Movies
Rank 31 live-action DC movies from 2005 to 2026, spanning Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy, the DCEU, Zack Snyder's Justice League, both Joker films, The Batman, and DC Studios' new era. Compare story, direction, performances, action, tone, rewatch value, or personal favorites.
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This list covers 31 live-action DC films released from 2005 through 2026: Nolan's trilogy, every DCEU film including Zack Snyder's Justice League, the standalone Joker films and The Batman, and DC Studios' Superman, Supergirl and Clayface. It also includes Watchmen, V for Vendetta and Constantine. Rank by story, direction, performances, action, tone or rewatch value; animated films, TV series and unreleased projects are excluded.
Editorial review: 2026-11-03
Christopher Nolan’s 2008 crime epic follows Christian Bale’s Bruce Wayne as Batman, James Gordon and Harvey Dent try to dismantle Gotham’s organized crime while Heath Ledger’s Joker turns the city’s ideals against it. Its IMAX-scale action and moral pressure make it a benchmark for how far a superhero film can work as a crime tragedy; Ledger won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
Official sourceMatt Reeves’ 2022 noir follows Robert Pattinson’s second-year Batman and Zoë Kravitz’s Selina Kyle through a Riddler investigation that exposes corruption across Gotham. The detective structure, rain-soaked photography and grounded violence make it the franchise’s clearest mystery-first take.
Official sourceChristopher Nolan’s 2005 origin follows Christian Bale’s Bruce Wayne from trauma and training under Liam Neeson’s Ra’s al Ghul to a war on Gotham’s corruption, with Cillian Murphy’s Scarecrow among his first targets. Its grounded gadgets, ninja-influenced action and emphasis on fear reset the screen Batman.
Official sourceNolan’s 2012 finale pits Christian Bale’s Batman against Tom Hardy’s Bane, who isolates Gotham and forces Bruce to rebuild himself, while Anne Hathaway’s Selina Kyle complicates his mission. The epic scale and class-conflict stakes close the trilogy on a very different note from The Dark Knight.
Official sourceTodd Phillips’ 2019 standalone follows Joaquin Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck from marginalized comedian to violent symbol in a decaying Gotham, with Robert De Niro as talk-show host Murray Franklin. Its psychological character study and Venice Golden Lion win set it apart; Phoenix also won the Best Actor Oscar.
Official sourceTodd Phillips’ 2024 sequel returns to Joaquin Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck as he meets Lady Gaga’s Lee Quinzel and faces a trial shaped by public obsession, with musical sequences threading through the story. The courtroom framing and genre shift make it a sequel built around performance rather than escalating crime.
Official sourceJames Gunn’s 2025 film introduces David Corenswet’s Clark Kent as an established Superman balancing Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane and Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor while building the new DC Universe. Its optimistic, team-filled approach contrasts with the brooding tone of the earlier films.
Official sourceZack Snyder’s 2013 reboot follows Henry Cavill’s Kal-El from Krypton to Earth, where Amy Adams’s Lois Lane helps him face Michael Shannon’s General Zod. Its first-contact story, handheld scale and destructive superhuman combat launch the DCEU with a more serious tone.
Official sourceBryan Singer’s 2006 film follows Brandon Routh’s Superman after a years-long absence, with Kate Bosworth’s Lois Lane and Kevin Spacey’s Lex Luthor caught in his return. Its continuity with the Christopher Reeve era makes it a legacy sequel rather than a reboot.
Official sourceCraig Gillespie’s 2026 film stars Milly Alcock as Kara Zor-El, whose journey with Eve Ridley’s Ruthye and encounters with Matthias Schoenaerts’s Krem and Jason Momoa’s Lobo draw on Tom King’s Woman of Tomorrow. Its space-western revenge premise gives the new DC era a very different hero from Superman.
Official sourceZack Snyder’s 2016 film sets Ben Affleck’s Batman against Henry Cavill’s Superman after Lex Luthor manipulates a public crisis, with Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman entering the conflict. Its operatic imagery and universe-building make it a contentious but pivotal bridge toward Justice League.
Official sourceZack Snyder’s 2021 director’s cut assembles Ben Affleck’s Batman, Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman and Ray Fisher’s Cyborg to stop Steppenwolf, expanding the theatrical story across a four-hour epic. Its longer character passages and darker mythological scope make it a distinct version of the same team-up.
Official sourceThe 2017 theatrical Justice League brings Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Flash and Cyborg together against Steppenwolf in a much shorter cut shaped by Joss Whedon’s reshoots. Its lighter banter and compressed plot offer a useful contrast with Zack Snyder’s later version.
Official sourcePatty Jenkins’ 2017 origin sends Gal Gadot’s Diana from Themyscira into World War I with Chris Pine’s Steve Trevor, then traces how she chooses to act in a human war. Its period setting and female-led heroic arc distinguish it from the era’s other DC films.
Official sourceJames Wan’s 2018 film follows Jason Momoa’s Arthur Curry as he challenges Patrick Wilson’s Orm for Atlantis’s throne, with Amber Heard’s Mera guiding him through the underwater world. Its adventure-serial energy and large-scale aquatic action set it apart from the land-bound DCEU entries.
