. Furie Runtime: 1 Hour 29 Minutes IMDB/Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 3.7/ 10%

This movie was the final appearance of Christopher Reeves as Superman. It revolves around the time of the Cold War and Superman is attempting to convince human beings to get rid of their nuclear weapons. Superman’s arch-nemesis, Lex Luthor manages to escape from prison and creates an entity called Nuclear Man, played by Mark Pillow with his mission being the annihilation of Superman. This movie is considered to be the worst movie out of Christopher Reeves’ Superman movies and according to fans, this was not an appropriate farewell to the actor from his role.

5. Superman Returns (2006)

Release Date: June 28, 2006 Cast: Brandon Routh, Kate Bosworth, Kevin Spacey, Sam Huntington, James Marsden Director: Bryan Singer Runtime: 2 Hours 34 Minutes IMDB/Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 6.1/ 74%

Superman Returns’ storyline follows up the second part of Christopher Reeve’s Superman. The story of Superman Returns takes up right after what happens in Superman 2 ignoring the other two Superman movies. Superman returns to Earth after a five-year-long trip to his home planet Krypton. When he returns a lot has changed, Lex Luthor has been released from prison and is plotting something serious against Superman. This movie was a box-office hit but was not profitable since the total revenue generated by the movie was $400 million but the expense of making the movie was $200 million.

6. Man of Steel (2013)

Release Date: June 14, 2013 Cast: Henry Cavill, Diana Lane, Russell Crowe, Kevin Costner, Michael Shanon, Amy Adams Director: Zack Snyder Runtime: 2 Hours 23 Minutes IMDB/Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 7.1/ 56%

Man of Steel is the first Superman movie to come out after The Dark Knight era and turned out to be an absolute blockbuster. The movie was directed by Zack Snyder and contained all his signature styles of direction and casts Henry Cavill as Superman. This movie shows us the origin of Superman from the very beginning, showing us a new take on the relationship Clark Kent had with his parents while facing a fierce enemy like General Zod.

7. Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

Release Date: March 25, 2016 Cast: Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Jesse Eisenberg, Jeremy Irons, Diana Lane Director: Zack Snyder Runtime: 3 Hours 3 Minutes IMDB/Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 6.4/ 29%

Following up to Man of Steel, Batman vs Superman takes place in the aftermath of the battle between Superman and Zod in Metropolis leading to its destruction. The US government attempts to stop Superman’s efforts to help people all across the world as it is causing certain political issues. Lex Luthor is reprised in this movie as Superman’s arch-nemesis. He manipulates Batman, who has been watching over Gotham for some time now, and Superman. Both superheroes get into a fight with each other. Meanwhile, Lex unleashes Doomsday, a murderous monster who wants to kill Superman.

8. Justice League (2017)

Release Date: November 17, 2017 Cast: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Ezra Miller, Ray Fisher, Jason Momoa, Jeremy Irons, Ciarán Hinds Director: Zack Snyder, Joss Whedon Runtime: 1 Hour 59 Minutes IMDB/Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 6.1/ 39%

This Justice League movie was extremely flawed since the direction of the movie shifted from Zack Snyder to Joss Whedon because of a tragedy in Zack Snyder’s family. It revolves around Batman trying to bring together superpowered individuals into a team as Superman is dead and an alien threat on Earth is imminent. This movie faced a lot of backlash for its poor CGI, especially Henry Cavill’s graphically removed mustache.

9. Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021)

Release Date: March 18, 2021 Cast: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Ezra Miller, Ray Fisher, Jason Momoa, Jeremy Irons, Ciarán Hinds Director: Zack Snyder Runtime: 4 Hours 2 Minutes IMDB/Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 7.9/72%

The 2017 Justice League was so bad that DC fans started a campaign for the release of Zack Snyder’s version of the Justice League but Warner Bros. was not ready to do so. In 2020, HBO Max came to the rescue by announcing that they were going to allow Snyder to finish and release his version of the Justice League. In Zack Snyder’s Justice League, we got to see a much more elaborate description of Superman’s resurrection and many more previously missing details.

10. Superman (2025)

Release Date: July 11, 2025 Cast: David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced, María Gabriela de Faría, Frank Grillo, Edi Gathegi, Anthony Carrigan, Skyler Gisondo Director: James Gunn Runtime: TBA IMDB/Rotten Tomatoes Rating: TBA

Reinventing the DC universe, James Gunn is bringing us his new version of Superman with the movie lined up to release on July 11, 2025. This movie replaces Henry Cavill with David Corenswet as Superman, and looking at the trailer, it’s safe to say that David has pulled off the role better than any of us could have anticipated. This movie will feature a lot of other heroes, like Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, Metamorpho, and Mister Fantastic. Not only that, Lex Luthor will appear in Superman being played by Nathan Fillion, so let’s wait and see what awaits us!
Here is a list of all Superman movies in release date order if you don’t want any spoilers. MovieRelease dateActorSupermanDecember 15, 1978Christopher ReeveSuperman 2June 19, 1981Christopher ReeveSuperman 3June 17, 1983Christopher ReeveSuperman 4: The Quest for PeaceJuly 24, 1987Christopher ReeveSuperman ReturnsJune 28, 2006Brandon RouthMan of SteelJune 14, 2013Henry CavillBatman Vs. Superman: Dawn of JusticeMarch 25, 2016Henry CavillJustice LeagueNovember 17, 2017Henry CavillZack Snyder’s Justice LeagueMarch 18, 2021Henry CavillSupermanJuly 11, 2025David Corenswet