Top 25 Non-DC/Marvel Superhero Films
When it comes to superheroes, there are two giants. No matter what media you look at: comics, TV, film, Marvel & DC are always on top of this genre. However, there are always some non-DC or Marvel projects that can rise to popularity. With TV, ‘The Boys’ & ‘Invincible’ are perhaps better than anything either of the juggernauts have put out. When it comes to film, none of these movies quite reach the success level of the big guys, but are notable films nonetheless. I tried to keep it to movies that really fit into the superhero genre & this list is limited to live action movies.
Chronicle- This 2012 Josh Trank film is different from any other film on this list because of its style. It’s a found footage thriller about three teenagers who develop telekinetic powers after an encounter with an unknown object. We see the three boys, played by Michael B. Jordan, Dane DeHaan, & Alex Russell all react differently to their newfound abilities.
Unbreakable- M. Night Shyamalan’s 2000 thriller stars Bruce Willis as David Dunn, a security guard who gains super strength & invulnerability. The film stars Samuel L. Jackson as the villian Elijah Price, who takes the name Mr. Glass and enacts a series of events to intertwine he and Dunn. The film had a sequel in 2019, ‘Glass’ that connects it and 2017’s ‘Split.’
Mystery Men- Starring an ensemble of Ben Stiller, Hank Azaria, William H. Macy, Kel Mitchell, Paul Reubens, & Janeane Garofalo as the titular team, this comedy film is really a parody on common superhero tropes. The members of the Mystery Men all have niche, and mostly useless, powers that they must use to defeat Casanova Frankenstein (Geoffrey Rush), after Captain Amazing (Greg Kinnear) goes missing.
The Crow- This 1994 film is unfortunately more well known for what happened behind the scenes. Based on James O’Barr’s ‘The Crow’ it stars Brandon Lee in the title role, and Lee tragically died while filming. Lee stars as Eric Draven a dead rock musician who is resurrected and seeks revenge on the men who killed him.
Hancock- Starring Will Smith as the titular character, this film also stars Charlize Theron & Jason Bateman. Hancock is a drunk & careless crime fighter with a cantankerous disposition. I won’t spoil the film, but will say that as it progresses, both we and Hancock learn that everything isn’t as it initially seems.
Sky High- Produced by Disney, this 2005 comedy stars Michael Angarano as a teenage boy who is the son of the world’s two greatest superheroes (Kurt Russell & Kelly Preston) and starts his career at superhero school. The film features a variety of memorable characters played by an ensemble including: Danielle Panabaker, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Steven Strait, Nicholas Braun, Lynda Carter, Bruce Campbell, Dave Foley, Cloris Leachman, & Jim Rash.
Super- Before he took over DC Studios, and even before he had directed ‘Guardians of the Galaxy,’ James Gunn had his first superhero outing with this 2010 original film. Starring Rainn Wilson as The Crimson Bolt, a man who decides to don a cape and mask despite his lack of any superhuman abilities. It has drawn many comparisons to ‘Kick-Ass’ which was released very close to this film.
Hellboy- There are a handful of comic heroes that belong to neither DC or Marvel that have reached a huge popularity level. Most of them have had some sort of film adaptation and some of those are the next few entries. Dark Horse’s Hellboy is one of these characters and has had four films made about him. Guillermo del Toro’s 2004 ‘Hellboy’ & it’s sequel ‘Hellboy II: The Golden Army,’ star Ron Perlman as the red skinned hero, while it’s two separate reboots 2019’s ‘Hellboy’ & 2024’s ‘Hellboy: The Crooked Man’ starred David Harbour & Jack Kesy, respectively. Quite honestly, I had no idea a new Hellboy film was coming out this year until I started writing this.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles- The greatest superhero team to come from outside the big 2, TMNT is one of my all-time favorite franchises. The heroes in a half-shell have had two different sets of live action films first with a trilogy in the 90s & then 2014’s ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,’ and its sequel. These films star a variety of actors but all feature Leo, Donnie, Raph, Mikey, Splinter, April, & the Shredder.
Judge Dredd- The character known as Judge Dredd originated in the British sci-fi maganize, 2000 AD. The first film centered on the character came out in 1995 & starred Sylvester Stallone. A reboot came out in 2012, starring Karl Urban.
Flash Gordon- This 1980 cult classic is described as a ‘space opera superhero film’ and stars Sam J. Jones as Gordon, a star quarterback who fights the oppressive Ming the Merciless (Max von Sydow) who is bent on Earth’s destruction. It is described as an extremely campy film, in a genre that is inherently campy.
