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Superman Returns poster

Movies that feel likeSuperman Returns (2006)

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.

If you loved Superman Returns, the closest films we have are X2 (2003), The Fantastic 4: First Steps (2025) and The Flash (2023). All three share Superman Returns' cerebral and kinetic feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026).

🍅 72% Rotten Tomatoes★ 6.1 IMDb ↗TMDB ↗dir. Bryan Singercerebralkineticepic
11 of 12 streaming nowNetflix Standard with Ads · HBO Max · Disney Plus

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If Superman Returns hit the spot, these will too

X2 poster
X2
2003 · dir. Bryan Singer
🍅 85%★ 7.4adventure · action · science fictionDisney+

Bryan Singer directing both, with the same fingerprints on each

Professor Charles Xavier and his team of genetically gifted superheroes face a rising tide of anti-mutant sentiment led by Col. William Stryker. Storm, Wolverine and Jean Grey must join Magneto and Mystique to unhinge Stryker's scheme to exterminate all mutants.

The Fantastic 4: First Steps poster
The Fantastic 4: First Steps
2025 · dir. Matt Shakman
★ 6.8science fiction · adventure · actionDisney+

Both are working the same pair: saving the world, superhero

Against the vibrant backdrop of a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world, Marvel's First Family is forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, while defending Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer.

The Flash poster
The Flash
2023 · dir. Andy Muschietti
🍅 63%★ 6.6action · science fiction · adventureMax

One thread runs through both: superpowers

When his attempt to save his family inadvertently alters the future, Barry Allen becomes trapped in a reality in which General Zod has returned and there are no Super Heroes to turn to. In order to save the world that he is in and return to the future that he knows, Barry's only hope is to race for his life. But will making the ultimate sacrifice be enough to reset the universe?

Thunderbolts* poster
Thunderbolts*
2025 · dir. Jake Schreier
🍅 88%★ 7.1action · science fiction · adventureDisney+

Both keep coming back to the same thing: superhero

After finding themselves ensnared in a death trap, seven disillusioned castoffs must embark on a dangerous mission that will force them to confront the darkest corners of their pasts.

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

Common ground: superpowers

The difference: 20 years apart, and the 2020s show

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.

Superman poster
Superman
1978 · dir. Richard Donner
🍅 87%★ 7.4science fiction · action · adventureMax

The same preoccupation in both: saving the world

Mild-mannered Clark Kent works as a reporter at the Daily Planet alongside his crush, Lois Lane. Clark must summon his superhero alter-ego when the nefarious Lex Luthor launches a plan to take over the world.

Green Lantern poster
Green Lantern
2011 · dir. Martin Campbell
🍅 26%★ 5.5adventure · action · science fictionMax

Both are built on the same subject: alien

The difference: The scrappier of the two with critics

For centuries, a small but powerful force of warriors called the Green Lantern Corps has sworn to keep intergalactic order. Each Green Lantern wears a ring that grants him superpowers. But when a new enemy called Parallax threatens to destroy the balance of power in the Universe, their fate and the fate of Earth lie in the hands of the first human ever recruited.

Eternals poster
Eternals
2021 · dir. Chloé Zhao
🍅 48%★ 6.2science fiction · action · adventureDisney+

The same preoccupation in both: alien

The Eternals are a team of ancient aliens who have been living on Earth in secret for thousands of years. When an unexpected tragedy forces them out of the shadows, they are forced to reunite against mankind’s most ancient enemy, the Deviants.

Independence Day: Resurgence poster
Independence Day: Resurgence
2016 · dir. Roland Emmerich
🍅 29%★ 5.2action · adventure · science fiction

Both land ideas and momentum at once

We always knew they were coming back. Using recovered alien technology, the nations of Earth have collaborated on an immense defense program to protect the planet. But nothing can prepare us for the aliens’ advanced and unprecedented force. Only the ingenuity of a few brave men and women can bring our world back from the brink of extinction.

Venom: The Last Dance poster
Venom: The Last Dance
2024 · dir. Kelly Marcel
🍅 40%★ 6science fiction · action · adventureNetflixDisney+

Epic science fiction, and it commits to that

Eddie and Venom are on the run. Hunted by both of their worlds and with the net closing in, the duo are forced into a devastating decision that will bring the curtains down on Venom and Eddie's last dance.

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer poster
🍅 38%★ 5.6science fiction · adventure · actionDisney+

Cerebral action in both cases

The Fantastic Four return to the big screen as a new and all powerful enemy threatens the Earth. The seemingly unstoppable 'Silver Surfer', but all is not what it seems and there are old and new enemies that pose a greater threat than the intrepid superheroes realize.

Justice League poster
Justice League
2017 · dir. Zack Snyder
🍅 39%★ 6action · adventure · science fictionMax

Adventure built on momentum, twice over

Fuelled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman's selfless act, Bruce Wayne and Diana Prince assemble a team of metahumans consisting of Barry Allen, Arthur Curry and Victor Stone to face the catastrophic threat of Steppenwolf and the Parademons who are on the hunt for three Mother Boxes on Earth.

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