10 Best Superhero Movies Not Made By Marvel Or DC, Ranked

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The superhero genre has been a cinema staple for over 20 years. But while Marvel and DC may dominate the genre with icons like Superman and Captain America, there are plenty of superhero stories featuring characters outside of those publishers. Whether it’s wholly original characters or comic book properties from outside publishers, the superhero genre is much larger than DC and Marvel. So let’s take a look at the best superhero movies not based on properties from either of those two companies, expanding the genre’s breadth.

To keep the list consistent, we’re going with the movies that visibly utilize common superhero genre tropes, even if they’re being subverted. There are some who would consider characters like Conan the Barbarian a superhero, but we’re sticking with a more traditional definition. Also, just because a property is based off a comic book, like “Sin City,” doesn’t automatically equate to being considered a superhero movie. 

With that in mind, here are the 10 best superhero movies, not made by Marvel or DC, ranked.

10. Darkman

Over a decade before he helmed his own “Spider-Man” trilogy, filmmaker Sam Raimi told a very different kind of superhero story with “Darkman.” Blending superhero tropes with horror, the 1990 movie opens with scientist Peyton Westlake (Liam Neeson) maimed and left for dead by mobster Robert Durant (Larry Drake). An experimental procedure saves Westlake’s life and imbues him with superhuman strength but also makes him violently, mentally unstable. Westlake vows revenge on those who ruined his life, creating the vigilante moniker of Darkman as he punishes the wicked.

The important thing to keep in mind when watching “Darkman” is that the ’90s campiness is very much the point, as with much of Raimi’s work. Sam Raimi was ahead of the superhero curve with “Darkman,” celebrating the usual tropes but also making them part of the protagonist’s deranged fantasy. The movie itself plays out like a darkly cartoonish adventure, with stylishly over-the-top visuals and a cheekily intense performance from Neeson. With superheroes more cinematically vogue than when it was released, now’s the perfect time to revisit “Darkman” and its subversion of the genre.

9. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

As the first theatrically released animated “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” movie since 2007, the stylish “Mutant Mayhem” from 2023 offers a fantastic and bold new take. Retelling the superhero ensemble’s origins, the movie leans into the familial aspect of the premise, reminding audiences the titular quartet are all teenage brothers. Defying the wishes of their father and martial arts mentor Splinter (Jackie Chan), the Ninja Turtles use their skills to battle crime around New York City. This places them against a gang of mutants led by Superfly (Ice Cube), with the fate of the city hanging in the balance.

The first striking thing about “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” is its unique animation style, evoking the art design and animated frame rate of “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.” The other thing is that it’s the first time that the Ninja Turtles actually feel like teenagers, with that titular part of the premise effectively realized. The best cinematic take on the property in decades, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” feels like a strong fresh start for the franchise.

8. The Crow (1994)

Over 30 years later, “The Crow” franchise has a tragic legacy that still resonates today, with star Brandon Lee killed in a freak on-set accident during its production. That does cast a pallor over every viewing, but the 1994 movie’s haunting staying power remains visibly undeniable. Lee plays Eric Draven, a musician who’s murdered with his fiancée Shelly Webster (Sofia Shinas) on Devil’s Night in Detroit. Rising from the grave one year later, Eric hunts down those responsible for the killings, uncovering a conspiracy stretching to the top crooks in the city.

With its neo-gothic art design operatically reinventing contemporary urban decay as part of its bleak world, “The Crow” is one of the most visually striking ’90s superhero movies. Lee plays his nocturnal vigilante role with relish, a tragic figure whose presence is made more ephemeral by what happened to the actor. Subsequent attempts to recapture that melancholy magic fail to live up to that imagery, resulting in things like 2024’s dull and lifeless “Crow” remake. One of the most ’90s movies to ever exist, “The Crow” is more than the real-life tragedy that continues to haunt it.

7. Hellboy (2004)

Mike Mignola’s cigar-chomping, wise-cracking hero Hellboy has starred in a surprising number of live-action movies over the 20-odd years. The first of these projects to successfully make it to the silver screen was 2004’s “Hellboy,” starring Ron Perlman as the titular hellish hero. The movie introduces the world of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (BPRD), which Hellboy is a prominent agent for, protecting the world from the supernatural. The devilish enforcer leads his team to confront a resurrected Rasputin (Karl Roden), who plans to unleash a demonic creature on Earth.

Filmmaker Guillermo del Toro and Mike Mignola seem like a creative match made in heaven, which is clear in every frame of “Hellboy.” Del Toro employs bombastic action set pieces and plenty of creature effects, while Mignola’s quirky characters come to life. And enough praise can’t be lauded on Perlman, who perfectly embodies the comic book character and his unfailingly gruff demeanor. If you’re watching the Hellboy movies in order, you need to start with the 2004 film that began it all.

6. Kick-Ass

An ultra-violent and self-aware parody of superhero stories, “Kick-Ass” thrilled audiences when it debuted in 2010. The movie follows high school misfit Dave Lizewski (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) try to become a costumed superhero like the ones he idolizes from his comic books. Joining Dave in his amateur crime-fighting crusade is gun-toting vigilante Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage) and his young foul-mouthed and surprisingly lethal daughter Hit-Girl (Chloë Grace Moretz). However, when Big Daddy and Hit-Girl target the crime syndicate that ruined their lives, Dave’s superhero fantasy becomes much more dangerous.

