Ah, the '90s. Before Marvel ruled the box office with an iron fist, a comic book movie was an event. With the internet in its infancy, comic nerds would assemble at their local comic shops to discuss upcoming movies, offering wild conjecture on casting and griping about trailers. Yes, having a comic book movie hit the big screen was truly a momentous occasion for '90s nerds. But as time went on, comic book movies become more commonplace, and the excitement around the concept of a comic book movie died down. These days, having a comic turned into a movie is almost an expectation. As a result, some of the comic book movies so hyped up back in the '90s have fallen to the wayside in the face of a constant stream of new ones.
Sure, plenty of '90s comic movies might deserve to be forgotten, but there are plenty of other likeminded genre films from the era that have been unfairly forgotten. In fact, there are some '90s comic book movies that have become so obscure that only true '90s nerds will remember them. So join CBR as we take a look back to the decade of grunge and flannel and bring you a definitive list of 15 comic book movies (that only '90s nerds will remember).
15 VIRUS
Long before Marvel ruled the box office with an iron fist, Hollywood wasn't exclusively turning to comics to find the next big superhero to give the silver screen treatment. In fact, the '90s saw several movies hit the theaters based on comics, with nary a cape-clad do-gooder in sight. Such was the case with the sci-fi horror flick Virus.
Based on the 1992 Dark Horse comic of the same name, Virus followed a ragtag tugboat crew, lead by Jamie Lee Curtis, as they explore a crashed Russian research vessel and contend with a mysterious alien dedicated to wiping out humanity. As one of the first films based on a Dark Horse property, Virus was released with high expectations from the comic industry, but the film would ultimately flop, becoming just another forgotten '90s horror film.
14 GENERATION X
Back in the '90s, few teams in comics were as popular as Marvel's Generation X. This hip, teenage X-team starred in a series that regularly topped the sales charts, and Hollywood took notice. Eager to cash in on the hot comic, Fox signed a deal with Marvel to create a Generation X TV movie, with a potential series to follow. But the resulting TV movie flopped so hard you'd have to be a hardcore '90s nerd to remember this mess.
Released in 1996, Generation X followed the titular team, led by Banshee and Emma Frost, and saw fan favorite characters Jubilee, Skin, M, and Mondo making their TV debuts, with new characters Buff and Refrax rounding out the team. The movie saw the team fight a mad scientist obsessed with dreams, with a plot that left the door open for a follow-up. But Fox found viewership numbers less than satisfactory, and the Generation X TV movie was never aired again.
13 RICHIE RICH
Growing up in the '90s, there were those films that every kid seemed to have seen. The Lion King, Jumanji and The Mighty Ducks were all required viewing for '90s kids, and Richie Rich was one of those movies that every kid on your block seemed to have on VHS. Despite this, Richie Rich seems to be somewhat forgotten these days.
Based on the classic Harvey Comics title, Richie Rich cast Macaulay Culkin as the titular rich kid, son of the richest man in the world.
Living a life of luxury in a home complete with his own theme park and McDonald's, Richie sets out to make friends and thwart the schemes of a vault-robbing villain. Despite middling success at the box office, the film would become a staple on the home video market, but would seemingly drift into obscurity at the end of the decade.
12 THE SHADOW
We don't know what it was, but the '90s saw a wealth of comics from the '30s and '40s getting the big budge movie treatment. It began with Dick Tracy, and would continue with 1994's The Shadow. While Dick Tracy would find success at the box office, the same could not be said of the middling Alex Baldwin fronted The Shadow.
Based on the famous pulp detective, The Shadow saw Baldwin portraying Lamont Cranston, playboy by day, shadowy gun-toting vigilante by night, as he battles the insidious Shiwan Khan for the fate of the world. Universal Pictures was sure The Shadow was poised to be a summer blockbuster, but the film ultimately had a disappointing opening, and plans for a sequel were scrapped. Labeled a financial disappointment by the studio, The Shadow remains largely forgotten these days.
11 THE GUYVER
With the rise of VHS, the '90s saw the West finally dipping its toes into anime. Sensing potential, American movie studios turned to Japan to look for new franchises. With a manga and anime to its name, New Line Cinema decided that the kung-fu alien series The Guyver was ripe for a live action movie, leading to 1991's The Guyver.
