Sometimes, the superhero movies of the MCU, the DCU, and beyond prove to be bad enough to be entirely unwatchable. The MCU might 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 the MCU’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.
8
Green 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 тιтled Green 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 reasons that Green Lantern is 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 of Green Lantern that went down well, earning it the unfortunate accolade of being one of the worst superhero movies ever made.
7
Fantastic Four (2015)
Director: Josh Trank
After the success of Josh Trank’s Chronicle, 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’s Fantastic Four was 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, and it 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.
6
Batman And Robin (1997)
Director: Joel Schumacher
When it comes to notoriously bad superhero movies, few тιтles are held in such low regard as 1997’s Batman and Robin. The second of Joel Schumacher’s two Batman movies, Batman and Robin introduced 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.
Even upon release, Batman and Robin was 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’s Batman Begins, marking the beginning of his groundbreaking Dark Knight trilogy. Considering the quality of the Batman movies that came after it, Batman and Robin is almost impossible to watch due to its lack of substance or any redeeming aspects whatsoever.
5
Madame Web (2024)
Director: S.J. Clarkson
By 2024, the movies of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe had already earned a reputation as being inconsistent at best, and awful at worst. Madame Web promised 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 Web seemed 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 its ending, Madame Web is 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 of Madame Web quickly earned it a reputation as one of the worst movies ever made, not just in the superhero genre but in all of modern cinema.
4
Steel (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’s Steel, starring Shaquille O’Neal as the тιтular 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, Steel is not remembered fondly for its quality.
The issues with Steel are 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, Steel is a terrible movie, and remains effectively unwatchable as a result.
3
Morbius (2022)
Director: Daniel Espinosa
The first major misstep for Sony’s Spider-Man Universe came after the relative success of two Venom movies, with 2022’s Morbius. The film served as an origin for the тιтular vampire, who in the comics is a long-standing Spider-Man villain and occasional anti-hero. Considering the general popularity of the Venom movies, as well as many respectable names listed among the cast of Morbius, it seemed to be a reasonable cinematic prospect ahead of its release. The release of its trailer dispelled that notion, and Morbius quickly became something of a joke.
From its laughable dialogue to the bizarre performances of its cast, Morbius was 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. Morbius is considered a truly terrible movie by most metrics, and is practically unwatchable.
2
Catwoman (2004)
Director: Pitof
There are perhaps no other superhero movies that are as notoriously terrible as 2004’s Catwoman. Featuring then-recent Oscar winner Halle Berry as the тιтular DC character, Catwoman was 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, as Catwoman swiftly earned a reputation as by far the worst superhero movie of its time.
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.
1
Superman 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’s Superman IV: The Quest for Peace stands 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 Peace is 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 Peace is 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 the MCU, the DCU, and the wider superhero genre, it’s one of the most unwatchable movies of all time due to its countless issues.
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