15 best superhero movies that aren’t Marvel or DC on Netflix and beyond

With The Batman dominating box offices around the country and the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s pull over cultural conversations for the last decade, there’s no shortage of superhero movies for you to watch in theaters or at home. However, what if someone wants something different?

We’ve put together this list of 15 great superhero movies outside of the Marvel and DC universes that you can watch at home right now. In favor of digging deeper through the superhero movie canon, we’re not including some of the more obvious picks you probably already thought of, like The Amazings(Disney Plus). Robocop (Prime/Tubi/Hoopla). Similarly, there are some great superhero titles that aren’t currently available on streaming (such as Johnnie To’s The Heroic TrioOther than that, it would be here.

Buckaroo Banzai’s Adventures in the 8th Dimension

Image by 20th Century Fox

The 8th Dimension is the latest cinematic adventure of Dr. Buckaroo Banzai, the famed physicist/neurosurgeon/test pilot/rock star who occasionally saves the world. Oh, you’re not familiar?

Peter Weller plays Dr. Buckaroo Bangzai. He must rescue the Earth from Red Lectroids. These interdimensional aliens are led by a maniacal John Lithgow, who delivers one of the best, most pumped-up performances of all time in the 1980s. Banzai is aided by his sidekicks, who are also his band mates, including Jeff Goldblum dressed up as a cowboy named “New Jersey.”

It is one of the greatest joys in life. Buckaroo BanzaiIt is actually a standalone movie, but it feels more like a serial. This can be a great benefit, and often quite bizarre.

W.D. Richter (writer of 1978’s Body Snatchers Invasion, Little China is in Big Trouble and, improbably, Stealth), Buckaroo Banzai It is a cult favorite. Remember, no matter where your travels take you, you will always be there. —Pete Volk

Buckaroo Banzai’s Adventures in the 8th Dimension It is possible to view it Amazon Prime VideoFree with Ads TubiAnd Pluto TVYou can also get a free library card. Hoopla.

Crow

Lionsgate Home Entertainment

Based on James O’Barr’s dark fantasy comic series, Dark City director Alex Proyas’ 1994 superhero film Crow stars the late Brandon Lee as Eric Draven, a poetic up-and-coming rock musician who is brutally murdered, along with his fiancée Shelly, by the henchmen of a powerful crime lord. Eric, who was murdered in his home, is revived by an unknown crow one Halloween. He returns with his supernatural abilities to seek revenge on the crime lords that took his life. Famous for Brandon Lee’s death in the freak accident that occurred during filming, the movie is now infamous. CrowIt is both a breathtaking visual spectacle as well as an engaging revenge thriller. —Toussaint Égan

CrowIt is possible to view it Paramount PlusYou can also get ads for free Pluto TV.

Darkman

Photo: Universal Pictures/Getty Images

Sam Raimi’s superhero predecessor to his Spider-Man films is closer in tone to Universal’s ill-fated Dark Universe than the MCU. Peyton Westlake stars Liam Neeson. A scientist creating synthetic skin for burn victims, Westlake is portrayed by Neeson. After his girlfriend (Frances McDormand) discovers evidence of bribery committed by a local billionaire, Westlake’s lab is attacked and he is left with burns all over his body and nearly dead. The treatment leaves Westlake with a stronger body and inability to feel pain. He becomes the Darkman. The film features a soundtrack by Danny Elfman, and cinematography from Bill Pope.The Matrix Spider-Man 2), DarkmanIt is a delightful 96-minute delight. —PV

Darkman It is possible to view it You will be shakenAMC+ Amazon Prime Video.

Dredd

Lionsgate photo

If you love Gareth Evans’ 2011 Indonesian action-thriller Raid and somehow haven’t seen 2012’s Dredd … holy shit, are you in for a great time. Karl Urban stars (The BoysDredd is portrayed by the gritty, authority-voiced super-cop. The film follows Judge Cassandra Anderson (Olivia Thirlby) and her apprentice as they attempt to enforce law and order on a high-rise block of 200 stories that has been ruled over by Ma-Ma (Lena Headey). Penned by screenwriter-turned-cerebral-sci-fi-director Alex Garland (and who according to Urban might have had more of a hand in the film’s production than previously known), Dredd is an explosive action experience packed with dazzling slo-mo action sequences and charged with a biting satirical undercurrent of dark humor. —TE

Dredd It is possible to view it Hulu.

