Conan the Barbarian movies have seen the adaptation of Robert E. Howard's iconic character on several occasions, yet some interpretations have been significantly more successful than others. For a character that has been around for almost 100 years, Conan has understandably evolved since his early iterations. However, despite some changes in the intervening years, most movies and TV shows keep the character's core identity intact. Conan is depicted as a wanderer who encounters numerous fascinating people and monsters in his travels.

This allows his adventures to encom all sorts of experiences – from the horrific to the thrilling. The seven movies and TV shows featuring Conan have many different directions to explore. Despite being a staple of sword and sorcery fantasy fiction since the 1930s, it wasn't until Arnold Schwarzenegger assumed the action role in the '80s that fans saw the character fully realized on screen. In the years since, six further adaptations have arrived – each with its own strengths and flaws.

7 Conan The Barbarian (2011)

Jason Momoa's Reinterpretation

Hoped to be the renaissance the Conan movies desperately needed after decades of inactivity, 2011's Conan the Barbarian doubled down on some of the franchise's tropes and tendencies. Critics almost universally criticized the script as blunt and cliché ridden, and the movie's many action set-pieces were dismissed for their over-reliance on CGI – leading to a pitifully low 25% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

The movie is a reinterpretation of the Conan myth and has no connection to any of the original films in the franchise

That said, the project had some minor upsides. Jason Momoa's Conan was generally regarded as a solid Schwarzenegger replacement, and the level of violence was at least on par with Howard's original vision. The movie is a reinterpretation of the Conan myth and has no connection to any of the original films in the franchise. ing Momoa in the cast was Rose McGowan, Rachel Nichols, Stephen Lang, and Morgan Freeman as a narrator. It was released in 3D, although the transfer was done post-production.

6 Conan The Adventurer (1997)

Live-Action Series With Genre Rifts

Syndication's short-lived Conan the Adventurer series had two major issues. The first was that it fundamentally changed the essence of Conan's character, transforming him from a brooding and genuinely dangerous loner to part of a happy band of warriors sharing typically light-hearted adventures. The second was that the show was a blatant attempt to capitalize on the success of fantasy hits like Xena: Warrior Princess and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys while offering little new to genre fans.

The combination of these factors made Conan the Adventurer a disappointing missed opportunity. It felt more like a remake of the Conan cartoons than the original novels. The series never made it past one 22-episode season. The cast mainly included minor stars, like Ralf Moeller (Gladiator) as Conan, Danny Woodburn (Santa Buddies) as Otti, and motion-capture star T.J. Storm (Godzilla, Deadpool) as Bayu.

5 Conan And The Young Warriors (1994)

Cartoon Sequel Of The Source Material

While fantasy epics can broadly appeal to younger audiences, the violence and adult content in Howard's original stories pose an obvious problem for would-be child-friendly adaptations. Ultimately, this was the major obstacle for 1994's Conan and the Young Warriors animated series. Intended as a follow-up to the more successful Conan the Adventurer show, Conan and The Young Warriors was even more child-friendly in tone, representing a serious departure from Howard's vision.

This explains why the show ran for just one series and 13 episodes. It made sense that television wanted to tame things down to make this a kid-friendly show (it did something similar with Godzilla), but it never worked right with Conan the Barbarian's stories. The storyline starts after Conan finishes with Wrath-Amon and is reunited with his family, who have returned to life from living stone. His new goal is to train and protect the "Chosen Ones," young new warriors, so he is more of a mentor here than a warrior.

4 Conan The Destroyer (1984)

Schwarzenegger's Follow-Up

Pursuing a theory that the original film's violence prevented even greater success, producer Dino De Laurentiis decided that Conan the Destroyer should have a much lighter tone – ordering extensive cuts to violent scenes to secure a PG rating. This decision proved to be the sequel's downfall. Not only did Schwarzenegger clearly struggle to adapt his hulking physicality to the movie's comedic sensibilities, but Conan the Destroyer lost the epic essence of what endeared audiences to the original film.

While some critics found the movie's new tone more engaging, it sits at a fairly uninspiring 26% on Rotten Tomatoes – a marked drop from Conan the Barbarian's respectable 67%. The sequel sees Conan agreeing to go on a quest for Queen Taramis of Shadizar after she promises to resurrect his love, Valeria. He accompanies Princess Jehnna to restore the jeweled horn of the dreaming god Dagoth. The movie includes a great performance by Grace Jones as Zula and features Wily Chamberlain and Andre the Giant as villains.

3 Conan The Adventurer (1992-1993)

A New Direction For Conan

On one level, Conan the Adventurer is one of the least accurate adaptations of Howard's books to date. In the animated series, the titular warrior is a highly sanitized and family-friendly version of the original. However, despite these differences, Conan the Adventurer delivered a compelling, engaging take on the character within the constraints of kids' TV. While the latter cartoon failed to mix a children's cartoon show with Conan's historical stories, this one did it very well.

The series was a hit with audiences. Alongside shows like Dungeons & Dragons, Conan the Adventurer helped legitimize high fantasy as a genre suitable for younger audiences – however dark the source material. The series lasted for two seasons and 65 total episodes. It was even so popular that it spawned its own successful toy line and finally properly brought Conan to the next generation of fans.

2 She Is Conann (2023)

Bold Adaptation Takes Risks

Directed and written by French director Bertrand Mandico, She Is Conann is perhaps the least orthodox version of the Conan story released to date. Nevertheless, the 2023 film is also one of the most successful, working not just as a reinterpretation of the source material but on its own merit as a bombastic fantasy action flick. The gender-swapped movie centers on the life of Conann, a female warrior shown in individual vignettes at different ages of her life.

Despite transforming the character, She Is Conann successfully recaptures the brutal violence of the novel franchise and revels in its fantasy setting. Five different actresses play Conann here, including Claire Duburcq (15), Christa Théret (25), Sandra Parfait (35), Agata Buzek (45), and Nathalie Richard (55). Julia Riedler also appears as Sanja, a lover of Conann's. This movie premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and competed in the Queer Palm competition at the event.

1 Conan The Barbarian (1982)

The Schwarzenegger Original

The film was arguably responsible for turning Schwarzenegger into a bonafide action star

Despite some shortcomings, the original Arnold Schwarzenegger-led fantasy action blockbuster is still rated as the best Conan the Barbarian movie or TV adaptation to date. For starters, the movie remains the best and most sincere attempt to replicate the feel of Howard's books – both narratively and tonally. Schwarzenegger is perfectly cast in the title role and has understandably defined the character for over 40 years.

A significant factor in Conan the Barbarian's success is its enduring legacy. The film was arguably responsible for turning Schwarzenegger into a bonafide action star, catapulting him to mainstream recognition. It is also still hailed as one of the preeminent fantasy movies pre-Peter Jackson's game-changing The Lord of the Rings adaptations in the early 2000s. Although many Conan the Barbarian movies and TV shows have subsequently failed to do the character justice, John Milius' 1982 hit proves it is possible.