“Howard the Duck” (1986) – In this Marvel-meets-George-Lucas sci-fi comedy, a human-size duck is propelled to Earth from outer space as the result of a scientific mishap. Emphasis was placed on special effects and portraying Howard as a less cynical duck than that in the comic.
“The Punisher” (1989) – Dolph Lundgren donned a signature skull shirt for a violent adaptation of the story of vigilante Frank Castle, a.k.a The Punisher
“Fantastic Four” (1994) – Legend has it that Roger Corman produced this low-budget adaptation so that a producer could retain the film rights to the comic. Though never released theatrically, it is available on YouTube.
“Generation X” (1996) – Hoping to capitalize on the popular “X-Men” animated series of the ’90s, “Generation X” was a TV movie that aired on Fox about a school for the gifted run by Emma Frost and Banshee.
“Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.” (1998) – David Hasselhoff donned Nick Fury’s eye-patch long before Sam Jackson in this made-for-TV-movie that premiered on Fox.
“Blade” (1998) – Wesley Snipes headlined as a half-man, half-vampire fighting against an evil bloodsucker intent on taking over the world
“X-Men” (2000) – Hugh Jackman achieved international fame as Wolverine in the story of the famed Marvel superhero team
“Hulk” (2003) – Ang Lee‘s much maligned story of Bruce Banner (Eric Bana) as he struggles to control the raging monster within himself
“Daredevil” (2003) – Ben Affleck earned plenty of scorn for his portrayal of the blind defender of Hell’s Kitchen. Nevertheless, the film earned almost $180 million globally
“The Punisher” (2004) – Thomas Jane took over as Frank Castle in this ultra-violent vigilante tale that also starred John Travolta
“Elektra” (2005) – Jennifer Garner reprises her role as Elektra Natchios, an international assassin, in the spin-off from the more successful 2003 film, Daredevil.
“Man-Thing” (2005) – Marvel tried its hand at horror with the “Man-Thing,” loosely based on Stan Lee‘s swamp monster comic from ’71. It features a swamp-monster whose touch burns people who feel fear.
“Ghost Rider” (2007) – Nicolas Cage and Eva Mendes starred in the story of a motorcycle daredevil (Cage) who sold his soul to the devil.
“Iron Man” (2008) – The movie that launched the MCU into the stratosphere starred Robert Downey Jr. as billionaire Tony Stark, a weapons manufacturerer who decides to defend the innocent who are caught in the path of the very weapons he once designed
“The Incredible Hulk” (2008) – Edward Norton took over the role of Dr. Bruce Banner in the setup to the eventual “Avengers” crossover
“Captain America” (2011) – Chris Evans took up the red, white, and blue shield of the First Avenger as he fought against Hydra head Red Skull (Hugo Weaving)
“Thor” (2011) – Chris Hemsworth played the hammer-wielding god of thunder as he battles his brother, Loki (Tom Hiddleston), for control of the mythical realm of Asgard
“The Avengers” (2012) – The superhero team assembled for this blockbuster as they fought to prevent an alien invasion of Earth. Mark Ruffalo took over the role of Bruce Banner from Edward Norton
“Guardians of the Galaxy” (2014) – Chris Pratt proved himself to be an action superstar as Peter “Star-Lord” Quill in this intergalactic sensation that grossed almost $775 million
“Avengers: Age of Ultron” (2015) – The Avengers assemble once again as they try to stop Ultron, an A.I. built by Tony Stark that wants to destroy humanity
“Ant-Man” (2015) Paul Rudd plays a thief just out of prison who stumbles on a suit that shrinks him to microscopic size — all the better to prevent Corey Stoll‘s evil executive from using the same technology for warfare.
