Superhero movies continue to dominate pop culture, with franchises like the MCU and DCU churning out multiple films a year. While superhero projects are known for driving audiences to the theaters in droves, some of the best content in the genre can be found from the comfort of home.
With the superhero genre’s popularity showing no signs of stopping it can be easy to let certain films slip by unnoticed. Thankfully, Amazon Prime has a terrific array of superhero movies that viewers may have missed otherwise available to stream right now.
10 Superhero Movie (2008)
Superhero Movie is a 2008 superhero parody from Craig Mazin, the same filmmaker who would go on to create HBO Max’s The Last of Us. The film serves as a satire of superhero origin movies, as
teenage Rick Ricker becomes the Dragonfly.
Although some may consider it one of the worst superhero movies of all time, Superhero Movie was truly ahead of its time when it comes to satirizing the genre. Poking fun at superhero movies like Spider-Man and X-Men, Superhero Movie is filled with plenty of laughs at Marvel and DC’s expense.
9 Guardians (2017)
Guardians is a 2017 Russian superhero film that features a new team of superheroes who were created during the Cold War. Kept in secrecy for decades, the Guardians finally emerge when they are needed most.
Guardians can now be streamed on Prime Video with English dubbing for anyone interested in exploring this little-known gem in the superhero genre. The film is certainly worth checking out, as audiences get acquainted with Russia’s new team of superheroes, including Ler, Arsus, Khan, and Xenia.
8 The Immortals (2021)
Prime Video offers its subscribers access to little-known indie films that they otherwise may have never been aware existed. One such film is The Immortals, a 2021 project that depicts a group of superpowered humans as they prepare to pull off a major heist.
While major studios like Marvel and DC tend to dominate the box office, it is often refreshing when unknown filmmakers offer their voice to the increasingly oversaturated superhero genre. The Immortals won’t blow audiences away with its spectacle, but it just might surprise viewers by doing something different and new when compared to the corporate projects that Marvel and DC churn out each year.
7 Zebraman (2007)
Zebraman is a 2004 Japanese film about a struggling man who becomes a superhero in order to run away from his personal problems. Adopting the moniker of Zebraman, the name of a superhero from an old television show, Shin’ichi Ichikawa finds himself fighting the forces of evil.
Although Zebraman may be an unfamiliar title for many viewers in the Western hemisphere, the film is a surprisingly resonant exploration of the superhero genre long before it dominated pop culture in the late 2000s and beyond. The film tactfully delves deeply into the psyche of its protagonist, who is at his core using his alter-ego to escape his failed personal life.
6 Mortal (2020)
Mortal is a Norwegian film rooted in Norse mythology. The 2020 movie follows Nat Wolff’s Eric, a man with the ability to light objects–and people–on fire. Unable to fully control his powers, Eric ends up in police custody, where a psychologist attempts to unravel the mystery of his abilities–and his mind.
Mortal attempts to add a psychological spin to the increasingly oversaturated superhero genre. Although it is not always successful in its endeavors, the film does pose some interesting quandaries regarding how great power might be handled by a man unable to fully comprehend it.
5 Samaritan (2022)
Samaritan is a 2022 Prime Video original starring Sylvester Stallone as a retired superhero once known as Samaritan. After a young boy discovers his secret, the former superhero is reluctantly pulled back into crimefighting in time to stop a gang of criminals terrorizing the streets.
Sylvester Stallone’s tough action cop characters help inform his rendition of this dark and gritty superhero who may not be all he seems. While Samaritan didn’t quite resonate with viewers upon its release, the film does act as counterprogramming to the more mainstream superhero movies released by Marvel and DC and may one day find its audience as a cult classic.
4 Kick-Ass (2010)
Just before superhero movies became the biggest trend in modern cinema, Kick-Ass offered a new take on the genre. Based on the comic book of the same name, Kick-Ass is a dark comedy about a teenager who aspires to become a vigilante superhero but eventually gets more than he bargained for when he runs afoul of a local criminal organization.
Although Kick-Ass thrives on nostalgia, the film is still one of the earliest examples of superhero counterprogramming, offering a very different story than most fans of the genre are used to. The film proved popular enough to warrant a sequel with hopes that a third film or a reboot could still be on the way.
3 Megamind (2010)
Megamind approaches the superhero genre from a completely different angle, choosing to focus on the supervillain rather than the hero himself. The classic animated film follows Will Ferrell’s eponymous supervillain as he contemplates life after seemingly killing his greatest foe–only to learn that he is more heroic than he thought.
Megamind serves as a precursor to the more recent trend in telling stories about supervillains and antiheroes in films like Kraven the Hunter and Deadpool. A more family-friendly version of this trope, Megamind remains one of the most underrated films from Dreamworks Animation, making it all the more exciting that the franchise is returning in the form of a television spinoff.
2 Robocop (1987)
Robocop is a classic film from the late 1980s by director Paul Verhoeven. The film follows Alex Murphy, a cop who is given cybernetic implants after being mortally wounded in the line of duty. As Robocop, Murphy is able to enforce the law like never before–though his newfound abilities could easily be taken too far.
Robocop is unlike any other superhero movie, contemplating major philosophical principles including the nature of authority and the existence of humanity itself. The film has remained a staple of pop culture for over thirty years, resulting in numerous attempts to replicate its story, including in the 2014 reboot, which is largely considered to be one of the worst movie remakes of all time.
1 Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (2022)
A sequel to the 2018 film centered around the beloved video game character, Sonic the Hedgehog is now available to stream on Prime Video. This time, Sonic is joined by several of his animal companions, including Tails the Fox, as he faces off once more against Doctor Eggman and his new henchman, Knuckles the Echidna.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 improves on the original in every way, turning its eponymous character into more of a superhero than ever before. The film lays the groundwork for a much larger Sonic franchise, including future sequels and a spinoff series based around Knuckles. With fun and colorful characters and plenty of nostalgic moments for fans of the game, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is perfect for audiences of all ages.