9 Long-Forgotten Superhero Movies of the '90s

1. Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)

Batman, who struggles to deal with his troubled past, is pitted against a new mysterious vigilante who is systematically taking out Gotham’s mobsters, whom people believe is the Caped Crusader himself.

Despite being stylish, fun, and true to its source material, where many Batman adaptations have failed, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm failed at the box office. It missed the mark by $200,000 to even out its budget of $6 million — courtesy of Warner Bros.' poor marketing decisions and minimal advertising before its sudden theatrical release. It later became a cult classic, but people were largely unaware of this movie. And still are.

2. Captain America (1990)

During World War II, a brave, patriotic American Soldier undergoes experiments to become a new supersoldier, “Captain America.” Racing to Germany to sabotage the rockets of Nazi baddie “Red Skull”, Captain America winds up frozen until the 1990s.

After being frozen for a long time, the super-soldier, Captain America (Matt Salinger), awakens to fight his 1940s foe, Red Skull (Scott Paulin).

Some would say that 1990’s Captain America should have remained under the ice. After a troubled production in Yugoslavia rather than America, to make up for the movie’s low budget, it became a mess of cheap visual effects and hollow rewrites. They even scrapped Stan Lee’s cameo, the only element that might have attracted comic book fans to watch it. However, Pyun’s intended version appeared in 2024 and was better received by the audience than its heavily edited version of 1990.

3. Spawn (1997)

After being murdered by his boss, Jason Wynn (Martin Sheen), Al Simmons (Michael Jai White) strikes a deal with the Devil in Hell and returns to Earth as a demonic antihero, “Spawn,” for revenge.

Spawn was a moderate movie due to its reliance on heavily dated, primitive, and terribly unconvincing CGI effects. It never veered much into the character’s emotional development and didn’t resonate with comic book fans at all. In addition, HBO released a far better animated version of Spawn, which completely overshadowed the movie and made it look inferior.

4. The Rocketeer (1991)

A cocky stunt pilot, played by Billy Campbell, becomes the Rocketeer after he discovers a hidden rocket jetpack that makes him fly, attracting the FBI and Nazi operatives hunting for the same technology.

Based on the comic books by Dave Stevens, The Rocketeer failed to deliver at the box office despite being an enjoyable superhero movie. So, it was bad news for an already planned sequel. There were several reasons for its underwhelming reception: Billy Campbell was not a big star at the time, the old-fashioned tone lacked quirky charm, and, to make matters worse, it was released on the same weekend as Terminator 2: Judgment Day.

5. Steel (1997)

When his engineered weapons are being secretly sold to gangs to create havoc, a former Army scientist makes his own high-tech steel armor and fights crime.

It’s one of those movies that’s so bad that it actually holds some junk entertainment value. Courtesy of Shaquille O’Neal’s bad acting, weak script, and cheap visual effects, Steel became a laughing stock among viewers. Warner Bros.’ attempt to cash in on Shaq’s NBA fame fell flat as the movie earned a catastrophic $1.7 million for a $23 million budget. Director Kenneth Johnson later admitted that the studios should have cast Denzel Washington or Wesley Snipes for it.

6. Dick Tracy (1990)

Based on the legendary American comic strip, Dick Tracy (Warren Beatty) takes on the crime lord, Big Boy Caprice (Al Pacino) and his mobsters.

Despite the movie's dazzling visual design, brilliant score, and fine reviews, Dick Tracy failed to receive a big hit reception at the box office and with fans. Disney expected it to become another Batman with flashy gadgets, but the result was far from it. Moreover, Warren Beatty directed and acted in the movie alongside a villain played by Al Pacino, who even got a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1991.

7. Fantastic Four (1994)

You already know. Four astronauts get exposed to cosmic radiation and attain superhuman powers.

Despite a small scale and clumsy visual effects, Fantastic Four had its heart in the right place. But the shoestring budget really pulled the rug from under it. Fantastic Four was never officially released, as Marvel later bought the rights and wanted all copies destroyed so that the underwhelming visual result wouldn’t harm the superhero’s brand. However, Alex Hyde-White’s portrayal of Reed Richards had been the most comic-accurate in the movie until then.

8. Darkman (1990)

A scientist, Dr. Payton Westlake (Liam Neeson), working on the synthetic skin experiments, is viciously attacked and left for dead. He survives and becomes his alter ego, Darkman, a vengeance-driven vigilante.

Darkman was Sam Raimi’s first attempt at the superhero genre before Spider-Man. It had creativity and an admirable performance by Liam Neeson, but the studios interfered with Raimi’s original vision. The result? The movie was a box office hit, but it didn’t secure a wide audience. However, it surely was a stepping stone for Sam Raimi’s acclaimed Spider-Man trilogy to come.

9. The Meteor Man (1993)

When a falling meteor hits a Washington, D.C. school teacher, Jefferson Reed (Robert Townsend), he gains superpowers and becomes a crime-fighting hero.

The Meteor Man suffered from poor pacing and attempts to strike a balance between comedy and traditional superhero tone. Although it had big laughs and moments of genuine aspirations, the movie lacked a coherent storyline. Despite assembling a stellar cast including James Earl Jones and Bill Cosby, Meteor Man is yet another forgettable superhero movie, which will make you laugh, mind you.