Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool/Wade Wilson and Hugh Jackman as Wolverine/Logan in a scene from “Deadpool & Wolverine”. 20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios via Associated Press

So much for “superhero fatigue”.

Deadpool & Wolverine, Ryan Reynolds’ third outing as Marvel Comics’ ultra-brutal, fourth-wall-breaking “mercenary with a big mouth” superhero, teams up with aging X-Men star Wolverine (Hugh Jackman, donning what he swears is the last time he’ll wear the adamantium claws), has made (look at it) all the money in the world. That makes sense, because the film is the perfect antidote for a cinematic world that seems to have had enough of universe-spanning, spandex-clad superheroes.

Deadpool & Wolverine is cleverly clever. Taking a cue from the actor’s trademark brashness and the comics’ increasingly confident protagonist, Reynolds’ Deadpool gets to poke fun at the superhero genre while simultaneously nestling ever more comfortably in piles of cash. Despite Reynolds’ (truly hilarious) nods to the fact that he’s a movie/comic book character who does absurdly heroic (if disreputable) things, Deadpool (aka Wade Wilson, whose terminal illness has transformed into hideous deformities and impossible superpowers) makes the same crowd-pleasing moves.

He loves, learns, even matures a bit as he shoots countless bad guys and entertainingly gets under the fast-healing skin of the reluctant and more straightforward hero Wolverine. And the fact that this second sequel to 2016’s surprise hit original serves as a bridge between Sony’s ever-disappointing Marvel license and the world-conquering box office smash of the MCU is just more fodder for the irreverent Deadpool to mock Marvel’s omnipresent box office dominance – and the undeniable fact that people are a bit sick of burly super-dudes crowding out all other kinds of movies from multiplexes.

And I get that. As much of a superhero geek as I am (I know, you’re shocked), the flood of super-adventures on the big screen has overshadowed even my initial, all-accepting enthusiasm. (Honestly, I’m a lifelong DC Comics fan, but with DC entrusting my favorite characters to people like Zack Snyder who don’t get it, there was no competition at all.)

Still, we go to the movies to see heroes. What is Rick from Casablanca but a super-cool Nazi destroyer who must embark on his own hero’s journey to get back into the fight? I’m not saying I needed to see Humphrey Bogart in form-fitting spandex, but his underdog battle against evil and his own insecurities thrilled me just as epically and inspiringly.

As with any genre, there’s better material the deeper you delve into the back issues, the DVD bins, or the least-used streaming channels. So here are some, if I may call them that, indie superhero movies that might help you find your super-excitement again.

“The Specials” (2000)

You’ll be hearing James Gunn’s name a fair bit more, as the former outsider writer-director (he wrote for notorious pulp-movie masters Troma, for heaven’s sake) has conquered the superhero universe. He directed the entire Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, revived DC’s antihero franchise The Suicide Squad, and was recently put in charge of DC’s hopefully reinvented and re-energized cinematic universe. But his super journey began here, with this ultra-low-budget workplace comedy take on the lives of a superhero team. A truly eclectic cast (Rob Lowe, Thomas Haden Church, Paget Brewster, Judy Greer, Gunn’s brother Sean) are The Specials, “the sixth or seventh most popular superhero team in the world.”

The team’s disappointing cast includes Lowe’s The Weevil, Church’s Shatner-esque Mighty Strobe, Brewster’s bored Mrs. Strobe, Ms. Indestructible, and others with less-than-earth-shattering powers like Jordan Ladd’s Nightbird, whose abilities are disturbingly literal. Not that we’ll see any of those powers in action—Gunn’s deadpan approach and a complete lack of a budget mean these superheroes are more concerned with their personal lives and the glory of an action figure marketing deal than with showing us what they can do. Decades before Deadpool, Gunn and director Craig Mazins’ film turns the square-jawed hero’s image on its head by claiming that no superpower, speed, or laser hands can overcome relatable human weaknesses. The tagline of “The Specials” really says it all: “Not as good as other superheroes, but a little better than you.”

“Super” (2010)

Gunn really laid the groundwork for his future self to take over in all universes. Ten years after The Specials, he wrote and directed Rainn Wilson as The Crimson Bolt, a completely powerless wannabe superhero. In reality, Wilson’s Frank Darbo is a repressed French fry cook with an unfaithful and problematic wife, but he eventually snaps, dons a clunky, bright-red supersuit, and starts beating suspected evildoers with various blunt objects. Along the way, he unexpectedly runs into an overzealous sidekick (Elliot Page) and storms the fortress-like mansion of the sneering drug dealer who is his wife’s new boyfriend.

Dark, sinister, and completely unapologetic, Super explores the antisocial and selfishly violent roots of superhero vigilantism – and shows how an obsession with the “lone avenger” stereotype can feed our darkest impulses. Wilson channels a terrific streak of fidgety, thwarted masculinity that’s miles darker than Dwight Schrute’s, and it’s fascinating to see how Gunn kickstarted the genre just a few years before mega-corporation Marvel.

“Defender” (2009)

If you thought “Super” was dark…

Woody Harrelson plays the titular hero, a man without superpowers in a homemade costume (embellished with a “D” made of duct tape) who is really another disturbed loner convinced that all the manifold evils of the real world are the work of a criminal supervillain named “Captain Industry.” While Gunn’s darkly comic plot armor sided with Wilson’s similarly demented vigilante, no one is there to help Harrelson’s Arthur Poppington, a grown-up orphan with a stunted worldview and a homemade tool belt full of marbles, lime juice, and bee bottles.

Harrelson is excellent, and alongside a great supporting cast (Sandra Oh, Elias Koteas, Kat Dennings), he evokes our sympathy (Defendor offers a much cheaper version of Batman’s tragic backstory) without ever letting us forget that while heroism in itself is a virtue, the idea of ​​heroism in the comics as obsessive, solitary, violent justice is as seductive as it is dangerous.

Unfortunately, The Specials is not streaming because The Specials continue to receive no respect. Super is included with your Kanopy, AMC+, or Apple TV subscription. Defendor is available to rent on Apple and Prime. Deadpool & Wolverine is literally everywhere.

Dennis Perkins is a freelance writer who lives in Auburn with his wife and cat.

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