Being a superhero must be especially taxing around the Christmas season since vigilantes do not really have the luxury of being able to take the day off that time of year. At least it gives fans like me a chance to enjoy some entertaining and certainly non-traditional Christmas movies and TV specials in which our favorite comic book characters are forced to become protectors of holiday cheer. Celebrate the season in the most “super” way possible by watching these great Christmas movies, TV shows, and specials featuring your beloved costumed crime fighters.
Batman Returns (1992)
Director: Tim Burton
Starring: Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Michelle Pfeiffer
What it’s about: A snow-covered Gotham City serves as a battleground for Bruce Wayne as he faces off against The Penguin and enters a flirtatious rivalry with Catwoman.
Why it is one of the best Christmas superhero titles: Batman Returns (also one of the all-time best live-action Batman movies for its dazzling production design and some of Michael Keaton's best Batman moments) teaches us that mistletoe can be deadly if you eat it, but a kiss can be deadlier if you mean it.
How to watch Batman Returns
- Stream Batman Returns on Max
- Rent or buy Batman Returns on Amazon
- Buy Batman Returns on Blu-ray on Amazon
Hawkeye (2021)
Starring: Jeremy Renner, Hailee Steinfeld
What it’s about: Retired Avenger Clint Barton crosses paths with young, aspiring archer Kate Bishop who helps him defeat a terrifying foe so he can make it back home in time for Christmas.
Why it is one of the best Christmas superhero titles: Jeremy Renner and Hailee Steinfeld’s chemistry and some fun action sequences make Hawkeye one of Disney+’s best Marvel TV shows yet and easily one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s most festive installments.
How to watch Hawkeye
Iron Man 3 (2013)
Director: Shane Black
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle
What it’s about: Tony Stark begins to suffer a bit of an identity crisis while facing his most dangerous enemy yet as the holidays roll around.
Why it is one of the best Christmas superhero titles: The first of the Marvel movies to get into the holiday spirit (as confirmed by Disney+) was the uniquely thrilling Iron Man 3, which is also just one of many Christmas action movies from Shane Black.
How to watch Iron Man 3
The Guardians Of The Galaxy Holiday Special (2022)
Director: James Gunn
Starring: Dave Bautista, Pom Klementieff, Chris Pratt, Karen Gillan, Bradley Cooper
What it’s about: Hoping to cheer up Peter Quill, Drax and Mantis pay a visit to Earth in search of the perfect Christmas gift for him.
Why it is one of the best Christmas superhero titles: The most recent MCU installment with a festive twist is The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, which is destined to be a Christmas staple for its hilarious and heartwarming moments, a fantastic soundtrack, and an appearance by a cinematic icon.
How to watch The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
Arrow: Three Ghosts (2013)
Starring: Robbie Amell, Katie Cassidy
What it’s about: After Oliver Queen is drugged and left for dead by Cyrus Gold, he is given a cure by Felicity that causes him to hallucinate about his past.
Why it is one of the best Christmas superhero titles: The ninth episode of the second season of Arrow (one of the best DC TV shows on Netflix), “Three Ghosts,” is an absorbing take on one of the most influential holiday stories of all time, Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.
How to watch Arrow: Three Ghosts
Ultimate Spider-Man: Nightmare On Christmas (2014)
Starring: Drake Bell, Mark Hamill
What it’s about: A run-in with Nightmare takes Peter Parker on a journey through his past, present, and future and offers a glimpse of a world without the webslinger.
Why it is one of the best Christmas superhero titles: Another fun Dickensian superhero Christmas special is the 22nd episode of the third season of Ultimate Spider-Man (one of the best animated Spider-Man TV shows), “Nightmare on Christmas,” which also bears some similarities to the plot of Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life.
