Superman Villains Ranked

Superman Villains Ranked

Superman has one of the robust and iconic rogues gallery in comic book history. Several of his great villains have appeared in his movies. So today I’m ranking all 11 of Superman’s movie villains. Let’s get started! 

NOTE: This post will contain SPOILERS for all of the Superman films specifically Superman (2025). If you haven’t seen that film yet, don’t read this. I'll be taking specifics and spoilers. 

12. Nuclear Man (Superman IV: The Quest for Peace): Several of the villains ranked in the lower part of this list are just boss fight henchmen for our actual main villains. When it comes to Nuclear Man, he’s exactly that. He doesn’t have much of a backstory, there’s no character arc for him, and he’s given nothing to really do. Because of that he’s easily the least memorable character on this list. His sole purpose here is to fight Superman because Lex Luthor told him so. That’s not a super compelling motivation to have him rank higher up on the list. Beyond that, he feels like too much of a rehash of previous film’s ideas. In Superman II, Lex Luthor tried to use super powered beings to stop Superman. And in Superman III Superman fights an evil version of himself. Even what could’ve been an interesting idea of a character feels like it was stolen from other film’s ideas. Given Superman IV’s production troubles and lack of budget, even some of the fights between him and Superman aren’t great because the film didn’t have the money to pull them off. When you put all of the negative together you get a character that’s frustrating and bad. 

11. Ross Webster (Superman III): Similar to Nuclear Man, Ross Webster feels too much like a rehash of other Superman villains. In the case of Webster he feels like a B-grader version of Superman’s most iconic villain, Lex Luthor. As I was watching Superman III, that’s the image that kept on coming to mind: “B-grade Lex Luthor”. It feels like they wrote the script with Gene Hackman in mind. But with Hackman not wanting to do the film they changed it to Ross Webster, an original character for this film. It’s weird they didn’t go with Maxwell Lord or another evil genius from DC comics. Beyond that, most of his schemes in the back half get very cartoonish and over the top. I wouldn’t call any of the Superman films grounded. Of course, they’re going to be fantastical when you’re dealing with an alien who can fly. But with this time, having him battle this evil computer as the boss fight in the third is rather disappointing. It’s not a cinematic or exciting fight at all. If they liked the idea of Superman fighting an evil robot why not have Brinaiac be the main villain here. Robert Vaughn who plays Webster doesn’t have a villainous screen presence at all. Another dud of a villain for Superman. 

10. Evil Superman (Superman III): I kind of wish that this was Bizarro because it would’ve made a more interesting film and threat for Superman. As is, the idea of an evil Superman I think fits with some of the themes and ideas the film is trying to explore. There’s ideas in here about Superman being the hero to people but he turns evil so humanity’s faith in him fads. In those regards, the idea of evil Superman I think works well enough. Once again, he’s a victim similar to the other villains in the bottom three. He’s in Superman III, not a very good film that feels like wasted potential and the studio not understanding who Superman is. Even some of the ways that he ties into the plot and how he’s introduced is a bit weird. The idea of a Superman vs Superman fight is cool but I think the limited budget and resources make the fight not as compelling or awesome as it should be. I don’t really have much to say about him because a lot of his faults are similar to the villains lower on the list. He’s ranked higher because the idea of him is more interesting. Overall, this is interesting for a villain not excited greatly. 

9. Doomsday (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice): Another henchman used as the boss battle in the third act. He’s ranked higher up on this list because it is Doomsday. This was our first time seeing Doomsday brought to the big screen and it was cool to see it. He does get to do his iconic comic book moment of killing Superman that’s actually very important for the DCEU as a whole. It sets up the plot for Zack Snyder’s Justice League. The third act that he’s involved with is pretty cool, it’s one of the better third acts from the DCEU. I think Doomsday’s design looks very weird. It isn't the comic accurate as I feel that it should be. He looks more like a generic monster rather than the iconic Superman villain with the spikes. One of the bigger issues with Dawn of Justice is it being overstuffed with too much going on. I think because of that, the stuff with Doomsday feels undeveloped. Even the idea of him killing Superman sort of comes out of nowhere. Had Batman v Superman not been a rushed film that had studio mandates to set future things up. They gave Doomsday’s plotline more time to be fleshed out. I think he could’ve been a better villain. As is, he’s a decent yet disappointing villain. 

