How to Watch the Superman Movies in Order
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It's a bird... It's a plane... It's... the release date of Superman: Legacy off in the extremely distant horizon!
Despite the fact that Superman: Legacy has barely even taken flight in terms of production, it seems that nearly every superhero movie fan already has their sights set on the film's July 11, 2025 release date. Perhaps that's thanks to some stealth publicity ploy by DC to deflect attention away from the controversial (and flopping) release of The Flash. Or, maybe the Internet truly has chosen to fixate on digging up nearly every pre-production detail available. (If you haven't been keeping up on things, Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn is already tied to the project, with David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan confirmed to be starring as Clark Kent and Lois Lane, respectively.)
Though the film's far-off release is a bummer, it means you have time to rise to the occasion and watch (or rewatch) the entire franchise to prepare for the big release. With Superman: Legacy promising a new era of the franchise—offering something of a fresh origin story to our spandex-clad lad—it would do you good to do a bit of background research. Plus, given that Superman has existed as a character since the 1930s, with the film franchise starting in 1978, two years might be the exact amount of time you need to consume your own "Snyder Cut" volume of Superman history.
To save you from traversing from Krypton to Smallville and back, we've compiled all of the streaming links you need to watch the complete Superman franchise, beginning with 1978's seminal Superman: The Movie. Of course, if you want to get technical, Superman first appears in the 15-part film serial Superman released in 1948, then he appeared in 1950's film serial Atom Man vs. Superman, as well as 1951's Superman vs. The Mole Men. (It appears that some diehard fans have uploaded these in parts onto YouTube, if you're feeling particularly heroic.)
Upcoming franchise installments aside, digging into the history of the Superman films in itself is a pretty interesting lens into American history. While his form-fitting uniform might not exactly seem in line with old-fashioned values of American masculinity, the hero is thought to embody the American ideal. (Previously, his catchphrase was even, "Truth, justice, and the American way.") Given this lens, it's especially interesting to watch how Superman has evolved over the years—whether it was Christopher Reeve shoe-horning nuclear disarmament sentiments into Superman IV, or his revamped catchphrase.
If a short attention span is your Kryptonite, start your voyage into the Superman marathon now. By 2025, you'll be a history buff on all things Man of Steel. Up, up, and away.
Superman: The Movie (1978)
While audiences might have been familiar with Superman as a character from various comics and serials, Richard Donner's 1978 Superman: The Movie is aptly titled—in that it truly is the Superman movie to kick off all Superman movies. As Movie Web notes, the casting of big names like Marlon Brando and Gene Hackman gave the film its initial Hollywood momentum. But it was Christopher Reeve's performance as Superman, along with the film's revolutionary visual effects, that would set the blueprint for all Supermans to follow.
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Superman II (1980)
In many ways, 1980's Superman II follows suit with its first installation. As Roger Ebert noted in his 1981 review of the film, Superman II's visual effects are once again among the most legendary components of the film. However, Superman II also sets the tone in exploring Superman's innate duality—as he struggles between his duties as a superhero and his budding domestic life as Clark Kent with Lois Lane.
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Superman III (1983)
Superman III is a historic addition to the franchise in its own right, though not exactly for the right reasons. The largely disliked film was a bit doomed from the start, as both Gene Hackman and Margot Kidder were said to have openly protested producers Alexander and Ilya Salkind's treatment of Richard Donner. This notably led to Kidder's role as Lois Lane being strangely reduced, while Hackman would be absent altogether until Superman IV. Along with these out-of-place character choices, the film marked a strange shit in tone to campy and comedic, with Richard Pryor playing the oddball goofy character Gus.
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Superman IV (1987)
Unlike Superman's "Up, up, and away!" catchphrase, the Superman franchise went down and then down again with Superman III and IV. With a limited budget resulting in low-quality visual effects, Superman IV is a glaring blow to the franchise's legacy. However, it's Christopher Reeve's final performance as Superman. Apparently, he specifically requested that the film deliver a nuclear disarmament message. So, it's worth the watch on novelty alone.
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Superman Returns (2006)
Arriving after a hiatus of almost twenty years after the failure of Superman IV, Superman Returns holds some strange parallels to its real-life legacy—seeing Superman return after five years to an earth that has moved on without him. If powering through Superman III and IV was your Kryptonite, you'll be relieved to know that Superman Returns acts a sequel to Superman II, ignoring the last two films altogether.
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Man of Steel (2013)
If you've been traversing the Superman marathon up until this point, pat yourself on the back. Man of Steel isn't exactly the light at the end of the tunnel—at least in terms of quality—but it does detour us into a promising new terrain of the Superman franchise.
With Zack Snyder taking the reins of this official franchise reboot, and producer Christopher Nolan acting as the wind underneath Snyder's cape, Man of Steel breathes some much-needed new life into the Superman universe. Plus, it launches the official start of the DC Extended Universe. Henry Cavill stars as Superman, with supporting performances from Amy Adams, Kevin Costner, and more.
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Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
Batman vs. Superman achieves the exact vibe you'd expect from a gimmicky title like Batman vs. Superman. There's some solid story to the film, plus it's loaded with action. Overall, though, it's not amazing. The film sees Ben Affleck as Batman (with Jesse Eisenberg as the villainous Lex Luthor) get fed up with the ruckus that Superman's intergalactic drama is causing in Metropolis. As Bruce Wayne does, he takes it into his own hands.
Love it or hate it, Batman vs. Superman did solidify the expansion of the DC Extended Universe—and introduces us to Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman.
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Justice League (2017)
If extended cinematic universes are your thing, then 2017's Justice League will feel like Christmas morning to you. The DC fanfare sees Affleck's Batman and Gadot's Wonder Woman team up—with the help of Aquaman (Jason Momoa), Cyborg (Ray Fisher), and The Flash (Ezra Miller)—to create the Justice League. Despite Superman's absence at the start of the film, he's still the center of the Justice League. His death serves as the inspiration for the joined forces—and his resurrection is the Hail Mary pass to save humanity.
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Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021)
If you loved 2017's Justice League, then you're bound to at least like Zack Snyder's four-hour-long cut of the film. If you only liked the original, though, then maybe just stick to the abridged version. You'll still be up to speed come Superman: Legacy in 2025.
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