9 Great Superhero Movies That Weren’t Based On Comic Books

You don’t need us to tell you that there is currently a proliferation of people with powers on the big screen right now, with such comic book bigwigs as Batman and Superman, the Avengers and the X-Men making big bucks at the box office. Their success means that even more superheroes will be pulled from their pages and plastered on cinema screens in the coming years. Yet, not all films revolving around people with superpowers are based off of comic book creations, as there have been several superheroes made especially for the movies. Many of them, though they don’t have a ready-made fanbase and decades-worth of history, succeed in capturing the spirit of the genre better than certain other ‘proper’ superhero movies. Some are gritty, down-to-earth takes while others are light-hearted love letters to classic comicbookdom. So, on that note, here are 9 great superhero movies that were not inspired by characters from a comic book. 9) Megamind In one of those strange cinematic coincidences, two animated movies revolving around supervillains were released in 2010 – Despicable Me and Megamind. Despicable Me ended up being the biggest success (it introduced the now ubiquitous Minions to the world), but Megamind deserves to be remembered too, as it is an original take on the superhero movie genre. When Will Ferrell’s Megamind finally defeats his eternal foe Metro Man (voiced by Brad Pitt), he realizes that a supervillain is only as good as his superhero nemesis and finds himself without purpose. It’s an interesting and clever concept that might be familiar to comic book readers (it’s the central conceit of classic Spider-Man comic Kraven’s Last Hunt, for one), but has yet to be otherwise explored in a movie. The usually-reliable Dreamworks delivered another entertaining adventure with this film, one that will entertain the young-uns and give older superhero fans a kick as well. 8) Hancock Will Smith is about to play anti-hero Deadshot in the upcoming Suicide Squad, but that won’t be his first role in a superhero movie. 2008 comedy-drama Hancock saw Smith play the titular John Hancock, a drunken, potty-mouthed slob of a superhero who is in desperate need of a new public image. As he usually does, Will Smith gives a great charismatic performance as this very unusual superhero. He’s likewise ably supported by Jason Bateman, who plays the PR man who takes Hancock under his wing, and Charlize Theron as his wife, who Hancock seems to have a strange connection with. The movie does go down some unusual avenues in its second half - which sadly move it away from its brilliant premise - but, on the whole, Hancock remains an enjoyable film and a must-watch for any fan of less squeaky-clean superheroes. 7) Sky High On the other side of things, there is the Disney family comedy Sky High. Even if the idea of the House of Mouse tackling superheroes puts you off (though it really shouldn’t as Disney own Marvel Studios, remember), you should still give it a go as this is a surprisingly clever and fun. Sky High focuses on Will Stronghold, the son of the world’s greatest heroes (played by Kurt Russell and Kelly Preston), as he attends the superhero school, Sky High. However, he struggles to live up to his parents’ name when it looks like he doesn’t have any superpowers of his own. Similar to Megamind, Sky High is an entertaining play on superhero clichés and tropes, with its tongue firmly in its cheek. It may not appeal to the more hardcore superhero fans out there, but we think you should still give it a watch. Plus, watch out for some superhero fan-pleasing cameos, such as Spider-Man’s Bruce Campbell as a gym teacher and Wonder Woman herself Lynda Carter as the school principal. 6) Super Superhero fans will know director James Gunn from his 2014 smash Guardians of the Galaxy. His previous dip into the genre is much less known, though, possibly because it is not based on an already existing property or part of a successful movie universe. Super is a violent, subversive comedy-drama which sees The Office’s Rainn Wilson as Frank Darbo, who becomes the superhero Crimson Bolt after his wife falls under the thrall of a drug dealer. With his psychotic sidekick Boltie (Ellen Page), Darbo dishes out his own bizarre brand of justice – including savagely beating a man who cut in line. The film’s fearless attitude to shocking people – it features Rob Zombie as the voice of God, for example – meant that it received mixed reviews upon release. However, if you like Kick-Ass but wish it had gone deeper and darker, then this is the superhero film for you. 5) The