The superhero genre has grown into the biggest thing in modern movies and it shows no signs of slowing down. While the movies of the MCU remain the hallmark of the genre in terms of success and popularity, superhero storytelling has grown far beyond just the standard good versus evil action movies. As proof of its popularity, there are now several projects aimed at subverting the tropes of the superhero world. But there was one superhero movie that was ahead of its time in poking fun at the costumed crimefighters.
Mystery Men was a 1999 comedy starring the likes of Ben Stiller, William H. Macy and Janeane Garofalo as a band of wannabe heroes in a world with superheroes and supervillains are an everyday occurrence. The movie begins by introducing a motley trio of D-list heroes. They include The Shoveler (Macy), a construction-themed hero armed with a shovel, Blue Raja (Hank Azaria), a man who throws forks at people, and Mr. Furious (Stiller) who just gets really angry.
Despite their best efforts, they are unsuccessful in their crime-fighting, especially compared to the city's biggest hero, Captain Amazing (Greg Kinnear). But despite how impressive he is, Captain Amazing finds himself in a slump and losing corporate sponsors, so he decides to release his arch-nemesis Casanova Frankenstein (Geoffrey Rush) from prison. After Frankenstein abducts Captain Amazing, the Mystery Men are the only hope to save the day.
Upon its release, Mystery Men was a critical and box office disappointment despite having since become a moderate cult hit. However, it's hard not to think of how the movie might be better received nowadays. The movie not only came out before this current golden age of comic book movies, but it preceded the likes of X-Men and Spider-Man which really kicked off the superhero movie trend.
Up until that point, superhero movies were mostly seen as schlocky, low-budget features for a small niche audience. Fans were still waiting for some of their favorite heroes to get the big-screen treatment, so they likely weren't ready yet to start poking fun at the genre. It's also easy to forget that the superhero world was not nearly as mainstream as it is now. Casual viewers were likely not aware enough of the tropes to recognize that they were being subverted in some really fun ways. Nevertheless, Mystery Men led the way in a lot of the superhero satire to come.
While fans are used to the likes of Superman and Spider-Man in their superhero stories, Mystery Men introduced heroes that were meant to be lame and laughed at. A hero whose power is deadly farts or one who can turn invisible when no one is looking introduced the idea that superheroes can be jokes themselves who then have to prove themselves. This is still being used in the genre with The Suicide Squad taking the most obscure and ridiculous supervillains to make a team.
Then there is the exploration of the everyday lives of these heroes. Shoveler is a family man whose wife sees his crimefighting as a strange hobby he has to give up. Blue Raja lives with his mother. These guys go out and fight crime then have to return to their everyday lives. It is the kind of blue-collar approach to superheroes that makes it feel more grounded. The movie is also filled with great gags about the more comic book-y aspects of the genre. Furious correctly thinks billionaire Lance Hunt is Captain Amazing which everyone else thinks is ridiculous because Hunt wears glasses and Captain Amazing does not, saying "That doesn't make sense, he wouldn't be able to see!" There is a fun gag when the heroes mock the villain's henchmen for pulling out guns and knives which they don't see as very original. In all, it feels like a movie written by people with a genuine fondness for these stories.
Apart from all of the ways Mystery Men has fun with a superhero story, it is also a legitimately solid entry into the genre. Similar to Edgar Wright's movies like Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, it is not only a funny take on this kind of story but also a loving tribute. The scenes of assembling the team, the in-fighting among the members, and eventually coming together to save the day mirrors what would come later in the team-up movies like The Avengers or Justice League.
It also makes the tale of superheroes into an underdog story with these gathered bunch of misfits doubting themselves before proving their own worth of heroes. This would also become a staple of future superhero stories when the genre started moving away from the god-like heroes, such as Superman. It is the kind of crowd-pleasing hero's journey centered on a ragtag group that would feel right at home in the MCU.
Mystery Men might not be a perfect movie, with even some of its stars like Ben Stiller dismissing it. However, it feels like it was just ahead of its time. At times, it feels like it was predicting where the genre would go and tried to beat it to the bunch. It is certainly a more successful superhero satire than something like Thunder Force as it feels like it respects the genre rather than just trying to capitalize on its success. With 90s nostalgia going strong, now might be a good time to reboot the franchise and give it a second chance to have some fun with the superhero genre.