Comic books and film are two things that should, in theory, go together like bread and butter. Some of comics’ most beloved characters and stories have successfully leapt off their colorful pages and onto the big screen, entertaining both avid comic book readers and casual fans alike.

And sometimes those characters get awful movies.

We’ve all seen our fair share of the films that taint the names of the heroes they adapt for the screen. This list counts down the ten worst of the bunch; the ones that treat their source material poorly, employ shoddy filmmaking, and confound and/or annoy audiences.

10. “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III” (1993)

The adventures of the heroes in a half-shell took a less-than-radical turn in this comically bad 1993 film. We find our heroes whisked away via magical time-traveling scepter to feudal Japan, and it’s there that they battle a generic samurai villain and a generic Army officer (instead of Shredder, Krang, Rocksteady, Bebop, etc.). Failing to use iconic characters is just the tip of the iceberg for “Turtles III,” however. The campy humor usually associated with the Turtles of the 80s and 90s—a type of humor which was charmingly naïve and somewhat enjoyable—is nigh-unbearable here, with painful jokes galore. You’ll want to spend your cash on some pizza rather than on this movie.

9. “Judge Dredd” (1995)

A bit of backstory here for those of you scratching your heads right now. The United Kingdom began a comic series called “2000 AD,” which was sci-fi in nature and featured serialized, standalone stories. The “Judge Dredd” stories, focusing on the exploits of the titular futuristic cop, became the most popular of the comic book for their unusual, original designs, their dystopian setting, and their social and political commentary. Naturally, Hollywood found a way to ruin this idea with 1995’s “Judge Dredd,” which shirked the dark cyberpunk overtones and biting satire of the comics to pave way for a bland, corny superhero romp that (for whatever reason) included Rob Schneider as a main character. Thankfully, 2012’s “Dredd” does the character justice and is highly recommended; this film, on the other hand, deserves jail time.

8. “Amazing Spider-Man 2” (2014)

The sequel to 2012’s “Amazing Spider-Man” admittedly had a lot of promise. While the first film was bogged down by an origin story that wasn’t very engaging, the second film had the potential to create a Spider-Man story that audiences hadn’t seen before. Sadly, “Amazing Spider-Man 2” tried just a bit too hard. The film is ultimately marred by a confusing and barely-focused plot, thin characterization, and a blatant, desperate attempt to set up more sequels. Needless to say, I’m very happy with Marvel Studios having more control over the character and integrating him into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

7. “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” (2009)

The origin story of the world’s most popular X-Man, Wolverine, is one that is complicated, but is filled with compelling drama, action, and tension. Although Wolverine’s backstory is told through a few different story arcs in the comics, “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” attempts to tell the whole tale in a two-hour movie…and it goes about as well as you’d expect. Pointless X-Men character cameos and appearances, in addition to a multitude of plot threads that are too crowded and uninteresting, make “X-Men Origins” boring and shallow. While Hugh Jackman’s portrayal of the titular character is still as spot-on as ever, the story and the poor writing leave a lot to be desired. Unlike the character it’s based on, this movie is certainly not the best there is at what it does.

6. “Batman and Robin” (1997)

This infamous film is the reason why we never saw another Batman movie until a certain trilogy kicked off in 2005. Critically, “Batman and Robin” was a failure; reviewers and regular moviegoers alike bemoaned the lack of the gothic darkness from 1989’s “Batman” and 1992’s “Batman Returns,” found the film’s attempts at humor lame, and hated the awful screenplay. The catastrophic reviews were accompanied by low box office revenue, making “Batman and Robin” one of the biggest comic book film flops of all time. At the time, the movie was a sign that comic book films were becoming too silly or too stupid to have solid, believable cinematic stories; one need only listen to just one line of dialogue from the film to see why.

5. “Green Lantern” (2011)

Director Martin Campbell is no stranger to action-adventure films. Having helmed “Goldeneye,” “The Mask of Zorro,” and “Casino Royale,” Campbell built up a reputation as a fairly good director. How unfortunate, then, that this movie should ruin all of that. “Green Lantern” fails on every level, with cheap CGI, silly action sequences, and a weak plot and script. While Ryan Reynolds is actually pretty decent in the title role, the same cannot be said for literally every other cast member, who are either underused or unable to be taken seriously.

4. “Howard the Duck” (1986)

Just a few years before spearheading the much-hated “Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace,” writer-director George Lucas adapted this obscure Marvel Comics character for the screen. Though today we’d expect small-time comic book characters to get surprisingly good movies (as is the case with films like “Guardians of the Galaxy”), “Howard the Duck” is anything but good. It’s a special kind of bad film; a strange and bizarre project characterized by dated effects, poor writing, and a story that lacks any sort of engagement or believability. If you haven’t heard of this film, it’s probably for the best; just like Lucas’ other fiascos (i.e. “Star Wars Episode I” and “Star Wars Episode II”) it is unpleasant and unnecessary. As far as I’m concerned, Rocket Raccoon is the only talking animal Marvel needs right now.

3. “Superman IV: The Quest for Peace” (1987)

A bit of perspective for how terrible this film is: Superman uses his heat vision to rebuild the Great Wall. Effectively serving as the nail in the coffin for the Christopher Reeve “Superman” films, “Superman IV: The Quest for Peace” is so laughably terrible it makes “Batman and Robin” and similar films look good by comparison. From a technical perspective the film is obviously low on production values; it reuses effects and shots every chance it gets, and the cinematography as a whole goes against everything associated with good film. Things get even worse on the storytelling front, which lacks the appeal, the heart, and the effort of “Superman” and “Superman II.” Though many would be quick to say “Man of Steel” is the worst Superman film, “Quest for Peace” is easily Superman’s cinematic Kryptonite.

2. “Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance” (2011)

2007’s “Ghost Rider” adapted Marvel Comics’ supernatural, motorcycle-riding antihero with mixed results. For the belated sequel, “Spirit of Vengeance,” it seems as though nobody cared about fixing any of the problems from “Ghost Rider.” The acting is worse than that of the first film, the direction and editing is schizophrenic and out of control, and the screenplay is tedious and stupid. Unlike its predecessor, there really isn’t anything that saves the film—not even the action sequences. It’s a prime example of bad filmmaking and a sure sign we won’t see Ghost Rider on the big screen anytime soon.

1. “Catwoman” (2004)

There are movies that are so horrible, so shockingly asinine, so disgustingly crafted that they defy all known forms of logic; “Catwoman” is one of those movies. The pitiful screenplay (if one can even call it that) does nothing to bring the titular character to life on the screen, instead providing around two hours of unspeakably inane dialogue, the basest of character development and complexity, and the dumbest plot in a comic book film to date. The cinematography aspects are just as horrid, with ugly CGI effects, senseless camerawork, and poor set and costume designs. Finally, the acting is pathetic, with absolutely no standouts and an almost physically harmful performance by Halle Berry. “Catwoman” doesn’t belong in the litter box; it deserves to be sealed away, shipped off to another planet, and forgotten about for the rest of time.

(Dis)honorable Mentions

- Daredevil (2003)

- Elektra (2005)

- Fantastic Four (2004), Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007), and Fant4stic (2015)

- X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)