Quick Color

Lionsgate image

Julia Hart’s 2018 superhero drama Quick ColorGugu Mbatha­Raw stars (Black Mirror, Loki() portrays Ruth, a homeless wanderer who has mysterious powers and returns home to her family after many years of hiding from police. Ruth reunites with her mother Bo (Lorraine Toussaint), and Lila (Saniyya Sidney), both of whom possess similar powers to her. She tries to regain control and make peace with Lila while ignoring the authorities, who want to arrest and study her. We wrote about this in our review. Quick Color is less a “superhero” film as it is an intimate family drama set in a speculative universe, à la 2016’s Midnight Special. The spectacle on display is not the manifestation of Ruth’s powers, but in the masterful trio of performances at its center, which combine to create a story as poignant as it is exhilarating. —TE

Quick Color It is possible to view it NetflixAnd Hulu.

Gundala

Image: Screenplay Bumilangit

This 2019 neo-noir superhero movie is the first installment of the Bumilangit Cinematic Universe, Indonesia’s answer to the MCU. Sancaka is a security guard who gets struck by lightning. He gains superpowers. Gundala becomes the crime-fighting supervillain Gundala and fights a corrupt boss of crime who is trying to take the control over the city.

Joko Anwar wrote and directed this filmSatan’s Slaves, ImpetigoreThis film features excellent fighting sequences, visual effects, and costumes. Gundala It’s a great take on the superhero theme and it will be the first of many entertaining Indonesian movie about superheroes. BCU plans to produce at least seven other movies in the future, including one called “Another Super Hero”. Gundala sequel. —PV

Gundala You can watch it for free, with no ads TubiYou can also get a free library card. Hoopla.

Iron Giant

Warner Bros. Animation

Iron GiantThe complete absence of advertising by Warner Bros was the reason that it failed at the box office. The film was broadcast on home video and given a second chance. Hogarth, a boy in his twenties finds an unusual iron robot hiding in the woods behind his Maine house. He befriends the giant creature and teaches it more about what it means to be human — all while federal agents try to capture the robot, believing it to be a foreign weapon. The relationship between Hogarth and the giant is touching, as are the giant’s revelations about the nature of humanity. Try not to cry in the movie’s final moments, I dare you. —Petrana Radulovic

Iron Giant It is possible to view it HBO MaxOr, you can get one for free with your library card Hoopla.

Megamind

DreamWorks Animation Image

The following are the main points: DreamWorks’ 2010 animated movie Megamind is more of a supervillain story than a superhero story — much like Despicable MeIt was released in the same year and focuses on an evil genius that revels his wicked schemes. In both movies, the villain is recast as the hero. Megamind It goes much further when it comes to deconstructing the super hero story. More specifically, it taps into the idea (underlined heavily in Batman stories, from Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns You can find more information here Lego Batman) that villains are defined by the heroes they fight, and don’t really have much of a life without them. Will Ferrell stars as the big-headed blue meanie Megamind, who’s locked in an eternal struggle with Superman-esque hero Metro Man (Brad Pitt). When Megamind finally wins that war, he has to figure out who he is — and maybe construct himself a new hero to battle. It’s broad comedy, heavy on the action sequences and comics satire, but it’s also a fun subversion of the entire idea of altruistic heroes fighting the same never-ending battles with the same bad guys over and over, ad infinitum. —Tasha Robinson

Megamind You can watch it for free, with no ads IMDB TV.

Mystery Men

Universal Pictures

Acclaimed commercial director Kinka Usher’s one and only feature film is this silly cape comedy about a group of minor superhero left to save the day after the much more lauded and powerful Captain Amazing (Greg Kinnear) goes missing. A sprawling and hilarious cast includes Ben Stiller, West Studi and WillliamH.Macy as well Janeane Garcia, Eddie Izzard, Tom Waits and others. Mystery Men It includes everything from fart jokes and clever quips, to insightful send-ups on the new genre. —PV

Mystery MenIt is available for rent starting at $3.99 Apple, Amazon, Google PlayVOD and similar platforms

The One

Image: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Multiverse movies seem to be all the rage right now. Why not get caught up on a classic movie? Jet Li plays a sinister cross-universe assassin whose lone goal is to kill every other version of himself in across the multiverse, leaving him as “The One.” With each version of himself he kills, he gets stronger, gaining superhuman strength, speed and intelligence. Jet Li is also the star of Gabriel Yulaw (! ), and Delroy Lindo. Jason Statham (with an American accent !!!)), and Jason Li. star as multi-verse cops who are sent to locate him. Jet Li will kick people into the air, and you can also enjoy the Nu Metal wild soundtrack of early 2000s. —PV

The One It is possible to view it NetflixAnd HuluFree with Ads TubiYou can also get a free library card. Hoopla.

