5 Best Superhero Parody Movies Of All Time, Ranked

For as long as superheroes have been popular in comic books and other media, there have been superhero parodies. Characters like Mighty Mouse originated in this form of satire, while subsequent properties like "The Greatest American Hero" were also made to offer sillier and subversive takes on Batman, Superman, and other crime-fighters. Even major superhero characters from Marvel or DC Comics could end up poking fun at this storytelling realm, as seen by properties like "Batman: The Brave and the Bold" or "Deadpool." The superhero parody is so pervasive that even the biggest comic book companies have gotten in on the act.

Given this ubiquity, it's no surprise superhero parody films are also immensely ubiquitous. However, that doesn't mean they're all inherently sublime. Subpar works like "Superhero Movie" or "Blankman" have often given the superhero parody movie a bad name. Luckily, much like Superman swooping in just when people need him, the high-quality entries in the superhero parody film domain are here to save the day in the nick of time. The five best superhero parody movies of all time (ranked below from "worst" to best based on the author's subjective opinion) are a wonderful group of features combining deep knowledge of superhero stories with interesting filmmaking impulses.

These comedic projects take the familiar and warp it into something simultaneously fresh, amusing, and even occasionally insightful. Let's break down the greatest parts of these five motion pictures carrying on the long-running tradition of superhero movie parodies.

Typically, superhero movie parodies have to be made with a very low budget. A handful of exceptions exist, but titles like "The Specials" or "Super" are made at bargain-bin prices, often to intentionally contrast against the glossy, expensive versions of these crime-fighters dominating our culture. That approach has its advantages, but it does mean that certain comedic opportunities evade these projects. After all, it's impossible to make recreations of the large-scale action sequences dominating the highest-grossing superhero movie franchises of all time if you've got a budget under $1 million.

2010's "Megamind" didn't have this problem. This costly DreamWorks Animation project had both a massive budget and the limitless possibilities of animation to ensure it could go as big as director Tom McGrath and company wanted. In this project, baddie Megamind (Will Ferrell) finally eliminates his archnemesis, Metro Man (Brad Pitt). After reveling in his victory, the villain struggles to feel like his life has meaning. It's an amusing tale twisting and contorting superhero movie conventions, showcasing that a devious foe with a gigantic head can be a hero. Plenty of amusing gags transpire at the expense of superhero storytelling hallmarks, but what really works about "Megamind" is that it's effective as a standalone piece of art.

You don't need to have knowledge of every superhero film to enjoy this movie. Emphasizing universally hilarious jokes ensured that the expanded scope of "Megamind" (compared to other superhero spoofs) was put to great use.

When ranking every James Gunn movie from worst to best, "Super" would be lower on the list compared to the "Guardians of the Galaxy" trilogy or "Superman." Mostly, the film suffers from the edgelord tendencies (particularly in one ill-advised scene depicting sexual violence) that permeated too much of Gunn's pre-2017 work – like Drax calling Gamora a crude term for a sex worker in "Guardians of the Galaxy" or the fat jokes that run rampant in "Slither." However, just because it isn't as good as "The Suicide Squad" doesn't distract from the charms that do exist in "Super." There's plenty to praise about this production, which chronicles disturbed adult man Frank D'Arbo (Rainn Wilson) becoming the homegrown superhero The Crimson Bolt in response to his wife leaving him.

In some ways, "Super" was one of those superhero movie box office flops that were ahead of their time, particularly in its recognition that Gunn's aesthetic could work well for superhero stories and its embrace of a graphically violent crime-fighter ("Deadpool" would make the latter element acceptable in the mainstream five years later). The strong and committed performances Gunn got out of his actors in his tentpole superhero films were also abundant in "Super," with Wilson, Elliot Page, and Kevin Bacon especially reveling in the film's bizarre aesthetic. These actors excellently convey not only strong dark comedy, but also the intentionally uncomfortable reality that these are all messed up people finding the worst possible outlets for their psychological issues.

Combining all of that with a superhero story leaning into the janky realities of being a neighborhood vigilante ensured that "Super," unlike an overused wrench, was far from disposable.

