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While it may be the era of superhero movies and has been for quite some time, that doesn't guarantee that every flick is going to be a good one. There are some failures that are so bad they're good or, at the very least, have some entertainment value. There are, however, some superhero movie failures that are so god-awful that they're simply impossible to watch.
Unwatchable superhero movies don't only come from one specific era. They emerge all across the Hollywood timeline, proving that how long a genre is around has nothing to do with the ensured quality of the films within it. It can be quite difficult to make a superhero film unwatchable, as well. What they've always had going for them is the fact that they inherently have action that is typically exciting and worth sticking around for. But some movies can't just be saved by good action or even have enjoyable action in the first place.
10 'Green Lantern' (2011)
Directed by Martin Campbell
Image via Warner Bros.
Oh, Green Lantern, how the world hates you so, and for very good reason. This iconic piece of cinema history is so rough that its star, Ryan Reynolds, is incredibly public with his disdain for the project and how it turned out. He makes numerous references to it, not just in real life, but in his fourth-wall-breaking franchise, Deadpool.
It's not often that an actor for a project will come out and actively hate on a movie they're in. However, Green Lantern is a unique exception. Whether it be the lackluster story, terrible visual effects (with Reynolds' superhero suit being completely CGI), looking cheap despite its large budget and a studio that clearly didn't care to make a good film, this flick has pretty much zero rewatchability. Unless someone wants to revisit the biggest superhero flops.
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Green Lantern
Reckless test pilot Hal Jordan is granted an alien ring that bestows him with otherworldly powers that inducts him into an intergalactic police force, the Green Lantern Corps.
Release Date June 16, 2011
9 'Suicide Squad' (2016)
Directed by David Ayer
The DC Extended Universe had some rough projects in its cinematic tenure, but none as profoundly horrible as Suicide Squad. Based on reports surrounding the film and its production, it sounds like David Ayer's original cut and vision for the film is not anywhere near what was released to theaters. This makes Suicide Squad another unfortunate result of studio meddling in superhero cinema.
Whether Ayer's original iteration of the project was better or not, it can't be denied that what was released was disgustingly bad. With some of the worst dialogue of the 2010s, characters that no one cared about and performances that were scattered across the board, there was genuinely nothing appealing about Suicide Squad.
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Suicide Squad
A secret government agency recruits some of the most dangerous incarcerated super-villains to form a defensive task force. Their first mission: save the world from the apocalypse.
Release Date August 5, 2016
Runtime 123 minutes
Budget $175 million
Distributor(s) Warner Bros. Pictures
Franchise(s) Suicide Squad
8 'Steel' (1997)
Directed by Kenneth Johnson
Image via Prime Video
Before he was one of the best characters in Superman & Lois, the character, Steel, had a big-screen debut where he was played by the one and only Shaquille O'Neal. With a name as big as his, one would believe that this movie would make headlines and go on to be remembered. Unfortunately (or fortunately) for the team behind Steel, it's been forgotten to time and for pretty good reason.
The 90s were not an easy time for superhero films in the first place, let alone for a character that wasn't a major hitter like Batman or Superman. So, when Steel was released, there was a good chance it was not going to find critical acclaim, but not many expected it to be as bad as it ended up being. Shaquille O'Neal could not save this movie from being bland, having an uninteresting protagonist, a ridiculous costume and poor acting. These factors combined make this film not worth coming back to.
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Steel
Release Date August 15, 1997
Director Kenneth Johnson
Runtime 97 Minutes
7 'Fantastic Four' (2015)
Directed by Josh Trank
Image via 20th Century Studios
2015's Fantastic Four (also known as Fan4stic) is one of the most notorious modern superhero films that genuinely made headlines for how bad it was. So bad, in fact, that director Josh Trank publicly disowned the film prior to its release. Marvel's first family has always had trouble at the theaters, but this took it to a whole new level.
While there may have been and continue to be jokes made about it on the internet, this project is not one that many find themselves ever genuinely returning to. While the original franchise that had a theatrical run has a lot of entertainment value and nostalgia going for it, the Fantastic Four that came many years after does not have either of those things helping it.
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Fantastic Four
Four young outsiders teleport to an alternate and dangerous universe which alters their physical form in shocking ways. The four must learn to harness their new abilities and work together to save Earth from a former friend turned enemy.
Release Date August 4, 2015
Director Josh Trank
Runtime 100 Minutes
Writers Jeremy Slater , Simon Kinberg , Josh Trank
Budget $120 Million
Studio(s) 20th Century Fox , Marvel Entertainment , Marv Films , Kinberg Genre , Moving Picture Company , TSG Entertainment
Distributor(s) 20th Century Fox
6 'Jonah Hex' (2010)
Directed by Jimmy Hayward
Image via Warner Bros. Pictures
Before the iconic Josh Brolin made superhero cinema history as Thanos (and a brief stint as Cable in Deadpool 2), he stepped into the boots of Jonah Hex in the film of the same name. It's not easy to make a superhero movie about a character that not many people know about as it creates quite an uphill battle (just ask James Gunn) and while there are success stories, one of the biggest tales of failure in this case is Jonah Hex.
There was a lot of potential behind the concept of Jonah Hex, but it was simply executed in a half-a**ed manner. The film is described as uninspired, convoluted and, frankly, is the perfect example of how not to adapt a comic book to cinema. There simply aren't many pros to this movie to make it worth returning to and the protagonist doesn't even have the leg-up that the likes of Spider-Man has, being a legendary character, making people less desired to watch this flick again.
