Photo: Amazon Studios
By now, we’re all fairly used to the seemingly weekly news of yet another new, action-packed, epic, CGI-filled Marvel or DC movie. But just because these two brands seem to dominate the movie world with characters like Spider-Man, Iron Man, Captain America, Batman, and Superman, that doesn’t mean these are the only heroes to appear on screen over the years. There are myriad lesser-known, under-the-radar superhero movies that are worth your time.
While some are obviously superhero movies, others are characters with superhuman abilities. Either way, below you’ll find eight of our favorite under-the-radar superhero movies. We even went one step further and ranked them for you. Keep scrolling to see them all.
Under The Radar Superhero Movies Ranked
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8. 'Freaks'
This 2018 movie starring Emile Hirsch centers around a young girl whose father doesn’t want her to leave their home. He tells her the outside world is unsafe, but she doesn’t know how unsafe until she ventures out on her own.
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7. 'Midnight Special'
This film centers around a father and his son, who has special powers and must go on the run to avoid being caught by a cult and government agents.
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6. 'Samaritan'
In this new Sylvester Stallone flick, a young boy realizes that a famous superhero who the rest of the world thinks is dead or retired is actually hiding in plain sight.
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5. 'Hancock'
Will Smith plays on a down-on-his-luck, washed-up superhero who constantly causes major damage with his drunken mistakes. Everything changes after he saves a PR executive.
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4. 'Mystery Men'
This comedic superhero romp starring the likes of Ben Stiller, Hank Azaria, Greg Kinnear, Janeane Garofalo, and William H. Macy centers around a group of embarrassingly bad heroes who need to band together to stop an evil supervillain.
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3. 'The Rocketeer'
At first glance, this movie from the early '90s might not seem like a superhero film, but it absolutely is. A pilot finds a jet pack prototype and becomes embroiled in a conspiracy with the 1930s film industry and the Nazis.
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2. 'Unbreakable'
After becoming the only survivor of a massive train accident, a man learns that he might actually have special abilities and decides that he needs to use them for good.
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1. 'Darkman'
One of the darkest superhero stories ever, Darkman centers around a scientist (played by Liam Neeson) who gets revenge on those who burned him alive and left him for dead.