Specials In both Super and Guardians of the Galaxy, Jams Gunn took a sideways look at superheroes. His first exploration of the genre, though, came back in 2000 when he wrote the script for The Specials. The Specials follows the world’s sixth or seventh best superhero team on their days off, as they attempt to up their profile and land lucrative merchandising deals. Amongst the underdogs we learn to care for are Rob Lowe’s insect-powered Weevil, Thomas Haden Church as laser-shooting The Strobe and Paget Brewster as Ms. Indestructible. Made in just 18 days and on a minuscule budget, The Specials has no action and certainly no special effects, which is something unheard of elsewhere in the genre. However, after a decade and a half of big-budget, CGI-heavy comic book movies, it is the perfect antidote to more mainstream superhero fare. 4) Chronicle By 2012, a lot of us were tired of the once-novel found footage format. However, an exception was made for Chronicle, a movie that mixes the over-used filming technique with a genre that is also exceptionally common; the superhero movie. The result was surprisingly great. Chronicle sees three Seattle high schoolers develop telekinetic abilities after they encounter a strange alien object. Instead of using their powers to do good, the guys mess around… but they soon have to face up to their responsibilities when one of their number becomes increasingly unhinged. The result is a film that manages to tell familiar elements in a new and refreshing way. Writer Max Landis and director Josh Trank really hit it out of the park with this one (something Trank sadly couldn’t repeat with last year’s Fantastic 4), giving us a fantastic superhero flick that also launched the careers of Dane DeHaan and Michael B. Jordan. 3) Darkman If you love Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man films, you might like to know that the director previously tried his hand at another superhero. After he failed to acquire the rights to both the Shadow and Batman, Raimi created his own similarly grimdark hero – enter Darkman. Darkman sees Liam Neeson (for once swapping his signature Irish tones for a sort of transatlantic accent) as Peyton Westlake, a man who becomes a vigilante after he is hideously disfigured by the mob. The movie is an ambitious blend of comic books, horror movies and old-fashioned gangster films but somehow it all comes together. As a sign that Raimi had bigger things to give to the superhero genre, it is classic, pulpy entertainment. A definition of a cult film, Darkman had enough of a core fanbase to warrant two direct-to-video sequels, though without either Raimi or Neeson’s involvement. 2) Unbreakable After films like After Earth and The Happening, most of us have forgotten that The Sixth Sense’s M. Night Shyamalan was once a promising talent. If you need reminding of the good old days when he was still a reliable director, check out his less-famous Bruce Willis vehicle Unbreakable. David Dunn (you know he’s a superhero because he’s got an alliterative name) survives a train crash and learns that he is, in a word, unbreakable. Under the guidance of Samuel L. Jackson’s comic book fan, he realizes that he should use his abilities to help people. But things aren't as black and white as they seem... Before Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight films, this was the original gritty and realistic take on the superhero movie. Like the director’s best work, it is a taut, character-driven thriller and one of the smartest superhero moves you will find. Quentin Tarantino even calls it one of his favourite films of the past twenty years. 1) The Incredibles The greatest superhero movie not based on a comic surely has to be The Incredibles. From the storytelling powerhouse that is Pixar, the movie follows a world in which superheroes have been outlawed. Nevertheless, superpowered family the Parrs have to suit up once again when a figure from Mr. Incredible’s past comes back to haunt him. A brilliant blend of Saturday morning cartoons, Silver Age comic books and James Bond films, Brad Bird crafts a perfect superhero movie with fantastic character dynamics, a great villain and memorable action. And it is all realized in Pixar’s finest ever animation up to that point. Fans often jokingly call The Incredibles the best Fantastic Four movie that we have ever had - referencing how the movie’s set-up mirrors Marvel’s First Family – and it's probably true. Of all the Pixar movies that deserve a sequel, The Incredibles is the one that needs a follow-up the most. Thankfully, The Incredibles 2 is set to arrive in 2019, and we can’t wait.