How to watch all the Superman movies in order

Superman (1948)

If you’re going to watch the Man of Steel’s motion picture exploits, you should begin with the serial that started it all. Starring Kirk Alyn, the 15-part adventure was directed by Thomas Carr, who went on to direct numerous Adventures of Superman episodes.

After kicking off with Superman’s secret origin, the serial focuses on an original villain, the Spider Lady. Perhaps the most enjoyable part is the plotline revolving around the discovery of Kryptonite.

Given the era and budget, flying scenes involved animation, which is still entertaining to watch today. Featuring Noel Neill as Lois Lane, Tommy Bond as Jimmy Olsen, and Pierre Watkin as Perry White, Superman was a successful start for the franchise. 

Where to watch Superman: DailyMotion

Atom Man vs. Superman (1950)

Two years later, Superman returned to the silver screen. This time around, the filmmakers had the good sense to eschew original creations and go with an established supervillain: Lex Luthor, played by Lyle Talbot, who also originated the role of Commissioner Gordon in the 1943 serial Batman and Robin.

Here, Talbot also plays Luthor’s alter ego, the titular Atom Man, as Luthor devises a way to create a synthetic version of Kryptonite. Although Atom Man vs. Superman doesn’t have quite as much charm as its predecessor, it was still a box office success. With serials on the way out, the Man of Steel next flew into theaters for a feature-length adventure.

Where to watch Atom Man vs. Superman: DailyMotion

Superman and the Mole Men (1951)

Though this was a theatrical release, the studio viewed it as a backdoor pilot for a TV series, which became The Adventures of Superman. The film introduced George Reeves as Superman and Phyllis Coates as Lois Lane. While it’s a little generous to call this a feature — it tops out at a grand total of 58 minutes — it got the job done, spawning a series that ran for six seasons and 104 episodes.

As for the plot, it starts off with Clark and Lois doing a story on the world’s deepest oil well, but quickly turns into an investigation about tiny humanoids who emerge from the shaft. Yes, they’re the so-called “Mole Men.” Turns out they’re not evil, just misunderstood. It’s a storyline that’s been compared to The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951).

Where to watch Superman and the Mole Men: Amazon Prime Video (to rent)

Superman (1978)

“You’ll believe a man can fly.” That was the tagline for the original big-budget Superman.

A whole generation has misty watercolor memories of this film, and there are plenty of reasons why. Of course there’s the late, great Christopher Reeve, who delivers the dual portrayal (physically awkward nerd and calmly dignified heroism) all others continue to be judged by. Then there’s Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor; Marlon Brando as Superman’s father, Jor-El; Margot Kidder as Lois Lane; and Ned Beatty and Valerie Perrine as Otis and Miss Teschmacher.

This was the first time Hollywood managed to deliver legitimately impressive moments of flight for the Man of Steel. Beyond that, there’s humor, drama, and action, all backed by a John Williams score that remains the industry standard for defining this character. In more specific terms, Richard Donner’s film introduces the character’s origins on Krypton and in Kansas, his purpose, his Fortress of Solitude, the Daily Planet, and Metropolis itself.

Where to watch Superman: HBO Max

Superman II (1980)

It’s been said that a superhero movie is only as good as its villain; in the case of Superman II, there are actually four villains, three of whom were introduced in the early moments of the prior film: General Zod (Terence Stamp), Ursa (Sarah Douglas), and Non (Jack O’Halloran), Kryptonian criminals sentenced to imprisonment in the alternate dimension known as the Phantom Zone.

After Superman accidentally frees the trio by throwing a hydrogen bomb into space, they make their way to Earth, where they attempt to overthrow the planet. Meanwhile, Clark unwittingly reveals his identity to Lois. After they begin a relationship, he decides to use Kryptonian technology to remove his powers in order to live a mortal life. Bad timing! This is right around when Luthor teams up with Zod.

With director Richard Lester stepping in mid-production, Superman II has a decidedly different tone, being campy and earnest, manic and romantic.

Where to watch Superman II: HBO Max

Superman III (1983)

Lester returned for this sequel, and the proceedings are decidedly sillier from the get-go. A slapstick opening credit sequence signals just how much the film is going to embrace comedy. Then again, what would you expect from a movie featuring Richard Pryor as a scammy computer programmer? The real villain is wealthy industrialist Ross Webster (Robert Vaughn), who uses Pryor’s Gus Gorman to help him create synthetic Kryptonite.

The newly created compound causes Supes to turn evil and start doing despicable things like… uh, straightening the Leaning Tower of Pisa. (Apparently, even an evil Superman still isn’t all that evil.) At a certain point, he splits into two Supermen: one good, one evil. While all this is going on, Clark is attending his high school reunion in Smallville, a trip that reunites him with his old friend Lana Lang (Annette O’Toole). Remember how different Batman Forever was from Batman Returns? This is like that.

Where to watch Superman III: HBO Max

Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987)

Behold the notorious fourth and final installment of the Reeve era, an infamously troubled production beset by massive budget cuts and storytelling shortcuts.

The plot starts with Superman trying to bring about world peace by ridding the planet of nuclear arms. But with the return of Lex Luthor, alongside his incompetent nephew, Lenny (Jon Cryer), things shift to focus on Luthor’s plot to create his own Superman by using a strand of Kal-El’s hair.