8. The Engineer (Superman): I promise, very soon we’ll start talking about more interesting villains and not just henchmen. Of the villains on this list, The Engineer is sort of just there for me. I don’t think she did anything particularly wrong in the film. She’s also not given a whole lot to do where she stands out. The only really memorable scene with her is when she and Lex break into the Fortress of Solitude and she’s fighting Krypto and Lex. There’s some cool images in that sequence but that’s 20-30 minutes into the film so after that she’s sort of just there for me. James Gunn didn’t kill her off in the third act so clearly he has some sort of plans with her. With the information that’s revealed about her and where her character ends up by the end it seems like a Nebula type character. Whatever Gunn decides to do with her in a possible sequel I hope he finds a different character arc that’s not similar to Nebula’s redemption arc in the MCU. Once again, I don’t have much to say about her. She served her role in the film well enough. I didn’t hate her character, I also didn’t love her character. 

7. Ultraman (Superman): I think this is our best henchmen type character that’s also the boss fight in the third act. The simple reason for Ultraman’s ranking is the idea that he’s an evil version of Superman that was genetically created by Lex Luthor. What’s fun about him is that the origins for this character are similar to Nuclear Man. Since Superman (2025) is a better film I think this version of the character works better. Since Nicholas Hoult’s take on Lex Luthor is the most hateable we’ve gotten there’s something so satisfying about seeing Lex’s henchman get taken out. When Ultraman does get taken out in this film it feels satisfying and you want it to happen. With Superman (2025)’s budget being much bigger than Superman III and IV, what they’re able to do with the fight is more cinematic and exciting. Even Ultraman’s creation ties into Lex’s plot and answers some questions as to how he’s able to get into the Fortress of Solitude. Him being a henchman character does hold him back as he’s not able to be a super compelling or layered villain. Of our henchman/third act boss fights I think he’s the best and most well rounded of the bunch. 

6. Kevin Spacey’s Lex Luthor (Superman Returns): From here on up, these are all the main villains that get a lot of screen time. The weakest of those would be Spacey’s take on Lex Luthor. I think in some regards, Spacey has the same issues as Routh’s Superman. I don’t think Spacey does anything wrong in the role. On paper, Spacey is a great pick to be Lex Luthor. He’s able to be intimidating and villainous (like he’s shown in real life). But given the nature of Superman Returns sort of being a legacy sequel to Christopher Reeves’ Superman era, Spacey’s performance is sort of being Gene Hackman’s Lex Luthor. The character of Lex Luthor has changed dramatically over the years from Hackman’s run to 2006. He went from evil mad scientist to the evil business man, the evil version of Bruce Wayne. Spacey’s characterizations and performance feels very dated. It makes you want to see a darker, more comic accurate take on the character. I don’t think Spacey is wrong in the role, but I think with the material he is given it holds back how good of a Lex Luthor he could’ve been. 

NOTE: As we go into the top 5, I don’t think there’s much of a difference in the ranking. On a different day of the week these five villains could move around on this list. Also, I don’t feel like we have a definitive great Superman movie villain the way he does with Batman and Spider-Man. This top five was a bit weird to rank simply because I didn’t know how to rank them. 

5. Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor (Superman): The latest ideation of DC’s most iconic bald villain. This is a frustrating one because there’s so much about this version that I like but also a lot that left me frustrated. He’s very much the version of Lex Luthor that I like. He’s the evil mastermind pulling the strings on his big master plan to get what he wants. Hoult is great in the role, he’s clearly having a lot of fun in the role. He’s also the most hateable Lex Luthor that we’ve gotten. Early on in the film he takes Krypto and whenever a dog gets hurt or captured you hate that character. In the third act when Lex’s plan is stopped and his goons are defeated it’s so satisfying. However, I think Lex turns too much into the screaming villain that James Gunn likes to use in the third act. There’s just a bit too much shouting for my liking. It comes across as petty and not what I want from Lex Luthor. Also, some of the ideas with him of capturing all of his ex girlfriends was pretty weird and very goofy. This is the most frustrating villain on this list as there’s a lot I really like but a lot that left me frusterated. 

