10 Worst Marvel And DC Comic Book Movies Of All-Time According To Rotten Tomatoes

Rotten Tomatoes continues to be used as a measuring stick of quality for many moviegoers, but which Marvel and DC Comics adaptations are considered the worst of the worst by the popular review aggregator?

By JoshWilding - Nov 30, 2023 12:11 PM EST

Filed Under: Marvel Studios

Over the years, Rotten Tomatoes has become increasingly important when it comes to a movie's chances of success. A dreaded green splat can ruin even the most long-awaited blockbuster's opening weekend, but there are many movies which deserve the wrath of critics.

2023 has been a rough year for Marvel and DC, with the likes of Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania and The Flash failing to strike a chord with moviegoers. However, if you thought they were bad, they're nothing compared to the 10 superhero movies deemed the worst of the worst by Rotten Tomatoes.

In this feature, we're naming and shaming the 10 worst Marvel and DC movies of all time...according to that site, anyway. Along with their percentage scores and the "Critics Consensus," we also chime in with a few of our thoughts as well.

To take a look through this ranking, you just need to click on the "Next" button below.

10. Morbius (15%)

Critics Consensus: Cursed with uninspired effects, rote performances, and a borderline nonsensical story, this dreary mess is a vein attempt to make Morbius happen.

Well, we're certainly kicking off this list with a movie that's best described as "rotten." Morbius had the potential to deliver a solid take on the Living Vampire, one of just a few Spider-Man villains who can arguably exist on screen without the web-slinger as an opponent.

Jared Leto was the highlight in an otherwise dreadful effort which had few redeeming qualities. The story, visual effects, and general feel were of a mid-2000s stinker and this disaster was capped off with a baffling post-credits scene setting the stage for a Sinister Six project we know 99.9% of you don't want to see.

9. Howard The Duck (13%)

Critics Consensus: While it has its moments, Howard the Duck suffers from an uneven tone and mediocre performances.

While Howard the Duck has somehow managed to achieve cult status in the years since its release, we still wouldn't recommend wasting 111 minutes of your life sitting through this.

There's no denying that the effects were impressive for the time, and while George Lucas was involved as a producer...well, this movie suffered from the same tonal mismatch as the poorly received Star Wars prequels. This thing was all over the place, though we're glad Howard has received a second chance in the MCU because there were signs here of how much potential the character has.

8. Jonah Hex (12%)

Critics Consensus: Josh Brolin gives it his best shot, but he can't keep the short, unfocused Jonah Hex from collapsing on the screen.

Jonah Hex's cast is unbelievable; Josh Brolin, John Malkovich, Michael Fassbender, and Megan Fox all take centre stage in the movie, but not even they could save the 2010 movie that was written by Crank and Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance filmmakers Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor.

Jimmy Hayward dropped the ball as director, and no one was surprised when the movie bombed at the box office with a laughable $10.9 million haul worldwide. Yes, worldwide. Legends of Tomorrow later rebooted the title character, though he's yet to make a big screen return.

7. Batman & Robin (11%)

Critics Consensus: Joel Schumacher's tongue-in-cheek attitude hits an unbearable limit in Batman & Robin resulting in a frantic and mindless movie that's too jokey to care much for.

This was the lowest possible point for the Dark Knight on the big screen, and a franchise killer that kept him out of theaters from 1997 right up to Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins in 2005.

Even if you could somehow put up with the cheesy tone the late Joel Schumacher introduced in Batman Forever, it went way too far here. Everything from a Bat Credit Card to utterly bonkers performances from the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Uma Thurman made this movie a sight to behold (not in a good way), and it's mind-blowing that anyone who showed up here still had a career after it was released.

6. Elektra (11%)

Critics Consensus: Jennifer Garner inhabits her role with earnest gusto, but Elektra's tone deaf script is too self-serious and bereft of intelligent dialogue to provide engaging thrills.

Daredevil wasn't a good movie, but it had a few redeeming qualities, including Jennifer Garner's work as Elektra. Her story arc and death were rushed, but her demise at Bullseye's hands (a great homage to the source material) set the stage for future stories...that Garner didn't want to tell.

