It’s natural to think that a movie about asuperhero(or superheroes) will be an action movie. In fairness, the vast majority are, as having characters with superpowers can make for plenty of exciting action sequences and explosive setpieces. They’re characters who often find themselves responsible for saving others - or even the entire world - and as such, fighting some sort of terrifying threat usually involves just that: fighting.
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But that doesn’t always have to be the case. Superhero movies can offer satisfying stories featuring mighty heroes and villains without emphasizing action, as the following 10 movies demonstrate. Some of the following have small amounts of action here and there, yet all ultimately deliver stories that are more heavily indebted to other genres, in turn helping to add variety to the superhero genre as a whole.
‘The Batman’ (2022)
When it comes to live-actionBatmanmovies, 2022’sThe Batmanis far from the only movie to portray the character in a dark manner. TheTim Burtonmovies stood in contrast to the low-budget, campy take on Batman from the 1960s, andChristopher Nolan’strilogy also aimed to take the character into grittier territory (particularly with 2008’sThe Dark Knight).
But all theBatmanmovies released before 2022 still functioned as action movies.The Batmanshifts gears by focusing on Batman’s detective skills more than his physical prowess, meaning viewers were shown a version of the character who didn’t get his hands dirty quite as often. The slower pacing, focus on solving a central mystery, and near three-hour runtime also meant this was a far less action-packedBatmanthan normal, but the change was a welcome (and rewarding) one.
‘Unbreakable’ (2000)
WithUnbreakable,M. Night Shyamalanremarkably managed to offer a dark deconstruction of the superhero genre before it began completely dominating the film landscape. It’s a grounded and original look at the idea of superpowers, focusing on two men: one who seems almost invincible, and the other who’s afflicted by a condition that makes his bones extremely fragile.
Rather than being an action movie,Unbreakableis a tense psychological thriller that just so happens to have main characters with unique physical conditions that make them reminiscent of superheroes/supervillains. It’s held up well, and benefits from having committed performances fromBruce WillisandSamuel L. Jacksonin the lead roles.
‘Superman’ (1978)
WhileSuperman(1978) stands as one of the first - and most iconic - superhero movies of all time, watching it more than four decades after its release makes for a surprising experience. This is mostly because it’s a movie that’s essentially devoid of fight scenes, which makes it contrast starkly with most modern superhero blockbusters.
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This is far from a bad thing, though. If anything, it makesSupermaneven better, since its focus on the title character saving people and preventing disasters rather than fighting bad guys makes it surprisingly wholesome. It’s an exciting movie and features plenty of big moments and special effect sequences, even if it lacks “action scenes” in the traditional sense.
‘The Toxic Avenger’ (1984)
A gloriously messy mash-up of horror, gross-out comedy, and superhero movie,The Toxic Avengeris a cult classic that remains the best-known work released by Troma Entertainment. Make no mistake, though: this title character is definitely not a member of the more well-knownAvengers.
It parodies the typical comic book hero origin story by having its protagonist be a skinny young janitor who falls into a vat of toxic waste, which transforms him into a super-powered mutant. From that point onwards, he becomes a vigilante, violently dispatching criminals and intimidating all those who cross paths with him. It’s certainly an acquired taste, but it clearly found an audience, given it spawned a franchise and hasa remake that’s currently in post-production.
‘The Specials’ (2000)
One of the first (and unfortunately worst)movies written byJames Gunn,The Specialsis an ultra-low-budget movie featuring a cast full of superpowers who spend the whole movie not really fighting anything. The members of the titular squad sit around a house for most of the film and argue about various things, given their personalities are all pretty large and therefore subject to clashing.
It’s a novel concept, and there are brief bursts in the movie where it all works pretty well. When viewed as a precursor of sorts to better superhero comedies likeSuper(2010) or theGuardians of the Galaxyseries, it’s interesting, but otherwise isn’t a particularly great action-less superhero movie.
‘Sky High’ (2005)
Sky Highcombines a coming-of-age high school movie narrative with superhero characters to relatively entertaining effect. The main character juggles fitting in at a new school, living up to his parents, and battling a mysterious villain, all the while dealing with the fact that he hasn’t yet developed superpowers (which is unusual in the film’s world, and considering his parents are themselves legendary superheroes).
It certainly feels like a movie of its time, and is a little hokey, but gets by thanks to having a good heart and a surprisingly stacked cast. The action is minimal, with it being far more of a family-friendly/teen movie than one that features an intense, violent struggle between good and evil.
‘The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special’ (2022)
TheGuardians of the Galaxymovies can usually be relied on to deliver equal amounts of comedy and action, but 2022’sHoliday Specialwent off in a slightly different direction. The adventure here wasn’t about saving the galaxy, but giving Peter Quill (AKA Starlord) a memorable Christmas.
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Even if achieving this did involve a slightly dangerous mission centered on kidnappingKevin Bacon, this 45-minute special was still very light on action. It mostly worked though, being a nice, low-stakes adventure for fans to enjoy before the presumably heavier and more intenseGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3is released.
‘Chronicle’ (2012)
For anyone who’s ever questioned what a found-footage superhero movie would look like,Chronicle’syour answer. It centers on three high school friends who suddenly gain superpowers and document their shared experience, which starts exciting before things take a darker turn, leading to violence and tragedy.
Even if there are significant life-and-death stakes inChronicle, its found-footage presentation ensures it consistently feels more like a psychological thriller than an action movie. It’s a grounded andunique take on the standard superhero origin story, and executes its straightforward premise in a direct and satisfying manner.
‘The Iron Giant’ (1999)
The Iron Giantfeatures an unlikely superhero who breaks conventions by being a giant robot, rather than a human (or humanoid) being. It might not jump out as a superhero movie, but given the titular character’s arc throughout the film, it arguably qualifies as one, as he does end up saving the lives of many by the film’s end.
Hogarth, the young boy who befriends the Iron Giant and teaches him about morality and humanity is arguably just as much of a hero, too, as without him, the Iron Giant wouldn’t have been in the position to sacrifice himself the way he ended up doing. Overall, their bond makesThe Iron Gianta very wholesome animated movie that also functions as an unconventional superhero movie, and one without much traditional action to boot.
‘Glass’ (2019)
Glassis a sequel to bothUnbreakableand 2017’sSplit, tying the main characters from both of those earlier movies together to make for one grand finale. It largely takes place in a psychiatric facility where the three main characters interact and eventually face off against each other, feeling like a very small-scale and claustrophobic superhero-themed movie because of this setting and premise.
It’s a frustrating film at times, but it can’t be faulted for its originality and willingness to subvert expectations most likely have regarding the superhero genre. Even if it doesn’t feel like the kind of large-scale, action-packed finale you might expect from a concluding chapter to a trilogy, it at the very least features interesting characters and some strong performances. Also, the factGlassis intentionally provocative means it ends up being hard to forget, regardless of whether you end up loving or hating it.
