The 2000s gave us some of the biggest superhero movies ever made—and somehow, it also gave us these. Before Marvel turned superheroes into a cinematic money-printing machine, studios took some questionable gambles with superhero concepts. Some became classics, some became cult favorites, and some disappeared faster than the Invisible Woman in Latveria. It was a necessary stage in the greater history of superhero cinema and pop culture.
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In fact, early superhero movies were also special because they weren’t always tied to Marvel Comics or DC Comics. Sure, they were inspired by familiar elements and usual tropes, but they were able to explore stories that weren’t all about saving the world from all-powerful villains or setting up crossover potential. Instead, they took more relatable circumstances and explored concepts that modern-day blockbuster superhero films would rarely tread. Today, we’re digging up three forgotten superhero movies from the 2000s that prove the decade was basically the genre’s awkward teenage phase.
3. Zoom (2006)
Before the MCU was saving the multiverse every month, Zoom had Tim Allen training a bunch of dysfunctional children to become superheroes. The movie follows Jack Shepard, a former superhero known as Zoom, who gets dragged back into action. He has to train a group of kids with powers ranging from super-strength to invisibility. Then there’s secret government experiments, a superhero academy, costumes, a giant hidden base — basically everything you need for a superhero movie — except apparently a good reason to remember it.
And that’s what makes Zoom so fascinating today. It has all the ingredients of a campy, nostalgic 2000s superhero hit, yet at the same time, it somehow feels like a movie assembled from the rejected parts of five other superhero films. It came out during that awkward period when superhero movies weren’t quite cool enough to love unless you were a hardcore comic-book geek, so Zoom just disappeared. Honestly, the kids in Zoom were supposed to become superheroes, but the movie itself couldn’t even become a DVD people remembered owning. Hey, maybe it’s time for a sequel where they’re all grown up and Tim Allen reprises his role. Wait—I can already hear Home Improvement‘s Al saying, “I don’t think so, Tim.”
2. Push (2009)
Remember when Chris Evans wasn’t Captain America yet? Before Marvel turned him into America’s favorite super-soldier, he was Johnny Storm in Fantastic Four, I mean – getting chased around Hong Kong by psychic government agents in Push. The movie takes place in a world where some people are born with supernatural abilities. They have telekinesis, can see the future, and have mind control. Chris Evans plays Nick, a guy with telekinetic powers who gets caught in a conspiracy involving a secret government program trying to create super-powered soldiers. Basically, it’s a prophecy of Chris Evan’s rise in the MCU.
This movie has superhero DNA—not the best DNA, but it’s definitely in there. Even if nobody bothers wearing a cape, you’ve got superpowers, secret organizations, government experiments, and people getting thrown around by their minds. That’s pretty much all you need. So why is Push forgotten? Well, it arrived in 2009, right before the superhero genre completely exploded and turned every actor with a jawline into a franchise lead. And who knows—the real conspiracy might be that Marvel Studios erased Chris Evans’ previous roles from our collective memory so we’d believe he was always Captain America. Because apparently, the most powerful ability in Push wasn’t telekinesis or mind control… it was Marvel’s ability to make us forget Chris Evans was ever in anything else.
1. My Super Ex-Girlfriend (2006)
What happens when you break up with your girlfriend, only to find out she’s basically Supergirl with anger issues? That’s the premise of My Super Ex-Girlfriend. Uma Thurman plays Jenny, secretly known as G-Girl. She’s a superhero who can fly, has super-strength, and can pretty much do it all. Luke Wilson plays Matt, an ordinary guy who starts dating her. He quickly learns that breaking up with a superhero makes you a supervillain. Because after he does just that, Jenny decides to use her powers for something much less heroic: making his life absolutely miserable.
That’s what makes this movie a forgotten superhero time capsule. It’s got things you’d expect like secret identities, a supervillain, and a genuine superhero at the center — but instead of saving the world, she’s dealing with boyfriend problems. That premise is probably what led to it being remembered as a true superhero flick. Maybe audiences just weren’t ready for superhero rom-coms?
And there you have it: three superhero movies the 2000s apparently tried to hide from us. Maybe they weren’t classics, but at least they gave us something Marvel can’t—proof that superheroes used to be allowed to make terrible decisions.
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