Movies like Superman (1978)
The best movies like Superman (1978) are Superman II (1980), Superman Returns (2006) and Man of Steel (2013). If Superman 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 ratedAvengers: Infinity War (2018)8.2/10 from 33,361 votes
- NewestThe Fantastic 4: First Steps (2025)Released 2025
Superman II (1980)
Three Kryptonian criminals led by General Zod team up with Lex Luthor to conquer Earth, forcing a depowered Superman to regain his strength and stop them.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSuperman Returns (2006)
Superman returns to discover his 5-year absence has allowed Lex Luthor to walk free, and that those he was closest to felt abandoned and have moved on. Luthor plots his ultimate revenge that could see millions killed and change the face of the planet forever, as well as ridding himself of the Man of Steel.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & action
SnoozefestMovies like thisMan 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 thisThe Fantastic 4: First Steps (2025)
Against the vibrant backdrop of a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world, Marvel's First Family is forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, while defending Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & adventure
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 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 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 thisSuperman (2025)
Superman, a journalist in Metropolis, embarks on a journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & adventure
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBlack Adam (2022)
Nearly 5,000 years after he was bestowed with the almighty powers of the Egyptian gods—and imprisoned just as quickly—Black Adam is freed from his earthly tomb, ready to unleash his unique form of justice on the modern world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGuardians of the Galaxy (2014)
Light years from Earth, 26 years after being abducted, Peter Quill finds himself the prime target of a manhunt after discovering an orb wanted by Ronan the Accuser.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & science fiction
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisFuturama: Bender's Game (2008)
When Leela is insulted by a group of space-rednecks (like regular rednecks, but in space), she enters the Planet Express ship in a demolition derby. Leela emerges victorious, but when she brings the damaged ship home, and the Professor sees the fuel gauge, he's enraged by the hit he's going to take at the Dark Matter pump. Now the crew have to find a way to break Mom's stranglehold on starship fuel, even if they have to wade through a Lord of the Rings-inspired fantasy-land to do it!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMegamind (2010)
After Megamind, a highly intelligent alien supervillain, defeats his long-time nemesis Metro Man, Megamind creates a new hero to fight, but must act to save the city when his "creation" becomes an even worse villain than he was.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMen in Black II (2002)
Kay and Jay reunite to provide our best, last and only line of defense against a sinister seductress who levels the toughest challenge yet to the MIB's untarnished mission statement – protecting Earth from the scum of the universe. It's been four years since the alien-seeking agents averted an intergalactic disaster of epic proportions. Now it's a race against the clock as Jay must convince Kay – who not only has absolutely no memory of his time spent with the MIB, but is also the only living person left with the expertise to save the galaxy – to reunite with the MIB before the earth submits to ultimate destruction.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 thisTerminator Genisys (2015)
The year is 2029. John Connor, leader of the resistance continues the war against the machines. At the Los Angeles offensive, John's fears of the unknown future begin to emerge when TECOM spies reveal a new plot by SkyNet that will attack him from both fronts; past and future, and will ultimately change warfare forever.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJustice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths Part Three (2024)
Now fully revealed as the ultimate threat to existence, the Anti-Monitor wages an unrelenting attack on the surviving Earths that struggle for survival in a pocket universe. One by one, these worlds and all their inhabitants are vaporized! On the planets that remain, even time itself is shattered, and heroes from the past join the Justice League and their rag-tag allies against the epitome of evil. But as they make their last stand, will the sacrifice of the superheroes be enough to save us all?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & action
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 thisKyuukyuu Sentai GoGoFive: Sudden Shock! A New Warrior! (1999)
Kyuukyuu Sentai GoGoFive: Clash! The New Super Warrior, also known as GoGoFive vs Jieg, is a straight-to-video movie based on Kyuukyuu Sentai GoGoFive.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction & action
