Every superhero movie from 2022, ranked

The Jared Leto-starring film, which sees the actor's Dr. Michael Morbius transform into a vampire hybrid, isn't the worst superhero movie I've ever watched, but it certainly feels like a waste of time. Its trailers largely promised a movie featuring Michael Keaton's Spidey villain and other nods to Spider-Man, but then delivered a film largely devoid of references to either.

The sole connection to Sony's live-action Spider-Verse came in the form of two lame and baffling end-credits scenes which showcased Keaton's sole appearances in the film.

Sony and the movie's director seemed aware they had a flop on their hands. Bizarrely, they started spoiling the film on Twitter before its release, perhaps in a last-ditch effort to get fans out to theaters. It didn't work.

At least "Morbius" gave us this outrageous gem of Matt Smith dancing provocatively to the words "have sex." It is the only scene from this movie that you should ever watch.

Does the film make Jane look cool? Sure. Is Thor a riot? Yeah. But just about every other character seems to suffer at their expense. Either they're sidelined or are utilized for cheap laughs.

A brief mention of Thor's friends, The Warriors Three, feels disrespectful and dismissive of their legacy. The Guardians of the Galaxy feel like shells of themselves, merely around for punchlines at the film's start.

Jaimie Alexander's Sif is oddly sidelined in an overblown cameo after losing her arm off-screen. Jane Foster's (Natalie Portman) original BFF, Darcy (Kat Dennings), strangely doesn't receive more screen time with her, especially after Jane becomes embued with superpowers.

The insertion of two screaming goats throughout the film, inspired by an outdated Taylor Swift meme, is also meant to elicit laughter, but the bit gets stale quickly.

The film's best asset, Christian Bale, gets kneecapped as a villain who barely gets to unleash vengeance on any god despite his moniker of "Gorr the God Butcher."

You can read our review here.

We waited more than a decade for Dwyane "The Rock" Johnson's antihero film to change the hierarchy of the DC universe and it failed to live up to the hype.

Warner Bros. continues to craft excellent breakout characters in its DC films, but it often comes at the price of a middling superhero standalone. That's what happened here.

Largely humorless, The Rock, along with a captivating Pierce Brosnan and Aldis Hodge, is trapped in a mediocre flick that's derivative of other superhero films. A bonkers third act is frustratingly predictable with an over-the-top villain in the form of the devil.

The movie's attempt to offer interesting commentary on the US interfering in foreign affairs via the Justice Society of America gets overshadowed by the many CG action sequences to say anything of substance on the matter.

The most exciting part of "Black Adam" — which leaked online in advance — was the return of Henry Cavill as Superman in a mid-credits sequence.

You can read our review here.

For a film about the multiverse, the "Doctor Strange" sequel let us down by teasing 70 different worlds while only showcasing a handful of them on-screen.

The Benedict Cumberbatch-led movie struggled between identifying as a horror, an origin story for America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez), and a story of growth for the titular Strange.

Elizabeth Olsen gave a fantastic performance as the Scarlet Witch, but it was a drastic turn to make the character a full-blown villain here after beautifully navigating grief in "WandaVision."

Still, the sequel managed to give us Marvel's most-discussed and exciting moment all year by bringing back Patrick Stewart's beloved X-Men character, even if it was for a cheap cameo.

You can read our review here.

Johnson's other superhero movie release of 2022 followed the adventures of Superman's beloved pup, Krypto (voiced by Johnson), as he reluctantly teamed up with other superpowered animals to save the Justice League.

Johnson's real-life friendship with Kevin Hart shines on-screen here as the two playfully banter as Krypto and Batman's future canine bestie, Ace. It's tough to not get a little misty-eyed while watching Ace's heartbreaking backstory on how his family sent him to a shelter after a misunderstanding.

This movie flew under the radar a bit, only grossing $203.8 million worldwide, but it teaches kids about the importance of teamwork and having a support system instead of going it alone.

Keanu Reeves voicing the Dark Knight also makes for a fun cameo.

If you missed this one in theaters, you can currently stream it on HBO Max.

Director Ryan Coogler returned with a gripping exploration of grief, loss, and motherhood dedicated to Chadwick Boseman, making it the fall's must-see event.

While offering an Oscar-worthy performance from Angela Bassett, the nearly-three hour film wasted too much time setting up the MCU's future instead of fleshing out the antihero's fellow water dwellers.

Still, it's one of the rare Marvel sequels that vastly improves with repeat viewings because of its breathtaking visuals, a few truly shocking moments, and another Grammy-worthy soundtrack from Ludwig Göransson.

You can read our review here.

Director Matt Reeves delivered a gorgeous detective thriller reminiscent of "Se7en" and "Zodiac" that finally made "the world's greatest detective" deserving of the title instead of merely appearing on-screen as a playboy billionaire.

A love letter to fans who have read the comics, watched the animated series, and played the video games, Pattinson gave us a younger and more relatable Bruce Wayne with some serious family drama.

Pattinson's nuanced performance is felt not only in the low growl of his voice, but in the subtle expressiveness of his eyes. Michael Giacchino's beautifully haunting score makes the film come alive, perfectly capturing the internalized pain and trauma built up inside of the young Bat.

Best of all, the film smartly leans into Batman's vast rogue's gallery to insert multiple villains and antagonists — Selina Kyle, the Penguin, Falcone, and Riddler — for Batman to play off instead of pretending like the Bat's other villains don't coexist in Gotham City.

Not only is "The Batman" the best superhero movie of 2022, but it's also one of our best films of the year.

You can read our review here.