The film would retool the manga, following a young man named Sean who dons an alien super-suit dubbed "The Guyver" and battles the evil Chronos corporation, who seek to capture The Guyver and use it to produce an army of super soldiers. With plenty of rubber-suited monsters to fight (and an appearance from Mark Hamill!), The Guyver proved to be a straight-to-VHS success, leading to a sequel, both of which have become somewhat obscure.
10 VAMPIRELLA
While Vampirella may have made her debut all the way back in 1969, this scantily clad space vampire rose to prominence in the '90s, bolstered by fan interest in the "bad girl" genre. With Vampirella red hot among the comic crowd, Hollywood came knocking, and legendary shlock meister Roger Corman nabbed the rights to the character, churning out a movie in 1996.
In this straight-to-VHS flick, Vampirella leaves the planet Drakulon to come to Earth, seeking vengeance on the vampires who murdered her father.
What follows is a standard Corman film, with plenty of blood, Z-grade special effects, and ample amounts of bare skin. Despite Vampirella's comic popularity, Vampirella landed with a thud, and this chesty vengeance flick quickly disappeared from shelves.
9 THE PHANTOM
Continuing the trend of "super outdated pulp heroes getting a big budget Hollywood movie"during the '90s is the Billy Zane starring The Phantom. You might not know it from looking at the Phantom's super goofy costume, but there was a point in time in which Hollywood insiders tagged The Phantom as the next big blockbuster hit. But as any '90s nerd knows, this wasn't the case.
Released in 1996, The Phantom brought the purple-clad comic strip hero to the big screen, following The Ghost Who Walks as he battles a criminal genius who has set out to collect three mystical skulls in hopes of achieving ultimate power. Problem is, with an eye-rolling tag line ("Slam evil!") and a silly costume, the odds were stacked against The Phantom. Thus, this comic adaption was basically D.O.A. when it hit theaters.
8 FIST OF THE NORTH STAR
Fist Of The North Star is considered a classic anime and manga in Japan, gaining infamy for its shocking gore and memorable characters. One part Mad Max, one part Bruce Lee, and a whole lot of blood, Fist Of The North Star has earned a cult following the world over. Hollywood smelled potential, and the decision was made to give Kenshiro and company the Western movie treatment.
Released in 1995, Fist Of The North Star follows wandering warrior Kenshiro, master of the deadly North Star martial art, as he survives in a post-apocalyptic world that is all about survival of the fittest.
Despite a low budget, the film featured an impressive cast including the likes of Malcolm McDowell, Clint Howard, Chris Penn, and wrestler Big Van Vader. Reviews were lukewarm, and fans were quick to write off the film, causing this ill-fated adaption to slip into obscurity, remembered by only the most hardcore '90s nerds.
7 GEN 13
In the '90s, Gen13 gave Marvel and DC a run for their money in comic domination. Following the adventures of a team of super-powered teens, Gen13 became an overnight success, regularly reaching the top of sales charts. But you wouldn't know of Gen13's success judging from the treatment of the team's animated film.
Gen13 followed a team composed of Fairchild, Grunge, and Freefall as they unwittingly gain powers from an illegal genetic experiment conducted by their school's headmaster. Directed by former Batman: The Animated Series director Kevin Altieri, the film enlisted the talents of the likes of Mark Hamill and Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Despite receiving a premier at Wizard World Chicago in 1998, the movie was shelved once Wildstorm was acquired by DC Comics, eventually receiving a limited release in Europe and Australia. Even the most hardcore fans of this '90s superteam would have a hard time remembering this obscure movie.
6 FAUST: LOVE OF THE DAMNED
There exists a phenomenon in film called "twin movies," in which two films are released baring remarkably similar plots. The same thing can occur in comics, such as the case of Faust and Spawn. Both comics followed a dark hero that sold his soul to the devil in order to seek revenge, but Faust would be published in 1987, a full five years before Spawn. Despite this, Faust was labeled a Spawn rip-off. While Faust's label as a bootleg Spawn was certainly inaccurate, calling the Faust film "truly terrible" would be pretty darn accurate.
