There’s no denying that comic book culture and mainstream society’s embracing of superheroes isn’t in any danger of disappearing, and Zack Snyder’s Justice League is arguably the most extravagant and sprawling projects of this nature. Classic superheroes have become cinema’s newest legends, but the work to get the DC Extended Universe in healthy shape hasn’t been easy

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The DCEU is still very much a work in progress, but that shouldn’t have much of an impact on the rest of superhero movies that are on the way. Superhero movies remain at an all time high and longer cinematic endeavors continue to happen, but some of these adventures are worth the lengthy runtime.

10 Zack Snyder’s Justice League Is An Undiluted Vision At 4 Hours

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It’s extremely unusual that the exhaustive fan campaigns that are akin to “Restore the Snyder Cut” actually prove to be successful, but that’s exactly why Zack Snyder’s Justice League is such an anomaly that’s worthy of discussion.

After the botched original theatrical release of Justice League, which also left the entire future of the DCEU in jeopardy, Snyder’s restored effort is a fascinating look into an uncompromised passion project. At 242 minutes long, Zack Snyder’s Justice League is exhausting, but it somehow works in spite of itself and uses its lengthy runtime to embrace the movie’s epic nature.

9 The Dark Knight Is 2 Hours, 32 Minutes & Worth Every Second

The Joker holding a card in The Dark Knight

It’s shocking to consider just how different superhero movies were back during the release of Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, the second chapter in his Batman trilogy. The Dark Knight is still considered one of the best superhero adaptations and Heath Ledger’s haunting performance as the Joker is a revelation.

Nolan’s movie gets lost in the crime and despair at 2 hours and 32 minutes, but it successfully builds tension. Nolan’s follow-up, The Dark Knight Rises, goes in the wrong direction with a longer movie that has less to offer.

8 The Oscar-Nominated Logan Earns Its 2 Hour, 21 Minute Length

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The evolution of the X-Men movies is quite fascinating considering the first entries helped kickstart the superhero movie trend in the early 2000s, only for the franchise’s final cinematic efforts to be the nadir of the genre.

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A lot of the X-Men movies worry too much about the team's large roster and complicated backstory, which Logan smartly ditches in favor of a moody, isolated movie that feels more like an art film. James Mangold’s exploration into Wolverine’s final days is a stunning departure for the superhero genre and a celebration of Hugh Jackman’s iconic performance in the role.

7 James Wan’s Aquaman Builds A Rich Aquatic World In 2 Hours, 22 Minutes

Anime Jason Momoa in Aquaman

The DCEU kicked off to a rough start, but there have been some creative efforts to come out of it that have allowed some ambitious filmmakers a decent playground to have some fun.

Aquaman is a hero that hasn’t always excited mainstream audiences, but Jason Momoa’s performance has brought in a lot of new fans. Aquaman is nearly two and half hours, but Wan’s movie understands the inherent ridiculousness of this character and his history. He makes a film that’s genuinely fun, full of wonder, and throws audiences into an exciting universe.

6 The Amazing Spider-Man Reboot Crams A Lot Into 2 Hours, 33 Minutes

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Spider-Man is one of the rare examples of a superhero that’s been given multiple cinematic opportunities and gone through several reboots to get the material right. The Amazing Spider-Man is Marc Webb’s reboot of the franchise with Andrew Garfield cast as the famous webslinger.

The movie suffers from many modern superhero film problems, namely that it’s overstuffed and is sometimes more concerned about setting up future movies than the one at hand. However, it still works more often than it doesn’t and establishes a strong start to a universe, whereas Webb’s sequel is nearly as long but even more crowded.

5 Wonder Woman Gives The DC Legend A Worthy Introduction At Just Under 2.5 Hours

Gal Gadot Wonder Woman Warner Bros Ready

The movies in the DCEU are far from perfect and feature many disparate tones, but the casting and performances are one of the strong suits, especially with Gal Gadot’s work as Wonder Woman. 

RELATED: 10 Ways The Snyderverse Can Repair The DCEU

Patty Jenkins’ origin story for the character is a minute under two and half hours, but it doesn’t feel bloated and it features the right balance between action and heart. It’s easy to get lost in Wonder Woman’s world building, whereas Wonder Woman 1984 is even longer and its length is both felt and also a detriment, unlike with its predecessor.

4 Snyder’s Ultimate Watchmen Experience Spends Over 3.5 Hours In Its Fractured World

Watchmen Cast

Zack Snyder is largely credited as the architect of the DCEU and its grim tone, but his previous work on Watchmen gives audiences the perfect preview of his extravagant nature. Watchmen is a foundational superhero text that has a lot of moving parts to it and Snyder’s complete version runs at 3 hours and 35 minutes.

Snyder’s take on Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' landmark graphic novel slightly misses the point of the source material, but it still has a lot to say and crafts some memorable visuals throughout its runtime. It’s a flawed epic, but one that’s still worth watching.

3 X-Men: Days Of Future Past Reconciles Two Movie Timelines At 2 Hours, 31 Minutes

Movie KITTY PRYDE APPEARANCES - X-Men Days of Future Past

The X-Men films eventually crumble under their own weight and both Apocalypse and Dark Phoenix destroy any goodwill that’s established with First Class and Days of Future Past, both of which are actually interesting and challenging takes on the material.

Days of Future Past explores one of the franchise’s most popular storylines and it delivers the perfect mix of apocalyptic action that showcases most of the cast and reflects the idea of teamwork that’s so essential to the X-Men. Days of Future Past is constantly busy and reframes the franchise, but its 2 hour and 31 minute length never feels exhausting.

2 Spider-Man 2 Is Sam Raimi’s Masterpiece And Finds Its Sweet Spot At 2 Hours, 15 Minutes

Spider-Man vs Doctor Octopus on the train

Sam Raimi’s original Spider-Man cinematic trilogy helped define modern superhero cinema and Spider-Man 2 is often held up as one of the best superhero movies of all time. Spider-Man 2 isn’t bogged down by an origin story and Peter Parker’s acclimation towards his powers. This sequel can explore deeper themes and get into the conflicted essence of the character.

2 hours and 15 minutes allows for some extensive action set pieces, but without getting out of control. Spider-Man 3 is another story at over 2 hours and 30 minutes and a muddled one that never gets a chance to breathe.

1 Avengers: Endgame Concludes A Decade Of Movies & Deserves Every Minute Of Its 3 Hours

Stony Stark Infinity Stones Avengers Endgame

Under normal circumstances a 3-hour superhero movie is a poor idea, but Avengers; Endgame is the culmination of 20 movies and the first decade of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It’s one of the few superhero movies where 3 hours and 2 minutes almost doesn’t seem long enough.

When combined with Infinity War’s 2 hours and 40 minutes, the combined epic runs at nearly 5 hours and 45 minutes. It will be difficult for the next crossover superhero event to top the likes of Endgame and it’s unclear if the MCU will ever do another movie that’s over 3 hours long.

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