10 of the best alternative superhero movies
If Deadpool & Wolverine has whetted your superhero appetite, check out these lesser-known superhero films
Is the age of the superheroes over? Sure, the MCU might have peaked with the stunning crescendo of the Infinity Saga, but Deadpool and Wolverine was a blast. And while the DCEU remains a mostly hot mess, hopes are high that the franchise has steered back into the good hands of director James Gunn, starting with 2025’s Superman.
However, even these franchises are looking to slow their output of superhero movies. So if you still haven’t had your fill of gold titanium alloy suits, red “S” capes and bejewelled Infinity gauntlets, you might be craving some classic caped capers.
Thankfully, there’s still a huge pantheon of alternative superhero movies around. These crusaders might be lesser known than Wayne, Prince, Stark, and Rogers, so maybe they’ve underperformed at the box office or are underrated in their own right. However, these small-time paragons are absolutely worth seeking out.
Super (2010)
Director James Gunn always brings our favourite actors into the melee, and with Super, he hit the motherlode, uniting Rainn Wilson, Elliot Page and the legendary Kevin Bacon into this blackly comic superhero flick.
Wilson plays humble fry cook Frank, who adopts the mantle of the Crimson Bolt when his wife ends up in the clutches of Bacon’s drug lord Jacques. Along the way, he’s joined by plucky yet disturbed sidekick Boltie, played by Page.
As a violent, gory movie that mocks the glorification of violence in film, it’s tonally all over the place but has enough energy and humour for a good time. Plus, Wilson is as captivating as ever as the troubled vigilante. “Shut up, crime!”
Unbreakable (2000)
Back during the days when big screen auteur M. Night Shyamalan could do no wrong, Unbreakable was a rousing slow burn about the mythos of superhero lore. Ordinary single dad David Dunn is the miraculous lone survivor of a devastating train crash, which earns him the attention of art dealer Elijah Price.
Shyamalan shies away from flying heroes and building-busting brawls, instead focusing on this origin story of two very different people finding and embracing their purpose, fate and powers. It’s a wonderfully grounded tale that didn’t set the box office ablaze on release, but since then, it’s garnered cult-level praise as one of Shyamalan’s best works.
Defendor (2009)
Defendor arrived with little fanfare and disappeared from consciousness even more quickly, as a tragi-comedy superhero tale that proved just too difficult to market. Despite that, there’s plenty to enjoy, not least Woody Harrelson, who holds this film together with an adorably naive charm and copious duct tape.
Harrelson plays Arthur Poppington, a man with mental health issues, an unyielding sense of justice and a questionably unquestionable moral code.
Assuming the duct-taped getup of Defendor, Arthur embarks upon a twisted vigilante quest to bring Captain Industry to justice, the villain he believes is responsible for his mother’s death. You can’t help but root for the hilariously outmatched hero, as he uses everything at his disposal, including angry wasps, handfuls of marbles, and a construction vehicle to take down a corrupt system.
Darkman (1990)
If you blitzed the Phantom of the Opera, Mission Impossible, Evil Dead and Batman together, you’re only skin deep into Darkman, a revenge tale featuring the burned and disfigured yet brilliantly named Dr. Peyton Westlake.
Horror legend Sam Raimi tried and failed to snap up the rights to The Shadow, so he devised a brand new superhero (as you do). Enter Darkman, master of disguise and wearer of more faces than Ethan Hunt and Arya Stark combined.
Featuring lots of wincing body horror (watch those fingers) and a delightful cache of 90s practical effects, Liam Neeson is having the time of his life playing the burned vigilante, out to wreak vengeance on the slimy gang that left him for dead.
Darkman has plenty of Raimi’s trademark dark silliness and fast, frenetic editing, making for one wild funhouse ride. By the way, if Liam Neeson tells you to take a pink elephant, you take the pink elephant.
Rocketeer (1991)
Director Joe Johnston perfectly evokes the heroes of cinema’s silver age with Rocketeer, which eventually became the ideal job pitch for him to helm Captain America: The First Avenger exactly 20 years later.
Billy Campbell’s Cliff Secord stumbles upon a prototype jetpack, giving its wearer the power to soar the skies in this pulpy pre-WW2 action adventure film. The whole thing is expertly held together with a decent cast list, including the wonderful Jennifer Connelly and Timothy Dalton channelling a devious Errol Flynn-alike. Just think of this as an Indiana Jones of the skies, with epic jawlines, shady mobsters, horrific henchmen and, of course, Nazis.