She was contracted for a sequel, though, and while the actress did the best she could with the material Fox lumbered her with, the likes of Stone and Typhoid Mary were wasted. The premise was also undeniably dismal, so it's no great surprise that this movie boasts such a low score.

5. Superman IV: The Quest For Peace (10%)

Critics Consensus: The Superman series bottoms out here: the action is boring, the special effects look cheaper, and none of the actors appear interested in where the plot's going.

Superman IV: The Quest For Peace remains a source of ridicule even three decades after it was released, but at least it left us with plenty of material for memes. In the late 80s, the Man of Steel's best days were already behind him on the big screen, and this was the final nail in the coffin.

Honestly, the movie looked like it had been made for as little money as possible, and efforts by the editing department to make it somewhat coherent just saw this 10%-rated flop truly sour Christopher Reeve's legacy as the iconic DC Comics superhero.

4. Fantastic Four (9%)

Critics Consensus: Dull and downbeat, this Fantastic Four proves a woefully misguided attempt to translate a classic comic series without the humor, joy, or colorful thrills that made it great.

The first two Fantastic Four movies disappointed by doubling down on the cheese, so Josh Trank's promise to take Marvel's First Family down a darker route was welcomed by fans. Something new needed to be done with the characters, but behind-the-scenes issues killed this reboot.

It appears Trank's vision clashed with the studio's, hence why Simon Kinberg ultimately took charge of disastrous reshoots that changed half of the movie and made it feel like two entirely separate projects that had been mashed together. It was painful to watch this one and we can only hope Marvel Studios does the team justice.

3. Supergirl (8%)

Critics Consensus: The Superman series bottoms out here: the action is boring, the special effects look cheaper, and none of the actors appear interested in where the plot's going.

Despite being promoted as a big-budget spinoff to Christopher Reeve's Superman movies, Supergirl was poorly written and veered too far from the tone of those adventures with the Man of Steel. On the plus side, Helen Slater was great as the title character (earning herself a Saturn Award nomination for "Best Actress"), and it was at least somewhat comic book accurate.

The decision to embrace a lighter, sillier tone was reportedly made because studio execs at the time believed female audience members wouldn't respond to anything too "complex." It didn't work.

2. Catwoman (8%)

Critics Consensus: Halle Berry is the lone bright spot, but even she can't save this laughable action thriller.

Before the likes of Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel came along, female superhero movies were few and far between. Why? Well, look no further than Catwoman, a flop that left many studio bosses convinced that no one wants to see a comic book adaptation with a woman as the lead character.

This 2004 release put the spotlight on Patience Phillips instead of Selina Kyle but borrowed (stole?) the idea from Batman Returns that she would be betrayed, killed, and then brought back to life with supernatural powers. It was every bit as stupid as it sounds, and it's no great shock that Catwoman dominated the Razzies shortly after it was released.

1. Steel (8%)

Critics Consensus: Steel is a badly-acted movie that indulges not only in superhero cliches, but also the sappy TV-movie-of-the-week ones.

Starring Shaquille O'Neal in the title role, we're sure studio bosses thought Steel - based very loosely on the DC Comics character of the same name - had all the makings of a box office hit. Well, it grossed $1.7 million on a $16 million budget, making it one of the biggest flops you'll find here.

The acting and script were by far the biggest issues, but veering so far from the source material meant it was a hard sell even to die-hard comic book fans. This was released at a time when studio execs still didn't get the genre, and it's a shame because, in better hands, it could have been...okay? It's not worth a rewatch, folks.

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64 Comments

1 2

Oberlin4Prez - 11/30/2023, 12:11 PM

Another useless listicle

Origame - 11/30/2023, 12:11 PM

If catwoman and steel were mcu movies made today, they'd get glowing reviews while everyone involved in the production would call everyone who didn't like it racist and sexist.

To put these attitudes into further perspective, halley berry accepted her razzie. She accepted this role and movie didn't work and moved on.

Goldboink - 11/30/2023, 12:12 PM

I'm watching Howard the Duck over all the others. At least on that one you can actually see the influence of all the cocaine that everyone must have been doing to convince themselves that it was going to be a good movie.

