The superhero movies of theMCU, theDCU, and beyond often spawn sequels that cannot live up to the original. The success of the superhero genre – as evidenced by the box office and critical performance of themovies of the MCU, for instance – has been built on connectivity. Telling standalone stories that link to form a larger shared universe brings with it the potential for high-profile crossovers and team-ups, leading to major cinematic events that capture the imaginations of global audiences.
Despite sequels being a key part of this framework, they aren’t always as successful as the studios in question might have hoped. In many cases – such as with some of themovies of the DCEU, for example – the sequels struggle to live up to the success of the original, earning them unfavorable comparisons. Going from a superhero classic to taking a noteworthy drop in quality is always disappointing, and does nothing to help a franchise overall. With that in mind, here are 10 superhero movie sequels that couldn’t live up to the original.
10Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (2011)
Sequel to: Ghost Rider (2007)
2007’sGhost Riderintroduced Johnny Blaze to live-action, with the ambitious adaptation of the eponymous Marvel character bringing in the talent of Nicolas Cage to achieve the task. The result was broadly considered mediocre, with aspects of the movie praised while others were labeled less impressive. Despite this,Ghost Riderwas able to earn a place among the pre-MCU Marvel movies that helped buoy the superhero genre’s earlier days.
Ghost Rider’s 2011 sequel,Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, was unable to live up even to the relatively low bar set by its predecessor. Where the original was somewhat average,Spirit of Vengeancewas laughably poor, with its story proving entirely forgettableand the performances of its cast seeming disjointed and disinterested. Sadly, the 2011 sequel was entirely too poor to build upon the moderate success of the first film, taking a noticeable dip in quality.
9Aquaman & The Lost Kingdom (2023)
Sequel to: Aquaman (2018)
Coming at the very end of theDCEU’s movie timeline,Aquaman and the Lost Kingdomfaced a difficult task. Its predecessor, 2018’sAquaman, was one of the franchise’s more successful movies, establishing the hero in a standalone story after his introduction in 2017’sJustice League. The James Wan movie was largely successful, with Jason Momoa’s turn as Aquaman and the movie’s colorful creativity earning it a reasonable amount of general popularity.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdomwas not able to recapture the success of the original movie, however. The follow-up being officially announced as the final movie in the DCEU did nothing to help, but the movie earned negative reviews across the board. This led to it being considered nowhere near as good as the 2018 original, asit failed to recapture much of the first movie’s charm.
8Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007)
Sequel to: Fantastic Four (2005)
2005’sFantastic Fouris hardly considered a classic of the superhero genre, but in terms of pre-MCU Marvel movies, it’s afforded a level of respect. The film’s special effects largely hold up, and it passes as a reasonable adaptation of its titular characters. However, its 2007 sequel,Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, proved unable to live up to the original, in spite of the relatively low expectations of the second movie.
Rise of the Silver Surferleaned harder into CGI to bring its story to life, which hurt the film in a visual sense. The adaptations of characters such as Galactus were heavily criticized for their lack of comic accuracy or creativity, andthe movie was critically panned and shunned by audiences.Despite the original not being a masterpiece itself, the sequel was still unable to keep pace with its predecessor in terms of quality.
7The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)
Sequel to: The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
Sitting centrally inSpider-Man’s movie timelineisThe Amazing Spider-Manfranchise, consisting of a short-lived two-film arc starring Andrew Garfield as the titular hero. The first film, released in 2012, told a slightly revised origin story for the iconic character, and saw him battle against the Lizard. The follow-up, 2014’sThe Amazing Spider-Man 2, promised to up the stakes in every way, with more villains, more drama, and more action.
The result proved somewhat underwhelming. Despite the franchise having significant potential, the execution ofThe Amazing Spider-Man 2was lacking in certain areas, with its writing in particular standing out as inferior to that of the original movie.The lukewarm reception toThe Amazing Spider-Man 2ultimately led to the franchise being scrapped and Spider-Man’s introduction into the MCU, further evidencing how the sequel couldn’t live up to the original.
6Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice (2016)
Sequel to: Man of Steel (2013)
Manyactors have played Batman in live-action, and the DCEU’s own iteration of the hero, played by Ben Affleck, was first introduced in 2016’sBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. The movie served as the sequel to 2013’sMan of Steel, which introduced Henry Cavill’s Superman, following on from its story and pitting the two heroes against one another. ThoughMan of Steelwas largely met with a positive response,Batman v Supermanwas not.
The sequel’s writing, lack of originality, and its handling of the source material were all cited as reasons for its negative reception.Batman v Supermanhas since been dissected by fans and critics alike, and though it has been reappraised in a slightly more favorable light, it’s still considered a notable step down from its predecessor.WhereMan of Steellooked at an iconic story from an interesting new perspective,Batman v Supermansimply didn’t, meaning that it was not able to live up to the original.
