15 Alternative Superhero And Comic Book Movies You Must See

10. Defendor (2010)

Defendor is a dark comedy in the typical 'delusional everyman becomes a superhero' style and similar in tone to both Super and Kick-Ass which came out in the same year. Defendor isn't particularly flashy or visually exciting and as a result, tends not to get a lot of coverage, but it's arguably the most endearing of the three films.

In the film, Woody Harrelson plays the titular Defendor (real name Arthur Poppington), a masked vigilante fighting to defend his city from the evil Captain Industry.

Arthur is a rather tragic character, a mentally challenged and deluded individual who lives alone on the construction site where he works, secluded from the outside world. His simple mind and bizarre tendencies lead to some very funny moments but the movie manages to avoid being mean-spirited with the subject matter.

Whilst it's just a dumb Batman parody on the surface, Defendor is ultimately a tragic study of a simple man reacting to his own inadequacies and the darkness of the world around him.

Contributor
Contributor

Christopher is a freelance pop culture writer, podcaster and self-confessed nerd from Scotland. He's also the owner, founder and editor at "The Head Scratcher" and a host of "The Scratch Cast" podcast. Visit www.theheadscratcher.com to find out more.