EZBeast - 11/30/2023, 12:12 PM

This might be the first Josh list I’ve 100% agreed with. Minus morbius only because I haven’t seen it.

DrReedRichards - 11/30/2023, 12:12 PM

Wrong square.

Izaizaiza - 11/30/2023, 12:13 PM

Morbius as the best film on the list.

MCUKnight11 - 11/30/2023, 12:13 PM

Madame web gonna be on here.

Urubrodi - 11/30/2023, 12:20 PM

@MCUKnight11 - Willing to bet that it won't.

Evansly - 11/30/2023, 7:04 PM

@Urubrodi - I would by no means be surprised if it does end up on it but having to get below 15% to make the list is improbable and puts the odds in your favor.

Urubrodi - 12/1/2023, 4:49 AM

@Evansly - The trailer was by no means great but was still more interesting than all the things on this list. To get below 15% the movie needs to really suck.

Shivermetimbers - 11/30/2023, 12:13 PM

I've only seen a few of these. Incredible that Jonah Hex only made 10 million dollars worldwide with that cast involved. I still want to watch that one.

Vigor - 11/30/2023, 12:22 PM

At least Elektra is getting another shot

tmp3 - 11/30/2023, 12:23 PM

Batman & Robin wasn’t 11% level bad. I dislike it a lot but if it was untethered from the Burton stuff it’s a pretty fun camp classic - especially with Thurman & Arnold. Clooney sucks though. I think Forever is the one I dislike the most from that quartet, just pure unbridled boredom.
The rest of these movies are all so much worse. Most of the DCEU is worse.

HenrySpiderman - 11/30/2023, 12:26 PM

@tmp3 - Camp or not Batman and Robin is objectivly worse than Batman Forevor. It lacks any sense of good acting, coherency and is downright unpleasent to watch. You say forevor is boredom, but legit most of the plot of batman and robin is them being horny over poison ivy. The only good camp part I can remember is the intro, the rest is quite bad even by those standards.

nibs - 11/30/2023, 12:24 PM

poll site users on their least favorite cbms and do a list with that. or even do a personal/site contributors worst CBM list. how are you not all completely sick of rotten tomatoes

Doomsday8888 - 11/30/2023, 12:26 PM

This scene alone puts the movie above everything else:

This is Batman to a T.

Also i was a kid, had lotta fun watching the damn thing, lel.

HenrySpiderman - 11/30/2023, 12:28 PM

@Doomsday8888 - To be fair you have to give points to these movies as it did have genuinly good batman stuff. Jim Carrey as the riddler, at least attempting the robin stuff straight up, and great bruce wayne moments. I would argue Val Kilmer is maybe best batman casting.

Doomsday8888 - 11/30/2023, 12:33 PM

@HenrySpiderman
I always give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar or at least i try, no matter how bad the end-result may be.

Which explains my appreciation for, say, TASM 2.

BlackSpider - 11/30/2023, 12:37 PM

@Doomsday8888 - I think most people agree with you on tasm2. I would argue at parts he's perfect spiderman.

Doomsday8888 - 11/30/2023, 12:41 PM

@BlackSpider
No need to argue since i hella agree with you, lol! :P
I just f*cking click with Andrew, man, great actor!
Also look at this shit:

Great camera-work, amazing swinging.
Sense of wonder? Unmeasurable.

BlackSpider - 11/30/2023, 1:08 PM

@Doomsday8888 - What cemented him as my favourite spiderman was this scene. Tom feels like he will be spiderman eventually, now just a spiderman in training. Tobey is good, but he's raimi tobey. But Andrew in this scene feels like he jumped right from the page

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10 Worst Marvel And DC Comic Book Movies Of All-Time According To Rotten Tomatoes

Rotten Tomatoes continues to be used as a measuring stick of quality for many moviegoers, but which Marvel and DC Comics adaptations are considered the worst of the worst by the popular review aggregator?

10. Morbius (15%)

9. Howard The Duck (13%)

8. Jonah Hex (12%)

7. Batman & Robin (11%)

6. Elektra (11%)

5. Superman IV: The Quest For Peace (10%)

4. Fantastic Four (9%)

3. Supergirl (8%)

2. Catwoman (8%)

1. Steel (8%)

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