The Marvel Cinematic Universe revolutionized the Marvel brand for mainstream audiences. Starting with Iron Man, which was considered a risky property to adapt for Marvel’s first film, the franchise exploded and ended up producing some of the most successful superhero movies in history at the box office. However, while the MCU is the reason superhero films are so popular, it isn’t the only company that has made great comic book movies. There were some fantastic releases before Marvel began producing its own films. While there were some bad movies, such as an early attempt at Captain America, and big-budget disappointments like Fantastic Four and the pre-director’s cut of Daredevil, there were some gems along the way.
From a great Marvel horror movie to the real comic book films that started the superhero movie craze, here is a look at the pre-Marvel Studios releases that deserve as much credit as the MCU.
5) Blade (1998)
In 1998, Marvel hadn’t had any successful movies. The most popular were Dolph Lundgren’s Punisher, the laughable Howard the Duck, and a couple of spin-offs from the beloved Incredible Hulk TV show. That all changed, mostly unknown by mainstream audiences, with Blade in 1998. Blade had Wesley Snipes in the lead as a vampire hybrid hunting and killing vampires in an R-rated horror release by the creators of A Nightmare on Elm Street.
However, as Marvel Comics fans know, Blade is a Marvel character and part of its horror line of comics since the 1970s, although he was nothing like the movie character until Marvel revamped him to align better with the New Line Cinema movie. That said, the film really popularized the character, who started as a supporting player in the Dracula comics. It was the first Marvel movie property to become a franchise, with three releases, and some consider the second, from director Guillermo Del Toro, to be even better than the groundbreaking first.
4) Spider-Man (2002)
In 2002, Sony brought one of the most popular Marvel Comics characters of all time to the big screen with Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man. Before 2002, Spider-Man had appeared in numerous television shows and animated series, and he was also featured in other cartoons, including those featuring the Avengers and more, as well as a spot on The Electric Company, which was popular among a certain generation. The 2002 movie Spider-Man changed everything.
Spider-Man was a huge success, proving that comic book movies could be a box office draw, with a gross of over $825 million. It also led to a trilogy and was even bigger than Blade’s trilogy. What was even more significant was that it spawned a second franchise, with Andrew Garfield replacing Maguire, and then the MCU partnered with Sony for Tom Holland’s franchise. None of this would be possible without this original Sam Raimi movie.
3) X2 (2003)
X-Men was the first film to be openly based on Marvel Comics. Released in 2000, two years before Spider-Man, the movie proved that fans wanted to see more superheroes on the big screen. That first film also proved that someone other than DC (Superman, Batman) could succeed at the box office. However, the sequel came out a year after Spider-Man and proved audiences wanted more.
X2: X-Men United made over $110 million more than the first film, and it was an even better story. This sequel helped the X-Men become the most popular Marvel Comics team for moviegoers years after they earned that spot for comic book fans. It also helped lead Fox to incredible success with the franchise, as the X-Men have had more movies than any other single property, with eight team movies, one spinoff (The New Mutants), and three Wolverine movies.
2) Hulk (2003)
The Hulk is the one character that the MCU has never been able to get back under its control. The hero had one solo film in the MCU, and he also appeared in several other films, including Avengers and Thor: Ragnarok. However, Universal holds the rights and controls what the character can do in solo movies. That said, the 2003 Hulk movie was one of the most comic-book-styled films ever made upon its release.
Directed by Ang Lee, Hulk had several scenes shot to resemble comic book panels, and Lee understood what he needed to do to bring a comic book to the big screen. Critics and fans panned the movie upon its release. However, it provided a great look at the Hulk on the big screen, and it might even be better than The Incredible Hulk, which the MCU developed in collaboration with Universal.
1) The Punisher (2004)
The first Punisher movie, starring Dolph Lundgren in the 1980s, had almost nothing to do with Frank Castle from the comics. In 2008, Punisher: War Zone was the closest that any Punisher movie came to showing the character as depicted in Marvel Comics. However, the 2004 film, The Punisher, was the best movie the character ever appeared in.
Thomas Jane stars as Frank Castle, and the film features some of the most beloved side characters from the comic book run, including Spacker Dave, Joan, and Bumpo, all of whom appeared in the Garth Ennis series. While fans were not all on board when it was released, this has become a cult classic, and Jane even made a short film called The Punisher: Dirty Laundry, which was a fan favorite. While Jon Bernthal has become the Punisher for the MCU, Thomas Jane showed how to do the character right.
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