Superhero movies are supposed to be popcorn cinema at their finest. Light, breezy, easy viewing that lets you escape into a fantastic world without thinking too much about what’s going on. Unfortunately, real life creeps in just like every other movie, and the end result is a controversy that taints the movie’s legacy.
Infamous castings, behind-the-scenes drama, or just something that made the fans react a little stronger than anyone expected. These don’t necessarily make for bad movies; just for movies that are remembered for all the wrong reasons. We’ve compiled this list of superhero movies that you should still watch, even though they’re still considered controversial. Head over to streamers like HBO Max, Apple TV+, and more to decide if the controversies outweigh the end results yourself.
Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021)
It may not be the first movie you think of when you consider a “controversial” superhero movie, but it's hard to ignore not only the original wave of controversies that surrounded Zack Snyder's Justice League, but the original 2017 Justice League as well. The film, which sees Batman band a group of heroes together to combat an invasion led by the deadly Steppenwolf, largely exists thanks to an aggressive fan campaign which went back-and-forth between genuine fan admiration and outright harassment of film studio execs.
Despite this, the Snyder Cut is better than the 2017 cut, even if the four-hour runtime and cliffhanger finale that will never be resolved left a sour taste in my mouth. Still, as the finale to the controversial Snyderverse and an attempt at a DC universe epic, the film merits watching for longtime DC fans, if only to see what could have been.
Super (2010)
2010 superhero satire Super came practically out of nowhere. Directed by James Gunn shortly before he became the shepherding force behind the MCU's Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), Super follows a nobody who becomes a superhero following a vision from God and his wife leaving him. With a surprisingly all-star cast, including Rainn Wilson, Elliot Page, and Kevin Bacon, the film received a mixed reception at release and suffered a major blow when it was released adjacent to comic book adaptation Kick-Ass, with some accusing the project of ripping off the other.
Even with the pedigree behind and in front of the camera, Super manages to fall a little flat just because of the sheer oddity of the premise and the gruesome violence. Nonetheless, it’s a film that deserves its cult following. Really, it remains a great watch if you’re a fan of James Gunn’s work in comic book movies.
Spider-Man 3 (2007)
With the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Spider-Man trilogy and the beloved reception of Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), it’s easy to forget just how much drama surrounded Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3. By 2007, comic book movies were still huge but not coherent, and Raimi was expected to bring yet another enjoyable yet largely standalone entry to the big screen.
You probably remember Spider-Man 3 as a cringy, melodramatic mess, and you’re not necessarily wrong. The flaws with this movie are plentiful, but the benefit of time passing has worked in its favor. There’s a newfound appreciation for what’s happening here with Peter’s emo-inspired “darker half” (it’s what Peter thinks a cool person would act like!) and an unsurprisingly great Thomas Haden Church performance as The Sandman that anchors the film. Spider-Man 3 is better than you remember it was, and worth revisiting, especially to get the full experience before rewatching No Way Home.
Brightburn (2019)
Yet another James Gunn flick makes its way to the list, though his involvement here is minimal at best, so don’t expect the same dark humor found in Super. Though he produced Brightburn, it's actually written by his brothers Brian and Mark. The film may now serve as something of an ironic counterpart to Gunn’s Superman (2025), with Brightburn focusing on a young boy of alien origin discovering he has superhuman powers, but using them to become a villain in this chilling horror film.
It’s not the most high-brow of concepts. Brightburn manages to be both incredibly violent and not as violent as it promises. Still, it’s an excellent alternate take on Superman, and one that’s worth revisiting in the wake of Gunn’s efforts rebooting the DCU. If the same old superhero stories have you exhausted, consider giving Brightburn a try.
The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
While Spider-Man 3 was a controversial flop, The Amazing Spider-Man was a controversial reboot. Everyone involved in Spider-Man 3 had expected to eventually return for a refocused fourth film, and they were surprised to realize that Sony intended to reboot the franchise instead.
The film has its merits, and serves as an interesting enough modernization of the Spidey mythos. But the overall somber, edgy tone clashes with the Spider-Man we all know and love. Ultimately, The Amazing Spider-Man is better than its reputation would have you believe, thanks to great performances from its cast. Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone, who have an almost too easy chemistry on screen, and the modernized take on Spider-Man, with his updated costume and more realistically styled swinging, looks great. Even the notoriously cranky Denis Leary is great here as the doomed George Stacey, a character whose survival would have definitely made the dry sequel a lot more fun.
