It may seem like a no-brainer now, but the ubiquity of the superhero film wasn't quite so assured before Marvel's Iron Man way back in 2008. For decades previously, studios had attempted to convert comic book stories into box office grosses with superhero films of every tone and style. Below, we list some of the best, most overlooked, and bizarre pre-MCU superhero movies that you've probably never seen.
Darkman
When Dr. Peyton Wilder (Liam Neeson) is left physically and mentally scarred after a brutal assault by a pack of thugs, he develops a synthetic skin that allows him to change his face at will. Out for revenge against the mob boss who targeted him, Wilder dons the persona of Darkman to fight back.
Sam Raimi, visionary creator of the Evil Dead series based the film on a short story he wrote paying homage to 1930s Universal Horror cycle. Though it did well commercially, it's been largely forgotten but has remained a cult film for those enamored with its gothic heart and gruesomely over the top sensibility.
Mystery Men
When Champion City’s sworn protector, Captain Amazing (Greg Kinnear) is kidnapped, seven upstart wannabe heroes band together to rescue him from the villainous Casanova Frankenstein (Geoffrey Rush). With powers such as silverware tossing, deadly bowling skills, shovel swinging, unpredictable invisibility, and fatal flatulence, the Mystery Men may not be the champions the city needs, but what they deserve.
Very loosely based on Bob Burden’s Flaming Carrot Comics, Director Kinka Usher’s film was one of the first to mine comedy from second-rate superheroes. With a great cast, including Hank Azaria, Ben Stiller, Janeane Garofalo, and William H. Macy, Mystery Men is a superhero spoof that appeals to the lovable loser in us all.
The Rocketeer
When All-American stunt pilot Cliff (Bill Campbell) discovers a top-secret, stolen government issue jet pack, he crafts a helmet and becomes “The Rocketeer” to go toe-to-toe with Nazis who want the pack for themselves. But when his girlfriend, wannabe actress Jenny (Jennifer Connelly) finds herself in danger at the hands of swashbuckling film star/Nazi sleeper agent Neville Sinclair (Timothy Dalton) Cliff must spring into action to save the day.
One of Disney’s earliest forays in the superhero genre, director Joe Johnston cut his teeth on this high-flying adventure which lead him to helm the similarly spirited period piece Captain America: The First Avenger in 2013. Combining plenty of all-American can-do spirit, charmingly lo-fi special effects, and the finest 1930s action outside an Indiana Jones film, The Rocketeer isn’t just a great forgotten superhero effort but deserves to be named among the best in the genre.
The Heroic Trio
Newborn babies of royal lineage are being kidnapped by an invisible assailant and delivered to a supernatural force known as the Evil Master. With the police powerless to stop it, three women united by a monstrous past must team up to defeat Evil Master and save the children.
Featuring a veritable who’s who of Hong Kong film stars (Anita Mui, Maggie Cheung, Michelle Yeoh), The Heroic Trio proves just how woefully late Hollywood is to the party in regards to female-led superhero movies. A chaotic and kinetic actioner with a spectacular cast of powerful ladies, The Heroic Trio could hand Captain Marvel’s butt to her and then some.
Swamp Thing
When genius botanist Dr. Alec Holland (Ray Wise) is placed under the protection of special agent Alice Cable to protect his project to solve world hunger, mad scientist Anton Arcane (Louis Jordan) puts a kink in their plans — leading to an accident that transforms Holland into the fecund superhero, Swamp Thing.
A campier effort from the characteristically cerebral Wes Craven, Swamp Thing has never quite attained the audience it deserves. Thankfully (or unfortunately, depending on your view) fans of the recent, prematurely canceled DC Universe will have to return to Craven’s film for their Swamp Thing fix.
The Phantom
Kit Walker (Billy Zane) isn't just your average 1930s gentleman, but the 21st Phantom; the latest in a line of men to don the mask and magical ring of the purple-suited crusader to defeat their immortal enemies, the Singh Brotherhood. When Walker finds that the brotherhood has found a new ally in the power-hungry business mogul Xander Drax, he has to stop them before its too late.
As a forgotten character from the golden era of comics, many directors expressed interest in helming an adaptation (including Sergio Leone and Joe Dante) and it's hard not to wonder what a better director than Simon Wincer might have done with the material. Though The Phantom met the same fate as the similarly old-fashioned The Rocketeer at the time—belly-flopping at the box office and quickly forgotten—the former just doesn’t have the same heart and verve of the latter. Still, for old-school, cornball superhero entertainment, one could do a lot worse.
Doctor Mordrid
Charles Band’s knock-off of the Doctor Strange character stars Jeffrey Combs as Anton Mordrid, a wizard sent to Earth to stop the evil wizard Kabal in his unholy mission to pry open the gates of Hell. Having followed Kabal’s progress in tracking down the philosopher’s stone to complete the ritual for 150 years, Mordrid senses a battle against evil on the horizon and poses as a criminal psychologist.
Most of the films released by the direct-to-video production company, Full Moon Features, are rightly regarded as shoddy and forgettable, and though Doctor Mordrid won’t change any minds, it has a secret weapon in Jeffrey Combs. The notoriously underrated actor really sells the schlocky, D-grade material, and perhaps for the first and only time, the piss-poor effects and all around roughshod nature of this Full Moon feature turn out to be charming instead of frustrating.
Zebraman
When hapless third-grade teacher and family man Shinichi Ichikawa finds himself fed up with his unfaithful wife, loose daughter, and punching bag of a son, he adopts the persona of Zebraman, a character from a failed 1970s TV series. When he starts developing actual superpowers spurred by his nighttime exploits, he learns that there’s more to Zebraman and the mysterious tv series than he initially thought possible.
A whacky and playful yarn, Zebraman is a surprisingly family-friendly dark comedy from the iconoclastic and controversial Takashi Miike. With conspicuously cheap special effects and wildly fluctuating tone, the film is a loving homage to Ultra Man and Power Rangers told in a go-for-broke, punch-drunk fashion as only Miike could devise.
Supergirl
After the Omegahegron, the object that powers Argo City is blown into space, Kara Zor-El (cousin of Superman) must go on a mission to recover it from Earth. But this is easier said than done, as a sorceress named Selena is in possession of the object and seeks to use it to achieve her own nefarious ends.
Supergirl is an infamous turkey that sought to ride the coattails of the Superman films, and time hasn’t altered its quality one iota. Still, fans of unintentional camp will find a lot to enjoy here with Dunaway chewing the scenery as only she could, and a pre-Legend of Billie Jean Helen Slater who’ll give you serious hair envy.
Sgt. Kabukiman NYPD
The clumsy Detective Harry Griswold (Rick Gianasi) is investigating a string of murders of Kabuki actors when he witnesses thugs gun down an entire cast during a performance. With his dying breath, one of the actors blesses Harry with the powers of Kabuki — transforming him into Kabukiman, a superhero who must stop the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy that will lead to the enslavement of the entire world.
Troma Studios has always been synonymous with offensiveness and bad taste, and Sgt. Kabukiman NYPD is no exception. Though the racial insensitivity is off the charts (Kabukiman literally rolls people up into human sushi), director Lloyd Kaufman was reportedly approached by two of Namco’s head honchos who put up money for a Kabuki-themed superhero film.
Though off-color, its family-friendly (using that term as loosely as humanly possible) tone and slapstick style give Sgt. Kabukiman NYPD a disarmingly naive sensibility that helps diffuse any hang-ups the viewer may have about the content. At the end of the day, Sgt. Kabukiman NYPD may not be the most PC superhero joint, but it’s a wondrously goofy sendup of the genre.