Official sourceJames Wan’s 2023 sequel pairs Jason Momoa’s Arthur with Patrick Wilson’s Orm against Yahya Abdul-Mateen II’s Black Manta, whose quest for revenge threatens both land and sea. Its brotherly alliance and closing position make it the final DCEU film.
Official sourceDavid Ayer’s 2016 film sends Will Smith’s Deadshot, Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn and other imprisoned criminals on Amanda Waller’s Task Force X mission. Its ensemble antihero premise and Oscar-winning makeup and hairstyling give it a distinct place despite a sharply divided tone.
Official sourceJames Gunn’s 2021 R-rated sequel follows Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn, Idris Elba’s Bloodsport and John Cena’s Peacemaker on a chaotic mission that eventually confronts Starro. Its comic violence and team dynamics make it a deliberately different take on the same Task Force X concept.
Official sourceJames Watkins’s 2026 body-horror film centers on Tom Rhys Harries’s Matt Hagen and Naomi Ackie in a story written by Mike Flanagan. Its horror-first premise and shape-shifting identity crisis make it the most tonally unusual entry in DC Studios’ early slate.
Official sourceAndy Muschietti’s 2023 film sends Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen into time travel that reshapes the multiverse and brings Michael Keaton’s Batman and Sasha Calle’s Supergirl into his path. Its alternate-timeline premise lets one film compare radically different versions of DC history.
Official sourceDavid F. Sandberg’s 2019 film follows Asher Angel’s Billy Batson as he gains Zachary Levi’s adult superhero body and learns to share that power with his foster family, while Mark Strong’s Dr. Sivana attacks them. Its wish-fulfilment comedy and family story stand apart from the DCEU’s darker entries.
Official sourceDavid F. Sandberg’s 2023 sequel tests Zachary Levi’s Shazam family against Helen Mirren’s Hespera, Lucy Liu’s Kalypso and Rachel Zegler’s Anthea as their powers are stolen. Its larger mythology and family comedy make it a direct sequel rather than a fresh origin.
Official sourceJaume Collet-Serra’s 2022 film introduces Dwayne Johnson as Teth-Adam, whose ancient power collides with the Justice Society’s Hawkman, Doctor Fate and Cyclone in the present day. Its antihero-versus-established-heroes structure makes it a useful test of how much force a team can justify.
Official sourceCathy Yan’s 2020 film follows Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn after her split from the Joker as she joins Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s Huntress and Jurnee Smollett’s Black Canary against Ewan McGregor’s Black Mask. Its R-rated, character-driven ensemble gives the DCEU one of its few female-led team stories.
Official sourcePatty Jenkins’s 2020 sequel places Gal Gadot’s Diana in the 1980s, where a wish-granting artifact brings Chris Pine’s Steve Trevor back and empowers Pedro Pascal’s Max Lord and Kristen Wiig’s Cheetah. Its bright period style and moral focus on desire make it a very different follow-up.
Official sourceÁngel Manuel Soto’s 2023 film follows Xolo Maridueña’s Jaime Reyes as a scarab bonds with him and changes his family’s life, while Susan Sarandon’s Victoria Kord pursues the technology. Its family-centered superhero story makes it a distinct late-DCEU entry.
Official sourceZack Snyder’s 2009 adaptation of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’s comic sets Jackie Earle Haley’s Rorschach, Billy Crudup’s Doctor Manhattan and Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s Comedian in an alternate-history mystery about retired vigilantes. Its deconstructive view of superhero power makes it unlike any mainstream team-up.
Official sourceJames McTeigue’s 2006 adaptation of Alan Moore and David Lloyd’s comic follows Hugo Weaving’s masked V and Natalie Portman’s Evey Hammond through a dystopian Britain. Its political-thriller structure and identity-driven rebellion make it a different kind of DC adaptation.
Official sourceFrancis Lawrence’s 2005 occult thriller stars Keanu Reeves as John Constantine, Rachel Weisz as Angela Dodson and Tilda Swinton as Gabriel in a battle over a demonic intrusion. Its noir atmosphere and religious horror draw from Hellblazer rather than superhero spectacle.
Official sourceMartin Campbell’s 2011 film gives Ryan Reynolds’s Hal Jordan a power ring and a place in the cosmic Green Lantern Corps, while Blake Lively’s Carol Ferris and Peter Sarsgaard’s Hector Hammond tie the mission to Earth. Its space-operatic scope is more ambitious than most early DC adaptations.
Official sourceJimmy Hayward’s 2010 supernatural western follows Josh Brolin’s scarred bounty hunter Jonah Hex against John Malkovich’s Turnbull, with Megan Fox’s Lilah caught in the conflict. Its occult revenge story and antihero framing make it one of DC’s stranger live-action experiments.
Official sourceDC Movies comes with preloaded items so you can begin ranking immediately, but the board is still flexible enough to reflect your own criteria.
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