Superhero movies have essentially been a race between comic giants DC Comics and Marvel. It’s come to a point where the year’s biggest blockbuster will either be a Marvel film or a DC film, with Marvel often taking the lead. Gone are the days when the two comic publishers battled it out in the pages of comics. Their legendary characters are now just as, if not more, popular onscreen than ever before.
Updated May 2023: This article has been updated to include even more superhero movies for your enjoyment and reflect recent announcements to some comic book properties mentioned.
However, not all comic book adaptations are strictly from Marvel or DC. Every now and then, an original superhero film is made, or one is adapted from smaller creator-owned comic book publishers. These films are few and far between, but they do exist. Some even stand up against the best that Marvel and DC have had to offer. These are the best non-Marvel or DC superhero films.
12 The Green Hornet
The Green Hornet is an adaptation of an old radio serial superhero. A film version of the Green Hornet had been in development for years and finally hit the big screen in 2011 by director Michael Gondry with a script by Seth Rogen, who also starred as the titular hero alongside Jay Chou as Kato. To distinguish Green Hornet from other wealthy heroes with no powers, like Batman and Iron Man, the filmmakers decided to make him a joke, with Kato being the truly skilled hero.
Green Hornet was a movie slightly ahead of its time. It was a movie commenting, parodying, and subverting superhero expectations, but still, when the genre was relatively new. The MCU only had released three movies by the time Green Hornet came out, and superhero movies were not the dominant box office force they are today. While audiences now love movies like Deadpool or show like The Boys (which Rogen also produces), which mock superhero conventions, Green Hornet was doing it way before.
11 Hancock
Hancock provided Will Smith with a superhero vehicle led solely by him as opposed to a corporate or brand name attached to it. Smith had long been approached to play superhero projects, even being offered Superman at one point. While the star would later join the DC Universe in Suicide Squad as Deadshot, Hancock was Smith’s first big superhero project.
The premise of the movie was unique at the time: the story of an amnesiac superhero who causes more damage than good. Instead of being a noble figure, he was drunk and rude. It was a funny entry at a time, and despite some tonal issues, Hancock was a solid original creation by director Peter Berg. Hancock opened in the summer of 2008 between the release of Iron Man and The Dark Knight. While those two movies would redefine superhero movies for Marvel and DC, Hancock showed there was still plenty of room for originality.
10 Super
Before Guardians of The Galaxy, director James Gunn opted to create his very own superhero with Super. This was his second major attempt at an original superhero movie after the 2000 film, The Specials. Super is an original superhero film that stars Rainn Wilson as a nerdy fry cook who decides to turn himself into a costumed vigilante after his wife leaves him for a drug dealer. This dark comedy showcased Gunn’s ability to mix humor and drama, which would serve him well when he finally did make the jump into adapting a Marvel property with Guardians of the Galaxy.
9 Darkman
Sam Raimi may be known as the director of the original Spider-Man, trilogy and, most recently, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. However, his first foray into the world of superheroes was his own original creation Darkman. After attempts to adapt The Shadow and Batman failed, Raimi created Darkman as an homage to pulp heroes. Liam Neeson played the titular hero, a badly burned man hellbent on revenge. The dark, horror-inspired story scared Universal executives into demanding a cut of the film, one that Raimi ended up changing at the last minute without Univesal’s knowledge.
8 The Rocketeer
Before Iron Man, Disney had created its own superhero film starring a high-flying shell head. The Rocketeer told the story of stunt pilot Cliff Secord, who, after finding a jetpack, decides to become the Rocketeer. While The Rocketeer didn’t produce a franchise immediately after its release, it was still well-received by audiences and considered a cult classic. In another interesting connection to Disney’s MCU franchise, The Rocketeer was directed by Joe Johnston, who would later direct Captain America: The First Avenger.
7 The Crow
Brandon Lee’s final film, The Crow, was easily his best. This dark tale followed Eric Draven, a musician who’s murdered alongside his wife. After being resurrected on the anniversary of his death, Draven takes on his murderers as the vigilante, The Crow.
Many of the film’s aspects proved to be ahead of its time, especially its darker take on the superhero genre. Unfortunately, Lee passed away from an accidental shooting on set. His portrayal of Eric Draven remained a haunting and impressive performance that led to The Crow being a well-regarded superhero film well before it became popular.