The resulting creation, Nuclear Man (Mark Pillow), immediately enters into battle with Superman, during which time he pulls the Statue of Liberty from Ellis Island and hurls it toward Metropolis. Meanwhile, The Daily Planet gets acquired by tycoon David Warfield (Sam Wanamaker), who fires Perry White and appoints his daughter Lacy (Mariel Hemingway) as the new editor. Suffice it to say there’s a reason it took almost two decades for Hollywood to risk making another Superman movie after this one.

Where to watch Superman IV: The Quest for Peace: HBO Max

Superman Returns (2006)

Bryan Singer’s franchise revival serves as a legacy sequel to Superman II, essentially erasing III and IV from official canon. Superman Returns is set about five years after the second film, after which the Man of Steel (Brandon Routh) left Earth to find the remains of Krypton.

Upon his return, he finds Lois (Kate Bosworth) is now engaged to Perry White’s nephew, Richard (James Marsden). She also has a 5-year-old son whose father is supposedly Richard, but… well, you do the math. By happy accident, Superman’s return coincides with Luthor’s (Kevin Spacey) release from prison. Unsurprisingly, Luthor already has an evil plan in the works, this time involving the use of Kryptonite crystals to grow a new continent, which will kill billions.

The film was a modest box-office success, but not big enough to bring Routh back for additional installments.

Where to watch Superman Returns: HBO Max

Man of Steel (2013)

Welcome to the Superman of the Snyderverse!

Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel opts to retell the character’s origin story and his introduction to the world. Henry Cavill stars this time around; like Reeve in 1978, he was a relative unknown, surrounded by upper-echelon stars. That includes Amy Adams (Lois Lane), Kevin Costner and Diane Lane (Ma and Pa Kent), Russell Crowe (Jor-El), Laurence Fishburne (Perry White), and Michael Shannon (General Zod).

Beyond the origin story, the film is a big ol’ punchfest, with Zod trying to terraform Earth and Superman doing everything in his power to stop him. The whole thing is mostly a setup for a sequel, but it’s also an action-packed flick that puts a new spin on the character, filtered through a darker lens. 

Where to watch Man of Steel: HBO Max

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

Rather than pick up where Man of Steel left off, this sequel rewinds to Superman’s battle with Zod, revealing that none other than Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) was caught up in the damage of the Kryptonian slugfest. Bruce gets the distinct impression that Superman is more of a danger to humanity than a protector. By sheer coincidence, Clark starts writing articles about the moral inappropriateness of Batman’s vigilante justice.

Meanwhile, Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) makes it his mission to stop Superman, pitting the Caped Crusader against Supes. In case that doesn’t work, he’s got a backup plan that involves combining his DNA with that of the late General Zod. The film also introduces Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) to the DCEU, teasing her solo adventure while giving her a brief spotlight alongside Superman and Batman.

Even darker and grittier than Man of Steel, Dawn of Justice explicitly sets up the events of Justice League.

Where to watch Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice: HBO Max

Justice League (2017) / Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021)

Justice League begins thousands of years in the past, with Steppenwolf (Ciarán Hinds) attempting to take over Earth via three “Mother Boxes,” only to be fought off by the combined efforts of Olympian gods, the Amazons, the Atlanteans, humans, and some extraterrestrials to boot.

Later, in the wake of Superman’s death, the Mother Boxes reactivate, and Steppenwolf returns to Earth to try again. Wonder Woman, having been warned by her mother, asks Batman to find other metahumans to assist in the inevitable battle. Enter Aquaman (Jason Momoa), the Flash (Ezra Miller), and Cyborg (Ray Fisher). Additionally, Batman uses one of the aforementioned Mother Boxes to bring Supes back to life.

Replacement director Joss Whedon’s theatrical cut clocks in at two hours, but for the film’s originally intended vision, there’s Zack Snyder’s Justice League, which emerged on HBO Max four years later. Aside from a brief cameo in Black Adam (2022), this is the end of Cavill’s Superman era.

Where to watch Justice League: HBO Max

Where to watch Zack Snyder’s Justice League: HBO Max

Superman (2025)

A new generation, a new Man of Steel. This time, he doesn’t just have the fate of his adopted home planet on his shoulders, but that of an entire cinematic universe.

After the previous DCEU fizzled, the studio simply wiped the slate clean and started over, recruiting Marvel vet and The Suicide Squad (2021) director James Gunn as its chief architect. His first order of business: Superman (2025), the latest attempt to revitalize the character’s popularity in a world enamored with Batmen and Spider-Boys.

Donning the tights is up-and-comer David Corenswet, graduating from supporting roles in Pearl (2022) and Twisters (2024), with Rachel Brosnahan as his love interest and media antagonist Lois Lane. This candy-colored reboot plops audiences into a world already populated with not just our favorite Kryptonian boy scout but various superpowered metahumans, including the “Justice Gang.”

You’re never going to believe this, but billionaire tech tycoon Lex Luthor (a bald Nicholas Hoult) is not a fan of those guys. Especially Superman. Cue the diabolical scheme. (No spoilers, but let’s go ahead and put a bet on Supes surviving at least for a few more DCU entries.)

Where to watch Superman: In theaters