In hindsight, it's incredible that 2005's "Sky High" came out just before the superhero movie went into overdrive. Though it arrived three years after Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man," "Sky High" still debuted prior to "Iron Man" and "The Dark Knight" taking the whole cinematic realm to the next level of cultural notoriety in summer 2008. "Sky High" got in on the ground level of a new cinematic phenomenon with its original story of Will Stronghold (Michael Angarano), son of superheroes Steve (Kurt Russell) and Josie Stronghold (Kelly Preston), attending a high school for superheroes. Here, he attends class and learns the superhero ropes with people like his longtime pal Layla Williams (Danielle Panabaker) or bus driver Ron Wilson (Kevin Heffernan).

Director Mike Mitchell and the rest of the "Sky High" team are clearly folks who grew up loving 1970s and '80s pop culture, given the genre media performers inhabiting the supporting cast. Bruce Campbell, Lynda Carter, Dave Foley, and Kevin McDonald are all here playing super-powered authority figures at the school. Having such talented actors on hand, not to mention leaning into an ultra-sincere aesthetic, serves this humorous take on the superhero world incredibly well. "Sky High" also benefits from being sincerely amusing, and not just a patronizing feature talking down to youngsters.

Plenty of gags, for instance, resonate as things only adults would notice in "Sky High." Given Mitchell's dismal filmmaking track record outside of "Sky High," it's honestly staggering that this parody feature ended up being as amusing and charming as it is.

Before summer 2018 began, it seemed clear what would become the best animated superhero movie of the season. Surely "Incredibles 2" would tower over all other animated superhero films debuting that year. However, as the best movies of 2018 can attest, great films can come from the most unexpected places. Thus, "Incredibles 2" had to settle for second place among summer 2018 animated superhero fare behind "Teen Titans Go! To the Movies." This adaptation of the popular Cartoon Network show proved a mighty delightful movie, and not just because "Teen Titans Go! To the Movies" let Nicolas Cage finally play Superman.

This feature saw the titular wacky superhero team, but especially Robin (Scott Menville), hoping to get their own superhero movie, given how every other DC Comics fixture is getting a motion picture during the 2010s superhero film boom. What follows is a barrage of wacky and hysterical gags (including a series of time travel jokes revolving around messing with assorted DC Comics superhero origin stories) that keep the laughs coming. Every aspect of modern superhero cinema, even Marvel's Stan Lee cameos, gets skewered here to zany effect. While so many superhero film franchises were enamored with universe building, "Teen Titans Go! To the Movies" punctured the whole movie scene to enjoyable effect.

As a cherry on top, "Teen Titans Go! To the Movies" even featured several catchy tunes (including "My Superhero Movie") and some fun variations in what kind of 2D animation showed up on-screen. No wonder "Incredibles 2" couldn't compete.

Writer, director, and star Vera Drew's "The People's Joker" is an inspired subversion of superhero movie media on many levels. For one thing, taking the template of 2019's "Joker" and the Batman mythos to explore the inner psychology of trans lady protagonist Joker the Harlequin/Vera (Drew) effectively elevates a community often erased in superhero features. The art and characters used to obscure trans existence here reinforce the humanity and nuance of trans experiences. Meanwhile, the delightful visual variety present throughout "The People's Joker" (which includes scenes being realized through Flash animation, dolls, and what looks like visuals from a '90s "Doom" game, among other visual schemes) upends the imagery uniformity permeating most modern superhero films.

While typical superhero blockbuster films provide indistinguishable camerawork and color schemes, "The People's Joker" keeps viewers on their toes as to what the next scene will look like. Meanwhile, the title's seething contempt for the bourgeoise (including in its warped take on Batman or a kooky version of Lorne Michaels) are a welcome reprieve from so much superhero media being wish fulfillment fantasies for the rich and powerful. "The People's Joker" throws out all the rules for contemporary superhero films and, in the process, creates something excitingly new.

Drew's filmmaking is impressive on so many fronts, including her command of a nuanced tone that can switch from zany wackiness to handling weighty material with heft on a dime. Both as a response to superhero films and as a standalone motion picture, "The People's Joker" is an unforgettable classic.