All 8 Superhero movies of 2022 ranked according to the box office

2022 hasn’t been a great year for superhero movies and other blockbuster outings, but it did try to add a lot of variety for the fans. Marvel and DC ruled the roster with multiple releases, with MCU adding three movies to Phase 4. Including the streaming releases, we received 10 superhero movies in total. Eight of them were released in theaters worldwide, with varying degrees of commercial success and failure.

Now that all the superhero movies of the year have had a substantial run at the box office, it’s time for them to be ranked from worst to best.

Superhero movies of 2022 ranked from worst to best

8) Morbius

Superhero movies of 2022: Morbius (Image via Sony)

The film was delayed for almost two years, and nothing was done to fix it. During an era when the superhero genre has become complex and unique, this film felt like it belonged to the early 2000s era of superhero movies. All the characters in it were pretty one-dimensional. CGI was a mess. The villain was obviously bad, but Matt Smith did try to have a lot of fun.

Most importantly, Morbius didn’t seem like an interesting character himself. The reshoots hurt the film the most, as that Spider-Man tease was taken out. The presence of Adrian Toomes in the Morbius universe doesn’t make any sense, as it creates a massive plot hole.

So, all these errors in the movie led to low box office returns, as Morbius just made $167 million worldwide, with $73 million coming from the domestic market.

7) DC League of Super-Pets

This animated DC movie featured an amazing voice cast that included Dwayne Johnson as Krypto, Kevin Hart as Ace the Bathound, John Krasinski as Superman, and Keanu Reeves as Batman, among others. Quality-wise, it was actually a better movie, as it ran a wholesome and entertaining narrative. But even its huge cast of actors wasn’t enough to deliver commercial success.

DC League of Super-Pets made $93 million domestically and $203 million worldwide.

6) Black Adam

Superhero movies of 2022: Black Adam (Image via DC)

Black Adam wasn’t the worst superhero movie. Despite promises to change the DC Universe's hierarchy, Black Adam was unable to deliver a successful outing. It had a few amazing, visually stunning shots, but that summed up the entire movie. The writing of the film made sure that it was going to be doomed.

But the real reason Black Adam failed to garner significant interest from the fans was because it lacked originality. The final product just felt like a mashup of past films with the Rock.

As a result, Black Adam made $389 million worldwide, with $167 million of that total coming from the domestic market.

5) Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Image via Paramount)

Even though Sonic 2 technically falls in the videogame category, its super-powered characters allow it to be counted among the superhero movies of 2022 as well. Just like its predecessor, it continued to uphold its quality and expanded the universe very well with new additions such as Tails and Knuckles.

Ultimately, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 ended up with a total of $402 million worldwide. $190 million of the total came on the domestic front.

4) Thor: Love and Thunder

Superhero movies of 2022: Thor: Love and Thunder (Image via Marvel)

There are multiple reasons why Thor: Love and Thunder underperformed. After Thor: Ragnarok revitalized the franchise, Love and Thunder was expected to deliver a billion-dollar outing. The 2-hour runtime was a huge mistake. But the biggest reason for its failure was the barrage of improvised jokes that kept hitting the viewers.

The improvisation worked for Ragnarok, but Love and Thunder needed a strong narrative as it handled a couple of stern characters like Gorr the God Butcher and the Mighty Thor. They didn’t fit the tone that Taika adopted for the film. For a God Butcher, Gorr killed just one God on-screen, and Jane’s exit from the franchise wasn’t memorable at all.

Even though Love and Thunder’s domestic total of $343 million was better than Ragnarok's, it still underperformed dramatically, with a worldwide total of just $760 million.

3) The Batman

Superhero films of 2022: The Batman (Image via DC)

Matt Reeves’ The Batman was arguably the best superhero movie of 2022. The modernized noir take on a slightly more realistic version of the Caped Crusader enticed quite a bit of fan interest. The Riddler proved to be a pretty good villain, and the action sequences in the film were exquisite too. Colin Farrell stole the show with his Penguin portrayal.

Then there were others, like Zoe Kravitz’ Catwoman and Andy Serkis’ Alfred, who supported Robert Pattinson’s Batman really well. Overall, it was a strong entry that delivered good enough numbers at the box office during troubling times.

It made $369 million domestically, and $770 million overseas.

2) Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

While some would say that The Batman was the best superhero movie of 2022, others would vote for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever instead. But in the battle of box office numbers, Wakanda Forever won. At the time of writing, the movie's box office earnings stand at $418 million domestically and $786 million globally.

1) Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Superhero movies of 2022: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (Image via Marvel)

Continuing the hype train of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness managed to earn almost a billion dollars at the box office. There were a few errors in the film that prevented its entry into the elite $1 billion club.

But ending up with a global overhaul of $955 million and a domestic total of $411 million was pretty impressive. It allows Doctor Strange 2 to be at the top of the list of superhero movies released in 2022.

A release in the Chinese market would have helped all these superhero movies. But studios will have to learn to be successful without China.

Edited by Somava