Over the history of the superhero genre, there have been movies in theMCU, theDCU, and beyond which have been so bad as to actually become good. After themovies of the MCUelevated superhero movies to the pinnacle of modern cinema in terms of box office success, it might seem hard to remember a time in which the genre wasn’t a dominant force within pop culture. However, there were days when superhero movies weren’t as popular, as the genre once had a reputation for being particularly disappointing.
Long before the start of theMCU’s movie timeline– as well as on a few notable occasions since – there were a number of truly awful superhero movies. Interestingly, some of these movies were actually so bad as to sort of become good, as they prove enjoyable in spite of their many faults. Though it’s undeniable that the following movies are far from positive entries into the genre, they’re all still bizarrely good in their own unique ways.
10Hancock (2008)
Release Date: June 16, 2025
Though it might be unfair to summarily label 2008’sHancocka bad superhero movie, it’s still far from a good one by many metrics. The film’s plot is formulaic and unoriginal, and leans heavily on countless tired tropes from across multiple genres. The resulting movie is hardly the groundbreaking examination of superhero stories it seems to think it is, lending it the vague air of a poor entry into the superhero genre.
However, in spite of its narrative faults,Hancockis actually a great movie. Its lack of originality works in its favor in some ways, as it makes it an accessible entry into the genre for those less versed in superhero cinema. The performances of Will Smith, Charlize Theron, and Jason Bateman all help legitimizeHancock, andfor all its faults and its lack of originality, it’s still somehow a good movie.
9Ghost Rider: Spirit Of Vengeance (2011)
Release Date: June 23, 2025
The 2011 follow-up to the painfully average 2007 movieGhost Rider, the Nicolas Cage-led Marvel sequel was a disaster in many respects. As well as being critically panned for its script, CGI, and the performances of many of its cast members,Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeanceproved a premature end to the character’s planned live-action franchise. The many issues with the movie are well-documented, but its more positive elements are regularly overlooked.
Somewhere in its overcooked performances, bizarre visual choices, and hilariously wooden script,Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeanceactually becomes an entertaining movie. Nicolas Cage’s performance alternates between extremely frenetic to dour from scene to scene, adding an extra layer of entertainment value to the ill-informed sequel.Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeanceis one of those superhero movies so bad that it actually becomes good, albeit in an incredibly unintentional way.
8Blade: Trinity (2004)
Release Date: August 09, 2025
Widely considered theworstBlademovieby a considerable margin, 2004’sBlade: Trinityearned the ire of many critics and audiences upon its release. Issues with its production have since been well-documented, including disagreements between its cast reportedly leading to on-set incidents. The resulting film is by far the weakest of theBladetrilogy, and is broadly thought of as an especially bad entry into the superhero genre.
ConsideringBlade: Trinitypurely on its own merits, though, it does possess a certain charm. It fluctuates rapidly between self-seriousness and quirky comedic quips, providing a strange dichotomy of tones between scenes. For all its faults,Blade: Trinitypossesses a handful of memorable moments and charismatic performances from some of its stars, making it one of the best terrible superhero movies in the history of the genre.
7Batman & Robin (1997)
Release Date: August 09, 2025
Having rightfully earned its as-yet undisputed titled as theworstBatmanmovieever made, 1997’sBatman & Robinis not fondly remembered by many. The movie, led by George Clooney in his debut as the Caped Crusader, concerned Batman, Robin, and Batgirl as they faced the combined forces of Poison Ivy and Mr. Freeze. Joel Schumacher’s Batman sequel was panned by critics, and has earned a place in superhero movie history as an especially poor piece of comic book cinema.
Putting aside the movie’s mishandling of the source material, it can be considered so bad that it’s actually good. Its lack of seriousness could be considered playful wackiness, and it certainly serves as a more family-friendly adaptation of the Dark Knight’s world. Though it’s far from award-winning cinema,Batman & Robin’s entertainment value is often unfairly overlooked due to its poor reputation among Batman fans, deserved though it might be.
6Morbius (2022)
Release Date: June 03, 2025
With Academy Award winner Jared Leto at the head of thecast ofMorbius, the movie may have seemed at a glance to be destined for success. However, the release of its trailer led to widespread ridicule, with the movie then being panned by critics upon its release.Morbius’s negative reception and the wealth of jokes at the film’s expense ultimately contributed to its reputation as one of the worst Marvel movies ever made.