4. Gene Hackman’s Lex Luthor (Christopher Reeves’ Superman Era): This might be an unpopular opinion to have Gene Hackman’s Lex Luthor at #4 on the list. To be clear, I really like Heckman’s portrayal of Lex. For the time and era he was in, he does a great job. For Lex Luthor was just this evil made scientist doing real estate schemes. In the year 2025, does that Lex Luthor work or make a lot of sense? No. I even think that’s why Spacey’s take felt very dated. But for Superman the Movie was going for, I thought it worked. Gene Hackman is of course a world class actor so he’s great in the role. It was a big deal that some of Gene’s collaborations did a comic book movie when the comic book movie genre didn’t exist. Even in Superman II, he does get a little bit of that mastermind side of him by using General Zod to get what he wants. I don’t really have a reason as to why he’s not ranked up on this list. There’s nothing that Hackman or the writing did wrong. This goofy and over the top Lex Luthor isn’t what I want from Lex Luthor. I’m drawn towards the evil mastermind that’s the evil version of Bruce Wayne. If he’s #1 or higher up on your list for you I’m not going to argue with you. 

3. Michael Shannon’s General Zod (Man of Steel): The DCUE’s first villain is one of Superman’s best and one of the DCEU’s best. Obviously, we haven’t gotten to Terrence Stamp’s take on the character, but I think Shannon’s Zod is benefited by having a 21st century budget and technology. Man of Steel delivers some of the best Superman action sequences of all time and maybe the most exciting third act for a Superman movie. Given that Zod is involved with those, it’s a big positive that makes him more exciting. Beyond that, I think Zod’s motivation ties into the themes and ideas of the film nicely. Superman’s arc in the film is trying to find his place, he’s torn between two worlds, Earth and Krypton. Through Zod’s villainous actions both the audience and Superman know what the correct choice is. Another thing that makes Zod compelling is that he’s the hero in his own story. His home got destroyed and he wants it back so he’s willing to do whatever it takes to get it. There’s a lot of things about him where I wanted to rank him higher. I think Zod’s introduction to Earth and a lot of the middle act is pretty rushed and therefore I think Zod needed a bit more time. Overall, Zod is a great villain. 

2. Terrence Stamp’s General Zod (Superman II): Stamp’s Zod isn’t helped out by 21st century money or technology. That means Zod’s greatness comes from the writing and the acting. Stamp is able to be very intimidating and villainous. He has this screen presence about him that makes him feel like a worthy threat to Superman. Like Shannon’s Zod, Stamp’s Zod ties into the themes and Superman’s character arc. Superman II is exploring the idea of Superman trying to balance being Clark Kent and Superman. Clark finally gets his moments where he gets to be normal with Lois, then Zod shows up and poses an ethical question for Superman. And he needs to decide if he wants to be Clark Kent or Superman. That was some of my favorite stuff about Superman II and with Zod being so integrated into that, it boosts him up as a character. Beyond that, I think Zod’s henchman in Superman II is more interesting than Man of Steel. I feel there’s more moments with them that are memorable. Shannon’s Zod’s henchmen feel like more they have to be there than an actual necessary plot element. Stamp’s Zod might not be the flashiest villain on this list but he’s one of the best and most memorable. 

1. Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice): I know this is an unpopular opinion to have Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor ranked as #1. Honestly, when I was putting this list together he was pretty clearly my #1 pick. I think Mark Zuckerberg & Elon Musk make sense as inspirations for a modern take on Lex Luthor. I don’t even mind the fact that this Lex is a bit quirky and has all of these weird mannerisms and quirks about him. I feel the performance made enough sense considering that’s the type of actor Eisenberg is. I don’t know what people were expecting from Jesse Eisenbergified Lex Luthor. Beyond that, we get the best elements of Lex Luthor as the beloved public figure but the evil business man. Seeing how his plan is manipulating both Batman and Superman into fighting each other in the third act is rather interesting. The film does explore the idea of Lex Luthor being an evil version of Bruce Wayne and how that would cause Superman to be hesitant of Bruce Wayne. I know this is a hot take and I’m sure other people won’t have him ranked this high but I do and I think he’s the best villain that Superman has fought on the big screen.