Superman has been one of the world’s top-tier pop culture icons ever since Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster introduced him in Action Comics #1 (1938). The fictional Krypton-born superhero has remained relevant for decades, despite DC’s choice not to use him as sparingly as they do with Batman. The latter tends to be reserved for live-action blockbusters, games, and a few animated productions, yet the Man of Steel has consistently appeared in both TV shows and films.

Somehow, Superman live-action movies have always been divisive, but the same cannot be said of animated projects about the character. Most enjoy critical acclaim and high fan approval ratings, partly because they are more loyal to the source material. Additionally, the films have plenty of action sequences that would be harder to recreate in live-action. But as good as each of these projects is, not all are created equal. For a variety of reasons, some are more awe-inspiring than the rest.

10 Superman: Man of Tomorrow (2020)

In Superman: Man of Tomorrow, a young Clark Kent lives peacefully on Earth. He has a job as an intern at The Daily Planet and is looking to rise up the ranks, unaware that a bounty has been placed on him in the galaxy. The legendary Lobo — an interstellar mercenary from Planet Czarnia — shows up to collect it. However, he is forced to team up with him when S.T.A.R. Labs janitor Rudy Jones becomes infected with a parasite and goes on a rampage around Metropolis.

A Perfect Foundation for the Tomorrowverse

As the first film in the Tomorrowverse, Superman: Man of Tomorrow needed to lay a convincing foundation for the new chapter of DC storytelling. Thankfully, it didn’t disappoint. Even though there is never much room to maneuver regarding the coverage of Superman’s early days in Metropolis, the film does things differently by featuring naive versions of Clark Kent and Lois Lane.

Here, Lois isn’t an established reporter as is normally the case when Clark first starts working for The Daily Planet. She is a grad student, meaning there is a learning curve ahead for her and her future lover. As they learn new things about the dangers surrounding them, the audience also gets educated about the ins and outs of daily life in this fictional city.

Additional proof of the animated film’s awesomeness lies in its sales. It peaked at first position in the Top Ten Blu-ray Sellers for Week as well as the Top Five Home Media Sellers for Week. This enabled it to claim a 100% HD market share.

9 Superman: Doomsday (2007)

Over the years, Doomsday has earned his spot among Superman’s greatest villains by brutalizing the Man of Steel several times. He does so again in Superman: Doomsday, and on this occasion, the Kryptonian ends up ‘dead.’ Shortly after, the opportunistic Lex Luthor creates a clone and presents him to the world as a resurrected Superman. Lois Lane eventually uncovers the fraud, and so does a robot from the Fortress of Solitude. The robot then steals Superman’s real body and works to revive it. Things get even worse for Lex when his Superman clone turns against him.

Extended Fisticuffs

Superman’s death in the comics was sad and all, but the action is what truly made the DC Comics storyline "The Death of Superman" fascinating. In the pages, the fight between Superman and Doomsday spills across several pages, and here, it extends to a whopping 10 minutes. The two powerful characters pummel each other mercilessly while destroying everything around them, unbothered by how repairs will be done. The punches seem painful, and the rubble looks real.

Much credit goes to the writers Duane Capizzi and Bruce Timm for crafting some amazing dialogue for this film. Lex Luthor describes Doomsday as an “intergalactic soccer hooligan,” given his penchant for violence, before going the cringe route by asking his clone, “Who is your daddy?” Superman also has the perfect to Lois when she asks about his Afghanistan mission early in the film. “Truth, Justice, and the American Way” stuff, you know?”

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8 Superman: Red Son (2020)

What if the ship carrying Baby Kal-El landed in the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War instead of Kansas? Superman: Red Son presents an alternate story where the Man of Steel grows up away from America. Unsurprisingly, the Soviets use him in their war against the West. The ambitious soon kills Joseph Stalin and becomes the new ruler, using his position to spread Communist ideals across the globe. Meanwhile, U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower reaches out to Lex Luthor for help.