Directed by Brian Yuzna (of Re-Animator fame), Faust: Love Of The Damned followed an artist named John Jaspers, who sells his soul to the devil to avenge the death of his girlfriend, becoming the demonic anti-hero Faust. Lambasted upon release for its odd story and poor acting, Faust: Love Of The Damned has taken on a second life as a cult classic, but remains somewhat obscure to this day.
5 FANTASTIC FOUR
Plenty of films run into difficulties during production, but the woes of Roger Corman's 1994 film The Fantastic Four have become legendary. This is a film that has never seen an official release, but has entered the pantheon of cult movies thanks to its head-scratching journey to completion.
The film would become a bootleg staple in '90s comic cons, and remains a cult classic among schlocky movie fans.
Hastily directed by Corman on a shoe string budget to ensure the rights would not lapse, The Fantastic Four chronicled the origins of Marvel's beloved family super-team as they battled the insidious Doctor Doom. While the film's stars were under the impression it would receive a theatrical release, the movie's producer never intended for the film to see the light of day. This caused the fully completed film to sit on a shelf unreleased. The film would become a bootleg staple in '90s comic cons, and remains a cult classic among schlocky movie fans.
4 BARB WIRE
The '90s was a weird time. This was a decade in which Hollywood would green-light a movie that adapted a Dark Horse comic, starring Pamela Anderson, with a plot that was basically Casablanca in the post-apocalypse. This description may sound like a fever dream, but this movie was real, and it was called Barb Wire.
Released in 1996, Barb Wire saw Anderson portraying the titular mercenary-turned-nightclub-owner in a war-torn future. Barb's old flame comes back into her life, requesting that she help him smuggle contraband across the border into Canada. Cue gunfights, body jokes and plenty of terrible acting. A box office bomb upon release, with plenty of Golden Raspberry nominations being given to Anderson, Barb Wire would quickly be relegated to dollar bins across the country upon hitting VHS.
3 THE PUNISHER
No, not the 2004 Thomas Jane film. No, not the 2008 reboot starring Ray Stevenson. Long before these films came and went in theaters, there was an ultra low budget film that brought Frank Castle to the silver screen. We're referring to The Punisher.
With Dolph "I must break you" Lundgren portraying Castle, the film followed The Punisher as he waged a one-man war against the mob, seeking vengeance for the death of his family. The Punisher draws the attention of the Yakuza, leading to Castle finding himself the target of the Japanese criminal underworld. If it wasn't for the film's title, you'd be forgiven for not realizing that this was a Punisher movie, as Lundgren's Punisher lacks his iconic skull shirt, opting instead for a basic black shirt and leather jacket. A forgettable '90s action flick through and through, The Punisher is the definition of an obscure comic book movie.
2 TANK GIRL
The '90s was also the only decade in which a major Hollywood studio would "ok" a film about a deranged woman in a tank befriending mutant kangaroos in the post-apocalypse. Oh yeah, and it has a musical number.
Tank Girl is a whole lot of crazy, and it has become a cult classic among '90s nerds.
Based on Jamie Hewlett's acclaimed comic of the same name, the 1995 film Tank Girl saw Lori Petty step into the rocket-bra of the eponymous tank-driving hero, as she enlists her friends to battle an evil corporation. Featuring Ice-T as a mutant kangaroo, Iggy Pop as a sex offender, and Malcolm McDowell as the big bad, with Bjork, Devo, and Portishead lending songs to the soundtrack, Tank Girl was not your standard Hollywood blockbuster. While the film would bomb at the box office, Tank Girl would take on a second life as a beloved cult film.
1 CAPTAIN AMERICA
While many films on this list could be considered lost classics, films that deserved better but were simply unlucky enough to be released at the wrong time, the same could not be said of 1990's Captain America. This film is top to bottom awful.
Released long before Chris Evan's was a glimmer in the eye of Marvel fans, Captain America followed the adventures of a Cap portrayed by Matt Salinger, as he ran around in a mask with rubber ears and generally looked shluppy. The Red Skull has kidnapped the President, and it's up to Captain America to rescue the President and defeat Skull, all while engaging in terribly choreographed fights and generally struggling to act his way out of a paper bag. Labeled by many fans as the worst superhero film of all time, it might be best that only hardcore '90s nerds remember Captain America.