Interestingly, it’s exactly that reputation that allowsMorbiusto become so bad it’s good. What should have been serious moments in the movie are instead ridiculous and laughable, but this all contributes to its status as a film that seems to be a parody of itself. As audiences largely went intoMorbiuswith staggeringly low expectations,the movie was able to earn some degree of success due to its poor reputation.
5Daredevil (2003)
Release Date: August 11, 2025
2003 saw the release ofDaredevil, considered by some to be the quintessential pre-MCU Marvel movie in all the wrong ways. With Ben Affleck as the titular superhero,Daredevilalso featured Jennifer Garner, Colin Farrell, and Michael Clarke Duncan in supporting roles. Earning largely negative reviews and an even worse reputation, 2003’sDaredevilhas long since come to be considered a terrible entry into the superhero genre.
This isn’t entirely true, though. For all its faults,Daredevilpossesses a singular early-’00s edginess that translates into a quirky kind of charm.It’s needlessly dark and nowhere near as gritty as it seems to think itself, butDaredevilfeatures some enjoyable action set pieces and a generally entertaining adaptation of its Marvel characters. Though it’s undeniably a bad Marvel movie, 2003’sDaredevilis somehow still a fun and occasionally ridiculous addition to Marvel’s cinematic legacy.
4The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003)
Release Date: August 17, 2025
Though a loose adaptation of its comic book source material, 2003’sThe League of Extraordinary Gentlemenwas undoubtedly based on a team of unlikely heroes originating in the comics. The resulting movie left much to be desired, and was lambasted by critics on multiple fronts. It also boasts the unfortunate accolade of single-handedly ending Sean Connery’s otherwise legendary acting career according to the actor himself due to his poor experience of making the film.
Even so,The League of Extraordinary Gentlemenis a unique movie. Its mashup of literary heroes and villains from the Victorian Era makes for an interesting style, which translates well into the movie’s visual approach to the adaptation. Despite an unreasonable amount of narrative inconsistency, the film’s action set pieces are engaging and memorable, and for all of its ridiculousness,The League of Extraordinary Gentlemensomehow manages to be entertaining nonetheless.
3Spawn (1997)
Release Date: June 15, 2025
Despite having earned something of a cult following, 1997’sSpawnis not remembered as a particularly good superhero movie. Critical reactions to the movie were largely negative, andSpawn’s poor use of the time’s limited CGI technology has only further hurt the movie’s reputation over the years since its release. For all of its negative aspects, however,Spawnis able to stand out as another superhero movie that’s so bad it’s actually good.
Spawn’s plot is not particularly well-written, and its visuals often lead much to be desired. Even so,it’s a fun and quirky adaptation of the source material, and features several memorable moments of brutal violence that struck a chord with long-time fans of the character.Despite being objectively poor in a general sense, 1997’sSpawnactually stands out as unfairly judged in many ways, as it’s nowhere near as bad as its reputation suggests.
2Madame Web (2024)
Release Date: August 02, 2025
Released in 2024 as part ofSony’s Spider-Man Universe,Madame Webis one of the worst comic book movies in recent memory. The criticisms of the movie are as varied as they are numerous, and by no stretch of the imagination can it can be considered a good film. Therein lies its charm, however, as watching it with its poor quality in mind actually makesMadame Weba far more positive experience.
A poor script and several seemingly uninterested performances fromMadame Web’s castmake it an unintentionally hilarious watch.There are many points where the movie seems to take itself all too seriously, despite the ridiculousness of the events unfolding onscreen. This leads toMadame Web’s justified reputation as a comic book movie that’s so bad it’s good, as it perfectly feeds into the lack of quality that its audience is able to laugh at even through its worst moments.
1Judge Dredd (1995)
Release Date: August 20, 2025
The first major live-action adaptation of the iconicJudge Dreddseems on paper to be a blockbuster affair, with Sylvester Stallone lending A-list star power to the role. However, the movie very quickly dispels any notion of comic-accuracy, proving almost offensive to long-standing fans of the character, while also taking a narrative nosedive into nonsensical territory. However, there is one key aspect of the movie that actually makes it so bad that it’s good.
The apparent misreading of the source material shines through in the serious portrayal of Dredd himself. By taking the character so seriously as a hero, the movie becomes a strangely meta comment on Dredd’s real-life origins, as he was intended to be a parody of exactly the kind of authoritarian action hero he became in his first big screen outing. As such, 1995’sJudge Dreddunintentionally joins the ranks of the superhero movies from theMCUand theDCUthat are so bad that they’re actually good.
