For a while, Zack Snyder was the most prominent creative mind for the DCEU, directing a total of three DC movies and sort of directing another, though the troubled production of that film makes it only sort of a Zack Snyder movie. He was also behind another superhero movie made before the DCEU was a thing, taking his total number of superhero films to five (300, though based on a comic book, probably doesn’t count, even if there are some fantastical and/or superhuman physical acts depicted in it).

Snyder’s moved on to other things, it seems (at least for now), and the film side of DC is getting rebooted to some extent, thanks to James Gunn stepping in as a creative lead of sorts. Snyder’s superhero work remains potentially divisive, but there are also serious supporters of his unique style and approach to putting larger-than-life heroes on screen. Some of his superhero flicks are better than others, but all are ranked below, ultimately to celebrate (for the most part) what he’s done within the ever-popular realm of the superhero genre.

5 'Justice League' (2017)

Starring: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams

To Zack Snyder’s credit, his “worst” superhero movie is the one he seemed to have the least to do with; one that’s basically not viewed as his film anymore, too. That movie is 2017’s Justice League, which is a real mess of a movie that, perhaps unsurprisingly, had a chaotic production. It smacked of a film that felt rushed and thrown together, and without having the buildup or time to breathe that it probably needed. Joss Whedon being brought on to finish the film after Snyder stepped away likely didn’t help, with his style being at odds with Snyder’s.

It's a team-up movie without much by way of catharsis or excitement. Bruce Wayne (played by a tired-looking Ben Affleck) putting together a team following the (temporary) death of Superman should be fun, or rewarding, but everything feels like it’s on fast-forward here. Snyder got to finish the film later, and it was re-released in a way more in line with what he originally envisioned. It was both much better and much longer, further supporting the idea that the original cut of Justice League was just too short and too all over the place.

4 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice' (2016)

Starring: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Jesse Eisenberg

Plagued by a trailer that gave away too much, and a plot that was more than a little overstuffed, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is big, messy, and sometimes baffling, but it’s also not without its moments. It should be noted that the director’s cut is generally considered a little better, and that the theatrical version still can’t be called a complete disaster; not on the level of 2017’s Justice League or anything. This still feels like Snyder’s vision, through and through, for better or worse.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice does what the title suggests it will: have two iconic superheroes face off against each other while also setting in motion the dawn of the Justice League as a team. There are too many plot threads, more antagonists than needed, and a strangely dour tone overall considering how goofy, on paper, some of the things here are… but there are good sequences here, and a sometimes compelling narrative that looks at the fallout from the events of Snyder’s previous superhero flick. Also, most of the action is pretty satisfying, especially the stuff focused on seeing Batman in combat.

3 'Man of Steel' (2013)

Starring: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon

Man of Steel doesn’t feel like one of the best Superman movies ever made, by any means, but it’s also far from the worst. It can be appreciated for the way it offers something of a new take on a familiar origin story. It’s not necessarily darker or more realistic, or at least not just those things. There’s a style here that seems like it wants to be a little grounded, but also a bit bombastic and grand at the same time, and it never gets the balance quite right… but the effect is interesting.

Henry Cavill is also good here in the lead role, with his presence and performance fitting the rest of the film pretty well. It’s otherwise expected stuff, showing how Kal-El came to Earth, became Clark Kent, and then eventually took on the title of Superman, with the central conflict revolving around the ever-reliable villain, General Zod. When Man of Steel works, it’s good stuff, but it isn't really smooth sailing all the way through. Still, there’s more good than bad here, and it’s easy to respect some of the risks it takes.

2 'Zack Snyder's Justice League' (2021)

Starring: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot

Four years on from Justice League came Zack Snyder's Justice League, which is exactly that: Snyder’s take on – and clearly preferred version of – Justice League. Rather than feeling like an alternate cut, it really does deserve to be considered an entirely different movie from the 2017 release that it almost shares a name with. The central plot here still revolves around the desperate attempts to unite a team after the death of Superman, but there is – pretty much literally – double the story here. After all, Justice League clocked in right on two hours, and Zack Snyder’s Justice League runs for an impressively lengthy four hours and two minutes.

It's both a superhero movie and an epic, all unwieldy and over-the-top, but in a way that works better than Snyder’s previous DC movies. It feels like this was the one he was building towards and probably always wanted to make, and it’s great that it did eventually see the light of day. Less fortunate are all those scenes in the final half-hour that seem to be setting up new movies that will never happen, and there are some other earlier moments that’ll probably never get paid off, but when Zack Snyder’s Justice League feels most like a bittersweet – and grand – finale to the “Snyderverse” (if you want to call it that), it really soars.

1 'Watchmen' (2009)

Starring: Malin Åkerman, Patrick Wilson, Billy Crudup

So, technically, Watchmen is a DC movie, but it’s pretty far removed from the sorts Zack Snyder made starting in the 2010s, both in content and because it doesn’t feature the likes of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, etc. Watchmen is more subversive and bleak than your average superhero movie, with the original comic limited series feeling particularly like a deconstruction of traditional comic book stories and conventions, with the movie also having that feel. Some critique the Watchmen movie for not being as thoughtful or thematically engaging as the original comic, but it still captures much of what the original story was going for.

2009’s Watchmen remains dark, and it is impressive how it visually captures the look and feel of its source material. Some narrative changes are made, and certain things are removed, but the central narrative – and all the key characters – are captured well here. It’s a movie that might have more style than substance (again, with a little of the comic’s nuance taken out), but it’s not lacking in substance either. It’s a great-looking and sounding movie, and will probably age better than the other comic book films Zack Snyder has directed. Time has already been quite kind to it, especially considering how bold it feels compared to all the superhero movies that became popular post-2009, and it might well be Snyder’s best film overall, even when stacked up against his stuff that isn't at all superhero-related.

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