Every Superhero Movie Of 2022 Ranked From Worst To Best

Continuing the dominant cinematic trend of the 21st century, 2022 has seen a number of superhero movies come and go. Although the ever-popular MCU added another three movies to round out Phase 4, the year was perhaps more diverse in terms of superhero output than some previous periods. With DC in turmoil prior to the arrival of James Gunn and Peter Safran, 2022 has arguably trended away from the vast, interconnected storytelling that defined previous years, with several standalone projects coming to the fore. As such, ranking every superhero movie in 2022 from worst to best is a more difficult task than it might have been previously.

For the purposes of this list, the only titles under consideration have received a widespread international release, whether on streaming or in theaters – explaining the absence of superhero movies like Satria Dewa: Gatotkaca and Sri Ashih. Additionally, special presentations such as Werewolf By Night and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special have also been left out due to their curtailed runtimes. This means that there were a total of nine movies to consider. Here is every superhero movie in 2022, ranked from worst to best.

9 Morbius

Morbius ready to attack in Morbius (2022).

After the inescapably seismic events of Spider-Man: No Way Home, returning to Sony's burgeoning Spiderverse (still without its titular spider) felt like a slightly anticlimactic digestif. This was not helped by the fact that the Jared Leto-led Morbius was a disaster. Telling the origin story of the comic anti-hero of the same name, the movie reintroduced vampirism to Marvel, long before the release of Blade in 2024. Unfortunately, dodgy special effects, a messy script, and an unusually lackluster central performance from Leto made Morbius one of 2022's biggest disappointments.

Although some praise was reserved for Matt Smith's dancing villain Lucien/Milo, most critics agreed that the uninspiring narrative represented a major backstep for Sony's franchise hopes. This was compounded by an ironic meme campaign that convinced executives to re-release the movie in over 1000 screens – making just $280,000 in the process. With a Rotten Tomatoes score of just 15%, there can be little doubt that Morbius deserves to sit bottom of the pile of 2022 superhero movies.

8 Samaritan

Despite its interesting premise, Sylvester Stallone's Samaritan ultimately failed to live up to expectations. Focusing on a former superhero and the aftermath of his retirement, the movie was based on a Mythos Comics graphic novel – making it a potentially welcome relief from the never-ending deluge of DC and Marvel content. Unfortunately, Samaritan came under fire for being overly formulaic and somewhat joyless, despite its impressive twist on the well-established older action star trope. As such, Samaritan received a paltry 39% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, although it fared far better with audiences, 71% of whom gave the Amazon Prime movie a positive review.

7 Secret Headquarters

Jessie Mueller and Owen Wilson play husband and wife in Secret Headquarters

Inoffensive, family-friendly, yet ultimately slightly lacking, Secret Headquarters is another example of a 2022 superhero movie that didn't originate from either Marvel or DC. Based on a script by co-director Ariel Schuman and Christopher L. Yost, the film follows a group of friends who discover that their neighbor, played by Owen Wilson, is a superhero after stumbling across his basement HQ. While critics agreed that the premise and tone made for reasonable family fare, Secret Headquarters' lack of genuine innovation prevented it from rising above mediocrity. This explains the movie's middling Rotten Tomatoes score of 46%.

6 Black Adam

Dwayne Jonson Sits On A Throne as Black Adam

For all the fanfare that accompanied Dwayne Johnson's DCU debut, Black Adam ended up being something of a dud. Not only was the movie, with additional marketing costs factored in, a box office bomb for DC, but the derivative story fundamentally failed to fully capture the essence of one of the comics' most intriguing antiheroes. As a result, Black Adam became a tonally awkward origin story that failed to maximize its star's natural charisma. Even the return of Henry Cavill as Superman couldn't save Black Adam from middling critical reviews – although, much like Samaritan, it too performed much better with audiences, resulting in a huge disparity of 39% and 89% positive reviews respectively.

