The 8 worst superhero movies of all time

Audiences love superhero films. With dozens more planned over the next few years, audiences are hungrier than ever to see their favorite comic-book legends on the big screen.

But superhero movies aren't guaranteed hits. At their best, comic-book adaptations bring in an already dedicated fanbase and set up a cinematic universe with a lot of potential for spinoffs and sequels. At their worst, they're hugely expensive mistakes because of the high cost of shooting big-budget action sequences. 

While "Batman v Superman"has grossed over $784 million worldwide, critics picked apart the film for being an overstuffed, convoluted piece from director Zack Snyder. Though fans were kinder to the Warner Bros. movie, "BvS" is not going down as anyone's favorite superhero movie ever, but it wasn't the worst, either.

Tech Insider looked at the Rotten Tomatoes scores for superhero movies of the past 20 years and averaged critic and audience scores for the film to come up with our list.

Keep reading to see the worst superhero movies.

SEE ALSO: Warner Bros. is planning 12 more superhero movies after 'Batman v Superman' — Here they all are

8. "X-Men: Origins — Wolverine" (2009)

Averaged Rotten Tomatoes Score:49%

2009's "X-Men: Origins — Wolverine" tried (and failed) to tell Wolverine's origin story. Despite any number of plot missteps (and a distracting supporting role from rapper will.i.am.), the film is best known for introducing Ryan Reynolds as a mutated, confusing version of Deadpool. The many weird plot decisions were later satirized when Reynold starred in 2016's "Deadpool."

A.V. Club said that ultimately, the absurd story ruined even the action sequences: 

"A couple of halfway decent action scenes do little to distract from the story's mounting ludicrousness, or a conclusion that's only a little more satisfying than a projector breakdown. Maybe."

7. "Ghost Rider" (2007)

Averaged Rotten Tomatoes Score: 37%

2007's "Ghost Rider" was a both a box office and critical bomb, yet somehow garnered a sequel - the even lower rated "Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance" in 2012. "Ghost Rider" starred Nicolas Cage as "hell's bounty hunter," tasked with finding corrupt souls across America on his motorcycle. Critics said the original was an unholy mess, with bad acting and CG effects. The action sequences, typically the saving grace of a poorly-reviewed comic book film, were also disappointing. 

Peter Travers of Rolling Stone blamed the formulaic plot: "The real evil in this flick isn't Blackheart (Wes Bentley), the devil's son, it's the soul-sucking devil of modern cinema: Hollywood formula."

6. "Green Lantern" (2009)

Averaged Rotten Tomatoes Score: 35.5%

Ryan Reynolds is pulling double duty on the list. After 2009's "X-Men: Origins — Wolverine," two years later, he starred in 2011's "Green Lantern," which was both a critical and box-office disaster for its bizarre plot and terrible CG effects. 

Calling it "Dim Lantern," New York Post said of the film: 

"His face largely pasted on a computer-generated body, poor Ryan Reynolds acts only from the neck up in “Green Lantern,” a relentlessly silly superhero flick with eyeball-rolling dialogue — set in vast, familiar-looking digital realms that look like rejected models from the second “Star Wars” trilogy.