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Movies that feel like Superman II (1980)

If you loved Superman II, the closest films we have are Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022), Superman Returns (2006) and The Amazing Spider-Man (2012). All three share Superman II's cerebral and kinetic feel, which is what we rank on before quality. 9 of the 12 picks below are included with a subscription right now on HBO Max, Hulu and Disney Plus and others, checked against today's data.

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.

🍅 88% Rotten Tomatoes6.8 IMDb ↗TMDB ↗dir. Richard Lestercerebralkineticepicmelancholyromantic
Stream it:HBO Max
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If Superman II hit the spot, these will too

Looking for the series itself? Also in this series: Superman (1978)

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever poster
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
2022 · dir. Ryan Coogler
🍅 84%6.6action · adventure · science fiction

The same preoccupation in both: superhero

The difference: Made in the 2020s, in a different era of the craft

Queen Ramonda, Shuri, M’Baku, Okoye and the Dora Milaje fight to protect their nation from intervening world powers in the wake of King T’Challa’s death. As the Wakandans strive to embrace their next chapter, the heroes must band together with the help of War Dog Nakia and Everett Ross and forge a new path for the kingdom of Wakanda.

Superman Returns poster
Superman Returns
2006 · dir. Bryan Singer
🍅 72%6.1science fiction · action · adventure

One thread runs through both: saving the world

The difference: Not nearly as melancholy as Superman II

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.

The Amazing Spider-Man poster
The Amazing Spider-Man
2012 · dir. Marc Webb
🍅 71%6.9action · adventure · science fiction

The same city underneath both: New York City

A teenage Peter Parker grapples with both high school and amazing super-human crises as his alter-ego Spider-Man.

Spider-Man: No Way Home poster
Spider-Man: No Way Home
2021 · dir. Jon Watts
🍅 93%8.1action · adventure · science fiction

Both are built on the same subject: superhero

Peter Parker is unmasked and no longer able to separate his normal life from the high-stakes of being a super-hero. When he asks for help from Doctor Strange the stakes become even more dangerous, forcing him to discover what it truly means to be Spider-Man.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse poster
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
2023 · dir. Justin K. Thompson
🍅 95%8.5animation · action · adventure

Both keep coming back to the same thing: sacrifice

The difference: Sits closer to animation than Superman II does

After reuniting with Gwen Stacy, Brooklyn’s full-time, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is catapulted across the Multiverse, where he encounters the Spider Society, a team of Spider-People charged with protecting the Multiverse's very existence. But when the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles finds himself pitted against the other Spiders and must set out on his own to save those he loves most.

Spider-Man poster
Spider-Man
2002 · dir. Sam Raimi
🍅 90%7.4action · science fiction

The same mix in both: ideas, then momentum

After being bitten by a genetically altered spider at Oscorp, nerdy but endearing high school student Peter Parker is endowed with amazing powers to become the superhero known as Spider-Man.

Jumper poster
Jumper
2008 · dir. Doug Liman
🍅 15%6.1action · adventure · science fiction

Both land scale and melancholy at once

The difference: Reviewed a good deal more coolly

David Rice is a man who knows no boundaries, a Jumper, born with the uncanny ability to teleport instantly to anywhere on Earth. When he discovers others like himself, David is thrust into a dangerous and bloodthirsty war while being hunted by a sinister and determined group of zealots who have sworn to destroy all Jumpers. Now, David’s extraordinary gift may be his only hope for survival!

Armageddon poster
Armageddon
1998 · dir. Michael Bay
🍅 42%6.7action · science fiction · adventure

Common ground: saving the world

When an asteroid threatens to collide with Earth, NASA honcho Dan Truman determines the only way to stop it is to drill into its surface and detonate a nuclear bomb. This leads him to renowned driller Harry Stamper, who agrees to helm the dangerous space mission provided he can bring along his own hotshot crew. Among them is the cocksure A.J. who Harry thinks isn't good enough for his daughter, until the mission proves otherwise.

Spider-Man 2 poster
Spider-Man 2
2004 · dir. Sam Raimi
🍅 93%7.5action · adventure · science fiction

Romantic science fiction, and it commits to that

Peter Parker is going through a major identity crisis. Burned out from being Spider-Man, he decides to shelve his superhero alter ego, which leaves the city suffering in the wake of carnage left by the evil Doc Ock. In the meantime, Parker still can't act on his feelings for Mary Jane Watson, a girl he's loved since childhood. A certain anger begins to brew in his best friend Harry Osborn as well...

Spider-Man 3 poster
Spider-Man 3
2007 · dir. Sam Raimi
🍅 62%6.3action · adventure · science fiction

Both lean on ideas more than on action

The seemingly invincible Spider-Man goes up against an all-new crop of villains—including the shape-shifting Sandman. While Spider-Man’s superpowers are altered by an alien organism, his alter ego, Peter Parker, deals with nemesis Eddie Brock and also gets caught up in a love triangle.

Krrish poster
Krrish
2006 · dir. Rakesh Roshan
🍅 88%6.5action · science fiction

Adventure with a pulse of momentum, in both cases

In Singapore, Krishna is forced by circumstances to use his superpowers and become a masked superhero named Krrish, before getting drawn towards his lost legacy.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day poster
Spider-Man: Brand New Day
2026 · dir. Destin Daniel Cretton
🍅 89%8.1science fiction · action · adventure

Epic science fiction in both cases

Fighting crime full-time as Spider-Man in a world that doesn't remember him—and the pressure of seeing his old friends move on without him—sparks a change in Peter Parker he may not have the power to control. But that transformation might also be the only thing that can stop a shocking new threat to the city and those he loves - a powerful villain no one can even see.

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The best-reviewed films that share Superman II’s defining feeling.