All 2025 Superhero Movie Rotten Tomatoes Scores Revealed — One Shocking Flop Tops the List
The year 2025 turned out to be a big one for superhero movies. It kicked off with the release of Captain America: Brave New World, followed by Thunderbolts* and Superman during the summer.
Soon, the superhero season will wrap up with Fantastic Four: First Steps. Now that critics’ scores for these films are all out, we can say it’s been a pretty good year overall. Most movies did well with fans and reviewers, even if some didn’t make a big splash at the box office. There was, however, one clear exception.
Captain America: Brave New World landed at the bottom of the list. Critics gave it a low score of just 46%, while audiences were more forgiving with a 75% approval rating. Reviews were mixed, with many critics divided on the story, the connections to other Marvel projects, and the special effects.
Still, the performances, especially those of Anthony Mackie and Harrison Ford, were praised. The critics’ consensus summed it up like this: “Anthony Mackie capably takes up Cap’s mantle and shield, but Brave New World is too routine and overstuffed with uninteresting Easter eggs to feel like a worthy standalone adventure for this new Avengers leader.”
Metacritic gave it a score of 42 out of 100, meaning the reviews were average at best. CinemaScore reported audiences gave it a “B–”, the lowest grade ever for a Marvel Cinematic Universe film, with PostTrak calling it a “mixed bag”.
On third place, Superman performed well. Critics gave it an 83% approval rating, and audiences loved it even more, scoring it 92%. The general feeling among reviewers was positive, with many praising the movie for creating a fresh world while keeping Superman’s heart and humanity front and center.
The critics’ consensus read: “Pulling off the heroic feat of fleshing out a dynamic new world while putting its champion’s big, beating heart front and center, this Superman flies high as a Man of Tomorrow grounded in the here and now.”
Metacritic scored it 68 out of 100, showing generally favorable reviews. Audience ratings from CinemaScore gave it an “A−”, matching the score of Man of Steel. PostTrak found that 86% of viewers liked it, and 74% said they would definitely recommend it.
Fantastic Four: First Steps hasn’t been released yet, but the review embargo just lifted and critics are sharing their thoughts. So far, the movie holds an 86% score based on more than 130 reviews, though the audience score is not out yet.
Critics have praised the film’s cast chemistry and its cool 1960s vibe. The consensus on Rotten Tomatoes says it “does Marvel’s First Family justice.” Metacritic gave it a 64 out of 100, signaling generally positive reviews.
The top-rated superhero movie of 2025 is Thunderbolts* with an 88% critics score and a 93% audience approval rating. The movie gathered praise for assembling a team of underdog characters, led by Florence Pugh’s standout performance.
Critics called it a refreshing return to the classic MCU style. Rotten Tomatoes’ critics consensus says: “Assembling a ragtag band of underdogs with Florence Pugh as their magnetic standout, Thunderbolts* refreshingly goes back to the tried-and-true blueprint of the MCU’s best adventures.” Metacritic gave it a 68 out of 100. CinemaScore audiences gave it an “A−”, while PostTrak reported 4.5 out of 5 stars, with 74% saying they would recommend the movie.
Despite the positive reviews, Thunderbolts* struggled at the box office. By mid-July 2025, it had made about $382 million worldwide, which is low for an MCU film. Variety reported the film needed to earn $425 million globally just to break even.
Marvel boss Kevin Feige explained that the movie’s poor box office was partly because people thought they needed to watch a lot of other content to understand it, which wasn’t true.
All in all, 2025 was a strong year for superhero films, with good stories and performances that kept fans interested, even if some movies didn’t do well financially.
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