These parodies really are heroic. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most hilarious, pointed, and terrifying superhero spoofs from comics, movies, and TV.
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00:00I am pitching the craziest twist. The audience will never see it coming, right?
00:05Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most hilarious,
00:09pointed, and terrifying superhero spoofs from comics, movies, and TV.
00:14As I took you under mine.
00:20Alfred, you've been watching way too many Lifetime movies and drinking Chardonnay.
00:24It's Pinot Grigio, sir.
00:25Whatever it is.
00:25I'd heard you'd lost your mind and start working, but it looks like you've been busy.
00:36Do you work for me?
00:37I had something more along the lines of a partnership in mind.
00:40Marvel's first family, the Fantastic Four, proved fertile ground for ridicule in the
00:44form of Team Impossible from the Venture Brothers. The Impossibles are a flamboyant
00:49family of villains led by the dashing yet overconfident Impossible Man.
00:53Their dramatic, heroic personas and outlandish antics poke fun at Reed and
00:57Sue Richards. Where the Richards are confident, the Impossibles are ridiculous.
01:01Uh, that must be the, uh, fireworks I arranged over there.
01:10Despite their grandiose self-image, their actions often reveal a lack of competence.
01:14They are a supremely dysfunctional family that are more often self-sabotaged than defeated.
01:19Number 19, Section 8, DC Comics.
01:22What are some of DC Comics' silliest superheroes?
01:26Here's the silliest, or rather weirdest, what the funkiest team in DC ever created Section 8.
01:32Comic book legend Garth Ennis created Section 8, his brilliant satire of superhero teams,
01:37for DC Comics in 1997.
01:39Unlike DC's shining Justice League, Section 8 is a ragtag group of absolute lunatics.
01:45These heroes are pure misfits whose catastrophic errors provide some of DC's funniest moments.
01:50It features members like Dog Welder, who welds dogs to villains,
01:54and the Defenestrator, a hero who throws people out of windows.
01:58That's right, he literally just throws people through the window.
02:01Obviously this is top-tier comedy, but you could argue the efficiency of this tactic is debatable.
02:10They're less heroes who have adventures and more maniacs on capers.
02:14Section 8's shenanigans provide a refreshingly irreverent take on superhero storytelling.
02:18And yes, they have met the Justice League before in hilariously weird situations,
02:22and win against each member.
02:24They even aided against an alien invasion and world destroyers.
02:28Number 18, Captain Underpants.
02:30Captain Underpants, the first epic movie.
02:43Captain Underpants is a straight-up, off-the-wall spoof of superheroes,
02:47created by Dave Pilkey.
02:48Mr. Krupp is a mean elementary school principal.
02:51When George and Harold, a pair of his students, hypnotize him,
02:54Krupp transforms into the titular hero.
02:57Clad only in tighty-whities and a red cape, Captain Underpants is a defender of justice.
03:02His powers tend to lead to more chaos than heroism,
03:05poking fun at the overly serious and infallible nature of traditional superheroes.
03:17The 2017 movie adaptation, Captain Underpants, the first epic movie,
03:24captures the spirit of the books with its playful animation style and sense of humor.
03:29Number 17, International Justice League of Super Acquaintances, SpongeBob SquarePants.
03:34So it's agreed.
03:36We'll get one cheese pizza, one with pepperoni and mushrooms, and one with olives!
03:41Super Acquaintances, we need your help!
03:43Gen Zers will be the most familiar with the International Justice League of Super Acquaintances
03:48from SpongeBob SquarePants.
03:49Our favorite underwater denizens don superhero costumes to fight the forces of evil.
03:54SpongeBob becomes the super-fast Quickster,
03:57Patrick is the stretchy elastic waistband,
03:59Squidward is Captain Magma and can shoot lava,
04:02and Sandy is Miss Appear, who can become invisible.
04:05Well, I guess it's up to me!
04:09I'll just sneak over, unseen, and catch him by surprise!
04:17Despite these new personas, the characters lose none of their absurdity,
04:21making their super squad a team of chuckleheads.
04:23Their trademark combination of childlike enthusiasm and awkward ineptitude
04:27are more whimsical than action-packed.
04:29The International Justice League of Super Acquaintances!
04:33A subsidiary of Viacom.
04:47In the 1990s, Disney put forward a number of duck-centered cartoons.
04:51A millennial favorite is Darkwing Duck, an absolutely brilliant superhero spoof.
04:56He's a direct parody of classic pulp heroes like The Shadow or Dick Tracy.
