Movies like Superman Returns (2006)
The best movies like Superman Returns (2006) are Man of Steel (2013), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) and Eternals (2021). If Superman Returns hooked you with its science fiction and action, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedSpider-Man: Brand New Day (2026)8.5/10 from 6,623 votes
- NewestSpider-Man: Brand New Day (2026)Released 2026
Man of Steel (2013)
A young boy learns that he has extraordinary powers and is not of this earth. As a young man, he journeys to discover where he came from and what he was sent here to do. But the hero in him must emerge if he is to save the world from annihilation and become the symbol of hope for all mankind.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAvengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
When Tony Stark tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes are put to the ultimate test as the fate of the planet hangs in the balance. As the villainous Ultron emerges, it is up to The Avengers to stop him from enacting his terrible plans, and soon uneasy alliances and unexpected action pave the way for an epic and unique global adventure.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & adventure
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEternals (2021)
The Eternals are a team of ancient aliens who have been living on Earth in secret for thousands of years. When an unexpected tragedy forces them out of the shadows, they are forced to reunite against mankind’s most ancient enemy, the Deviants.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJustice League (2017)
Fuelled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman's selfless act, Bruce Wayne and Diana Prince assemble a team of metahumans consisting of Barry Allen, Arthur Curry and Victor Stone to face the catastrophic threat of Steppenwolf and the Parademons who are on the hunt for three Mother Boxes on Earth.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDark Phoenix (2019)
The X-Men face their most formidable and powerful foe when one of their own, Jean Grey, starts to spiral out of control. During a rescue mission in outer space, Jean is nearly killed when she's hit by a mysterious cosmic force. Once she returns home, this force not only makes her infinitely more powerful, but far more unstable. The X-Men must now band together to save her soul and battle aliens that want to use Grey's new abilities to rule the galaxy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Avengers (2012)
When an unexpected enemy emerges and threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Spanning the globe, a daring recruitment effort begins!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & action
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisIron Man 2 (2010)
With the world now aware of his dual life as the armored superhero Iron Man, billionaire inventor Tony Stark faces pressure from the government, the press and the public to share his technology with the military. Unwilling to let go of his invention, Stark, with Pepper Potts and James 'Rhodey' Rhodes at his side, must forge new alliances – and confront powerful enemies.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCaptain America: Civil War (2016)
Following the events of Age of Ultron, the collective governments of the world pass an act designed to regulate all superhuman activity. This polarizes opinion amongst the Avengers, causing two factions to side with Iron Man or Captain America, which causes an epic battle between former allies.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAvengers: Infinity War (2018)
As the Avengers and their allies have continued to protect the world from threats too large for any one hero to handle, a new danger has emerged from the cosmic shadows: Thanos. A despot of intergalactic infamy, his goal is to collect all six Infinity Stones, artifacts of unimaginable power, and use them to inflict his twisted will on all of reality. Everything the Avengers have fought for has led up to this moment - the fate of Earth and existence itself has never been more uncertain.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & action
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Flash (2023)
When his attempt to save his family inadvertently alters the future, Barry Allen becomes trapped in a reality in which General Zod has returned and there are no Super Heroes to turn to. In order to save the world that he is in and return to the future that he knows, Barry's only hope is to race for his life. But will making the ultimate sacrifice be enough to reset the universe?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)
Super-Hero partners Scott Lang and Hope van Dyne, along with with Hope's parents Janet van Dyne and Hank Pym, and Scott's daughter Cassie Lang, find themselves exploring the Quantum Realm, interacting with strange new creatures and embarking on an adventure that will push them beyond the limits of what they thought possible.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTransformers: Age of Extinction (2014)
As humanity picks up the pieces after the battle of Chicago, a shadowy group reveals itself in an attempt to control the direction of history…while an ancient, powerful new menace sets Earth in its crosshairs. With help from Cade Yeager, Optimus Prime and the Autobots rise to meet their most fearsome challenge yet.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSpider-Man: Brand New Day (2026)
Fighting crime full-time as Spider-Man in a world that doesn't remember him—and the pressure of seeing his old friends move on without him—sparks a change in Peter Parker he may not have the power to control. But that transformation might also be the only thing that can stop a shocking new threat to the city and those he loves - a powerful villain no one can even see.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & action
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisReign of the Supermen (2019)
In the wake of The Death of Superman, the world is still mourning the loss of the Man of Steel following his fatal battle with the monster Doomsday. However, no sooner as his body been laid to rest than do four new bearers of the Superman shield come forward to take on the mantle. The Last Son of Krypton, Superboy, Steel, and the Cyborg Superman all attempt to fill the vacuum left by the world's greatest champion. Meanwhile, Superman's death has also signaled to the universe that Earth is vulnerable. Can these new Supermen and the rest of the heroes prove them wrong?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAvengers: Endgame (2019)
