The Best Marvel Movies and Shows to Watch at Christmas

Not many superhero movies or series are set on a holiday. But, if there’s any holiday that has received some mainstream superhero project love, it’s Christmas. What follows is every Marvel movie (and show) that’s set during the festive season.

DC has a pair of Christmastime superhero blockbusters under its belt. Specifically, Batman Returns and Shazam! And, while those are worth checking out, Marvel’s holiday movie lineup is arguably even better. Get your watchlist ready, you may think some of these flicks are worth watching twice.

Spider-Man (2002)

Thanksgiving and Christmas aren’t far apart, and a good movie’s a good movie no matter when you watch it. In other words, watching Sam Raimi’s Turkey Day-set Spider-Man during Christmastime could be a decision well worth making. Not to mention, Green Goblin looks like an Elf, even if not the type tinkering around in Santa’s workshop.

Still a blast over 20 years later, it’s a well-acted and sublimely paced blockbuster with as many laughs as set pieces. For those who have grown up watching Tom Holland’s Spidey films, Christmastime is as good a time as any to check out the early days of Spider-Man theatrical ventures from way back when. Though, for those who watched Raimi’s film in theaters, 20-plus years might not feel so long ago.

Iron Man 3 (2013)

Iron Man 3 has as many detractors as it does proponents — deservedly so, as it’s not one’s typical MCU adventure. Yet, few can argue that it’s pretty typical Shane Black.

This is most evident by the fact that the trilogy capper is set around Christmas. Some of the films he’s written and/or directed, like Lethal Weapon, The Long Kiss Goodnight, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang lean heavily into the holiday, while others are more subtle, such as The Last Boy Scout. Some just include a single Christmas-set scene, like The Nice Guys and The Predator. Iron Man 3 certainly skews more Lethal Weapon than The Last Boy Scout, in that holiday-focused regard. Yet, ironically enough, Black has since revealed that the sequel taking place in December was not his idea.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

If the falling snow wasn’t enough of an indication, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse co-writer Phil Lord has since confirmed the animated masterpiece is a Christmas film. But, outside the snow and a throwaway joke about Peter Parker singing on a holiday album (which eventually became a real thing), Into the Spider-Verse doesn’t really lean into the holiday season.

Regardless, Into the Spider-Verse and its sequel are truly terrific. The visuals are astonishing, and the focus on character is even more razor-sharp. It’s a great movie to watch alongside the kids, or even just solo as an adult.

Once Upon a Deadpool (2018)

Most parents would agree that Deadpool 2 is not a movie to show the kids. However, Once Upon a Deadpool, which is a reworking of that sequel, is probably fine. Unfortunately, it’s not as good, with much of the sequel’s edge excised in favor of a PG-13 rating and a bookending Princess Bride joke.

As of now, Once Upon a Deadpool is not available on Disney+, nor is it available to rent or buy on Amazon, though it can be purchased on Blu-ray. But, let’s be honest, it’s really just the sanitized version of what was already deemed by many the least effective entry of the trilogy. A trilogy for now, at least, because it’s hard to imagine the Merc with a Mouth ending his run of big-screen adventures with the box office behemoth Deadpool & Wolverine.

Hawkeye (2021)

One of the better Marvel Disney+ series released thus far, Hawkeye was the solo project the title character deserved after a decade of playing second-fiddle in larger MCU projects such as Captain America: Civil War and the Avengers movies. The miniseries wisely devotes enough time to both Clint Barton and newcomer Kate Bishop to both serve as a proper send-off and an organic introduction, respectively. Jeremy Renner seems to relish the opportunity to truly dive into a character who has often been written as rather flat, particularly in 2012’s The Avengers, where he spends much of the time as a brainwashed pawn of Loki.

Hailee Steinfeld is also wonderful as Bishop, imbuing her character with an ambitious but naive nature that works very well for a character at the beginning of her MCU run. Steinfeld is one of the most exciting recent additions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe casting lineup, and her rapport with Florence Pugh (returning as Yelena Belova after debuting in the same year’s Black Widow) is endearing. Perhaps better than both of them is Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez, aka Echo, who understandably received her own miniseries three years later. Echo is well-worth watching, but Hawkeye‘s the Christmas-set project that works even better around the holidays.

Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)

Sure, only one scene in Spider-Man: No Way Home is set during Christmas, but the whole film is a gift to fans. Serving as a wonderful way to catch up with Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s takes on the character, it’s a movie that many thought would never happen. And yet, it exists, and it’s hard to imagine it being any better.

Tom Holland is still the star of the show, but the film proves itself as a remarkably taut balancing act by not only giving Maguire some fun callback dialogue, but filling the void left by the unceremonious down-note ending of Garfield’s time as the character. Spider-Man: No Way Home is one of the MCU’s most rewatchable entries, so why not make the next viewing around Christmas?

[RELATED: Spider-Man’s Thanksgiving Scene Is Actually the Key to the Entire Movie]

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022)

They don’t get more blatantly Christmas-y than 2022’s The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. Effectively Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.5, James Gunn’s 42-minute mini-movie was the second Marvel Studios Special Presentation after the previous month’s Werewolf by Night. And, like Werewolf by Night, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is all-around solid.

Unlike Werewolf by Night, it’s essentially required viewing when it comes to MCU canon. It leads directly into Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, helping establish where the characters are emotionally after the events of Avengers: Endgame. And, by the end, two characters learn they truly are family.