05:00The series follows Drake Mallard, an ordinary suburban dad by day,
05:04and the self-proclaimed, quote,
05:05terror that flaps in the night.
05:07So you're the noxious nighttime nuisance
05:10behind St. Canard's slew of slumbertime stick-ups!
05:13Yes!
05:14And soon the whole city will sleep!
05:17Not while I'm around, P-Wing!
05:19As Darkwing Duck, he lampoons classic superhero tropes.
05:22His exaggerated bravado, catchphrases, and a penchant for dramatic entrances
05:26all often lead to hilarious misadventures.
05:29With his sidekick Launchpad McQuack and his adopted daughter Gosselin by his side,
05:33Darkwing fights an entire rogues gallery reminiscent of classic DC and Marvel bandits.
05:38Oh, Dark!
05:40My hero!
05:46Drat!
05:47I always wake up at the best part!
05:53Hancock.
05:54The public will be clamoring for you.
05:56When they do, we'll be ready.
05:58And the worst case scenario is I'm wrong and you just, you know, you fly out of there.
06:02Hancock provides a refreshing take on the superhero genre.
06:05Its version of a Superman-like character
06:08is a disconnected, depressed, and solitary person with alcohol use disorder.
06:12He's seemingly immortal, but has amnesia, which is disconcerting.
06:16Will Smith plays the troubled superhero who has little regard for the consequences of his actions.
06:20He's incredibly abrasive as a successful means of isolating himself from others.
06:24I ain't wearing that, Ray.
06:26Yes, you are.
06:27Oh, no, I'm not.
06:28No, you are.
06:28Oh, actually, I'm not, Ray.
06:30I think you're not, but you are.
06:32I will fight crime butt-ass naked before I fight it in that, Ray.
06:37Hancock's first connection in decades comes from the unlikeliest source, a PR specialist.
06:42His struggles with his powers are in full view of the public,
06:45and his new friend tries to reform his image.
06:48It's one of the most nuanced and relatable versions of Superman we've ever seen.
06:52You won't get us out of here with that tight-ass wolverine outfit on.
06:57Now, let's make it happen, asshole.
07:04Number 14, Justice Friends, Dexter's Laboratory.
07:07The Justice Friends, three of Earth's mightiest heroes, joining forces under one roof.
07:15To face the challenge of everyday life.
07:19Dexter's Laboratory answered a very funny question that someone should have asked.
07:23What if someone like Johnny Bravo were an Avenger?
07:26The Justice Friends were a slapstick pastiche of Earth's mightiest heroes
07:29that was a regular feature of Dexter's Laboratory.
07:32Comic fans could recognize farcical versions of their favorite heroes
07:35lurking just beneath the surface.
07:37Major Glory, The Infraggable Krunk, and Valhallen
07:40are versions of the Avengers in everyday life.
07:42Excellent!
07:47How about you, Krunk?
07:48Come on, extend the pinky!
07:54Come on, man, extend the pinky!
07:55Extend the pinky!
07:57We discover that superheroes are the worst possible roommates,
08:00as we see them deal with the mundane problems of everyday life.
08:03They were noted for being a mainstream parody
08:05that showed superheroes as dysfunctional as they are bigger than life.
08:10Looks like they partied too hard.
08:12We're going out to get some breakfast.
08:14Later, dudes.
08:16Number 13.
08:17The Toxic Avenger.
08:18The Toxic Avenger franchise.
08:20You can tell all your scum friends that things are going to change in this town.
08:24I'm not just another pretty face.
08:28Most superheroes tend to have a tragic origin story
08:31and or a bizarre source of their superpowers.
08:34The Toxic Avenger utilizes both,
08:36albeit taken to a hilarious and campy extreme.
08:39Let's get it!
08:42Get him!
08:47Shit, he's on the roof!
08:49He's on the roof!
08:50Get him up, he's gonna kill both of us!
08:52Melvin is a hapless, nerdy janitor at a health club
08:55whose life is made miserable by evil customers who mistreat him.
08:59But when a ridiculous accident transforms him into a grotesque, muscle-bound hero,
09:03he gets his revenge.
09:04Unlike Captain America or Superman,
09:07the Toxic Avenger's super abilities come with the cost of physical ugliness,
09:11which is matched only by the ugliness of his tactics.
09:14The only thing separating him from a slasher like Freddy Krueger
09:16is the vileness of his victims.
09:18And the next time you're in danger or in need of help,
09:21look to the horizon and maybe,
09:24just maybe,
09:27the Toxic Avenger will be there.
09:29Number 12.
09:30Coon and Friends.
09:31South Park.
09:32Let her go!
09:34Excuse me?
