For years now, superhero projects have dominated the entertainment space. There are multiple shared universes competing at the bo office, including the MCU (which is streaming with a Disney+ subscription) and the burgeoning DCU (which is streaming with a HBO Max subscription). The great Stephen King recently spoke about one thing the genre gets "wrong" and I've got to say that he makes a point. Let's break it all down.
Stephen King movies have always had a way of capturing the public's attention, so the acclaimed writer knows a thing or two about what makes a good film. While speaking with The Times about his upcoming horror movie The Long Walk, he offered one legit critique of comic book movies. In his words:
If you look at these superhero movies, you’ll see … some supervillain who’s destroying whole city blocks, but you never see any blood. And man, that’s wrong. It’s almost, like, pornographic.
Honestly, he's not wrong. Because most superhero movies are PG-13, the gore has to be toned down in order to make these projects appeal to a wider audience. But considering how much superhero action and fight sequences are part of the genre, there is a strange disconnect... especially when you see massive destruction as a result of these battles. Where's the blood?
This comment will likely ring true for fans, especially those of us who have spent years watching the Marvel movies in order. For me, this bit of cognitive dissonance became even more clear when watching bloody comic book movies likeThe Suicide Squad or Zack Snyder's Justice League. I mean, the latter saw Steppenwolf literally get decapitated in the final battle. In fact, gore was my biggest takeaway from the Snyder Cut, and I wish other comic book flicks would follow suit.
Later in this same interview, the horror icon related this critique to the next upcoming Stephen King movie approaching theaters: The Long Walk. Despite being centered around young men in a dystopian world, the flick didn't spare any graphic violence. In his words:
I said, if you’re not going to show it, don’t bother. And so they made a pretty brutal movie.
Indeed, CinemaBlend's The Long Walk review praised the "hardcore" nature of the horror movie, which continually raised the tension and stakes throughout its runtime. Early clips from the movie show its brutal nature, and it looks like a thrilling and anxiety-inducing theatrical experience.
King specifically referenced massive destruction scenes from comic book projects, like Man of Steel's final battle or the first two Avengers movies' affect on New York City and Sokovia respectively.
The Long Walk will hit theaters on September 12th as part of the 2025 movie release list. We'll just have to see if upcoming comic book projects give King the gore that he's been lacking.