Fusing Geopolitics with Superhero Mayhem

How Red Son reshuffles traditional Superman arcs might leave fans dizzy. Here, Lois Lane is married to Lex Luthor, Batman is a terrorist, Jimmy Olsen is Vice President, and Brainiac is Superman’s advisor. It all creates a labyrinthine feeling at some point, but this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Because of these alternate takes, the story feels very refreshing. And thanks to the “What If?” angle, audiences get to enjoy endless mayhem caused by what is one of the most evil versions of Superman.

Most importantly, this is the kind of superhero project that will easily appeal to politicians and history buffs. From the Berlin Wall to the Warsaw Pact, every major detail of the Cold War is examined extensively,

7 Superman: The Last Son of Krypton (1996)

In Superman: The Last Son of Krypton, Jor-El discovers that Earth is about to be destroyed, so he puts Kal-El on a ship and sends him to Earth. There, he grows up like any other child and eventually gets a job at The Daily Planet’s reporters' desk. Upon discovering he has powers, he begins fighting crime under the guise of Superman. Shortly after, Superman and Lois learn about Lex Luthor’s numerous secrets, including his ties to Kaznia: a country that has been placed on a trade embargo by the US. They thus work to stop him.

Standard Origin Story

The Last Son of Krypton is the perfect film for fans who like to see comic stories on screen without any forms of creative liberties. What fans get here is the Krypton-to-Earth origin story that has been told multiple times. Still, it’s enjoyable because of the neat action sequences, wonderful animation, and great voice work. The film also exists for a reason. It is tied to the critically acclaimed Superman: The Animated Series, serving as its prequel.

6 The Death of Superman (2018)

The Death of Superman is yet another Doomsday invasion and Superman demise story, but it’s grander in scale because the Justice League is involved. Here, the villain proves extremely formidable, obliterating The Flash, Hawkman, Green Lantern, Aquaman, and Cyborg in a short time. He then faces off against Superman in an epic showdown that leaves the Man of Steel dead. The animated film, and the comic that inspired it, was used as a basis for the Zack Snyder film, Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice.

Bloody Mayhem

Watching Doomsday here is like watching a slasher horror movie villain. He ruthlessly slaughters Atlanteans, leaving bloody water clouds, and gleefully conducts mass murder in the streets of Metropolis. The Justice League's inclusion is a genius move because it helps accentuate the villain’s strength further. Despite demonstrating one of the most awe-inspiring displays of teamwork, the group comes up short. Wonder Woman’s one-on-one fight with Doomsday is the film’s standout moment.

DC fans will also enjoy the homages to Zack Snyder’s DCEU films. Some of the fights are shot-for-shot recreations of Superman’s live-action fights with Zod and Doomsday. The battles never last long, but this is a testament to the villain’s power.

5 Superman vs. The Elite (2012)

As strong as Superman is, he often needs help, and in Superman vs. The Elite, he gets that in the form of the superpowered antihero group known as The Elite. Superman’s new bedfellows happen to prefer extreme violence as a way to eliminate criminals, and as expected, it doesn’t take long for the alliance to crumble. The superheroes clash over their ideologies, with Superman preferring a peaceful approach. This leaves them with no option but to fight each other.

A Deeper Look Into Superman’s Morality

Superman vs. The Elite is basically a 70-minute debate about ethics. Here, the Man of Steel’s moral compass is so sharp that he even challenges The Elite away from the human populace, so that there will be no damage or civilian casualties. It’s a surprising request because he had never made such a request before, but thanks to his high level of care and concern, an epic showdown on the moon takes place.

Overall, the film brilliantly tackles the “ends justifies the means” topic that is applicable in just about every area of life. What is the right approach? As ethical as Superman is, it’s suggested that his method doesn’t work. Because he rarely kills criminals, they keep on coming back. The Elite, on the other hand, are shown to have a lethal yet effective crime eradication strategy.

