Stephen King isn’t particularly fond of superhero movies. He has taken a few digs at the genre over the years, his most recent criticism coming in September 2025. Speaking to The Times UK about The Long Walk, he revealed he had one condition for director Francis Lawrence before he adapted the book. He wanted to make sure the film showed teenagers getting shot. King then criticized superhero films for watering down their violence. “If you look at these superhero movies, you’ll see some supervillain who’s destroying whole city blocks, but you never see any blood,” he said, adding, “And man, that’s wrong. It’s almost, like, pornographic.”
King has a point, but there is a good reason why superhero productions not named The Boys and Deadpool refrain from graphic violence. Children make up a huge chunk of the fan base, something studios and television networks understand. The author might hate the genre, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been impressed a few times. A lot of time passes before a superhero movie pops up in one of the Master of Horror’s numerous film recommendations, but it happens.
Here are a few superhero movies Stephen King actually likes.
‘Blue Beetle’ (2023)
Blue Beetle was intended for the streaming service HBO Max, but was changed to have a theatrical release after the studio saw director Ángel Manuel Soto’s work. In the film, Jaime Reyes (Xolo Maridueña) returns to his hometown after graduating from Gotham Law University to find his family struggling financially. Luckily, he’s unexpectedly chosen by a mysterious ancient alien artifact called the Scarab, which grants him powerful armor and superhuman abilities. Jaime thus juggles between learning to control the symbiotic tech and evading the ruthless businesswoman Victoria Kord (Susan Sarandon) and her cybernetic lackey Carapax (Raoul Max Trujillo).
High Praise
King was able to watch an early screening of Blue Beetle and told producer David Zaslav that it was “the best DC film since The Dark Knight.” Many fans will disagree with such an assessment, as there are a few post-Nolan DC movies with better reviews, including Wonder Woman and James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad. However, it’s easy to see why King loves the movie. Its plot is a little similar to that of his book, Firestarter, where a young girl with powers is hunted by nefarious figures. The author also tends to enjoy stories featuring everyday people as protagonists, something he has reiterated numerous times.
Overall, the film is brilliant and a high point in the rather shaky DCEU. With the complicity of writer Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer, director Manuel Soto effectively throws out virtually all the bad elements that had plagued the franchise before, keeping the action, color, and wit. Consequently, the superhero flick was nominated for a few awards, including one at the 22nd Visual Effects Society Awards and two at the 51st Saturn Awards. James Gunn has also stated that we should expect to see Xolo Maridueña’s character in the new DCU since, like Peacemaker, Blue Beetle is a largely independent picture with no major plot points that tie it to the old DCEU.
‘The Flash’ (2023)
As he is grieving the death of his mother and his father’s wrongful imprisonment, Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) discovers he can use his super speed to travel through time. Hoping to reverse the unfortunate proceedings that befell his parents, he heads to the past, only for his actions to create a fractured timeline where General Zod (Michael Shannon) is back to conquer the world, and most metahumans don’t exist. Trapped there alongside another version of himself, Barry enlists the help of an older Batman (Michael Keaton) and Kara Zor-El, Supergirl (Sasha Calle), to correct things. Just how will all these messy issues work themselves out in The Flash?
Ghosts of Ezra Miller
Because of Ezra Miller’s scandals, audiences never really gave The Flash a chance, but it’s an amazing multiverse film with an unforgettable opening sequence and marvelous cameos. The furthest thing from a straightforward DC flick, the kinetically molded, go-for-broke, almost console-like feat of visual imagination and storytelling keeps you glued. And everything builds up nicely. Though you can feel in your bones that something major is coming, the first section of the story (after the initial chaos) moves along at an even pace.
“I got an advance screening of The Flash today. As a rule, I don’t care a lot for superhero movies, but this one is special. It’s heartfelt, funny, and eye-popping. I loved it,” King posted on X. Indeed, the film is everything the author says it is. Michael Keaton, who everyone was eager to see return as Batman, is also wry and convincing as the elderly Caped Crusader — a world-weary loner who sets out to avoid trouble and the company of youngsters but ends up being ensnared by both. And with The Flash and Supergirl by his character’s side, their take on multiversal troubleshooting is spot on.
‘Spider-Man 2’ (2004)
Peter Parker is having it rough in Spider-Man 2. Aunt May is about to get evicted, and his love interest, Mary Jane, doesn’t want to see him anymore. She even plans to marry J. Jonah, Jameson’s son. It gets worse. Nuclear scientist Dr. Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina) conducts a deadly lab experiment that transforms him into the villainous Dr. Octopus. That’s a lot, but trust Spidey to handle it all.
Greatest Superhero Movie… to Some
Being a superhero has a downside, and Spider-Man 2 maps the consequences using a deft, admirable, naturalistic touch. You know how it always plays out. One minute you’re enjoying an ordinary, humdrum existence; the next you’re swinging across high-rise buildings and hang gliding while adjusting your pants. You kid yourself that there’ll be no more people like Doc Ock, but they keep coming. Here, Spider-Man really makes us relate to his experiences. And Tobey Maguire does a great job. His Spidey may not look like much, but once you cross him, you’re in for a world of trouble.
“Very cool, but I doubt I’ll be able to remember many of the details by the time next June rolls around with a new load of summer pix. But that’s okay, because — like Troy, Dodgeball, I, Robot, and The Day After Tomorrow — it’s a pretty good movie,” King told Entertainment Weekly back in the 2000s. We see what the Master of Horror did there. He admits that he isn’t usually impressed by superhero movies, but acknowledges the brilliance of this particular Sam Raimi flick. We bet he remembers many of the details. Which author ever forgets?
‘The Dark Knight’ (2008)
In The Dark Knight, Batman (Christian Bale) teams up with Lieutenant Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) and District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) to clean up Gotham’s criminal-infested streets. However, the job proves difficult because the Joker (Heath Ledger), the city’s most feared criminal mastermind, is out to test the Caped Crusader’s moral limits. Things get even harder when the Joker’s actions push Dent into becoming the vengeful villain, Two-Face.
Ledger the Great
The Christopher Nolan movie’s inclusion stems from what King said about Blue Beetle, calling it the best DC flick since The Dark Knight. Everyone loves the sequel to Batman Begins, and it’s no surprise that the best-selling author does, too. It looks stunning as it was the first major motion picture to be shot using high-resolution IMAX cameras. Nolan reportedly avoided using CGI in most scenes, relying on practical stunts such as flipping a heavy 18-wheeler and blowing up a factory (for the iconic hospital scene).
Here, we also get to see arguably the greatest DC movie villain. Heath Ledger’s Joker is mean and remorseless, but it’s impossible not to adore him. The actor deservedly won a posthumous Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Every other Joker actor has tried to use Ledger’s performance as a blueprint, but only a few have matched him in awesomeness.