Fantastic Four (1994)
The Fantastic Four have had a rough go at film, but none was more controversial than the original outing, which never saw the light of day. Directed by Roger Corman and starring a cast of unknown actors, Fantastic Four was presented to everyone involved as a big-budget attempt at Marvel’s First Family. However, the film never saw the light of day, despite a trailer being released and the cast doing convention tours.
Rumors have persisted for years that the film was bought by Marvel exec Avi Arad, with stories alleging that he destroyed the only print of the film, though he insists that’s not true. To date, the film is only available as a bootleg, but if you get the chance to see it, you’ll find a surprisingly earnest film with a lot of heart and performances from actors who are giving it their all. If you can’t find the movie, definitely check out the stellar documentary Doomed! The Untold Story of Roger Corman’s The Fantastic Four (2015) to learn more about the film’s production.
Iron Man 3 (2013)
The cap of Marvel’s Iron Man trilogy, published in the shadow of the wildly successful The Avengers (2012), should have been a slam dunk. Instead, Iron Man 3 became one of Marvel’s first missteps. Problems started in production, when out-of-touch studio execs demoted the film’s intended villain, Maya Hansen, because they didn’t think they could sell toys of her, leading to replacement villain Aldrich Killian becoming a bait-and-switch for The Mandarin.
Still, Iron Man 3 is surprisingly competent. The actual Mandarin twist is still a huge surprise, and the more grounded tone of Iron Man 3 leads to some interesting opportunities. This is the film that focused on how much of a threat Tony Stark is even without his armor, finally explaining why it had to be him in the suit. If you just came out of The Avengers and want to see how that experience shaped Tony or just want to see Robert Downey Jr. at his snarky best in the MCU, Iron Man 3 is an underpraised gem.
The Marvels (2023)
It was already an uphill battle for The Marvels, a film that served as the culmination of three massive MCU projects and was poised to set the stage for a major multiverse crossover. Unfortunately, the timing was just awful. It was a victim of an MCU that was in a state of disarray, struggling after a string of lackluster releases and controversies that led to a major course correction.
The Marvels is kind of at odds with itself. The stakes aren’t very high and the plot feels like a Cliff’s Notes abbreviation, but there is genuinely a lot of fun to be had here. The performances are spectacular, and its leads have such a wonderfully sharp chemistry. A writer’s strike robbed us of months of the film’s cast cutting it up on talk show circuits, and that’s perhaps what hurt the film more than anything. If you missed it the first time, you owe it to yourself to catch up now, especially since it appears to be the explanation for how the X-Men are going to show up for Avengers: Doomsday (2026).
The Toxic Avenger (1984)
In the no man’s land between Superman: The Movie (1978) and Batman (1989), there was The Toxic Avenger. Released by horror comedy chock studio Troma, The Toxic Avenger is the story of a nobody who is dumped into toxic waste by bullies, mutating him into a monstrous superhuman who wants to do good.
The film is perhaps best known for its wild tone, full of over-the-top gore, nudity, and innuendo. And yet, there is a quaint charm to The Toxic Avenger. You’ll need a strong stomach to get through the violence and sexual content, but if you can, you’ll find a genuinely endearing indie flick with a scrappy heart.
Batman (1989)
It seems hard to imagine today that the classic 1989 Batman was controversial, but it was a long road to being a success. You have to remember the film was a departure from what many thought of Batman. While comics like The Dark Knight Returns and Batman: Year One had done a lot to bring Batman back to his darker roots, fans still thought of the campy 1966 Batman TV show above all else, and the casting of Michael Keaton, then known for his comedy work, didn’t help.
Obviously, we know today that Batman is a genre-defining classic. That reputation has largely held, even as reappraisal has brought about the realization that it’s honestly not much of a Batman movie, given the character’s bizarre actions and propensity for violence, let alone murder. Batman is still stylish as hell and a raucous adventure, though, and it merits a place on the Mount Rushmore of comic book movies if only for the shockwaves it sent through Hollywood.