Ultraman Connection Presents: Tamashii Nations Special Streaming featuring Ultraman Trigger (2022)
Ultraman Connection Presents: Tamashii Nations Special Streaming featuring Ultraman Trigger is a special filmed stage show based on various Ultraman characters and released on YouTube as a part of the eponymous stream.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & adventure
All Together! Seven Kamen Riders!! (1976)
The special opens with Tachibana Tōbei taking some children to a Kamen Rider roadshow. Just as he's reminiscing about all the heroic modified humans he's lived alongside- Ichigō, Nigō, V3, Riderman, X, Amazon, Stronger and Tackle- the first seven Riders gradually show up to greet him in their human guises, unrecognised by the crowds. When it's revealed that the kaijin onstage are 'real', not actors, the Riders transform to save the crowd and Rider actors, uniting their power to defeat the Delzer Army's true leader, Great General Darkness in his hideout beneath the stadium.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction & action
Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)
Searching for his brother, Ryota stows away on a boat belonging to a criminal alongside two other teenagers. The group shipwrecks on Letchi island and discover the Infant Island natives have been enslaved by a terrorist organization controlling a crustacean monster. Finding a sleeping Godzilla, they decide to awaken him to defeat the terrorists and liberate the natives.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNinpu Sentai Hurricaneger Degozaru! Shushuuto 20th Anniversary (2023)
It is the Edo Period. Younosuke, Nami, and Koutaro of the Hayate School and Ikkaku and Ikki of the Ikazuchi School are confronted by Oiranda and Aunja of the "Seven Spears of Darkness" and then Teruhime, whom the two Ikazuchi School members guard, is attacked. They were after the "Tenshoishi" ("Ascension Stone"), a stone said to be capable of destroying the world, which was in Teruhime's possession. Just when all seemed to be lost, the Hurricangers and the Gouraigers suddenly appear, having traveled back in time from the future, and a fierce battle ensues.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & adventure
Tank Girl (1995)
After a comet disrupts the rain cycle of Earth, the planet has become a desolate, barren desert by the year 2033. With resources scarce, Kesslee, head of the powerful and evil Water & Power Corporation, the de facto government, has taken control of the water supply. Unwilling to cower under Kesslee's tyrannical rule, a pair of outlaws known as Tank Girl and Jet Girl rise up, joining the mysterious rebel Rippers to destroy the corrupt system.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & science fiction
SnoozefestMovies like thisMortal Kombat (2021)
Washed-up MMA fighter Cole Young, unaware of his heritage, and hunted by Emperor Shang Tsung's best warrior, Sub-Zero, seeks out and trains with Earth's greatest champions as he prepares to stand against the enemies of Outworld in a high stakes battle for the universe.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & adventure
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCazador, la película (2019)
Melkor is a rebellious demon who choses Buenos Aires to turn it into his personal hell by unleashing a demonic invasion. Zombies and demons walk the earth. All is chaos, fire, and death. The only one capable of stopping the hordes of the underworld is Cazador, but he only seems interested in drinking, eating, and fucking. To spark his interest the key will be Bussi the bear, his favorite plush toy. Based on the 90s comic.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & science fiction
Timecop (1994)
In 2004, an officer for a security agency that regulates time travel must fend for his life against a shady politician who has a tie to his past.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThor (2011)
Against his father Odin's will, The Mighty Thor - a powerful but arrogant warrior god - recklessly reignites an ancient war. Thor is cast down to Earth and forced to live among humans as punishment. Once here, Thor learns what it takes to be a true hero when the most dangerous villain of his world sends the darkest forces of Asgard to invade Earth.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Superman?
The closest matches to Superman are Superman II (1980), Superman Returns (2006) and Man of Steel (2013). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Superman?
Start with Superman II (1980), the closest match to Superman.
What is the highest-rated movie like Superman?
Avengers: Infinity War (2018), rated 8.2/10 by 33,361 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Superman?
The Fantastic 4: First Steps (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Superman?
Yes: Superman II (1980), Superman Returns (2006) and Man of Steel (2013).
How are movies similar to Superman chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Superman, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.