Roger Ebert referred to “Kick-Ass” as morally reprehensible, but that’s the obvious goal for the 2010 movie. The violence is graphically over-the-top and the sense of humor frequently finds its laughs in the unabashedly vulgar, and this is all deliberate. With all that in mind, the movie may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it does accomplish what it sets out to do. A stylish send-up of superheroes, “Kick-Ass” shouldn’t be tarnished by the legacy of its shockingly awful 2013 sequel.

5. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)

The very first cinematic adaptation of Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is still the best movie in the franchise to date. The 1990 live-action movie depicts New York City gripped in a crime wave spurred by the shadowy Foot Clan, a gang of wayward youths trained in martial arts. The Ninja Turtles leap into action to stop the gang and its enigmatic leader Shredder (James Saito), receiving help from journalist April O’Neil (Judith Hoag) and Casey Jones (Elias Koteas). This pushes the Ninja Turtles to their limits, especially when Shredder targets their master Splinter (Kevin Clash) after their shared history is revealed.

A studio exec thought the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie was too dark for kids, and it remains the most intense on-screen portrayal of the heroes in a half-shell. But the 1990 tonally serves as the bridge between the original gritty comics and the children’s cartoon, offering a more grounded take on the property without getting too violent. Aesthetically, the movie also feels like the transition between the ’80 to the ’90s, something most millennials will remember fondly. A surprisingly solid take on the franchise before it descended into cinematic camp, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” is an unassuming superhero gem.

4. Unbreakable

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

If we’re talking superhero movies that were ahead of their time like “Darkman,” the 2000 movie “Unbreakable” is also years ahead of its time. Filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan’s follow-up to “The Sixth Sense,” the movie reunites him with star Bruce Willis for a very different kind of thriller. Willis plays David Dunn, an unassuming everyman who realizes that he has superhuman endurance and strength after surviving a disastrous train crash completely unscathed. As Dunn investigates his strange abilities further, he discovers he’s being targeted by a supervillain who’s been trying to identify him by engineering accidents around him.

“Unbreakable” is a postmodern superhero movie before the genre became as inescapably ubiquitous in cinemas as it is today. The movie recognizes the comic book influences that shaped it while taking its story on an enormously grounded ride. This is the tale of an ordinary man learning that superheroes are very much real and that he’s actually one of them, complete with implications that accompany that revelation. Ranked highly among M. Night Shyamalan movies, “Unbreakable” carries more weight now than it did over 25 years ago.

3. The Rocketeer

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

In the wake of 1989’s “Batman,” a line of pulp superheroes like “The Shadow” and “The Phantom” waltzed in and out of cinemas in the ’90s.  The best of this bunch is 1991’s “The Rocketeer,” based on the ’80s comic book series by Dave Stevens as an homage to 1930s movie serial heroes. Billy Campbell stars as Cliff Secord, an aviator who comes across an experimental jetpack and helmet which are being sought for by the Nazis, federal authorities, and mobsters. With his new high-flying apparatus, Cliff exposes a Nazi conspiracy festering in Hollywood, leading to a showdown in the skies over Los Angeles.

Revisiting “The Rocketeer” showcases how much of a masterpiece it is, bringing a clear-eyed earnestness to the genre. Director Joe Johnston assembles a stellar cast, from a young Jennifer Connelly as Cliff’s girlfriend Jenny to Timothy Dalton virtually twirling his mustache as the main villain. But the rapport between Campbell and Alan Arkin as a shining supporting player really elevates the whole proceedings. A pulpy superhero movie that takes full advantage of its ’30s setting and sensibilities, “The Rocketeer” is an underrated classic.

2. Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Guillermo del Toro reunited with Mike Mignola and the main cast of the 2004 “Hellboy” for its 2008 sequel “Hellboy II: The Golden Army.” Based on an original story written by del Toro and Mignola, the movie has Hellboy (Perlman) learn about the existence of an indestructible golden army capable of eradicating humanity. This discovery places the BPRD between two elven siblings, one who wants humanity to survive and the other determined to wipe it out. The conflict makes Hellboy consider his place in the world, either among fantasy beings or humanity which is repulsed by his appearance.

There is an operatic quality to “Hellboy II: The Golden Army,” with a more grandiose scope and set pieces befitting the need to go bigger than its predecessor. But the movie is also stranger, sadder, and angrier than the preceding film, creating something that feels epic in its melancholia. With Mignola’s foundations still visible, this is a movie that feels more like del Toro’s vision and, in this case, is all the better for it. We probably will never see Guillermo del Toro’s apocalyptic “Hellboy 3,” but this sequel ends his run on the franchise on a high note.

1. The Incredibles

The best Fantastic Four movie wasn’t made by Marvel but rather by Pixar Animation Studios with 2004’s “The Incredibles.” Cheeky comparisons aside, the movie really does excel at crafting a superhero family story in a retro-futuristic vision of mid-20th century America as created by writer/director Brad Bird. The movie follows middle-aged family man Bob Parr (Craig T. Nelson), who feels unfulfilled working a soulless white-collar job after superheroes are banned in the United States. After receiving a mysterious offer to accept a mission on a remote island, Bob and his equally super-powered family are plunged into a life-changing adventure.

There are a lot of reasons why “The Incredibles” still feels so super over 20 years after its initial theatrical release. That largely comes from a striking art design evoking both Hitchcock thrillers and early James Bond movies along with set pieces showcasing the titular family’s powers. But more than just a flashy presentation, the story is built around a strong emotional core about feeling frustrated and trapped within domestic ennui and suppressed potential. Arguably the best Pixar movie and certainly one of the greatest animated movies of all time, “The Incredibles” is a modern marvel of a film.