4 Superman: Unbound (2013)

Superman: Unbound finds Brainiac on a mission to destroy planets and steal their capital cities. Knowing what’s coming, the Man of Steel leaves Earth and goes to confront the powerful Coluan scientist in space, but stopping him proves harder than he anticipated. Thankfully, he gets the help of Supergirl, who is also unwavering in her vow to protect Earth from all external threats. Meanwhile, Lois keeps pressuring Superman to make their relationship public.

Kara’s Trauma and Kal-El’s Compassion

No other DC animated film or TV show handles Superman and Supergirl’s relationship better than Superman: Unbound. The version of Kara presented here is one who is suffering from PTSD. She watched as Brainiac slaughtered everyone in Krypton, but she was too young to do anything about it. On Earth, she makes it her mission to stop malicious individuals. She obliterates everyone, from human traffickers to terrorists. Despite her show of strength, she always finds herself crying, and Kal-El is always there to comfort her,

3 Reign of the Supermen (2019)

Reign of the Supermen is a direct sequel to The Death of Superman. It’s set six months after the tragic demise of the Man of Steel and introduces audiences to a Metropolis that has become more crime-infested than Gotham. During this time, four Supermen have emerged, each claiming to be a reincarnation of the Kryptonian. However, none of them appear to be any good. Their competence is soon tested when Darkseid attacks Earth, eager to destroy it for good.

Superhero Business is Big Business

What quickly becomes clear while watching Reign of the Supermen is big business. The ‘official Superman’ tends to get a lot of government, so Lex Luthor works hard to corner the market. It’s revealed that one of the Supermen is nothing but a clone created by the industrialist. It’s up to Lois to find out who is the real deal and who isn’t.

Miss Lane, therefore, comes off as the heroine in this particular story. Even though there are many Supermen, Lois ends up being an outstanding character because of her detailed investigative arc. Freeing her from the usual family-related storylines makes her more interesting. Hopefully, she will be granted a few solo movies in the future.

2 Superman/Batman: Apocalypse (2010)

Superman/Batman: Apocalypse a spaceship with a young girl in it crash-lands into Batman’s ship in Gotham City Bay and, after conducting some investigations, the Caped Crusader and the Man of Steel learn that the girl is Superman’s cousin Kara Zor-El. Thrilled, Superman begins educating her on the ways of the world, before taking her to Themyscira, so that she can get proper training from Wonder Woman and her people. When Darkseid learns that Kara is on Earth, he orders Granny Goodness to get her, setting the stage for an epic clash.

Family Feud

Whenever Batman shows up in any Superman story, there is always the likelihood of them clashing. The same happens in Superman/Batman: Apocalypse, with Batman demanding a say about how Supergirl should be raised, despite not being related to her. It’s suggested that Superman is a poor decision-maker and some of the things he does confirm this. Unluckily for him, Wonder Woman backs Batman.

All the bickering is fun to watch, but it ends when Darkseid demands that Kara be retrieved from Earth because he has bigger plans for her. This revelation paves the way for some of the most exciting action scenes ever seen on the DC animated landscape.

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1 All-Star Superman (2011)

In All-Star Superman, Dr. Leo Quintum and his team of scientists come into contact with a booby-trapped time bomb while exploring the sun. Superman destroys it, but receives a radiation dose that overpowers him, but also kills him slowly. Realizing he doesn’t have much time left, he takes Lois Lane to the Fortress of Solitude and gives her a serum that turns her into Superwoman for a day. He does this to stop Lex Luthor once and for all. Unknown to him, the villain has also found a way to get the serum.

A Fun ‘Final Ride’ Storyline

Stories about a superhero’s final ride are always fun and emotional. Logan is proof of that, although Wolvie has somehow managed to sneak back to the screen. In All-Star Superman, fans are constantly reminded that there is no way for Superman to get himself out of his current predicament. All that is left is to enjoy the time while it lasts.

Once again, Lex Luthor finds a way to insert himself into a saga that could still have worked without him, but his presence doesn’t deduct anything. He comes with the usual schemes and monologues. At some point, his niece, Nasthalthia, gets so tired of hearing about his mega plans that she yells, “You are embarrassing me beyond therapy.”