09:35The beauty of a long-running satirical show like South Park
09:38is that sooner or later, almost every aspect of our culture gets targeted.
09:42The children of South Park love to imitate what they see in pop culture,
09:45including superheroes.
09:47Led by Eric Cartman as the egotistical Coon,
09:49the boys of South Park call attention to the exaggerated self-importance
09:53and flawed motivations of superheroes.
09:55Your evil doing days are over, mosquito!
09:57All of you shall now be dealt the swift hand of justice!
10:00Cartman, you are the bad guy, not us!
10:02Their antics are rife with somewhat skewed, childish imagination,
10:06utilizing both bizarre costumes and convoluted plots.
10:09Unsurprisingly, this group is totally dysfunctional
10:12and lacks any genuine heroism.
10:14They thirst for recognition above all else,
10:16absolutely roasting more self-serious works
10:19from mainstream comic book heroes in the process.
10:22I reached the Gulf of Mexico in no time,
10:24and with all my strength,
10:25I dragged Cthulhu back to the depths from whence he came!
10:28Number 11.
10:29Crimson Bolt.
10:30Super.
10:30It's people who care about their lives,
10:33but not humiliated at every turn.
10:36Frank Darbo is an instantly relatable and recognizable guy.
10:39He's completely dissatisfied with his life,
10:41whose only highlights are his wedding day and once stopping a purse snatcher.
10:45In a fit of depression after his wife leaves him,
10:48Frank seemingly has a religious vision.
10:50This experience leads him to become the Crimson Bolt,
10:52a makeshift vigilante out to fight street crime.
10:55It's me, the Crimson Bolt!
10:57You just made the biggest mistake of your life!
11:00Shut up, crime!
11:02He has no powers, no training,
11:04and criminals see him as utterly ridiculous.
11:06He's a costumed hero in a world where that is unbearably stupid.
11:10He's too rageful to be heroic in any real sense,
11:13unlike the polished comic heroes we're used to.
11:15Super uses dark comedy and gritty tone
11:18to lambast the genre's often unrealistic and glorified portrayal of crime fighting.
11:22You really think that killing me, stabbing me to death is gonna change the world?!
11:27I can't know that, for sure, unless I try.
11:35Number 10, The Vindicators, Rick and Morty Franchise.
11:39It's Maximus, renegade star soldier!
11:42Sorry I'm late, it was happy hour.
11:45Rick and Morty is a show about the misadventures
11:48of the universe's most dangerous man and his grandson.
11:50When the Vindicators, an intergalactic band of superheroes,
11:53ask for the help of a mysterious force,
11:55Morty is indescribably excited.
11:57Modelled after the Avengers and Justice League,
12:00the Vindicators seem to be powerful, noble heroes.
12:03Resentful of Morty's respect for them,
12:05Rick creates a series of traps designed to reveal their deep dysfunction.
12:08They're a squad rife with inflated egos,
12:10petty conflicts, and incredible incompetence.
12:13It's a bit!
12:14All of the descriptors apply to all of you!
12:16Drunk Rick's point is that none of you are very special or different!
12:19That's always his point.
12:21Let's just get through this as quickly as we can!
12:24Let's just get through this as quickly as possible,
12:26then we'll deal with the two of you!
12:28Rick's cynical, irreverent interactions with the Vindicators
12:31deflates their self-important swagger.
12:33It also exposes the often shallow moral dichotomies
12:36we see in everyday superhero stories.
12:38The Vindicators' hypocrisy and fragility
12:40present a depressing view of what such a team might actually be like.
12:44Rick, is this a saw thing?
12:46Are you seriously sawing the Vindicators?
12:48Morty, I'm a drunk, not a hack!
12:50Number 9. One Punch Man.
12:52One Punch Man.
12:53How dare you confront Mother Earth's Apostle for such a mindless reason!
12:57Yet what can be expected from a hero?
13:03What if being the world's most powerful hero was incredibly dull and boring?
13:07That's the premise of One Punch Man, a manga and adult anime.
13:11Saitama trains himself, losing his hair in the process,
13:13to become powerful enough to defeat virtually any foe with a single punch.
13:17This great feat leaves him in a perpetual state of ennui.
13:20He has no nemesis, no indomitable foe to conquer,
13:24the odds are never against him,
13:25so he struggles with finding the point of life as a superhero.
13:32Having overwhelming strength is pretty boring, actually.
13:36Manga and anime can be melodramatic forms of media,
13:39making the anticlimactic nature of One Punch Man truly stand out.
13:43Saitama is Superman, or Goku,
13:45living in a state of perpetual existential crisis.
