Not Just Kraven the Hunter: 5 Superhero Movies That Turned Out to Be Disasters
It's no wonder that no one remembers them now.
Kraven the Hunter solidified the failure of Sony's superhero universe and made the company one of the leading purveyors of bad superhero movies.
But long before Morbius and Madame Web, back when the multiverse was a thing of comic-book-only lore, superhero movies were being made that were so awful they make Kraven seem like a cinematic masterpiece.
1. Steel, 1997
After conquering the heights of sports, NBA star Shaquille O'Neal turned his attention to his personal brand and starred in a superhero movie called Steel.
Kenneth Johnson's action movie turned out to be so terrible that the director never returned to work on feature-length projects. Steel was a box office failure and received devastating press, in part due to the overall cheapness of what happened on screen.
2. Fantastic Four, 2015
The young director Josh Trank, who surprised everyone with the anti-superhero movie Chronicle made in the found footage genre, was chosen to direct Fantastic Four in 2015.
But the man was not ready for the sudden fame and tried to concentrate all creative control over the project in his hands. Constant conflicts, replacement of scriptwriters, pressure from fans – the production of the Fantastic Four reboot turned into hell.
3. Jonah Hex, 2010
Jonah Hex is a comic book character from the experimental era when antiheroes and charming villains were in vogue. He was memorable: a cynical bounty hunter who traveled the Wild West, killing for money but following his own code of honor.
Jonah Hex was the first and last live-action film by animator Jimmy Hayward, best known for his work on Toy Story. Jonah Hex can be compared to Wild Wild West: the same setting of an alternative young America, a disjointed narrative, strange characters, and an unclear ending.
4. The Pumaman, 1980
Tony Farms discovers that he has supernatural powers thanks to a mystical medallion. Farms becomes the invulnerable Pumaman and fights for justice around the world. One day, a villain named Kobras plans to hypnotize the rulers of all countries and become the sole ruler of our planet.
Italian cinema of the late 1970s actively adopted trends, one of which was the craze for superheroes.
But the Italians never got around to financing it, so The Pumaman balances in the air on fishing lines attached to his pants and delivers vague blows to music more suited to a sketch.
5. Captain America, 1990
Albert Pyun's Captain America was the first attempt to bring the superhero story to the big screen. The classic origin story of the superhero underwent significant changes.
The Italian fascists were blamed for all the troubles and they created a serum to create super soldiers. Thus, Steve Rogers' main enemy, the Red Skull, turned out to be Italian, and the Captain himself received his powers thanks to the scientist Maria Vaselli, who fled to the US.