The world of superhero films is as vast as it is odd, and there are several films in the genre that people forget exist.

In the 21st century, no films have had an impact on cinema more than the superhero genre. Superhero films are all the craze right now, between solo films, event movies, and shared universes. The effect on the movie-going public and all the hype surrounding superhero films is extremely impressive.

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While superhero films are all the rage today, they have been around for quite some time. Most people think that the age of superhero films began with Richard Donner's Superman. However, some may be surprised that older, more obscure films feature some of the favorite heroes that we see today.

Captain America's first theatrical film was planned all the way back in 1990. However, it was unable to secure a release date theatrically and instead went direct to video in 1992. Following a very similar premise as Captain America: The First Avenger, the film follows Steve Rogers as he is thawed from ice and recruited to battle Red Skull.

While there are fundamental differences between the two films, it is quite a coincidence that this film shares a similar premise to its MCU counterpart. Cap even had two television movies released back in the 1970s as well, long before Chris Evans began playing the titular character in the MCU.

The Fantastic Four technically made their first live-action appearance in 1994, albeit in an unreleased movie. The film explored the origins of the group and their first conflict with the classic supervillain Doctor Doom.

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The independent movie was only made for executive producer Bernd Eichinger to keep the rights to the characters. The film was never able to secure a release, and those who saw it did not give it high marks given that it was made on an ultra-low budget. Eichinger did eventually become a producer on Fox's two Fantastic Four movies as well.

Spider-Man had his first foray into live-action with this television film pilot that eventually started a series at CBS. Peter Parker is bitten by a radioactive spider and becomes Spider-Man to fight Guru, who is mind-controlling the people of New York to carry out his nefarious crimes.

The film spawned two sequels that were released overseas compiling various episodes from the television series. Unfortunately, the series was short-lived and only lasted thirteen episodes. This iteration of the character has yet to appear in any Spider-Man multiverse stories.

The Swamp Thing was directed by the legendary horror director Wes Craven, two years before his breakout hit A Nightmare on Elm Street. Based on the DC Comics character, the film is about a scientist who becomes transformed into the Swamp Thing through a lab accident.

The film did well enough to earn a sequel, The Return of the Swamp Thing in 1989. That film was less dark than Craven's original, which hampered the success of the film. USA network made a television series based on the character; one that leaned more into the darkness of Craven's film, and had a successful three-season run.

Most fans remember The Incredible Hulk series from the 70s, where Hulk was played by fan-favorite Lou Ferrigno. What people probably do not remember is that six years after the series ended, the character returned in The Incredible Hulk Returns. David Banner may have found the cure for his condition, but he is sabotaged by Thor; in his first live-action appearance.

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The television movie was successful and spawned two more sequels, ending in 1990 with The Death of the Incredible Hulk. There were talks for a third sequel entitled Revenge of the Incredible Hulk, but David Banner actor Bill Bixby passed away in 1993 effectively ending the series.

Before Sam Raimi dipped his toes into the superhero genre with Spider-Man and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, he created his own superhero. Based on a short story that he wrote, Darkman follows a scientist who develops superhuman abilities after being left for dead by a mobster.

Raimi had previously tried to obtain the rights to make a superhero movie, but these early attempts proved unsuccessful. The resulting homespun narrative was a success, becoming a legend of the superhero genre in the process.

A reboot of The Punisher, Punisher: War Zone has Frank Castle going up against mobster Jigsaw. Formerly Billy Russotti, he was disfigured when he was thrown into a glass cutting machine. Castle then must protect a family targeted by Jigsaw when Jigsaw swears revenge for what had happened to him.

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The film was marred by negative reception and was a commercial failure upon release, only grossing $10 million worldwide. This effectively killed The Punisher until years later when the rights reverted to Marvel Studios and Jon Bernthal played the character in Netflix's Daredevil and later in his own series, set within the MCU.

Everybody remembers Marvel's first attempt at Daredevil, with Ben Affleck being the first to play the part. Jennifer Garner co-starred as his love interest Elektra, and some forget that she received a spinoff movie two years later. Following her death in Daredevil, Elektra is revived and must battle The Hand; an order of evil ninjas.

Unfortunately, since Daredevil's public reception was so bad, the film is often forgotten. In the director's cut, Affleck even reprises the role of Daredevil briefly. The character of Elektra would not appear again in live-action until over ten years later in Netflix's Daredevil television show.

Long before Benedict Cumberbatch began playing the Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Strange had his own television film. Strange trains and becomes the Sorcerer Supreme to battle Morgan Le Fey, who intends to invade Earth from the fourth dimension.

The film was meant to be the pilot of a proposed series at CBS and Stan Lee was hired as a consultant on the film. However, it was not picked up to series even though the network had The Amazing Spider-Man and Incredible Hulk series on at the time. Imagine the shared universe that could have been.

An obscure film from the 90s, The Rocketeer follows a racing pilot who finds a jetpack and becomes a superhero in 1930s Los Angeles. He ends up battling Nazis who are also trying to get their hands on the jetpack.

The Rocketeer debuted to positive reviews for Disney in 1991. However, disappointing box office returns doomed any future sequels. An animated children's series based on the character was released in 2019; twenty-eight years after the film was released, on Disney Junior. Disney announced in 2020 that the film will indeed get a sequel; The Return of the Rocketeer, and will debut exclusively on Disney+.

David Giatras is a storyteller, freelance videographer & writer, and aspiring filmmaker, where he provides commentary and insights on today’s most notable films and television series.