The Mask- Based on Dark Horse’s comic of the same name, here we Jim Carrey playing Stanley Ipkiss. Ipkiss is a bank employee who discovers the Mask of Loki, a green mask that lets him alter his surroundings at will.
Spawn- This dark, edgy character originates from Image Comics. One of the first superhero films to feature an African-American lead, Michael Jai White plays the role, it also features John Leguizamo & Martin Sheen. A reboot with Jamie Foxx attached has been in development hell for decades, but will hopefully get made soon.
The Green Hornet- A 2011 comedy about a rich newspaper publisher (Seth Rogen) who becomes the masked crime fighter The Green Hornet, this film is based on a character who originated in a radio series before starring in film serials & a popular 60s TV show. The show introduced Western audiences to Bruce Lee as Kato, a role taken on by Jay Chou in this film.
Darkman- An original film from the mind of Sam Raimi, ‘Darkman’ follows Liam Neeson’s Dr. Peyton Westlake who is horribly disfigured by a mob boss. An experimental treatment grants him superpowers and grows his taste for vengeance to those who wronged him in the past.
The Rocketeer- A 1991 period piece from Disney, ‘The Rocketeer’ is set in 1938 LA and stars Billy Campbell as Clifford Secord a stunt pilot who finds a jetpack and uses it to fight crime. The film also features Jennifer Connelly, Alan Arkin, Paul Sorvino, Terry O’Quinn, & Timothy Dalton in major roles.
Up, Up and Away- Another Disney film, this one was actually a direct to TV film, debuting on Disney Channel in 2000. It’s a comedy about a boy with no powers who is a part of family filled with superheroes, and his quest to find his purpose.
Zoom- This Razzie-nominated 2006 movie stars Tim Allen as Captain Zoom, a former superhero with super speed. His character is reluctantly brought in to train a new young team of heroes from impending doom. The ensemble also features Chevy Chase, Courteney Cox, Spencer Breslin, Ryan Newman, Rip Torn, & Kate Mara.
Underdog- Based on the 60s cartoon of the same name, this film features Jason Lee’s voice talents in the main role, with Amy Adams & Brad Garrett also lending to their voices. The live action cast stars Jim Belushi, Patrick Warburton, Taylor Momsen, John Slattery, & Peter Dinklage as the villainous Dr. Barsinister.
Superhero Movie- This parody film comes in the same vain as ‘Scary Movie’ or ‘Not Another Teen Movie’ and spoofs films like ‘Spider-Man,’ ‘Batman Begins,’ ‘Fantastic 4,’ & ‘X-Men: The Last Stand.’ It stars Drake Bell as Dragonfly, supported by Christopher McDonald, Kevin Hart, Leslie Nielsen, Jeffrey Tambor, & Regina Hall. It also features well known Marvel characters Professor X, Human Torch, The Invisible Girl, Wolverine, & Storm, with Tracy Morgan & Pamela Anderson as Professor X & The Invisible Girl.
Code 8- This 2019 Canadian film stars cousins Stephen & Robbie Amell as two men who live in a world filled with super powered individuals. It was followed up by a sequel released on Netflix in 2024.
Secret Headquarters- A 2022 comedy, Owen Wilson stars as The Guard, a man who is estranged from his son, Charlie, (Walker Scobell) and follows the relationship between the two as Charlie begins to discover his father’s secret.
Blankman- Another parody film, this one was written by and stars Damon Wayans as Darryl AKA Blankman, who is inspired by his grandmother’s death to clean up crime in his neighborhood. The film also features David Alan Grier as Darryl’s brother who takes the pseudonym Otherman.
Brightburn- Produced by James Gunn and written by his brothers Brian & Mark, this superhero horror is a ‘What If?’ of sorts. It follows an alien boy who crash landed on Earth as a baby and has an array of powers that he uses with evil intentions.
SuperBob- If you’ve ever heard of this movie before reading it here please let me know. This movie somehow ended up on my never-ending watchlist of films and is a 2015 low-budget British comedy. It features Laura Haddock, Natalia Tena, & Catherine Tate in supporting roles and stars Brett Goldstein (Yes! Roy Kent!) as a postman named Bob who gets hit by a meteorite and develops superpowers. So I haven’t watched it yet, but I plan to (eventually), and when I do you can find my review here on the blog!
