Superhero movies are the most popular genre right now, but established heroes from previous source material like Spider-Man and Batman have much more chance of succeeding at the box office than an original creation. Unfortunately, the rights to a character like Superman or the Hulk are tough to get a hold of, whereas creating a new superhero doesn’t cost a penny.
After Pixar had introduced audiences to talking toys and sympathetic monsters, Brad Bird added a family of superheroes into the mix with his masterfully crafted action comedy The Incredibles. There are plenty of other great original superhero movies, too.
The Incredibles (2004)
After Pixar had taken audiences into the curious worlds inhabited by toys, insects, monsters, and fish, Brad Bird gave the studio its first human protagonists with a sharp, original superhero story: The Incredibles. The movie masterfully blends comic book spectacle with relatable family situations.
In addition to being a Watchmen-esque reflection on the superhero mythos in a world where superhumans are forced into hiding, The Incredibles is – like most Pixar movies – an emotionally engaging masterpiece with a brilliant script populated by rich, well-rounded characters.
The Specials (2000)
Unlike most superhero movies, The Specials has next to no action or special effects whatsoever. Instead, it follows the sixth or seventh most popular superhero team in the world on their day off, doing mundane everyday activities that are usually left out of big-budget comic book blockbusters.
The script was written by James Gunn, who went on to helm the Guardians of the Galaxy movies for Marvel. His earlier scripts, like Slither and Zack Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead remake, were decidedly darker.
Hancock (2008)
What if Superman didn’t have the natural proclivity to do good and was instead compelled to spend his days drinking booze? That’s the basic premise of Hancock, a superhero comedy starring Will Smith.
In the movie’s second half, it becomes a more traditional superhero story, but in its first half, it’s a dark comedy with an offbeat tone about an alcoholic who can fly.
Mystery Men (1999)
Sort of the anti-Avengers, Mystery Men is a superhero spoof revolving around a team of heroes who are too inept to actually save any lives. When their city is under threat, they try their best to protect it, but always fail.
When a new villain rises up, the Mystery Men have a chance to finally prove themselves. Such comedy greats as Ben Stiller, Janeane Garofalo, Hank Azaria, and Eddie Izzard appear in the movie.
Megamind (2010)
Six years after Pixar offered its take on the superhero concept with The Incredibles, DreamWorks offered up its own in the form of Megamind.
Will Ferrell voices the titular supervillain, who finds himself bored and without a real purpose after killing his arch nemesis, Metro Man, played by Brad Pitt.
The Matrix (1999)
The Wachowskis’ The Matrix isn’t a superhero movie in the traditional sense. Genre-wise, it’s more of a cyberpunk actioner, like if John Woo adapted a William Gibson novel.
But Keanu Reeves’ Neo character is, in many ways, a superhero. He’s a regular guy who discovers he has an extraordinary gift and spends the movie learning to harness that gift so he can defeat the bad guys and save the day.
Super (2010)
Before taking on established superheroes with the Guardians of the Galaxy movies, James Gunn created his own masked crimefighter for the 2010 dark comedy Super.
Rainn Wilson, a.k.a. Dwight Schrute, stars as a regular guy who decides to don a red costume, arm himself with a wrench, and start going by “the Crimson Bolt.”
Unbreakable (2000)
Almost a century after Superman made his debut in Action Comics, it’s tough to come up with a unique take on the superhero mythos, but M. Night Shyamalan provided a superhero story that was entirely his own with 2000’s Unbreakable.
Bruce Willis stars as a regular guy who realizes he has superhuman strength and Samuel L. Jackson co-stars as a comic book-obsessed man with a hidden dark side and a debilitating condition that weakens his bones.
RoboCop (1987)
In the opening scene of Paul Verhoeven’s RoboCop, a good cop named Alex Murphy is gunned down in the line of duty by a band of criminals. His remains are recovered by the force and he’s turned into a half-cyborg killing machine who will do the authoritarian bidding of Detroit’s police force in a dystopian near-future.
The movie has more than enough explosive action to satisfy as a superhero blockbuster, but it’s also a razor-sharp satire of totalitarianism and capitalism. Verhoeven’s satirical messages are even more relevant today than they were in the ‘80s.
Darkman (1990)
Long before he revolutionized the comic book movie genre with his Spider-Man trilogy, Sam Raimi created an original superhero for his underappreciated 1990 gem Darkman.
An homage to both superhero comics and Universal Monsters movies, Darkman stars Liam Neeson as a scientist who’s attacked and left for dead by a mob boss. His attempts to fix his horrific injuries give him superpowers, which he uses to exact revenge.