Tier List

DC Movies Ranked: The Complete Tier List (2026)

The modern DC movie era: the DCEU, the Dark Knight trilogy, Joker, The Batman, and James Gunn's new DCU, ranked from S-tier to D-tier. Then build your own DC tier list with head-to-head comparisons.

The Complete DC Movie Tier List

No franchise is harder to rank than DC. It isn't one universe: it's several, layered on top of each other. The Christopher Nolan Dark Knight trilogy. The decade-long DCEU experiment. Standalone "Elseworlds" films like Joker and The Batman. And now James Gunn's rebooted DCU, launched with Superman in 2025. That messy history is exactly why a tier list works so well here: the gap between DC's best and worst is the widest of any major franchise. Here's our take, split into classic S/A/B/C/D tiers. Disagree? Good, settle it yourself in minutes with Shortlist.

The Dark Knight

(2008)

Heath Ledger's Joker, a perfect crime saga. The best comic book movie ever made.

The Batman

(2022)

Matt Reeves' rain-soaked noir. Pattinson's Batman as a detective, finally.

Joker

(2019)

Joaquin Phoenix won an Oscar. A character study that didn't need a cape.

Batman Begins

(2005)

The origin story that proved superheroes could be taken seriously.

Wonder Woman

(2017)

The No Man's Land scene alone. The DCEU's genuine high point.

The Suicide Squad

(2021)

James Gunn's gory, hilarious do-over. Everything the 2016 film wasn't.

Superman

(2025)

Gunn's DCU launch. A hopeful, earnest Superman after years of grimdark.

The Dark Knight Rises

(2012)

An ambitious, uneven finale. Bane's voice and all.

Man of Steel

(2013)

Snyder's divisive reboot. Gorgeous, heavy, and a controversial ending.

Shazam!

(2019)

A genuinely fun, lighthearted change of pace for the DCEU.

Aquaman

(2018)

Maximalist underwater spectacle. James Wan went all in.

Zack Snyder's Justice League

(2021)

The four-hour cut. Bloated, but a real improvement on the 2017 version.

Birds of Prey

(2020)

Margot Robbie carries a chaotic, stylish Harley Quinn vehicle.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

(2016)

Overstuffed and grim. The "Martha" scene still haunts us.

Black Adam

(2022)

The Rock's passion project. Big budget, small impact.

Blue Beetle

(2023)

A warm family story stuck in a dying cinematic universe.

Wonder Woman 1984

(2020)

A baffling sequel that squandered all the goodwill of the first.

Suicide Squad

(2016)

Reshot into incoherence. A trailer's worth of good ideas.

Justice League

(2017)

The theatrical cut. Tonally confused and infamously patched together.

Shazam! Fury of the Gods

(2023)

A flat sequel released as the DCEU was already shutting down.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

(2023)

The final DCEU film limped to the finish line.

The Flash

(2023)

Off-screen controversy and dated VFX sank a multiverse swing.

Joker: Folie à Deux

(2024)

A jukebox-musical sequel almost nobody asked for.

Build your own DC tier list

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How to Build Your Own DC Movies Tier List

With more than 20 films spread across multiple universes, ranking DC in your head is hopeless. Star ratings don't help either: you end up with five movies tied at four stars. The fastest way to build a real DC tier list is with head-to-head comparisons:

Open Shortlist and search for the DC films you've seen.
Add them to a ranking: create a custom "DC" list so it only contains DC movies.
Compare head-to-head: the app shows you two DC films at a time. Pick the one you prefer. That's it.
Watch your tier list form: after 20-30 comparisons, your complete DC ranking builds itself.
Share it: every ranking gets a shareable link. Post it, argue about it, send it to the group chat.

Read more about the comparison-based approach in our movie tier list guide.

DCEU vs. DCU: What's the Difference?

The DCEU (DC Extended Universe) ran from Man of Steel in 2013 to Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom in 2023, a shared continuity that included Henry Cavill's Superman, Ben Affleck's Batman, and Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman. It was never as tightly planned as Marvel's MCU, and a string of underperformers led Warner Bros. to reboot.

The DCU (DC Universe) is the fresh start, overseen by James Gunn and Peter Safran. It officially began with the animated series Creature Commandos and the 2025 film Superman. Films like Joker and The Batman sit outside both timelines as standalone "Elseworlds" stories, which is why a single DC tier list has to cut across all of it.

The Best DC Eras, Ranked

The Dark Knight Trilogy (2005-2012): Nolan's Batman is still the high-water mark for the entire genre.
The Elseworlds Films: Joker and The Batman prove DC is at its best telling self-contained stories.
Early DCEU (2013-2018): Wonder Woman and Aquaman were real bright spots.
The New DCU (2025-present): too early to call, but Superman was a confident, hopeful start.
Late DCEU (2020-2023): the rough years: WW1984, The Flash, and a string of flops.

DC Tier List FAQ

What is the best DC movie of all time?

Critics and fans almost universally put The Dark Knight (2008) at #1: it's frequently named the best comic book movie ever made. The Batman (2022) and Joker (2019) round out most modern top threes.

What is the worst DC movie?

The late-DCEU stretch takes the most heat: Wonder Woman 1984, the theatrical cut of Justice League, and the 2016 Suicide Squad are the entries fans most want to forget.

Do I include the Dark Knight trilogy in a DC ranking?

Yes. Even though Nolan's trilogy isn't part of the DCEU or DCU continuity, it's still DC, and leaving The Dark Knight off a DC tier list would be strange. If you want to rank Nolan's work specifically, see our Christopher Nolan movies ranked tier list.

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