After the devastating events of Avengers: Infinity War, the universe is in ruins due to the efforts of the Mad Titan, Thanos. With the help of remaining allies, the Avengers must assemble once more in order to undo Thanos' actions and restore order to the universe once and for all, no matter what consequences may be in store.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & science fiction
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisSuperman II: The Richard Donner Cut (2006)
Superman agrees to sacrifice his powers to start a relationship with Lois Lane, unaware that three Kryptonian criminals he inadvertently released are conquering Earth.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSuperman: Man of Tomorrow (2020)
It’s the dawn of a new age of heroes, and Metropolis has just met its first. But as Daily Planet intern Clark Kent – working alongside reporter Lois Lane – secretly wields his alien powers of flight, super-strength and x-ray vision in the battle for good, there’s even greater trouble on the horizon.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBatman and Superman: Battle of the Super Sons (2022)
After discovering he has powers, 11-year-old Jonathan Kent and assassin-turned-Boy-Wonder Damian Wayne must join forces to rescue their fathers (Superman & Batman) and save the planet from the malevolent alien force known as Starro.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGreen Lantern: Beware My Power (2022)
Recently discharged Marine sniper John Stewart is at a crossroads in his life, one which is only complicated by receiving an extraterrestrial ring which grants him the powers of the Green Lantern of Earth. Unfortunately, the ring doesn't come with instructions - but it does come with baggage, like a horde of interplanetary killers bent on eliminating every Green Lantern in the universe. Now, with the aid of the light-hearted Green Arrow, Adam Strange and Hawkgirl, this reluctant soldier must journey into the heart of a galactic Rann/Thanagar war and somehow succeed where all other Green Lanterns have failed.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisX-Men: Apocalypse (2016)
After the re-emergence of the world's first mutant, world-destroyer Apocalypse, the X-Men must unite to defeat his extinction level plan.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSpy Kids 3-D: Game Over (2003)
Carmen's caught in a virtual reality game designed by the Kids' new nemesis, the Toymaker. It's up to Juni to save his sister, and ultimately the world.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & adventure
SnoozefestMovies like thisIce Age: Collision Course (2016)
Set after the events of Continental Drift, Scrat's epic pursuit of his elusive acorn catapults him outside of Earth, where he accidentally sets off a series of cosmic events that transform and threaten the planet. To save themselves from peril, Manny, Sid, Diego, and the rest of the herd leave their home and embark on a quest full of thrills and spills, highs and lows, laughter and adventure while traveling to exotic new lands and locations.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLifeforce (1985)
A race of space vampires arrives in London and infects the populace, commencing an apocalyptic descent into chaos.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMy Stepmother Is an Alien (1988)
Trying to rescue her home planet from destruction, a gorgeous extraterrestrial named Celeste arrives on Earth and begins her scientific research. She woos quirky scientist Dr. Steve Mills, a widower with a young daughter. Before long, Celeste finds herself in love with Steve and her new life on Earth, where she experiences true intimacy for the first time. But when she loses sight of her mission, she begins to question where she belongs.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction
SnoozefestMovies like thisHerbie Goes Bananas (1980)
The adorable little VW helps its owners break up a counterfeiting ring in Mexico.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure
SnoozefestMovies like thisGhost in the Shell 2: Innocence (2004)
Cyborg detective Batou is assigned to investigate a series of murders committed by gynoids—doll-like cyborgs, which all malfunctioned, killed, then self-destructed afterwards. The brains of the gynoids initialize in order to protect their manufacturer's software, but in one gynoid, which Batou himself neutralized, one file remains: a voice speaking the phrase "Help me."
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisShort Circuit 2 (1988)
Robot Johnny 5 moves to the city to help his friend Ben Jahrvi with his toy manufacturing enterprise, only to be manipulated by criminals who want to use him for their own nefarious purposes.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMegamind vs. the Doom Syndicate (2024)
Megamind's former villain team, The Doom Syndicate, has returned. Our newly crowned blue hero must now keep up evil appearances until he can assemble his friends (Roxanne, Ol' Chum and Keiko) to stop his former evil teammates from launching Metro City to the Moon.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction
SnoozefestMovies like thisVoyager 1 (2024)
Under the supervision of the tyrannous ruler Supremo, a fleet of aliens responsible for the creation of the universe conduct their daily work around the Milky Way. Among them is a curious alien called Melius, who dreams of leaving their weary job as a star polisher to explore distant planets. When the space probe ‘Voyager 1’ crashes into their ship, Melius sees their chance of escaping using the probe’s coordinates for planet Earth. What follows is an adventure full of extraordinary surprises and new friends, where our hero will be forced to choose between duty and love, their teachings and beliefs.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction
Moana (2016)
In Ancient Polynesia, when a terrible curse incurred by Maui reaches an impetuous Chieftain's daughter's island, she answers the Ocean's call to seek out the demigod to set things right.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure
Worth the HypeMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Superman Returns?
The closest matches to Superman Returns are Man of Steel (2013), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) and Eternals (2021). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Superman Returns?
Start with Man of Steel (2013), the closest match to Superman Returns.
What is the highest-rated movie like Superman Returns?
Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026), rated 8.5/10 by 6,623 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Superman Returns?
Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Superman Returns?
Yes: Man of Steel (2013), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) and Eternals (2021).
How are movies similar to Superman Returns chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Superman Returns, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.