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Jonah Hex
The live-action adaptation of the DC hero of the same name, Jonah Hex stars Josh Brolin as the eponymous anti-hero. A superhero Western, Jonah Hex follows the titular bounty hunter as he pursues his family's killer (John Malkovich). Hex is joined by Lilah Black (Megan Fox), his gun-toting sidekick, as he fights across the Old West on the hunt for revenge.
Release Date June 17, 2010
Director Jimmy Hayward
Runtime 81minutes
Writers Justin Gray
Budget 47 million
Studio(s) Warner Bros. Pictures
Distributor(s) Warner Bros. Pictures
Franchise(s) Jonah Hex
5 'Morbius' (2022)
Directed by Daniel Espinosa
Image via Sony Pictures Releasing
Sony Pictures Entertainment and their Spider-Man Cinematic Universe (which, funnily enough, doesn't even have Spider-Man) are well-known around the Hollywood space for producing some of the worst superhero films of all time and the biggest offender is none other than Morbius. As if Jared Leto didn't already have an interesting public reception, this movie made news for how genuinely horrible and cringe-worthy it is.
Much like Fantastic Four, while Morbius found a cemented and significant place in meme culture, that shouldn't be mistaken for the film actually being watchable and worth returning to (if one even went to see it in the first place). The movie is genuinely horrible and has absolutely zero factors that make it enjoyable in the slightest. While some may consider it a so-bad-its-good project, the majority find it to be unviewable.
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Release Date April 1, 2022
Runtime 108 minutes
Writers Matt Sazama , Burk Sharpless
Budget $75–83 million
Studio(s) Sony
Distributor(s) Sony
Franchise(s) Marvel Cinematic Universe
4 'The Crow: City of Angels' (1996)
Directed by Tim Pope
Image via Dimension Films
While 1994's The Crow was an incredible movie, the franchise that it spawned is known as one that is known all over the world for having only atrocious sequels. The worst of which is The Crow: City of Angels. A lot of The Crow R-rated follow-ups are enjoyable because one can find some laughs in how bad they are. The same cannot be said for The Crow: City of Angels.
It's impressive how absolutely terrible this film is. Trying to take the concept of the initial release and do something new, The Crow: City of Angels finds itself falling far more than short. Being the first sequel to follow the original movie, the disappointment that came after this release in 1996 was profound and gave it a reputation far worse than any of its following flicks.
The Crow: City of Angels
Release Date August 29, 1996
Director Tim Pope
Runtime 84 minutes
3 'Elektra' (2005)
Directed by Rob Bowman
Image via 20th Century Studios
It may be considered something of a "cult classic" in the eyes of some nowadays; 2003's Daredevil was initially met with mixed reviews. So it was incredibly surprising when the film not only got a sequel, but one about a side character that was seemingly dead by the end of the first flick. Elektra being made didn't make a ton of sense to anyone and that was also reflected in the overall quality of the film.
Not only is the story absurdly weak, but the visuals can't even make up for it. The CGI, especially, is the worst offender. Some may attempt to give it some props for the fact that it was 2005 and CGI was still developing, but the effects found here are terrible even at the time of release. With the release of movies like Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith coming the same year, this flick, in comparison, is horrendous.
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Elektra
Elektra the warrior survives a near-death experience, becomes an assassin-for-hire, and tries to protect her two latest targets, a single father and his young daughter, from a group of supernatural assassins.
Release Date January 14, 2005
Director Rob Bowman
Runtime 97 minutes
Writers Mark Steven Johnson , Frank Miller , Zak Penn , Raven Metzner
2 'Max Steel' (2016)
Directed by Stewart Hendler
If there was a cartoon franchise that could have genuinely been adapted well to live-action, it was Disney XD's Max Steel. Especially in the era of superhero blockbuster cinema. The series was practically built for the space and when the movie was announced, people were actually excited. However, as can be seen through its 0% on Rotten Tomatoes, Max Steel was horrifically bad.
The franchise had so much potential, but the live-action adaption was so disgustingly terrible that it basically murdered the series in cold blood. The movie is so unwatchable that everyone pretty much forgot that it was ever even released, as there is zero online discourse to this day. It reportedly released at a loss of approximately $3 million.
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Teenager Max McGrath discovers his body can generate a powerful energy. With the help of an alien companion named Steel, they combine their powers to become the superhero Max Steel. Together, they must uncover the secrets of Max’s past and fight off threats to save the world.
Release Date October 14, 2016
Director Stewart Hendler
Runtime 92 minutes
Writers Christopher Yost
1 'Catwoman' (2004)
Directed by Pitof
Image via Warner Bros. Pictures
Catwoman is known all over the world as not only one of the worst comic book adaptions, but one of the worst films ever made. Unlike almost every comic book movie, Catwoman decides to completely abandon the source material and pretty much only take the name of the character and use it in a completely different story that was horribly written.
So, not only is this not a rewatchable film for general audiences, but superhero fans can't even return to it because of their love for the character, because the character everyone knows and loves is essentially not even present. There is nothing, not even the lovely Halle Berry (because she is clearly bored in the role), worth returning to this movie for.
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Catwoman follows Patience Phillips, a graphic artist who uncovers a corporate conspiracy and gains cat-like abilities after a mysterious resurrection. Using her newfound powers, she becomes a vigilante, while a determined detective, Tom Lone, investigates her dual identity, leading to a complex pursuit.
Release Date July 22, 2004
Director Pitof
Runtime 104 minutes
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