Sometimes, the superhero movies of theMCU, theDCU, and beyond prove to be bad enough to be entirely unwatchable. TheMCUmight have helped the superhero genre gain a reputation as one of the most reliably popular in modern cinema, but that isn’t always the case. Over the long history of comic book adaptations, there have been many superhero movies that simply do not live up to expectations.
Long before the beginning of theMCU’s movie timeline– and a number of times since – there have been superhero movies so bad as to be all but unwatchable. In fact, the worst offenders have earned a reputation as being entirely abysmal, with very few redeeming qualities, if any. The most notorious have earned a special place in superhero movie history, becoming known as the worst of the worst. With that in mind, here are the 8 most unwatchable superhero movies ever made.
8Green Lantern (2011)
Director: Martin Campbell
Though Green Lantern had long been one of DC’s most iconic members of the Justice League, the popular character had not been adapted into live-action. 2011 changed that, with Ryan Reynolds starring as Hal Jordan in a big-budget origin story for the hero simply titledGreen Lantern. The movie was received terribly by critics, and has since come to be disowned by its star and reviled by fans of the character for its handling of the source material.
The DCU Is Fixing The Biggest Thing That Sank Ryan Reynolds' Green Lantern Movie
Lanterns will be the first live-action Green Lantern property since the 2011 film, and is already set up to succeed where the movie failed.
The reasons thatGreen Lanternis practically unwatchable stem largely from its visual presentation. The overuse of CGI is evident, serving as an onslaught on the senses that drains the movie of any sense of grounding or stakes. Additionally,Green Lantern’s script was poor, and its iteration of Hal Jordan left much to be desired.There were actually very few elements ofGreen Lanternthat went down well, earning it the unfortunate accolade of being one of the worst superhero movies ever made.
7Fantastic Four (2015)
Director: Josh Trank
After the success of Josh Trank’sChronicle, the relatively unknown director was tasked with rebooting the Fantastic Four on the big screen. After two underwhelming movies in 2005 and 2007 respectively, the 2015 reboot came after the MCU had established a winning formula for the superhero genre. Trank’s previous success combined with the genre’s evolution meant that hopes for his version of the Fantastic Four were high. Sadly, these hopes were thoroughly dashed upon its release, as it proved to be essentially unwatchable.
In terms of story, 2015’sFantastic Fourwas a dull and unimaginative origin story for its characters. Its washed-out color palette and minimal action set pieces made it an incredibly boring superhero movie in practically every sense, and its script failed to establish any chemistry between its cast. Trank later blamed studio intervention for the movie’s many issues, andit ultimately went down in superhero movie history as being far worse even than its disappointing predecessors, all of which goes some way to explaining exactly why it’s unwatchable.
6Batman And Robin (1997)
Director: Joel Schumacher
When it comes to notoriously bad superhero movies, few titles are held in such low regard as 1997’sBatman and Robin. The second of Joel Schumacher’s twoBatmanmovies,Batman and Robinintroduced Alicia Silverstone’s Batgirl to the Bat-Family, joining Chris O’Donnell’s Robin and George Clooney in his first outing as Batman. The movie, which saw them battle Poison Ivy, Bane, and Mister Freeze, turned out to be an utter disaster both with critics and fans alike, with many now considering it unwatchable.
27 Years Later, I Still Can’t Get Over How Much Arnold Schwarzenegger Was Paid To Appear In Batman & Robin
Almost three decades after Batman & Robin’s debut, the amount Arnold Schwarzenegger was paid to play Mr. Freeze is only getting more impressive.
Even upon release,Batman and Robinwas needlessly wacky and terribly written, but the years since have made it even more difficult to endure in hindsight. The poor reactions to the movie eventually led to Christopher Nolan’s grounded reimagining of Batman in 2005’sBatman Begins, marking the beginning of his groundbreakingDark Knighttrilogy.Considering the quality of theBatmanmovies that came after it,Batman and Robinis almost impossible to watchdue to its lack of substance or any redeeming aspects whatsoever.
5Madame Web (2024)
Director: S.J. Clarkson
By 2024, themovies of Sony’s Spider-Man Universehad already earned a reputation as being inconsistent at best, and awful at worst.Madame Webpromised a slightly different approach, though, as instead of focusing on a Spider-Man villain, it was instead set to explore the origins of one of the hero’s most mysterious allies. With a star-studded cast featuring Dakota Johnson, Adam Scott, and Sydney Sweeney,Madame Webseemed on paper to be a potentially great movie. Sadly, it was not, and instead was laughably poor.
