Though superhero movies gross billions of dollars at a time these days, as they feature incredible special effects and Oscar-caliber performances, that wasn’t always the case, and it took a good couple of decades to get to that point. The 1990s saw superhero movies grow in popularity, as studios realized there was money to be made in these existing properties, but they were far from perfect.
The movies were filled with hammy acting, silly premises, rubber suits, and the source material wasn’t taken seriously at all. However, there were some gems amongst them, from cult hits to guilty pleasures, even if the best of the best are far from universally acclaimed.
The Shadow (1994) - 6.1
The character of the Shadow predates most comic book heroes, as he was originally the subject of 1930s pulp novels, which then became radio dramas that were even voiced by Orson Welles. There have even been six movie adaptations of the character, but the most interesting by far is the 1994 version.
In the movie, the Shadow goes up against an antagonist who claims to be a descendent of Genghis Khan, but the movie is generally considered too kitschy with ghastly special effects.
Black Mask (1995) - 6.1
Black Mask doesn’t have anything to do with the Batman villain, but it is instead a Hong Kong superhero movie starring Jet Li, and it’s considered underrated by many who have seen it.
The movie is full of thrills, as both bullets and bodies are flying in almost every scene, but it’s let down by a plot stretched too thin. It is essentially one big homage to The Green Hornet, as the titular hero wears a domino mask and a chauffeurs cap, just like Kato in Hornet.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: The Secret Of The Ooze (1991) - 6.1
Quickly capitalizing on the massive success of the first movie that came a year beforehand, The Secret of the Ooze didn’t quite capture the same magic of the pizza-loving turtles from the first movie.
The original movie wasn’t exactly a riveting masterpiece, but for what it was, it did the job. Ooze is a serviceable enough follow-up, but as the studio attempted to tone down the violence of the original by featuring mostly hand-to-hand combat instead of seeing the turtles use their weapons, it affected the end product.
Darkman (1990) - 6.4
As the movie is completely unique and isn’t adapted from any source material, Sam Raimi actually created Darkman because he wanted to make a Batman movie, but the studio wouldn’t let him.
The result is an overlooked action movie masterpiece people have probably never seen. Darkman follows a scientist whose face is disfigured by an accident in the lab and is ultimately left for dead but then sets out for revenge on those very people who left him. The movie even became a series, with two follow-up movies that were direct-to-DVD, but they didn’t exactly get the same reception.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) - 6.8
The Secret of the Ooze might be a satisfactory TMNT movie, but the original film has all the classic staples of why they’re so beloved.
Between Pizza Hut sponsoring the movie, Jim Henson’s original costumes, the ridiculous humor, and, of course, the bro talk between the turtles themselves, entertained an entire generation of kids. It began a whole empire of a franchise, as though TMNT was a comic series first, the movie turned it into the Goliath series it is today.
The Mask (1994) - 6.9
The Mask is more an anti-hero than anything, as instead of saving the day, he procrastinates by playing pranks and robbing banks. The movie is a forgotten 1990s gem, as it’s full of that classic Jim Carey comedy, some hilariously Beetlejuice influenced musical numbers, and it even subtly inspired modern-day movies.
Through a modern-day lens, it hasn’t aged brilliantly, as it’s overly violent and has some questionable jokes for a family-friendly movie, which might explain its score on IMDb. But as far as 90s superhero movies go, this is top tier.
Batman Returns (1992) - 7.0
Being the second Batman movie directed by Tim Burton, the iconic director ramped up the gothic vibe tenfold. With Batman Returns being set during Christmas, featuring a leather-clad Catwoman, and Danny Devito as the raw fish-eating penguin, Burton took the source material quite literally, which divided fans of the first movie.
But Batman Returns has somewhat of a cult following, as it’s loved by many for those exact things. And with Michael Keaton back in the rubber suit, his quirky take on the troubled Bruce Wayne was as fun as ever, which is why he should return to the role.
Blade (1998) - 7.1
When it came to superhero movies in the 90s, studios didn’t immediately realize how they could get bigger audiences by turning violent comic books into more family-friendly affairs. But that at least meant that fans would be getting unfiltered visceral violence lifted straight from the pages of the comic book.
And that was no different with 1998’s Blade, as it was drenched in blood splatter and oozed coolness. With an upcoming reboot planned, which will be a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it’s unclear as to whether it’ll be R-rated or not, but it’ll have to be if it wants to outdo the original.
The Crow (1994) - 7.6
Though it’s known mostly for the on-set fatality of lead actor Brandon Lee, The Crow is one of the most beloved movies of the 90s. Not only was it critically praised despite its production setbacks, but it has a huge cult following too.
It’s more gothic than Batman, as the movie follows a rock musician who is out to get revenge for his fiancée’s abuse and murder. The movie even has three sequels, but they are all unquestionably bad, with the fourth entry having the shockingly low score of 3.0 on IMDb.
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993) - 7.8
There is a whole ocean of animated Batman movies, and many of them are great, but Mask of the Phantasm, which actually had a theatrical release, remains the crown jewel. Some fans even think Mask of the Phantasm is better than any live-action Batman movie, and it really does give them a run for their money.
Mask of the Phantasm did something no live-action movie would ever dare do, which is to introduce a completely original villain, and it was an extremely mature take on why Bruce Wayne decided to take on his alter ego.