How to watch Ultimate Spider-Man: Nightmare on Christmas
- Stream Ultimate Spider-Man: Nightmare on Christmas on Disney+
- Buy Ultimate Spider-Man: Nightmare on Christmas on Amazon
Smallville: Lexmas (2005)
Starring: Tom Welling, Kristin Kreuk, Michael Rosenbaum
What it’s about: After a gunshot puts him in a coma, Lex Luthor experiences a flash-forward in which he is raising a middle-class family with Lana Lang.
Why it is one of the best Christmas superhero titles: Another holiday episode of a comic book TV show boasting loose inspiration from A Christmas Carol and It’s a Wonderful Life is “Lexmas” – the ninth episode of the fifth season of Smallville which is a largely heartwarming story before taking a dark twist.
How to watch Smallville: Lexmas
Batman: The Animated Series: Christmas With The Joker (1992)
Starring: Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill
What it’s about: The Joker challenges Batman and Robin to rescue a kidnapped Commissioner Gordon, Harvey Bullock, and Summer Gleeson before midnight on Christmas Eve.
Why it is one of the best Christmas superhero titles: Another superhero Christmas episode featuring Mark Hamill as the villain is “Christmas with the Joker” – an all-time classic Batman: The Animated Series episode for the Clown Prince of Crime and the 38th episode from Season 1 of one of the best animated TV shows.
How to watch Batman: The Animated Series: Christmas with The Joker
- Stream Batman: The Animated Series: Christmas with The Joker on Max
- Stream Batman: The Animated Series: Christmas with The Joker on Amazon Prime
The Flash: Running To Stand Still (2013)
Starring: Grant Gustin, Mark Hamill
What it’s about: Weather Wizard breaks Captain Cold and The Trickster to collaborate on an attack against Barry Allen’s alter ego around the holidays.
Why it is one of the best Christmas superhero titles: Yet another superhero Christmas episode featuring Mark Hamill as a villain (The Trickster) is “Running to Stand Still,” which, as The Flash’s second mid-season finale, certainly does not disappoint as entertaining spectacle, let alone its holiday themes.
How to watch The Flash: Running to Stand Still
- Stream The Flash: Running to Stand Still on Netflix
- Rent or buy The Flash: Running to Stand Still on Amazon
- Buy The Flash on Blu-ray on Amazon
Shazam! (2019)
Director: David F. Sandberg
Starring: Zachary Levi, Asher Angel, Mark Strong
What it’s about: An abandoned teen is imbued with powers and an adult body by a wizard who chooses him to be his champion.
Why it is one of the best Christmas superhero titles: One of the funniest superhero movies set around Christmas (or funniest comic book movies in general) is Shazam!, which you may recall features a wild third act set at an elaborate holiday display.
How to watch Shazam!
Merry Little Batman (2023)
Director: Mike Roth
Starring: Luke Wilson, Yonas Kibreab, James Cromwell
What it’s about: With Bruce Wayne out helping the Justice League, his young son, Damian, is left to foil a villainous plot to steal Christmas.
Why it is one of the best Christmas superhero titles: Imagine the plot of Home Alone, replace Kevin McCallister with Damian Wayne, throw in some “Grinchness,” and you basically have Merry Little Batman – one of the best movies on Amazon Prime for a family of DC fans to enjoy around the holidays.
How to watch Merry Little Batman
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures Of Superman: Twas The Night Before Mxymas (1996)
Starring: Dean Cain, Teri Hatcher, Howie Mandel
What it’s about: Clark begins reliving Christmas Eve over and over again with subtle changes to Metropolis citizens’ behavior each time, as part of a tricky imp’s spell.
Why it is one of the best Christmas superhero titles: There may be a few too many time-loop stories set around Christmas but only one has the Man of Steel and that is "Twas The Night Before Mxymas" – the charming, often hilarious, and even touching 11th episode of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Season 4.
How to watch Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman: Twas The Night Before Mxymas
- Stream Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman: Twas The Night Before Mxymas on Max
- Stream Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman: Twas The Night Before Mxymas on Tubi
- Buy Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman: Season 4 on DVD on Amazon
Hopefully, these titles can help rescue you from a crummy holiday.