13:48Well, that was lame.
13:52I kinda had my hopes up, too.
13:54Number 8.
13:55Megamind.
13:56Megamind.
13:57This is a day you and matrocity shall not soon forget!
14:02Just as the MCU was taking off, Dreamworks released Megamind,
14:06a brilliant animated spoof that flipped the superhero script.
14:10It centers on the villain instead of the hero,
14:12showing that these terms can really just be a matter of perspective.
14:16Megamind, a blue-skinned, super-intelligent alien,
14:18may technically be a villain.
14:21After all, he is constantly at odds with his square-jawed heroic nemesis, Metro Man.
14:25What Megamind really wants, though, is what we all want deep down,
14:29recognition and purpose.
14:31A bullfighter with no bull to fight, in other words!
14:34I have no purpose!
14:36Now, ask me how I'm going to do it!
14:38Go on, ask!
14:40How are you gonna do it?
14:42As such, the movie presents a bad guy who's eminently more interesting and relatable than
14:46the hero.
14:47The film further satirizes heroes with twists like Metro Man faking his death to escape
14:51the superhero life, and Megamind's clumsy attempts to be good.
15:02Number 7.
15:03Kick-Ass.
15:04Kick-Ass franchise.
15:05How about that, huh?
15:06Huh?
15:09Oh, yeah!
15:12Didn't see that, did ya?
15:13The first thing to understand about Kick-Ass is that it takes place in a world closer to
15:16ours than most other superhero stories.
15:19It places ordinary, flawed individuals in the capes and tights typically reserved for
15:23larger-than-life heroes.
15:24The protagonist, Dave Lazuski, is a regular teenager who decides to become a superhero
15:29despite lacking any special powers or training.
15:32He's naive and clumsy, quickly getting in over his head.
15:35Kick-Ass shows that vigilantism is actually kind of dumb in real life.
15:39It's a unique blend of brutal realism mixed with comic book elements.
15:43As such, it somehow manages to critique superheroes while delivering a fresh, entertaining take
15:48on what it means to be a hero.
15:50If we're gonna dress like heroes, we should act like heroes.
15:54He'd be proud of you, Dave.
15:57He'd be proud of all of us.
15:59Number 6.
16:00Lego Batman.
16:01The Lego Movie franchise.
16:02I am fighting a few different people.
16:06What?
16:06I like to fight around.
16:07Okay, look, I'm fine with you fighting other people if you want to do that, but what we
16:12have is special.
16:14Lego Batman is a masterful spoof of the Caped Crusader.
16:18He's at once a roast and a celebration of the Dark Knight.
16:21By exaggerating Batman's traits, his brooding loneliness, need for control, and obsession
16:26with his own legend, the character hilariously deconstructs his persona.
16:30He's presented as a vainglorious drama queen who succeeds despite himself.
16:34Even while being satirical, the Lego Batman movie delivers an exciting superhero tale.
16:39Hey, everyone, grab onto me.
16:45It's funny, heartfelt, and action-packed.
16:47The film embraces the genre's tropes even as it playfully subverts them.
16:51This balance allows it to critique and honor Batman at the same time, presenting a refreshing
16:56take on the character after most of a century of pop culture.
17:00This music is filling me with rage.
17:04Let's use it.
17:06Number 5.
17:07The Mystery Men.
17:08Mystery Men.
17:09To learn my teachings, I must first teach you how to learn.
17:21The Mystery Men had their origins in the absurdist comic series Flaming Carrot Comics, which
17:25features a man with a giant flaming carrot for a head.
17:28This eccentric foundation sets the tone for the movie's hilariously offbeat take on
17:32the superhero genre.
17:34Mystery Men follows a group of inept, quirky heroes like Mr. Furious, whose power is getting
17:39mad.
17:39He fights alongside the Shoveler, a man who fights with a shovel, and the Blue Raja, a
17:43man who tosses cutlery.
17:45Learn to hide your strikes from your opponents and you more easily strike his hide.
17:56These characters, lacking conventional superpowers, highlight the seeming randomness of
18:00superpowers as a concept.
18:02Thrust into situations as absurd as their powers, the Mystery Men are as earnest and
18:06adorable as they are ridiculous.
18:13Number 4.
18:14Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
18:15Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Franchise.
18:1740 years of comics, cartoons, and feature films have made the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
18:21a staple of American culture.
18:23When they were created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, they were meant to be a dark
18:27parody of several superhero trends.
18:29We're ninjas.
18:30We're mutants.
18:31Well, technically, we're turtles.
