Looking at box office numbers, it's obvious that superhero movies have been on top for the last 20 years or so. While the X-Men movies and the Spider-Man films of the early 2000s had fans excited but when Marvel entered the arena with the MCU it kicked everything into overdrive. Superhero movies are here and they are worth big bucks.
While the Avengers rule atop the mountain, fans should remember that before there was an Avengers movie, there were a lot of stumbling blocks to get through before the superhero genre would be crowned king. Some tried to bring the genre to life on both the big screen and the small screen. There were a lot of failures.
10 Dr. Strange (1978): TV Movie That Stan Lee Thought Would Do Well
A movie about a doctor (a psychiatrist in this version) turning to the mystical arts seems like an odd choice for a TV movie at the end of the 70s just before the satanic panic would set in. In this movie, the good doctor fights off a villainess in Morgan LeFay.
While limited on budget and effects, it is the TV movie that Stan Lee thought was the most well done next to The Incredible Hulk tv series. Sadly it did not do well in the TV ratings which Lee thinks may have been due to airing the opposite of Roots. There could have been more of a Magnum PI-looking Stephen Strange had it done well.
9 Captain America (1979): Before The MCU's version
Remember the old Captain America movie? No, not the 1990s one. Captain America has actually had three movies and some old serials from the 1940s before Chris Evans finally put on the red, white, and blue. This one in 1979 starred Reb Brown who had training in martial arts and was a bodybuilder.
This time we see Steve Rogers who is a commercial artist that is almost murdered by international spies. He ends up getting some experimental surgery to become one of the greatest assets to the government. Being equipped with a special motorcycle and a state of the art shield he fights evil as they try to topple democracy and freedom.
8 Gen 13: Grunge & Punk Team With A Limited Overseas Release
In the mid-90s comics were going through a boom period. One of the titles that were hard to miss was Jim Lee's Gen 13. It was intended to be Wildstorm's update to the idea of the X-Men but given the 90's treatment. These teens weren't as clean-cut as some characters that fans had seen before. Most had a grunge and punk look and attitude about them.
This animated movie was the only media produced about the team and was intended to show their origin and set up possible sequels or a series. It ended up never being released in the United States due to Disney acquiring it. It had a limited release overseas but never caught as much attention as it could have.
7 Steel: Featuring Shaq As A Man Who Built Weapons
When Shaq hit the big screen in Steel fans were hopeful that they would see him step into a role that in the comics was inspired by Superman. Pretty much every reference to Superman was dropped outside of a tattoo that John has. Instead, he was made into a guy that built weaponry for the military. After seeing his work altered against his wishes, he quits.
Soon after, he begins to see his weaponry used by gangs on the streets, so he turns himself into a modern-day knight and battles to save his city. The movie is notorious for being a giant flop. This along with Batman & Robin helped put a hold on DC superhero movies for a few years.
6 Blankman: Fun Film About A Man Whose Clothing Is Bulletproof
After his success on In Living Color, Damon Wayans set out to make his own superhero with Blankman. He plays an enthusiastic yet naive young man who accidentally discovers a way to make his clothes bulletproof. Along with his gruff older brother, played by David Alan Grier, he sets out to save his neighborhood.
This fun film takes a lot of cues from the 60's Batman even showing Wayans' character watching the TV show for inspiration. The laughs and heroics send the watcher back to a more innocent time for superhero characters where it was more about having fun rather than a super serious plot and setting.
5 Justice League Of America (1997): Without Superman, Batman, & Wonder Woman
Back in 1997 as the superhero genre was waning, CBS decided to try and create a series based on the Justice League. Only they had to try it without Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman due to contractual issues. What fans ended up with was a low budget spectacle that failed to deliver on what could have been.
A character called The Weather Man (maybe supposed to be Weather Wizard) threatens New Metro City with weather-related destruction unless the Justice League can stop him. A noticeable problem is they couldn't even decide on which Green Lantern to use. He physically looks like Hal Jordan, wears the costume of Kyle Rayner, but goes by the name Guy Gardner. Oof.
4 Nick Fury: Agent Of Shield: David Hasselhoff's Version Before Samuel L. Jackson
Before Samuel L. Jackson donned the famed eyepatch David Hasselhoff tried his hand at the cigar-chomping hero. Done as a TV movie, it was meant to be a possible pilot for a TV series. Needless to say, fans wouldn't see a S.H.I.E.L.D. series until Phil Coulson brought it to ABC with Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.
After the end of the Cold War, Nick Fury has retired to the Yukon to live out the rest of his days. When Baron Von Strucker's children resurrect HYDRA he gets called back into service to save the world once again. Hasselhoff would work with Marvel once again in James Gunn's Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2.
3 Meteor Man: Confronted Issues In The Black Community
Robert Townsend had quite a few properties in the early 90s. One of his movies was Meteor Man. It lends itself to confronting problems in the Black community but with a superhero twist. While the effects are a little cheesy by today's standards, its heart was in the right place and wanted to talk about real problems but doing it in a fun way that kids could understand.
One night Jefferson Reed gets hit in the chest with a falling meteor. He later discovers that he has gotten an array of superpowers but most of them are counterintuitive to his needs. While he can fly, he is afraid of heights. He can read a whole book in seconds and retain the information for thirty seconds. With gangs attacking his city, he uses his powers to fight back.
2 Hero At Large: Heartwarming Film About An Aspiring Actor Turned Hero
In 1980 John Ritter plays Steve Nichols an aspiring actor that has fallen on hard times. He takes a job as a part of a movie premiere launch for Captain Avenger. On his way home he stops at a convenience store to drown his sorrows when a robber comes in and demands money. He stops the robber, and since he is wearing a superhero costume, it gets reported on the news.
He becomes infatuated with the idea of being a costumed hero and sets out to start doing good deeds and stopping crime. It's a fun soft-hearted movie. He tries to use all the publicity he's getting to encourage others to help each other. For fans looking for a fun and heartwarming time, this is a great movie to check out.
1 Generation X: Introduced A New Set Of Mutants At The Time
TV movies were a big thing in the 90s. As seen on this list, comic-based TV movies were common to try and start a series. Coming off the new and exciting X-Men title, they decided to try and go for a new series to highlight the new characters they just introduced. Using Jubilee as an entry point, they introduce a new set of mutants being taught by Emma Frost.
Some of the students are captured by Russell Tresh to use in his genetic experiments. The new students must come together to save their fellow mutants and stop Tresh. While they are limited to a TV movie budget, they attempted to push their SFX as far as they could but ultimately it fell flat and was never picked up as a series.