Sadly, it vastly underperformed at the box office, with relatively unknown leads and lacklustre marketing not putting bums on seats. That said, don’t pass on this one. It’s got enough earnest charm, old school Hollywood magic and hammy performances to make you love superheroes again.
The Crow (1994)
This gothed-up revenge tale is infamous for star Brandon Lee’s tragic on-set death, mirroring his onscreen counterpart Eric Draven, which only served to entice the morbidly curious.
In more ways than one, The Crow is an extremely dark film, as Draven returns from the grave, resurrected by the mysterious eponymous bird and bestowed with supernaturally-enhanced powers and senses to avenge the brutal killing of his fiance.
It’s the late Lee’s magnetic and energetic performance here that shines as a beacon against a grungy soundtrack and midnight-black tone and set design that makes The Matrix seem like the Maldives. Bleaker than Batman, darker than Del Toro, The Crow has cemented its status as a cult favourite.
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010)
Has there ever been a greater pairing than a videogame and manga-inspired comic book movie and Spaced director Edgar Wright?
Bringing together an all-star ensemble, including Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieran Culkin, Brie Larson, Chris Evans and Anna Kendrick, Wright drags Bryan Lee O’Malley’s comic, already alive with its anime visuals and 8-bit sensibilities, on the big screen and turns the colour, humour and flair up to 11.
When Cera’s Scott Pilgrim falls for dream girl Ramona Flowers, he gets challenged by all her exes, a motley crew of ass-kicking characters. Sure, the stakes aren’t that high, and the videogame-esque whimsy robs the film of real peril, but when you have so many memorable characters, a banging soundtrack, a frenetic pace and eye-popping visuals, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is the superhero film we deserve.
Sky High (2005)
Sometimes, superhero flicks needn’t be gritty, dark, or even realistic. Back in 2005 (simpler times), director Mike Mitchell, former helmer of Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo, gave us Sky High, where teenage superheroes go to school. I guess even superkids need GCSEs.
Super schmaltzy on the surface, Sky High might seem like a cheesefest before supes went all Batman Begins, with its use of primary colours, bright cinematography and strictly PG-rated action. However, it throws in some superhero spoofery without cattiness or cynicism. And while its 20-year special effects are fairly janky by today’s standards, there’s a lot of heart in this earnest tale of the rise of Will Stronghold, a seemingly non-super teen struggling to step out from his parents’ shadow. Plus, Lynda Carter plays Sky High’s principal and Bruce Campbell stars as unforgiving gym teacher Coach Boomer — where do we enrol?
Chronicle (2012)
This found footage tale about three teenagers who gain superpowers after encountering a mysterious glowing meteor was way ahead of its time. Because what kid wouldn’t engage in TikTok-esque pranks if they had the power of flight, telekinesis or super strength? How about boss games of beer pong? Or impress the entire school with magic? Chuck American footballs around at 30,000 ft? Absolutely.
Director Josh Trank and screenwriter Max Landis instantly understand how to make this cautionary supertale work. It’s not about the powers, but the people. The powers are just an over-exaggeration of the drama unfolding around these kids’ very different lives. The story revolves around Dane Dehaan’s Andrew, who develops a shaky sense of morality thanks to his abusive relationship with his father.
Chronicle ties a well-written story, engaging characters and excellent effects, considering its paltry $15m budget.
Kick-Ass (2010)
If you’ve had enough of Iron Man tickling enemies with laser blasts or Spider-Man sending people to the land of nod, Kick-Ass serves up a brutally bloody yet comedic superhero film.
Dave Lizewski is a superhero-obsessed teen who decides to become his own hero, Kick-Ass. After getting on the receiving end of some brutal beatdowns, one of which goes viral, Dave gains the attention of “proper” superheroes Big Daddy and his foul-mouthed daughter, Hit-Girl. However, he also gains the attention of Mark Strong’s furious mob boss Frank D’Amico.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson gives a solid performance as the likeable yet naive hero-in-training, but it’s Chloë Moretz’s pint-sized pulveriser Hit-Girl who steals the show, bolstered by a touching performance from an eccentric Nic Cage.
Grounded without being overly gritty, Kick-Ass offers up an uber-violent take on the genre, with wincing action and plenty of colour both in its palette and profanities.
Matt Ng
