For being DC’s flagship superhero, Superman has a spotty track record when it comes to the decisions he makes in his movies. From his ten years of appearances in the DCEU to the many animated Superman films, the Man of Steel has one of the lengthiest cinematic histories of any major character, owing to his incredible popularity. Unfortunately, many of his movie appearances fail to do Superman justice when it comes to his decision-making skills.

There are a few reasons why Superman consistently makes such terrible decisions in his movies. It’s hard for some writers to work with Superman, manufacturing problems for such a powerful character by relying on his own mistakes or simply misunderstanding his characterization entirely. Other times, there are explanations behind his certain unsavory actions that the crux of the narrative hinges on. Hopefully, the upcoming Superman by James Gunn will present a cinematic version of the hero who doesn’t make quite so many bad choices.

10

Not Saving His Dad

Man of Steel (2013)

For all his self-declared love of DC comics, Zack Snyder seems to fundamentally not understand the franchise’s most important characters, especially Superman. In Man of Steel, Pa Kent actually suggests that a young Superman should’ve let a bus full of children die in order to protect his secret, a horrifying moral calculus the comic version of Superman would never agree with. Even worse, Jonathan Kent himself later convinces Clark to accept this idea when his own life is on the line.

About to be consumed by a dangerous prairie tornado, Jonathan Kent wordlessly stops Clark from using his powers to save him, dying to the inclement weather. Not only is sacrificing the life of another, particularly his father, something Superman would never do, but the very premise of the choice is absurd. With his super speed, Clark could’ve easily saved his dad without any witnesses being the wiser, especially in the confusion of the storm.

9

Killing General Zod

Man of Steel (2013)

Unlike the DCEU’s murderous Batman, Superman did still have some compunctions against unnecessary killing in the series. Still, this moral code is put to the test when Zod wagers his own life against innocent people’s, nearly frying some innocent bystanders to death while Superman has him in a headlock. Superman ends up snapping his foe’s neck to save the humans, not only devastating him internally, but later giving rise to Doomsday with the use of Zod’s corpse.

It’s hard not to think that Superman had more options in this scenario than jumping straight to killing Zod. If he had the strength to snap Zod’s neck, surely he would also have had the strength to simply turn his head in the opposite direction. Failing that, Superman could’ve covered Zod’s eyes with his hand or even simply shouted at the bystanders to run away while holding Zod in place. This poor decision-making had disastrous consequences for Superman’s DCEU journey.

8

Destroying A Semi-Truck Out Of Pettiness

Man of Steel (2013)

For being the most recent Superman solo film at the time of writing, Man of Steel is positively full of out-of-character moments that make Superman seem less than smart. One of the most inane of these is the petty vandalism he causes while working blue-collar jobs. Finding himself in a seedy dive bar, Clark Kent gets into something of a scuffle, taking abuse from a rowdy patron who bullies him for no particular reason.

To get some revenge, Superman ends up destroying the man’s logger truck in a spectacular way, impaling the vehicle with its own cargo. Not only is this level of pettiness something that feels very off for Superman’s traditionally-understood character, but it presents a danger to Clark being able to maintain his secret, something he sacrificed his father to do. Once Superman reveals himself, the beguiled bar patron could’ve easily connected the dots and uncovered Superman’s secret identity, putting Clark’s life into jeopardy.

7

Murdering Joker And Becoming A Dictator

Injustice (2021)

Animated films typically have an easier time rendering Superman in a comic-accurate way, but that doesn’t always mean he maintains a completely level head. Adapting the infamous DC hypothetical story investigated in the comic series of the same name, Injustice explores a Superman that is pushed to the brink and snaps. When the Joker tricks Superman into murdering Lois Lane, their unborn child, and kills millions of people in Metropolis, Superman loses his moral code, killing the Joker.

Superman then goes on to install himself as a ruthless dictator on Earth, becoming the head of a tyrannical government with the aim of stopping villainy once and for all. Of all of Superman’s worst actions, it’s easy to understand how he could stoop to such lows after the horrific crimes committed against him by the Joker. However, they ultimately don’t excuse Superman’s existence as an all-powerful dictator with absolute control over who lives and who dies.

6

Becoming A Deadbeat Dad

Superman Returns (2006)

A soft reboot of the original Christopher Reeve Superman series, Superman Returns have audiences an insight into what Superman had been up to in the years between. Unfortunately, his absence on Earth doesn’t paint him in the best light. It turns out that Superman had left the planet for five years, vanishing in order to find the cosmic site of Krypton’s destruction. Not only that, it turns out that he had abandoned Lois Lane after getting her pregnant.

