Superhero movies bring beloved characters and their worlds to the screen. At this point in the genre's popularity, the announcement of a new installment in a franchise or a new iteration of a character garners international attention. Entertainment and escapism are words often thrown around when speaking of superhero movies, especially among critics. There is nothing wrong with wanting to have fun at the movies, but these types of generalizations dismiss the ambitious work in the genre.
A superhero movie that substitutes the action and special effects for a chatty melodrama would not go over well with fans, but that is not to say they only aim to impress visually and not intellectually. The two are not exclusive. Contrary to the opinion of some, the superhero genre loves to be self-reflective and features a cohort of antiheroes that satirize as much as they entertain.
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Thanos' mission to collect the five infinity stones to cut the population of the universe in half is simultaneously evil and humanitarian. His motives are not selfish, but out of concern for his fellow man, planet, galaxy, and so on. The paradox of wanting to save the universe at any means necessary, no matter how bloody the expense, conflates the spheres of mega-villain and anti-hero. Megalomaniacal in seeing his cause through, Thanos nonetheless portends the harm civilization will cause if it doesn't change.
The Dark Knight (2008)
The general concept of Batman as a character, The Dark Knight is of course Heath Ledger's Joker. More than any other representation of Batman's arch-nemesis, Ledger's Joker articulates a defense for social anarchism. Through the chaos he orchestrates, the social fabric of Gotham's population unravels, testing whether their commonality as fellow citizens and human beings have the power to prevail over their differences.
Deadpool (2016)
Some may consider parody of the superhero genre rather than satirical, but satire isn't always so stern, preferring to use the revelatory effect of humor instead. The film is a cautionary tale about the negative effects of nihilism, and the apathy and depression that can flow from it.
Watching Deadpool regenerate himself after having one of his limbs severed from his body is hilarious, but it also makes his life inconsequential. Miserably living with a woman decades older than him, he eventually rediscovers love, nudging him out of his indifference and towards a more heroic sense of morality.
Kick-Ass (2010)
Life is tough for Dave, a high school comic book nerd who fashions his superhero persona by the name of Kick-Ass. Already an outsider, Dave's classmates mistake him as a closet homosexual when he misses consecutive days of school to tend to his crime-fighting duties, pushing him further into social obscurity. A reinterpretation of the greatest superhero aphorism of all time, "with great power comes great responsibility," Kick-Ass satirizes the common childhood dream of wanting superpowers and fighting bad guys. An oscillating tone between hyperbolic action and yearning for normal high school life reflects the conflicting bouts of optimism and doubt of growing up.
Logan (2017)
Embroiled in a conflict that turns him into the target of a manhunt, an older shopworn Logan, who lives a double life under his human alias James, must flee from his quiet existence. He also faces the additional complication of carrying a sick Doctor Xavier in tow, along with a young mutant girl of extraordinary power named Laura. His mission to deliver her beyond the Canadian border and into safety is an elegiac story about the sacrifices older generations make for those behind them, but also questions whether it redeems them of the destruction left behind in their wake.
Sin City (2005)
If you're in the mood for a visual spectacle that has some brains, look no further than Sin City. Structured episodically, the film peers inside the titular city's grimy criminal underbelly.
There is no moral voice. Rather than distinguish between good and evil, the film looks beyond traditional dichotomies of hero and villain, setting its sights on a morally ambivalent superhero landscape. While the characters sometimes fight against the corruption of the criminal underground, they are not above becoming part of it if it forwards their interests.
The Incredibles (2004)
Whereas it was a fad among superhero movies to deconstruct the concept of the superhero, taking a cynical approach that knocks the heroes off their pedestal, The Incredibles has a warmer heart and more practical vision than its peers. It shows how a typical bourgeois nine to five life, despite its middle-class comforts, amounts to a crestfallen and unfulfilled existence for Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl. The plot then restores them to their former glory, rather than the other way around like other more crusty and bitter superhero satires.
Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
cheering for the Hulk's demise.
V for Vendetta (2005)
Guy Fawkes gets the superhero treatment in another screen adaptation of V for Vendetta imagines Guy Fawkes in a totalitarian London dystopia. The result is an uncomfortable comparison between the hero's anarchic idealism and the oppressive regime he fights against.
Watchmen (2009)
In the grim streets of New York City, the side of a defaced building reads "who watches the Watchmen?" This ethical concern about the rule of law forced the supehero group known as the Watchmen into retirement. As global threat pulls the reluctant heroes out of the shadows, they dispute whether superheroes, acting for a just cause, are nonetheless doomed to be authoritarians who operate outside the scope of the rules that govern the lives of those they fight to protect.
