21 Bizarre Superhero Movies That Failed To Connect With Audiences

    There have been plenty of strange superhero movies that failed to soar to great heights.

    Ken W. Hanley
    by Ken W. Hanley

    BuzzFeed Contributor

    Over the past two decades, superhero movies have become a critical part of modern media, dominating the global box office and permeating myriad aspects of pop culture.

    Marvel Entertainment / Via media.giphy.com

    Yet not every superhero film has the inherent fandom of Batman or The Incredible Hulk to drive fans to the theaters, nor have they made a lasting impact with audiences for one reason or another. This list runs down some superhero movies that never quite took flight, whether they were too weird for mainstream viewers or bland enough to fall through the cracks.

    1. The Punisher (1989)

    Dolph Lundgren in “The Punisher”
    Carolco Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection

    Before Thomas Jane, Ray Stevenson and Jon Bernthal donned the mantle of Frank Castle, Dolph Lundgren fought the Yakuza and the Mafia with skull-adorned throwing knives in this bizarre, direct-to-video adaptation of the ultraviolent Marvel property.

    2. Defendor

    Woody Harrelson and Elias Koteas in “Defendor”
    Sony Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection

    Prior to unleashing Carnage in Sony's Spiderverse, Woody Harrelson played a troubled costumed vigilante targeting local gangsters in this surprisingly grounded dark comedy.

    3. Blade: Trinity

    Ryan Reynolds, Wesley Snipes and Jessica Biel in “Blade: Trinity”
    New Line Cinema / Courtesy Everett Collection

    Though Blade and Blade II have stood the test of time as classics in the superhero genre, Blade: Trinity is better off forgotten thanks to lifeless performances from its titular trio and a convoluted plot that fails to launch.

    4. Faust: Love of the Damned

    Mark Frost in “Faust: Love of the Damned”
    United Archives GmbH / Courtesy Alamy

    A superhero horror hybrid from genre wild card Brian Yuzna, this gory adaptation of Tim Vigil and David Quinn's cult graphic novel never made much of an impact stateside.

    5. Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance

    Nicolas Cage in “Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance”
    Columbia Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection

    The first Ghost Rider was not necessarily a comic book movie classic, but its maligned sequel is perhaps only saved by its inherent weirdness and the film's utterly outrageous production, which included Nicolas Cage in skull makeup and the filmmakers shooting motorcycle chases on high-speed rollerblades.

    6. The Phantom

    Billy Zane in “The Phantom”
    Paramount Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection

    The Phantom was initially positioned as Billy Zane's breakout into Hollywood's leading man echelon, but the film stumbled out of the gate and sent the Golden Age superhero property back to obscurity.

    7. Sleight

    Jacob Latimore in “Sleight”
    BH Tilt / Courtesy Everett Collection

    An underrated twist on the superhero origin story from lauded filmmaker J.D. Dillard, Sleight was sadly never given the platform needed to reach the meteoric heights of Marvel and DC films.

    8. Spawn

    Michael Jai White in “Spawn”
    New Line Cinema / Courtesy Everett Collection

    This PG-13 take on Spawn was a modest success upon its release in 1998, but nearly 25 years later, the one-off film is best remembered by an amazing over-the-top performance from John Leguizamo as the demonic clown Violator.

    9. Barb Wire

    Pamela Anderson in “Barb Wire”
    Gramercy Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection

    Based on Chris Warner's Dark Horse title, Barb Wire was critically panned and a box office failure, halting any momentum of star Pamela Anderson's prospective movie career. 

    10. Push

    Dakota Fanning and Chris Evans in “Push”
    Summit Entertainment / Courtesy Everett Collection

    Chris Evans has found much success with the superhero genre over the years, but less memorable was his co-leading role in Paul McGuigan's original superhero film that debuted to a whimper in 2009.

    11. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

    Sean Connery, Tony Curran and Naseerudin Shah in “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen”
    20th Century Fox Film Corp. / Courtesy Everett Collection

    Featuring the final live-action performance of Sean Connery, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen was a sleeper hit for 20th Century Fox but was ultimately underwhelming and unremarkable, effectively ending the directorial career of Blade filmmaker Stephen Norrington.

    12. Steel

    Annabeth Gish and Shaquille O'Neal in “Steel”
    Warner Bros. / Courtesy Everett Collection

    I don't know who was exactly clamoring for a big screen vehicle for Shaquille O'Neal based on a second-tier DC Comics character, but based on the reception of audiences and critics, the answer seems (and continues to be) "not many."

    13. Zoom

    Ryan Newman, Tim Allen, Spencer Breslin and Kate Mara in “Zoom”
    Columbia Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection

    Leave it to Tim Allen to headline a family superhero film in the wake of the successful Spider-Man and X-Men franchises that was basically D.O.A. upon its theatrical run in 2006.

    14. Blankman

    Robin Givens and Damon Wayans in “Blankman”
    Columbia Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection

    A tongue-in-cheek superhero comedy that was a product of its time, Blankman deserves some credit for its effort and intention but never quite works as either a goofy parody or a high-concept action movie.

    15. The Green Hornet

    Seth Rogen and Jay Chou in “The Green Hornet”
    Columbia Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection

    An ambitious attempt at bringing this classic serial to a new generation, The Green Hornet largely lives on today through its frequent appearance on late-night cable programming.

    16. Doctor Mordrid

    Jeffrey Combs in “Doctor Mordrid”
    Full Moon Entertainment / Courtesy Everett Collection

    After losing their rights to a Doctor Strange adaptation prior to production, Full Moon Features created their own generic supersorcerer, whose cultural relevance was a disappearing act in and of itself.

    17. The Shadow

    Alec Baldwin in “The Shadow”
    Bregman/Baer Productions / Moviestore Collection Ltd / Courtesy Alamy

    Universal Pictures had high hopes for The Shadow as the launching pad for a new superhero franchise à la Batman, but the tonal inconsistencies and bizarre story elements stemming from the series' outdated origins caused the film to flame out.

    18. Super

    Rainn Wilson in “Super”
    IFC Films / Courtesy Everett Collection

    James Gunn's demented mind has produced a number of exceptional superhero films, including Brightburn, Guardians of the Galaxy, and The Suicide Squad, but his sensibilities have rarely gone as twisted as Super, a hysterical yet questionably tasteful comedy about a disturbed and delusional masked crusader (Rainn Wilson) that's far too dark for most audiences.

    19. Elektra

    Terence Stamp and Jennifer Garner in “Elektra”
    20th Century Fox Film Corp. / Courtesy Everett Collection

    A spinoff of the Ben Affleck-headlined Daredevil, Elektra was an inspired attempt at a different breed of superhero flick but didn't fare as favorably at the box office.

    20. Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero

    “Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero”
    Warner Bros. Animation / AF Archive / Courtesy Alamy

    Batman: Mask of the Phantasm was nothing short of a revelation, which makes the forgotten status of its surprisingly mature follow-up, SubZero, much more of a shame.

    21. Dick Tracy

    Warren Beatty in “Dick Tracy”
    Touchstone Pictures / Allstar Picture Library Ltd. / Courtesy Alamy

    Dick Tracy was a massive box office hit with tons of merchandise to boot, but in the 30 years since its release, it's been reduced to a punchline thanks to its style-over-substance approach and its irrelevance in comparison to the many comic book films that have made a fairly permanent impact on pop culture.