The holidays are a time of joy, love, and sometimes stress, and are the perfect time to watch beloved holiday movies and TV specials. There are many options for these, ranging from the kid-friendly to the more adult-focused. However, if you’re looking for something a little different, there are also some great superhero movies and TV episodes centered around the holidays. If you want to spend a fun, action-packed holiday with your favorite heroes, give these movies and shows a try.

8 Arrow - “Three Ghosts” (2013)

     Warner Bros. Television Distribution

As Arrow’s title hero, Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) has been through a lot: shipwrecked and assumed dead for years before returning home to fight crime. In this Christmas episode, more of his past is revealed when he hallucinates friends and enemies who make him face what happened in the past, how it’s shaping his present, and what he wants for his future. It’s a take on the plot of A Christmas Carol, and is effectively used to build Oliver’s character and help him feel like a real hero by the end.

7 Iron Man 3 (2013)

     Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Iron Man 3 sees Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) in a rough place after the events of The Avengers, and things only grow worse when he’s stranded in Tennessee at Christmastime, with no suit. Embracing some of the compassion of the holiday, Tony teams up with a young boy named Harley (Ty Simpkins) to investigate the Mandarin and rebuild his suit. The snowy Christmas setting adds a nice touch, and serves to exaggerate the loneliness Tony has felt. It also makes it even more heartwarming when he succeeds and is able to reunite with Pepper.

6 The Flash - “The Man in the Yellow Suit” (2014) and “The Present” (2016)

The Flash, about the title speedster Barry Allen (Grant Gustin), has had a great variety of Christmas episodes throughout its run. Two of the best are “The Man in the Yellow Suit” and “The Present.” “The Man in the Yellow Suit” is set in the first season, and features Barry finally facing off with his nemesis, the Reverse-Flash. Amid the intrigue and holiday cheer, the reveal of the Reverse-Flash also brings one of the show’s biggest twists ever, and makes it the best Arrowverse Christmas episode, per Comic Books Resources.

“The Present,” in season three, similarly features major reveals. Barry is thrown forward in time by villain Savitar, and sees that his girlfriend Iris (Candice Patton) is going to be killed soon. It sets up the season’s second half with the race against time, but it also sees the joy of Barry and Iris agreeing to move in together, and Wally getting his own Flash suit. Both are emotional and funny episodes with lots of action.

5 Hawkeye - “So This is Christmas?” (2021)

     Disney Platform Distribution

The whole Hawkeye series revolves around the holidays, with its winter time period. This episode properly features the holiday and its festivities, along with new revelations for Clint (Jeremy Renner) and Kate (Hailee Steinfeld). It all builds up to a great fight at Rockefeller Center, where Yelena (Florence Pugh) arrives to kill Clint for her sister Natasha’s death. In what ScreenRant considers one of the show’s most emotional moments, Clint reflects on his enormous loss in Natasha, which makes Yelena let him go. It ends with Clint and Kate embracing their partnership, family, and love for those they’ve lost.

4 The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022)

The superhero team returns to celebrate Christmas in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. Depressed after losing Gamora, Peter (Chris Pratt) is struggling to feel the holiday spirit, which makes Drax (Dave Bautista) and Mantis (Pom Klementieff) seek out his idol, Kevin Bacon, as a gift. From the Christmas story that Kraglin shares, to Drax and Mantis doing everything they can to give Peter a great Christmas, it celebrates the team and fully exudes the joy of the season – with a great singing cameo from Kevin Bacon to boot.

3 Batman: The Animated Series - “Christmas With the Joker” (1992)

Batman: The Animated Series is a beloved take on the classic hero, led by Kevin Conroy. In this Christmas episode, Batman’s arch-enemy, the Joker (Mark Hamill), gets things off to a great start by singing “Jingle Bells, Batman Smells.” After this humor, he shows his menace by taking hostages, including Commissioner Gordon, and threatening to kill them. Luckily, Batman and Robin save the day, but not before Joker gives Batman a Christmas present of pie in the face. It has just enough danger while ultimately being fun and entertaining for the holiday.

2 Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)

     Sony Pictures Releasing

Spider–Man: No Way Home opens with Peter (Tom Holland) facing the fallout from his identity reveal. When he asks Doctor Strange to reverse the revelation, the spell goes wrong and causes cracks in the multiverse, bringing in a variety of villains and past Spider-Men. It’s a touching, emotional tribute to Spider-Man as a whole, and it captures the Christmas themes of redemption and love perfectly. It even ends with a colorful shot of Spider-Man swinging around the tree at Rockefeller Center to drive home the Christmas cheer.

1 Batman Returns (1992)

     Warner Bros.

Batman Returns is Michael Keaton’s return outing as the hero, where he faces the likes of industrialist Max Shreck (Christopher Walken), the Penguin (Danny DeVito), and Catwoman (Michelle Pfeiffer) – all amid the spectacle and stress of the holidays. Strong villain performances and action sequences make it a great superhero movie, while its Christmas colors, a great holiday party scene, and themes like greed and goodness reflect the holiday spirit. It’s a darker vision of a typical holiday movie, with plenty of action and strong visuals.