5 Thor: Love and Thunder

Although Thor: Love and Thunder was more positively received than many other 2022 superhero movies, it was also one of the most disappointing. After director Taika Waititi successfully reinvented the character in Thor: Ragnarok, expectations were high ahead of his follow-up. However, in doubling down on the comedic tone that brought so much success in 2017, Thor: Love and Thunder ended up feeling strangely hollow, devoid of the tragedy that had marked the character after the end of the Infinity Saga. Christian Bale's villainous Gorr was slightly out of place in the zany space romp, while the heartbreaking circumstances around Jane Foster's illness were almost glossed over. All this made Thor: Love and Thunder a missed opportunity.

4 Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Much like Thor: Love and Thunder, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness perhaps suffered under the weight of impossibly high expectations. The Sam Raimi blockbuster had to contend with following the critically acclaimed WandaVision, the prospect of being the MCU's first horror movie, and the proper introduction to the stakes involved in the multiverse saga. As it turned out, this juggling act proved slightly too difficult to pull off.

The film suffered from uneven pacing, jarring tonal shifts, and poorly developed characters, including a broadly one-dimensional villain in Wanda Maximoff. However, for all its flaws, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness certainly wasn't a total failure. The film was visually spectacular, featured a fantastic roster of cameos, and left Strange and magic's involvement in the MCU moving forwards intriguingly poised. Plus, the fact that the film made nearly $1 billion suggests that it certainly wasn't all bad.

3 DC League of Super-Pets

DC League of Super-Pets Superman and Krypto

While Black Adam marked Dwayne Johnson's live-action DC bow, DC League of Super-Pets proved that 2022 superhero movies certainly didn't stick to one formula. The animated adventure starred Johnson as Krypto the Superdog alongside Kevin Hart, Kate McKinnon, and John Krasinski, plus a wealth of other famous voices. Although it perhaps wasn't as successful as other pet-themed animated adventures, such as 2016's The Secret Life of Pets, DC League of Super-Pets was a more than passable effort. Critics noted the funny script and fast pace which, coupled with over $200 million at the box office, made the movie a modest success.

2 Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Shuri Tchalla Mural Riri Black panther wakanda forever

If following Thor: Ragnarok proved tricky, building on the legacy of Black Panther seemed, at one point, almost impossible for director Ryan Coogler. And yet, despite the tragic death of the franchise's lead and the adulation surrounding the original, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever did an admirable job of passing the torch. The culmination of an often messy Phase 4, the film perhaps wisely ignored the wider Multiverse Saga to tell a broadly self-contained story. It was an approach that paid dividends.

Focusing on the conflict between Wakanda and the newly-discovered Talokan, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever expertly explored themes of loss and grief, while intertwining a critique of colonialism and advocacy for environmentalism. This made the movie a richly-layered and complex story that was a worthy Black Panther successor. While it was perhaps too long, its majority Black female cast and powerful themes made it a welcome addition to the MCU after some decidedly uneven efforts since Endgame.

1 The Batman

Robert Pattinson as the titular hero in The Batman.

While the official DCEU/DCU has been in turmoil after the collapse of the Snyderverse, The Batman proved that the studio's characters remain as compelling and full of potential as ever. Matt Reeves' glowering gothic epic packed an intensity that's been lacking from many modern DC adaptations, revelling in Gotham's grimy underbelly and Batman's reputation as "the world's greatest detective". In this setting, following a vulnerable, inexperienced iteration of the character – far removed from what was seen in Justice League – proved to be a masterstroke.

Despite some skepticism, Robert Pattinson soon won over both fans and critics for his intense depiction of the Dark Knight, while supporting turns from Colin Farrell and Paul Dano were also warmly received. Like Black Panther 2, The Batman probably didn't do enough to justify its excessive runtime. However, the movie certainly managed to present the most exciting vision for Gotham since the end of Nolan's seminal trilogy. As a result, The Batman is probably the best, and certainly one of the most surprising superhero movies in 2022.

Next: MCU Phase 4 Is Exploring Superhero Failure Better Than Infinity War