Batman vs. Superman: Ranking The Films From Worst To Best

8. Man Of Steel (2013)

Where Superman Returns chose not to follow in the footsteps of Batman Begins, Man of Steel's decision to reinvent the Superman franchise paid off for Warner Bros. and melted a number of comic purist's minds in the process. As the precursor to the highly anticipated throwdown between Batman and Superman, as well as the introduction to a larger DC Cinematic Universe, Man of Steel's divisive choices - from the death of Zod to the destruction of Metropolis - seem to be set to ripple outward and inform both the world and the character headed forward. Though the film itself can understandably be a little numbing near the end and maybe not as light as some would've hoped for, its growing pains can easily be overlooked for the fact it at least tries to be big and bold, taking the character down its own unique path rather than settling on reliving the Reeve era yet again. Henry Cavill does a great job with what he's given and, hopefully, can continue to build the character, both as Clark Kent and as Superman, into the iconic persona that fans have loved for over 75 years. As the youngest film on this list, Man of Steel's true test will, for better or worse, come with the passage of time, as it's also the only film on this list to be connected to a larger universe of future films. If Dawn of Justice succeeds, Man of Steel will benefit from having laid the groundwork for it; if it fails, Man of Steel's reputation will forever suffer, at least in the eyes of a vocal slice of the Internet still unhappy about the infamous neck snap. Whatever happens, Man of Steel deserves credit for trying to deliver the grand-scale Superman movie that had eluded audiences for years and setting the stage for the types of DC films fans thought they'd never see.