6 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles still to this day remains the best film version of the titular heroes in a half-shell. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles began as a parody of comic trends in the 1980s, including Frank Millar’s Daredevil run and the popularity of teenage mutant characters like New Mutants, but ultimately turned into something so much more. When the franchise was released, there was hardly any merchandise around that didn’t have the famed Ninja Turtles on it in some form. The classic cartoon series proved so popular that a film adaptation followed.
A live-action adaptation may have sounded impractical at the time, but Jim Henson’s Creature Shop actually made it work. The actors wearing the suits may have had a rough time, but it was all in the service of making a classic action comedy that gave fans the words of wisdom: “Forgiveness is divine, but never pay full price for a late pizza.” Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle held the record for the most successful independent film of all time, and fans are now eagerly awaiting the new CGI animated film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, set for release on August 4, 2023.
5 Sky High
The Disney movie Sky High follows Will Stronghold (Michael Angarano) is just an ordinary teen, which is a big problem in his family. By day, his parents are real estate agents, but by night, they are the most famous superheroes in the world. When Will starts at Sky High, a floating high school for super teens training to become heroes, he faces a lot of pressure to live up to his family name. His family legacy eventually gets him mixed up in a supervillain’s plot for revenge, forcing him to learn that it’s not about how much power you have but how you use it.
Sky High is fresh, funny, and is a giant love letter to the absurdness of superhero stories. This material feels tailor-made for a long-running franchise, and it is odd Disney never cashed in with a Disney Channel Series or Direct to Video sequels. It might be a time capsule of the early 2000s, but Sky High is a modern superhero classic, and one Disney should revisit.
4 Unbreakable
What if superheroes existed in the real world? This was question asked in the M. Night Shyamalan film, Unbreakable. Before Christopher Nolan gave his take on what Batman would be like in real life, Shyamalan gave audiences a quite dramatic take on the superhero genre. Bruce Willis starred as David Dunn, a man whose unexplained super strength allowed him to survive a train crash.
Shunning action for drama, Shyamalan explored the struggles that a regular man would face should he have superpowers. While superhero troupes are now so commonly known among general audiences and comic books are given a great deal of respect, Unbreakable was an Academy Award-nominated filmmaker taking the material and art form seriously. Unbreakable would later build into its own superhero franchise with a spiritual successor in 2017’s Split and culminated in 2019’s Glass which was the epic conclusion to the story that started in Unbreakable.
3 Dredd
It may not seem that way, but not all heroes come from America either. England’s very own Judge Dredd has proved to be a popular character throughout the years, expanding his presence onto film. While the Sylvester Stallone-led Judge Dredd ended up being downright terrible, Dredd starring Karl Urban, proved to be a surprising, critical success.
This faithful adaptation of the comic opted for a simple and gritty take on the character. Dredd is tasked with navigating a crime-infested highrise as he attempts to bring in drug lord, Ma-Ma, played by Lena Headey. The small-scale yet action-packed superhero flick was well-received by audiences, garnering a cult following after its release. The chance of a sequel remains slim, but fans are still hoping that one day it will happen.
2 Hellboy & Hellboy 2: The Golden Army
One of the more iconic superheroes outside of the mainstream DC and Marvel heroes is Hellboy. Originally created by indie comics publisher Darkhorse Comics, Hellboy is a demon raised by a secret paranormal fighting organization after being summoned by the Nazis. Guillermo Del Toro directed 2004’s Hellboy and 2008’s Hellboy 2: The Golden Army.
Both movies manage to capture the feel of the comic books while also feeling like completely creative expressions of the director. While sadly, neither film was a massive box office hit, they earned positive reviews and a loyal fanbase. In 2019 a reboot starring David Harbour failed to relaunch the franchise, and there is a new Hellboy film starring Jack Kesy is in development. Yet fans would most likely prefer Hellboy 3, with Ron Perlman reprising the lead role.
1 The Incredibles
Pixar’s The Incredibles is essentially the greatest Fantastic Four movie ever made and just didn’t actually star the famed Marvel superfamily. It even beat the Fantastic Four to the big screen, opening in theaters nine months before Fantastic Four. Similar to the Fantastic Four, director Brad Bird, and Pixar teamed up to create a story that follows a family dealing with the banality of life after superheroes are outlawed for various hilarious and petty reasons.
The Incredibles has some of the best action scenes in any superhero movie, animated or live-action. It has been a fan favorite ever since its release and stands as not just the best superhero movie not from Marvel and DC, but can go toe to toe with the best Marvel and DC have to offer. The Incredibles is a great original superhero movie that will inspire audiences for years to come.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
