Top 5 Superman Animated Rankings
Hello there! Padawan J here, the ODPH’s resident Star Wars expert! I’m also a huge Superman fan! So for Superman Day 2026 I figured I would give you my Top 5 Superman animated series/movies! So without further ado, let’s jump into it!
Credit: DC/Warner Bros
Just a couple of things I want to set up before I get into the list. First, this is MY list not yours. If you have a different ranking than mine, GREAT! If you want to offer a response in a reasonable manner I’m all for it. However if you’re going to just say, “you’re wrong and that show/movie SUCKS” than keep it to yourself. Secondly this is my ranking RIGHT NOW and is subject to change as new series & movies come out!
So with that said, let’s get this list going!
#5 Superman/Batman: Public Enemies (2009)
Credit: DC/Warner Bros
Starting off at #5 I’m going with Superman/Batman: Public Enemies that came out in a home video release in 2009. It’s directed by Sam Liu, who has a long list of directing credits for other DC animated films, and is based on the story arc of the same name written by Jeph Loeb with art done by Ed McGuinness. The art style in the film is a little different from what you might be used to nowadays or what was coming out at the time, but that does not take away from the quality of this film.
The real standout part of this movie is the cast which is simply stellar. You’ve got Tim Daly as Superman, Kevin Conroy as Batman, Clancy Brown as Lex Luthor which is a great start. Oh by the way you’ve also got Corey Burton, Jennifer Hale, Rachael MacFarlane & Levar Burton as well!
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The plot is a relatively straightforward one, in that Lex Luthor is President of the United States and uses nefarious means to frame Superman for a crime he did not commit. Now it’s up to he at Batman to clear his name while there’s a bounty on his head and every hero & villain on their trail trying to hunt them down. And when I say every hero & villain, I mean EVERY hero and villain at that time. Seriously, the number of familiar faces that show up in this movie is insane and add to the fun of watching this film.
I first watched this movie on a car ride to watch a musical my sister was in while she was in college and the ride was 90 minutes away, so I had some time to kill. I bought this on iTunes and watched it on my iPod touch on the car ride down and was blown away by how much I enjoyed it. I wasn’t familiar with the source material at the time so I went in with no expectations and it really blew me away how much fun it was.
#4 Superman: Red Son (2020)
Credit: DC/Warner Bros
Next up at #4 is one that was highly anticipated by a lot of fans when it was announced and is probably one of the best “what if” storylines in comic history. This one is also directed by Sam Liu, and is based on the comic series by Mark Millar in 2003. This is also another film where the cast is out of this world fantastic with Jason Issacs, Vanessa Marshall, Paul Williams, Phil LaMarr, Jason Spisak, Roger Craig Smith & Tara Strong!
The story is incredible if you haven’t read the source material or seen this film, and it basically asks the question “What if Superman landed in the Soviet Union instead of Kansas as a baby?” Like I said it’s one of the most unique “what if” scenarios in comics history and the comic is spectacular. They did such a great job adapting this one to film, and it really is worth the watch if you haven’t seen it.
#3 Justice League (2001-2004)
Credit: DC/Warner Bros
Next up at #3 is the incredible animated series Justice League, and yeah…you might be thinking “this isn’t a Superman series” but in my opinion it is. Superman is a big focal point throughout the series and one of the main characters, and as such that qualifies it. The cast is the standard for who people hear when reading the comics with George Newburn, Kevin Conroy, Susan Eisenberg, Phil LaMarr, Carl Lumby, Michael Rosenbaum & Maria Canals-Barrera. Oh by the way you also had appearances from Clancy Brown, Mark Hamill, Corey Burton, Jennifer Hale, Kevin Michael Richardson, Ron Pearlman & Michael Dorn among many MANY others!
HOW ABOUT SOME BATMAN AND SUPERMAN TEAM-UPS?
I don’t really know if can put into words how huge this was for when it was coming out. If you grew up after this series came out than you’re used to the Justice League being around, or even the Avengers when it comes to Marvel’s side of things. However at this time in 2001, this just did not happen. Batman & Superman had appeared in a couple episodes of their own animated series but that was kind of it. The only thing even close to this you say was back when Super Friends was on tv, but they weren’t ever called the Justice League that I can remember.
When you look at the progression that DC took with their animated series back in the 90’s and 2000’s it made all the sense in the world to build up and eventually debut the Justice League. I recently rewatched this series and it still holds up incredibly well to this day.
#2 Superman vs The Elite (2012)
Credit: DC/Warner Bros
Coming in at #2 is a film that came to home video in 2012 and was directed by Michael Chang and is based on the comic book “What’s So Funny About Truth, Justice & The American Way?” from Action Comics #775 in 2001. The author of the comic. Joe Kelly also worked on the adaptation to the animated series. The cast of this one is just spectacular featuring George Newbern, Pauley Perrette, Dee Bradley Baker, Grey DeLisle, Jennifer Hale & David Kaufman.
The art style on this one is a little different, but it helps it stand out from the various DC Animated projects that were coming out around that time. The story features Superman coming across a group calling themselves The Elite in Metropolis, and quickly coming to a disagreement about how things are done when it comes to handling villains.
The story is simply spectacular and is sure to leave you on the edge of your seat right to the end. It also features what I consider to be one of the greatest fight sequences involving Superman in any form of animation or live action ever. If you’ve seen the film, you know what I’m talking about and if you don’t then go watch it and you’ll see what I mean. The only one I might put above it is Supermans fight vs Darkseid in Justice League Unlimited.
#1 Superman The Animated Series (1996-2000)
Credit: DC/Warner Bros
Okay, so you had to figure this was coming in at #1 right? Coming out after the success of Batman: The Animated Series you had Alan Burnett & Bruce Timm take on the quintessential DC superhero. This series was tonally different from what they had been doing with Batman, but they were still able to take some of their own skills and use them for this series.
This series was where I became such a huge fan of Superman. I was aware of the Christopher Reeve films, but I was born after they’d finished up and my parents didn’t own them on VHS. I was too young to watch the live action series taking place on TV, and while I watched reruns of Super Friends on Cartoon Network I was still more into Batman at that time than I was Superman. This series became must watch television for me from day one. The writing is stellar, the art style is the bench mark and the standard for Superman in an animated format in my opinion.
To me this series is as timeless as it gets and still holds up incredibly well to this day. If you’re going to introduce any young kids to Superman this is the series to start with. It gives you everything you need to know about who he is, and what makes him Superman. From there it fleshes out in such a natural way that does not overwhelm you with too much too quickly.
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So there you have it! My Top 5 Animated Superman movies/tv show rankings! What did you think of the list? Is there anything I missed and should’ve put on it? Let me know in the comments! Happy Superman Day!