From the movie’s beginning all the way to itsending,Madame Webis terribly written. Its story was little more than a string of convenient plot devices and coincidences, and its dialogue was some of the most uncomfortably poor ever to make it into a big-budget blockbuster.The underwhelming quality ofMadame Webquickly earned it a reputation as one of the worst movies ever made, not just in the superhero genre but in all of modern cinema.
4Steel (1997)
Director: Kenneth Johnson
Though many of the worst superhero movies of all time are widely remembered for their poor quality, some fly under the radar. Such is the case with 1997’sSteel, starring Shaquille O’Neal as the titular hero in his live-action debut. The movie serves as an origin story for Steel, chronicling his creation of a suit of armor to facilitate his crime-fighting career after quitting his job as a police officer. As was the case with many early superhero movies,Steelis not remembered fondly for its quality.
It’s Time For DC To Redeem Its Lowest-Grossing Movie Of All Time
A 1997 DC movie still holds the record for the biggest box office bomb in DC’s history. 27 years later, its main hero deserves a second chance.
The issues withSteelare many, and they’re impossible to overlook when attempting to watch the movie.Its relentless cheesiness and underwhelming production values stand out as especially heinous, and make trying to sit through the movie a chore. O’Neal’s lack of any real acting ability was also heavily criticized, as he did not possess the skill to lead the movie as its star. In almost every conceivable way,Steelis a terrible movie, and remains effectively unwatchable as a result.
3Morbius (2022)
Director: Daniel Espinosa
The first major misstep for Sony’sSpider-ManUniverse came after the relative success of twoVenommovies, with 2022’sMorbius. The film served as an origin for the titular vampire, who in the comics is a long-standing Spider-Man villain and occasional anti-hero. Considering the general popularity of theVenommovies, as well as many respectable names listed among thecast ofMorbius, it seemed to be a reasonable cinematic prospect ahead of its release. The release of its trailer dispelled that notion, andMorbiusquickly became something of a joke.
From its laughable dialogue to the bizarre performances of its cast,Morbiuswas a mess of a movie.Tonally, it lacked much of the charm of previous movies in the franchise, and multiple instances of unflattering CGI only hurt the movie further. Internet ridicule helped to drive the movie’s success, though it was at the expense of the movie’s reputation.Morbiusis considered a truly terrible movie by most metrics, and is practically unwatchable.
2Catwoman (2004)
Director: Pitof
There are perhaps no other superhero movies that are as notoriously terrible as 2004’sCatwoman. Featuring then-recent Oscar winner Halle Berry as the titular DC character,Catwomanwas seemingly set to capitalize on the general popularity of its eponymous anti-hero as established by previous live-action incarnations. This wasn’t at all what happened, however, asCatwomanswiftly earned a reputation as by far the worst superhero movie of its time.
5 Ways Halle Berry’s Catwoman Movie Could Have Been Better
Catwoman is one of Halle Berry’s most critically panned movies and is generally considered one of the worst superhero films ever, but could it have been saved?
The unnecessary use of CGI, strange directional decisions, and jarring cinematography were all cited as immediately obvious issues with the movie. An uninspired story and otherwise poor script were also cited as major problems, and the bizarre cat-like qualities Berry injected into her performance did not land well either. The result was a movie that has been remembered for all the wrong reasons, having earned the ire of critics and fans and developed a reputation as being unwatchable.
1Superman IV: The Quest For Peace (1987)
Director: Sidney J. Furie
Though most of the worst superhero movies ever made are remembered for their lack of quality, perhaps the worst has been widely forgotten or overlooked out of convenience by fans of the genre. 1987’sSuperman IV: The Quest for Peacestands out not just as the worst chapter in Superman’s movie history, but in the history of the entire genre. It’s more than just a bad movie; it’s completely unwatchable.
As the fourth movie in a franchise that was praised for its writing, acting, and visual effects,The Quest for Peaceis not a movie with the luxury of resting on its laurels.
As the fourth movie in a franchise that was praised for its writing, acting, and visual effects,The Quest for Peaceis not a movie with the luxury of resting on its laurels. The script was poor, and the production values were even worse, with the movie’s climactic fight scene being the worst of all. Even outside theMCU, theDCU, and the wider superhero genre, it’s one of the most unwatchable movies of all time due to its countless issues.