5The Marvels (2023)
Sequel to: Captain Marvel (2019)
2023 saw the release ofThe Marvels, which picked up various loose plot threads from across the MCU. Thecast ofThe Marvelssaw the return of Captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel, and Monica Rambeau, each of whom had previously starred in a well-considered entry into the MCU.The Marvels’ story was most closely a follow-up to 2019’sCaptain Marvel, which was one of the most successful movies of the MCU’s Phase 3.
Considering the success ofCaptain Marvel, expectations forThe Marvelswere relatively high. Unfortunately, the sequel did not live up to them, flopping at the box office and failing to impress critics or audiences alike.The narrative strength of the original movie did not translate well to the sequel, andThe Marvelshas sadly gone down in superhero movie history as another sequel that couldn’t live up to the original.
4Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)
Sequel to: Wonder Woman (2017)
Upon the release ofWonder Womanin 2017, it was swiftly hailed as the best movie in the DCEU. Even after subsequent releases in the franchise, it lays a reasonable claim to the accolade, as few other DCEU movies earned the same level of critical success. However, it was not Wonder Woman’s only solo movie in the franchise, as 2020 saw the release of a sequel,Wonder Woman 1984.
For all ofWonder Woman’s success,Wonder Woman 1984was seemingly in a great position to be an entertaining sequel. Sadly, the subtext and themes explored in the original were nowhere to be seen in the sequel, andWonder Woman 1984felt a hollow imitation of its predecessor’s success.Struggling at the box office and failing to impress critics,Wonder Woman 1984was simply not able to recapture the original movie’s overwhelming popularity.
3Kick-Ass 2 (2013)
Sequel to: Kick-Ass (2010)
2010 saw the release ofKick-Ass, a grounded, self-aware superhero movie that examined the genre from a darkly comedic viewpoint. ThoughKick-Asswas contentious, especially with critics who abhorred its brutal violence involving child characters, it was largely successful from both a box office perspective and in terms of overall audience reactions. However, its 2013 sequel,Kick-Ass 2, did not fare anywhere near so well upon its own release.
Earning only mixed reviews,Kick-Ass 2was nowhere as successful as its predecessor. Its box office gross was far less impressive, and criticisms were leveled at the movie’s violence even from its own stars.ThoughKick-Asscontinues to boast a significant cult following,Kick-Ass 2is considered a much weaker effort, as it lacks much of the charm and nuance that made the original film so enjoyable to audiences.
2Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023)
Sequel to: Shazam! (2019)
The movies of the DCEU were notoriously inconsistent when it came to quality, and the franchise’s twoShazam!movies are no exception. The first movie, 2019’sShazam!, helped to revitalize the franchise after the disappointing reception toJustice League’s theatrical release. With a more comedic tone,Shazam!was able to earn a reputation as one of the DCEU’s most enjoyable movies upon release, with critics and audiences appreciating its humor and less gritty approach to its story.
The 2023 sequel,Shazam! Fury of the Gods, did not fare so well. As well as receiving mixed reviews and being widely considered inferior to the original, the sequel was a box office disappointment.Many critics felt that it simply didn’t compare well to its predecessor, which offered a far more engaging adventure for the hero. In almost every regard,Shazam! Fury of the Godsjust couldn’t live up to the first movie’s success.
1Iron Man 2 (2010)
Sequel to: Iron Man (2008)
Coming as early as it did in theMCU’s movie timeline,Iron Man 2served as the franchise’s first ever sequel. Following up on 2008’sIron Man, the sequel explored the wider implications of Stark’s heroism, as well as introducing several other figures into the franchise. Unfortunately, it was also widely considered nowhere near as good as the original movie.
Iron Man 2’s reputation was, for a long time, that of one of the worst MCU movies. Though it has since come to be more favorably considered, it still does not compare well to the first movie, which is a still almost universally beloved introduction to the eponymous Marvel hero.Iron Man 2is lacking some of the original’s directness and novelty, making it another superhero movie from theMCU, theDCU, and beyond that struggled to live up to the popularity of its predecessor.
DC Universe
The DC Universe is one of the biggest comic book franchises and often competes with Marvel. DC Comics started as National Allied Publications, founded by Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson in 1935. Since then, the franchise has exploded with thousands of comic books, movies, TV shows, and video games. 2013 marked the beginning of the most recent iteration of the superheroes, with Zack Snyder introducing Henry Cavill as Superman. After several movies with mixed reviews, DC underwent a soft reboot under the helm of James Gunn and Peter Safran.
Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a multimedia superhero franchise that began in 2008 with Paramount’s Iron Man starring Robert Downey Jr. The franchise quickly grew in popularity, with Disney eventually buying out Marvel Entertainment in 2009. The MCU consists of dozens of movies and TV shows, most notably Avengers: Endgame, WandaVision, and Loki.
