Summary

• All-Star Superman stands out as a great animated film adaptation of a heady and philosophical Superman storyline.
• Batman and Superman: Battle of the Super Sons delivers on both emotional and action fronts, surpassing expectations.
• Superman vs. the Elite is a thought-provoking Superman story, showcasing his unwavering morals in a spectacular battle.

As one of DC's flagship characters, Superman has had a wide variety of animated films, some of which present the Man of Steel better than others. Superman's live-action films may be well known, but his animated filmography presents some stories that can contend with the best of the hero's traditional cinema fare, if not surpass it. While Superman might not be able to hold a candle to Batman's 29 animated films, having only 13 projects to his name, he has just as big of a gulf in quality from his best movies to his worst ones.

DC has always outdone Marvel in the animated film department, with franchises like the DCAMU and the Tomorrowverse producing some stellar content. Indeed, many of Superman's films fall into the scope of these animated continuities, with Superman featuring heavily as a focal character in animated Justice League movies. Otherwise, Superman has a healthy number of one-off animated stories that replicate the pages of some of the character's most famous comic storylines, to varying degrees of success.

13 Superman: Doomsday Fumbled The Death Of Superman

Released In 2007

Long before the DCEU clumsily tacked on the infamous Death of Superman storyline into its already busy team-up movie, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, an animated film brought the storyline to film for the first time. Featuring the fearsome Doomsday, the original comic reminded the world of Superman's importance by killing him, a daring move that re-invigorated public interest in the character. Unfortunately, the first animation to tackle the same story got some key elements wrong.

He epic weight of Superman and Doomsday's battle was utterly lost in the translation to the screen.

Beyond an awkward-looking art style, the film betrayed audience expectations by killing Superman off so early in the film, leaving Lois Lane and an overly-emphasized importance on Lex Luthor's cybernetic replacement to fill the void. The epic weight of Superman and Doomsday's battle was utterly lost in the translation to the screen, leaving fans eager to see the iconic story represented in other media for the first time bitterly disappointed. While the film is able to throw a handful of decent action scenes the audience's way, it misses the mark in undertaking an adaptation of such an important Superman story.

12 Superman: Brainiac Attacks Failed To Eclipse The Animated Series

Released In 2006

Despite more than a few surface-level similarities to the DCAU, including a similar art style and the returning vocal talents of Tim Daly as Superman himself, Superman: Brainiac Attacks is entirely removed from the lauded cartoon continuity. At just 77 minutes long, the film is essentially an extra-long episode of Superman: The Animated Series anyway, though fails to capture the character's charm quite as well. The plot revolves around the appearance of Superman's hyper-intelligent alien nemesis, Brainiac, eclipsing Lex Luthor as a threat.

Beyond the surface-level terror of Brainiac, the film follows Clark's hesitance to reveal his true identity to Lois, staking the emotional crux on the film on a well-worn secret identity crisis. Though a passing effort with clear heart behind it, the ultimate experience of Superman: Brainiac Attacks is somewhat empty, offering nothing other Superman media hadn't done better at the time, let alone nearly 20 years later. Despite crisp animation cells, excellent vocal performances and a passing story, Superman: Brainiac Attacks is a painfully forgettable experience.

11 Superman/Shazam: Return Of Black Adam Is Muddled By Superman's Presence

Released In 2010

One of many DC Showcases that sought to team Superman up with other prominent DC characters, Superman/Shazam: Return of Black Adam sees Superman stepping into the ring with the magical side of DC's mythology. Taking on Black Adam alongside the adolescent hero Billy Batson long before the DCEU tried their hand at both concepts, the 2010 film is commendable for the spotlight it sheds on what was then a lesser-known DC hero. However, the lack of confidence DC had in the success of a solo Shazam/Black Adam film is painfully obvious due to Superman's shoehorned-in inclusion.

Despite his voice actor getting top billing, Superman/Shazam: Return of Black Adam is very much not a Superman film, with the Man of Steel being more of a supporting character. Instead, the events of the film function more as an origin story of Billy Batson's Captain Marvel, back when he was still allowed to be referred to as such, and Black Adam. While a great Shazam movie, Superman's awkwardly wedged-in presence appears at the detriment to both his own character and a story that very clearly didn't need to have him in it.

10 Superman/Batman: Apocalypse Was A Disappointing Follow-Up

Released In 2010