The Top 10 Best Movie Swords

5. Excalibur- The King Arthur Films 

Of course, I was going to include the legendary sword in the stone on this list. We’ve seen a lot of different versions of King Arthur over the years and, for the most part, Excalibur really hasn’t changed that dramatically from movie to movie. So, even though it might not be the best King Arthur adaptation, I’m going to go with the version we saw in King Arthur: Legend of the Sword. Excalibur is what’s referred to as an arming sword, which is what you see knights running around with in movies. It’s shorter than a greatsword or even a bastardsword, but that allows it to be used single-handedly in combat, which can be a plus if you want to bring a shield with you too. It’s not that flashy, but Excalibur is a proper legendary sword infused with magic and can only be used by the rightful sovereign of Britain, which is a pretty impressive safety feature. 

4. Hofund- The MCU 

One character we definitely didn’t get enough of in the MCU was Heimdall (played by Idris Elba). He’s actually the guardian of Asgard, which means he’s the guy that a bunch of gods chose to be their protector. To help him at his job, Odin gifted him the greatsword Hofund, which can be used to control the Bifrost, the only way in or out of Asgard. Hofund is much more than just an ornate looking key though. It’s a seriously strong sword that makes (almost) anyone invading Asgard regret their decision the second they step off that rainbow bridge. We got a chance to see Heimdall use it in Thor: Ragnarok as he proved just how seriously he took his role as the protector of the realm. As great as the previous movie swords are on this list, Hofund is the first that we see wielded by a full-fledged god on screen, making it all the more impressive.

3. The Godkiller Sword- The DCEU 

Not to be outdone by Marvel, the DCEU brought their own sword to the big screen with the premiere of Wonder Woman. Most people know that the heroic Amazon uses the lasso of truth and her indestructible gauntlets in battle, but she also uses some more traditional weapons as well. The most notable of which is The Godkiller Sword. Like Anaklusmos, it’s design is based on the xiphos, which would make it the second and final shortsword that you’ll see on this list of movie swords. I turned to the source material to learn more about this blade and discovered it was forged by Hephaestus and gifted by Zeus to the Amazons so that they could protect humanity from the gods and god-like beings (the thing can even cut Superman). When Wonder Woman ventures into the world of man, she goes “strapped” with a sword that can kill anyone or anything she might come across.

2. The Green Destiny- Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 

The origins of The Green Destiny are a bit of a mystery. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon doesn’t really go into it more than to explain that it’s over 400 years old and is wielded by only the most worthy martial arts master in the land. Some claim that it’s one of the four sacred weapons that makes its wielder invincible in battle, which I kind of believe after seeing how unbeatable Yu Jiaolong (Zhang Ziyi) was after she stole it. In the sequel (The Sword of Destiny), it’s stated that the wielder of The Green Destiny would have the power to rule the Martial World (which roughly means that every other fighter on the planet would have to swear fealty to them). However, just because you have that kind of power doesn’t mean you should or even want to use it. After all, it’s original wielder in the series (Li Mu Bai) didn’t want to rule over anyone. A beautifully crafted Jian, the Green Destiny is perhaps the most elegant and graceful of all the movie swords on this list.   

1. Andúri (formerly Narsil)l- The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

To be honest, I could have probably only picked blades from Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit for this list of movie swords and still had plenty leftover. However, the biggest one in the series is the greatsword Andúril. Most likely inspired by King Arthur’s blade, Andúril is the Excalibur of Middle-Earth and is wielded by their greatest king in the battle against Sauron and his forces. Surprisingly, Sauron bested the blade back when it was known as Narsil, but reforged as Andúril; it’s stronger than ever and ready for revenge. With all the celestial swords that have appeared on this list, it might seem strange that a mere mortal would wield the one in the top spot. However, Andúril has an impressive design, beautiful yet practical, and was part of one of the greatest epics of all time. All that adds up to make it the greatest movie sword of all time.  

Honorable Mention: The Sword Of Triton – Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides 

You can’t have a pirate movie without some swords in it, and when it comes to the biggest pirate franchise of all time, one cutlass, in particular, stands out. Forged in Atlantis by Triton himself, the sword has the ability to bring dead materials to life and control them. For a pirate, that means complete control over any ship they’re on and a crew made up of deadmen brought back to life. That’s a pretty powerful sword if you ask me, which is why it’s getting an honorable mention.  

Shout-Out: Darth Maul’s “Double-Bladed” Light Saber- The Star Wars Universe

I know I said that lightsabers wouldn’t count on this list, but they’re just so cool that I couldn’t resist. When it comes to these sci-fi swords, one in particular stands out and that’s Darth Maul’s double-bladed lightsaber. I still remember the first time I saw it on the big screen. The idea of using two at once like that blew my mind. Because of that, I’m giving the sith and his weapon a shoutout.

Those are my picks for the best movie swords of all time. I mentioned that there are probably hundreds of them out there, though. Let me know what your favorite is in the comments below if I missed it. As always, I’ll be updating this list as new and improved movie swords cut their way onto the big screen. So, you can always check back to see how the rankings might change in the future.