It goes without saying that Lois didn’t take kindly to her former lover’s sudden disappearance, making a career out of a hit piece against the famous hero. To be fair, it’s kept ambiguous until the last minute whether Lois’ son Jason is actually the blood of Superman, meaning that it’s possible Clark wasn’t aware of his son when he left. With super-hearing and X-ray vision, however, there’s little doubt that Superman wouldn’t have known about Lois’ pregnancy before leaving.

5

Pushing The Moon Out Of Orbit

Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987)

Widely considered to be one of the weakest Superman movies ever made, Superman IV: The Quest for Peace has Superman flexing his powers without considering the consequences. Made from Superman’s genetic material, the film’s villain, Nuclear Man, is similarly powered by the sun. In order to thwart him, Superman resorts to drastic measures — Moving the moon out of its orbit in order to create a premature solar eclipse, draining Nuclear Man of his powers.

As the closest celestial body to Earth, the moon is delicately linked to many of our planet’s natural phenomena. By moving the moon out of its orbit, Superman’s actions should’ve realistically wreaked havoc on the planet, from freak tidal waves caused by the sudden shift in gravitational pull to dramatic weather phenomena. It’s safe to say that the writers of Superman IV: The Quest for Peace didn’t fully think this action through, and neither did Superman.

4

Causing An Oil Spill

Superman III (1983)

Superman III saw some of Superman’s most blatantly terrible and downright villainous actions yet, explained away by the presence of an artificially-created, flawed Kryptonite. Rather than simply weakening him, this version of the dangerous radioactive material simply lowered Superman’s inhibitions and clouded his moral compass, affecting his decision-making skills. One of the most blatantly out-of-character decisions Superman makes while affected by this material is the destruction of an oil carrier.

Seduced by the villainous Lorelei Ambrosia, a cunning woman in cahoots with the film’s villain, Superman is convinced to intercept an oil carrier. Shockingly, he does so, peeling apart the craft’s chassis to send gallons of crude oil spilling into the ocean. Of course, this action can be explained away by the influence of the imperfect Kryptonite, but it’s still a shocking sight to see considering the normal status quo of Christopher Reeve’s Superman.

3

Creeping On Lana Lang

Superman III (1983)

Destroying an oil carrier isn’t the only responsible action Superman takes while under the influence of the flawed Kryptonite of Superman III. Some of his transgressions wind up being a far more personal brand of villainy compared to the over-the-top actions influenced by Lorelei. A fun meet-and-greet between Superman and the son of his old flame, Lana Lang, quickly goes sour when Superman’s tone dramatically shifts.

Cornering Lana Lang in her own home, Superman makes some alarming comments towards her, slyly stating “It’s unusual, finding a good-looking girl like you alone like this.” As Lana Lang becomes visibly terrified, Superman moves closer next to her, silent and unblinking with a skin-crawling stare. Luckily, the scene ends before things can get any worse, but it’s a chilling reminder of how devastating Superman’s power without the morals of Clark Kent would be.

2

Fighting In Populated Areas

Man of Steel (2013)

In the DCEU, it’s made clear in no uncertain terms that the wake of destruction that follows in the wake of Superman’s battles is no joke. While Henry Cavill’s Superman did have some great moments in the DCEU, his fight scenes in his first appearance weren’t his best work. Two times, Superman fights his fellow Kryptonians in densely-populated areas, once against Faora in Smallville, and once against Zod in Metropolis.

In both cases, both Superman and his opponent end up causing untold amounts of property damage, costing plenty of human lives. In Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, the destruction is shown first-hand from Bruce Wayne’s boots-on-the-ground perspective. It’s appalling that Superman didn’t think to divert the battle to a less-populated area, especially during his fight in Smallville, right next door to the empty prairies of Kansas.

1

Fighting The Justice League

Justice League (2017)

Of all of Superman’s poor decisions across his movies, his battle with the Justice League in the 2017 film of the same name is one of the hardest to justify. After being resurrected, Clark immediately goes on a rampage against his saviors, almost single-handedly dismantling them. Fortunately, Lois Lane is able to provide enough of a distraction to spare the League from the worst of Superman’s wrath.

It could be argued that Superman isn’t in his right mind during this scene, lashing out against the Justice League out of fear and unfamiliarity. However, his line against Batman asking him if he bleeds seems to prove that he remembers him, and is actually fully cognizant when starting the fight. In reality, it’s clear that this scene only exists so that the film has a fun hero on hero battle featuring Superman to emulate the success of the three-way-fight between Thor, Captain American and Iron Man in The Avengers.