Psychokinesis

Image: Next Entertainment World

From Korean animator Yeon Sang-ho — best known for his jump to live action, 2016’s zombie knockout Busan: Train (also on Netflix) — PsychokinesisShin is a borderline-alcoholic, drunken security guard. He drinks from a mountain spring that has been contaminated with a meteorite, and gains telekinetic abilities. Ryu Seung-ryong is a joy as an oaf who’s learning to control his abilities, just as his estranged daughter re-enters his life and sucks him into a real-estate-driven class war. Psychokinesis plays Shin’s “fighting style” for laughs, and while it’s not as cartoonish as Chinese director Stephen Chow’s genre hybrids, the movie can make the flying object mayhem both cheeky and thrilling. The political edge gives weight to Shin’s super-powered decisions, but Sang-ho never loses sight of why everyone showed up: to push the psychic conceit to bigger and bigger heights. —Matt Patches

Psychokinesis It is possible to view it Netflix.

The Rocketeer

Buena Vista Pictures

Before directing Captain America: The First AvengerJoe Johnston directed this comic-book adaptation of the story about a stunt pilot who discovers a protojet pack and becomes a Nazi fighter superhero. Billy Campbell plays Cliff Secord as an Indiana Jones descendent, while Timothy Dalton goes full mustache-twirling as the movie’s villain. The art deco style and composer James Horner’s brassy score complete the pastiche for the movie, which found a cult following years after coming and going from theaters. Disney has finally released an animated sequel to the story of a girl who rocketed. —MP

The Rocketeer It is possible to view it Disney Plus.

Sky High

Buena Vista Pictures

Another, more efficient timeline allowed us to get the Sky High franchise movie and its spin-off TV series that we wanted. Sky HighThis story takes place in a universe where superhero children attend a super hero school that trains them to look after their parents. Will Stronghold, Michael Angarano’s plucky protagonist is the son to two great superheroes: the super-strong Commander (Kurt Russell), and the high-flying Jetstream(Kelly Preston). Problem is? Will hasn’t manifested superpowers yet, so he gets chucked to the sidekick class at school, along with a group of misfits with more … unconventional powers. Will fights the caste system, and when his powers do manifest, he must grapple with newfound popularity — all while an unlikely foe concocts an evil scheme in the background. The epic action scenes are made all the more fun by the cast’s quirky powers. Sky High also embraces superheroes’ comic book roots and go hard on the bright visuals, from the popping costumes to the zany set design. Movies should be more open to combining high school drama with superpowers. —PR

Sky High It is possible to view it Disney Plus.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Image by New Line Cinema

Cab Passenger: [after Raphael jumps over the cab hood]Is that what you were talking about?

Cab Driver: Looked a lot like a large turtle dressed in a trench coat.

[pause]

Cab Driver: You’re going to LaGuardia, right?

Delightfully silly and overwhelmingly ’90s (for better and worse), the original TMNT This is an enjoyable time for all ages. The movie follows intrepid TV reporter April O’Neill (Judith Hoag) as she works with the turtles to stop a crime ring from taking over New York City. The suits — designed by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, one of the Muppet master’s last projects — look incredible, and bring a real tangibility to this appropriately comic book-like adaptation. Real suits were also used to allow for talent specialty (different artists could be used for voice acting, puppetry and martial arts scenes as well as skateboarding stunts), which allowed the production’s flexibility in allowing for different performers without compromising audience immersion. This film was created by Golden Harvest in Hong Kong and distributed through New Line Cinema. TMNT The surprise hit at the box office, it held the record of highest-grossing independent films until now Blair Witch Project. It’s also got a very young Sam Rockwell in a minor role! —PV

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles It is possible to view it NetflixAnd HBO Max.

Unbreakable

Buena Vista Pictures

M. Night Shyamalan remained current by changing his mind UnbreakableThe addition of SplitAnd GlassHowever, modern trends are also influenced by the fact that the best one is always the first. Unbreakable is a slow drip of a thriller, and a what-if-superheroes-were-real thought experiment built on the backs of 30 years of post-modern comic history. The action is minimal — Bruce Willis’ final fight is basically a wrestling match in a bedroom — but the mood is palpable. Portuguese cinematographer Eduardo Serra’s stark imagery combined with a haunting score by James Newton Howard make David Dunn’s intimate discoveries and Elijah Price’s diabolical plot as epic as any Marvel plot. —MP

Unbreakable This property is available for rental starting at $3.99 Apple, Amazon, Google PlayVOD and similar platforms