When it comes to superhero movies, big players like Marvel and DC get the most attention. However, superhero movies are not just limited to Marvel and DC. Some superhero movies out there are not from Marvel and DC and they deserve your attention. So, here, find out about the 10 non-Marvel and DC superhero movies that you should not miss out on.
1. Major Grom: Plague Doctor
Major Grom is a comic book character who hails from Russia. Published by Bubble Comics, Major Grom ran a super successful comic run from 2012 to 2016 following the adventures of a reckless and one-man army police Major called Igor Grom. This movie adaptation brought to life one of the most famous runs of Major Grom comics revolving around a supervillain named “The Plague Doctor”.
In this story, a new villain emerges in St.Petersburg who wears a super-suit inspired by the Plague Doctors and is going around brutally murdering Billionaires and their families using hand-mounted flamethrowers in the name of “Cleansing the city with his fire”. Now it all falls in the hands of Major Grom and his uneasy alliance with a rookie cop and a journalist to save the fall of his city and bring the Plague Doctor to justice.
I started watching this movie with little to no expectations but Holy Smokes this movie blew me away in ways I can’t explain and trust me when I say it, you won’t be able to get your eyes off the screen once you start watching it. A sequel of Major Grom, Major Grom: The Game was released on May 24, 2024, which is equally good. So, give this one a shot. You have my word, and you are not going to regret it.
2. Hancock
This movie revolves around a man named John Hancock who is an invisible superhuman with next-level Superhuman strength and the ability to fly. Even though he has saved countless lives in Los Angeles, his carelessness caused millions worth of collateral damage and his erratic behavior has made him the most hated man in LA. However, when he saves the life of a PR expert, he makes it his mission to restore Hancock’s image to that of a true hero. This movie is one of the best non-Marvel and DC superhero movies out there, in my opinion, so, I’d insist that you not miss out on it.
3. Chronicle
Chronicle revolves around a group of teenagers, while the plot majorly centers around Andrew, a teenager who lives with his abusive and alcoholic father and his chronically ill mother. He is bullied in school and is constantly feeling helpless. However, one day Andrew, his cousin Matt Garetty, and their friend Steve Montgomery stumble upon a tunnel that leads them to a mysterious alien element that grants them telekinetic powers, Andrew being the most powerful among them initially uses his powers just for fun but eventually, the darkness in him takes over and turns him into a threat to the world. Now his cousin and his friend are left to stop him.
4. Dredd
Moving on, let’s get ourselves to the capital of Fish and Chip, Great Britain. Judge Dredd is an extremely successful comic book run published by 2000 AD Comics and created by writer John Wagner and artist Carlos Ezquerra. This comic book character got his feature film released in 2012. This movie takes us to a dystopian future where the law has been reduced to law enforcers known as Judges. They are the sole embodiment of law as the “Judge, Jury, and Executioners”.
The Dredd movie revolves around one such Judge named Dredd and his rookie companion who is a mutant and has psychic abilities. Together they are out to bust a drug cartel responsible for the circulation of a drug known as slo-mo which is gradually taking over the youth of the city. This movie was released in 2012 and even though it is one of the best comic book movie adaptations I have ever seen a lot of people are unaware of its existence mostly because of a generation gap and its time, Judge Dredd receives the love and appreciation it deserves from the younger generation.
5. Hellboy (2004)
The finest creation of Dark Horse Comics, Hellboy made his way from the pages of comics to our screens in 2004 and created an instant fandom around himself, Hellboy’s origin is seen during World War 2 when he was summoned from hell using dark magic by the Nazis and Rasputin. However, before they could do anything with the literal hellspawn, allied forces raided them, and Professor Trevor “Broom” Bruttenholm found this demon-looking child and took him in raising him to be Hellboy.
Later on, the professor became the head of a secret organization called the Bureau of Paranormal Research. Along with other such occultic beings, Hellboy forms a team and fights against the once again risen Raputin to protect the world from being destroyed. This movie is truly a unique take on the superhero genre that you should give a shot.
6. The Crow (1994)
For the longest time, crows have been considered to be the only link between the land of the living and the land of the dead. They are said to be the ones who carry the souls of people who have died to the afterlife. However, one night, an upcoming rockstar named Eric Draven and his fiance are murdered by a gang but the criminals go unpunished.
A year after this, a merciful crow returns Eric’s soul to his body granting him supernatural powers to ensure justice is delivered to all the people responsible for the death of his fiancee. The Crow turns Eric into an Anti-hero vigilante who is an embodiment of vengeance and guides him in the land of living to find and kill everyone responsible for the death of the love of his life. This movie is a love story and tragedy at the same time and is to date considered one of the best superhero movies ever made.
7. Sky High
Sky High is more like a coming-of-age movie but mind you, do not mistake it for just another High School drama since it is way more than that. This movie revolves around a young man named William Stronghold, the son of the world’s most powerful superhero, The Commander and Jetstream. However, it seems as if he does not have any superpowers.
He is then admitted into Sky High, a high school for the children of superheroes who will grow into being superheroes. Now since William does not have any real superpowers as such, it seems as if he is destined to be just a sidekick but fate has other plans for him that are unraveled as the plot of Sky High progresses. This movie is more on the side of an action comedy movie and is probably one of the best I have seen in the superhero genre.
8. Kick-Ass
You might have heard the phrase that says “You Don’t Need a Cape To Be a Hero”. Well, in the case of Kick-Ass, they might have capes, but not powers, and are yet heroes. This movie revolves around a young man named Dave Lizewski who is an absolute nobody in his high school and a superhero geek.
However, everything changes for him when he puts on a suit and decides to be a vigilante named Kick-Ass. Not after one of his videos goes viral, he finds out that there are others like him and soon, what he started just for fun, becomes an undeniable part of his life leading him into a world of crime and those who stand against it.
9. Robocop (1987)
This movie is set in a dystopian future where Detroit city is overrun with crime and the police department of Detroit is outgunned and outnumbered in the face of the growing mob. Alex Murphy, a newly transferred and ambitious cop makes it his mission to bring down crime in Detroit but is brutally killed by a vicious gang. However, Detriot PD in collaboration with the OCP mega-corporation brings back Murphy as a cyborg named Robocop to fight crime but as it turns out, there is a deeper and much more sinister plan going on within OCP and now Robocop is the last line of defense for the people of Detroit.
10. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
First appearing in the pages of comic books in 1984, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles made their live-action debut in 2004. This movie revolves around a rat and four turtles living in the sewers of New York who come in contact with a mutagenetic gel that turns them into humanoid-pizza-loving mutants. The rat adopts the four turtles and on one fine day, he stumbles upon a book of Jiujitsu.
After learning everything he can, he starts training the turtles and turns them into ninjas. However, one day an enemy emerges and abducts the rat and now, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have to ally with a human reporter to find their lost master and defeat this enemy. A lot of adaptations of TMNT have surfaced after this movie but for fans, this movie is still the pinnacle of the TMNT franchise.
