When people think of superhero movies, it usually starts with the releases made after 2000. That was when the first X-Men movie came out, and that led to Spider-Man, and then the MCU and DCEU followed. It has been non-stop ever since, but when people look back on movies before 2000, they usually only think of the Batman and Superman franchises. While those films were mostly great (with a couple of stinkers along the way), there are so many more movies than the two DC heavyweights. This includes some releases by Marvel and DC, as well as some indie comic adaptations.
From an early Wes Craven Marvel movie to a Sam Raimi original superhero, here is a look at seven superhero movies made before 2000 that deserve more love.
7) Swamp Thing
Image Courtesy of United Artists
Wes Craven, the horror filmmaking icon who brought the world A Nightmare on Elm Street and Scream, also directed a comic book movie in 1982 based on one of DC Comics’ most iconic characters. Craven directed the first-ever adaptation of Swamp Thing. The cast was impressive, with legendary scream queen Adrienne Barbeau (The Fog) as Alice Cable, a woman Swamp Thing needs to help, and the brilliant Ray Wise as Alec Holland, before he became Swamp Thing. The movie is a cult classic that received mixed reviews and ended up getting a sequel and a later TV series in 1990.
6) The Shadow
Image Courtesy of Universal
The Shadow was an old-school pulp hero created in 1931 by Walter B. Gibson, predating Superman and Batman by eight years. He was part of radio dramas and comic strips for years, and he eventually showed up in DC Comics, a Marvel graphic novel, Dark Horse Comics, and Dynamite Comics over the years. In 1994, he was in a movie directed by Russell Mulcahy (Highlander) and starring Alec Baldwin as The Shadow. While it was a box office bomb, it remains a solid comic book noir, and anyone who likes the noir aesthetic should find a lot to love about this release.
5) The Phantom
Image Courtesy of Paramount
The Phantom was another old-school comic character, this one created in 1936 and featured in many newspaper comic strips for years. Simon Wincer, who is best known for directing the popular Western miniseries Lonesome Dove, for which he won an Emmy, decided to try his hand at a comic book movie in 1996 based on the classic character. However, Wincer went for the kitch approach, and cast Billy Zane to play the character in a colorful and over-the-top superhero adventure. While it was a box office flop, it was a huge hit on home video and has become a cult classic.
4) The Toxic Avenger
Image Courtesy of Troma
Fans in 2025 got to see a reimagining of The Toxic Avenger, with Peter Dinklage in the lead role as Toxie. However, this wouldn’t have been possible without the original movie that made Troma a massive independent success story. The first movie features a socially awkward janitor at a health club in Tromaville who is pranked, causing him to leap out a window to his death, only to instead fall into a vat of toxic waste and emerge as the grotesque, hulking superhero, the Toxic Avenger. The movie is a black comedy for adults only, with an excess of violence and gore, plenty of nudity, and some of the worst jokes to ever appear in a movie. It was made to be a cult sensation, and that is what it remains to this day.
3) The Rocketeer
Image Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
One of the most beloved superhero movies of all time, but one that isn’t talked about enough today, is The Rocketeer. Directed by Joe Johnston (Captain America: The First Avenger), the film takes place in the 1930s when a stunt pilot discovers a rocket pack that allows him to fly, and he quickly learns that the FBI is looking for it, as are the Nazis who stole it from industrialist Howard Hughes. The movie is a brilliant look at old-school pulp matinee serials and delivers some of the best special effects, pre-CGI, at the time. It remains a beloved classic for sci-fi superhero fans to this day.
2) Darkman
Image Courtesy of Universal
Sam Raimi was part of the 2000s superhero craze when he directed the first three Spider-Man movies. However, he wanted to direct a superhero movie a decade earlier, but no one from DC or Marvel would take the chance on him at the time. As a result, in 2000, Raimi made his own original superhero movie, Darkman. The film stars Liam Neeson as De. Payton Westlake, a scientist who is sabotaged and ends up disfigured, but who also now can’t feel any pain thanks to the incident. Critics praised it, with an 80% Rotten Tomatoes score, and it spawned sequels (without Raimi or Neeson). It was proof that Raimi could do comic book movies as well as he could do horror.
1) The Crow
Image Courtesy of Miramax
One of the best comic book adaptations ever made was also a movie that is often overlooked because of its terrible sequels. In 1994, Alex Proyas directed the adaptation of James O’Barr’s comic book story The Crow. The story takes place in a dystopian future where gangs rule the streets, and one musician who is killed returns for vengeance with immense powers tied to a crow. Brandon Lee was amazing in the title role, although the actor died in an on-set accident while making the movie. The sequels were almost all terrible, but this first movie is a masterpiece, with a great alternative music soundtrack and a visual template that made it unlike anything else comic book fans had ever seen. There isn’t a comic book movie before 2000 that is better than The Crow.
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