18:32Oh, and we're teenagers.
18:34But we can still have adult conversations.
18:37We can still have adult conversations.
18:39We can still have adult conversations.
18:41We can still have adult conversations.
18:43We can still have adult conversations.
18:45We can still have adult conversations.
18:47Raised to be ninja warriors by Splinter, the heroes in a half-shell were mutated, much
18:52like Daredevil, by toxic ooze spilled on the streets of Manhattan.
18:55And where Daredevil fights the hand, the turtles take on the foot.
18:59Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles parodies superhero tropes by combining the absurd, mutant turtles
19:04trained in ninjutsu, with classic superhero elements.
19:07The turtles fight crime with iconic catchphrases and powerful ninjutsu.
19:11Their playful, pizza-loving personalities mock more traditional superhero stories.
19:17Hmm?
19:18Huh?
19:26Number 3.
19:26The Tick.
19:27The Tick.
19:29City!
19:30City!
19:31I am The Tick, and you have melted my heart.
19:35From this day forth, I will spread my buttery justice over your every nook and cranny.
19:42Created by Ben Edlund, The Tick is an over-the-top, blue-suited, nearly indestructible hero.
19:48This nigh-invincible paragon is also an absolute moron, with a penchant for ridiculous catchphrases
19:53and a complete lack of self-awareness.
19:56The Tick's unrelenting optimism and naivete contrast hilariously with the mundane, often
20:01cynical world around him.
20:02But all in a day's work for a superhero.
20:05His sidekick, Arthur, is an accountant who dresses like a giant moth.
20:09Arthur grounds the comics and TV shows with his relatable anxieties and reluctance.
20:13Well, that's a start.
20:14What else you got?
20:15Nothing.
20:16I've got nothing.
20:17This is just an apartment.
20:20What are you doing here?
20:21The Tick mocks superhero tropes by presenting both villains and allies who are all equally
20:26eccentric and inept.
20:27The Tick excels as a genre spoof by going full tilt on its silliness.
20:31It lowers the stakes to confirm that superheroes are, at their heart, a form of absurdist escapism.
20:38Who was that blue stranger?
20:42He was The Tick.
20:47Number 2.
20:48Omni-Man.
20:49Invincible.
20:50I killed the Guardians of the Globe.
20:53Wait, before you say anything, just listen, please.
20:58In the world of the Invincible comics and TV show, the Guardians of the Globe are Earth's
21:02mightiest heroes.
21:03Modeled after the Justice League and the Avengers, they defend the world from super-powered threats.
21:08Unfortunately, their strongest member isn't what he appears.
21:11Omni-Man is a Viltrumite, an alien race of mustachioed monsters bent on brutal galactic
21:16domination.
21:17You don't seem to understand.
21:19Earth isn't yours to conquer.
21:27Omni-Man is an obvious parody of Superman, a superhero who's powerful, alien, and protective.
21:33His real mission, though, is to conquer the Earth on behalf of the Viltrumite Empire.
21:37When pushed to action, Omni-Man's power is only matched by his ruthlessness and brutality.
21:42He's a dark reflection of the Man of Steel, but he's also a villain.
21:46He's a dark reflection of the Man of Steel, and is even willing to brutalize his own son.
21:50Do you really think you can stop me?
22:16Here you go into your settings and switch on notifications.
22:28In The Boys, superheroes are managed by a greedy megacorporation, Vought International.
22:33Vought manufactures a culture built around hero worship.
22:37Starting with Soldier Boy, a Captain America parody, and his Avengers-like team Payback,
22:41America gets used to heroes.
22:43The next iteration is an immortal parody of the Justice League called The Seven.
22:47Homelander, with his Superman-like powers and psychopathic tendencies,
22:51epitomizes the dangers of unchecked power.
22:54Raised to be desperate for love, Homelander is willing to stoop to any level
22:58to fill the emotional hole within.
23:00No, you stay back! All of you, stay back!
23:03Like Payback, The Seven are corrupt and self-serving, ruled by ego and fear.
23:08The excesses of superheroes in The Boys are too depraved to mention,
23:12epitomizing the famous maxim,
23:14absolute power corrupts absolutely.
23:16Together we will make sure that this never happens to our great nation ever again!
23:27God bless you. God bless America.
23:30We hear you, Homelander!
23:32And I hear you, brother!
23:34Did this list hit the target, or did we fire blanks?
23:37Let us know your favorite superhero parodies in the comments below.
23:40What about your name? Tell him your name!
23:43Okay, I don't have one yet, but I'm leaning towards Brother Man.
23:49Did you enjoy this video?
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