''The Toxic Avenger'' is a multimedia low-budget

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

splatter film A splatter film is a subgenre of horror films that deliberately focuses on graphic portrayals of gore and graphic violence. These films, usually through the use of special effects, display a fascination with the vulnerability of the human body a ...

franchise originating with the 1984 film '' The Toxic Avenger'', and continuing through three film

sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...

s, a stage musical production, a comic book series from

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

, a video game and a children's TV cartoon. Two less successful sequels, ''

The Toxic Avenger Part II ''The Toxic Avenger Part II'' is a 1989 American superhero black comedy film released by Troma Entertainment. It is the second installment of ''The Toxic Avenger'' franchise. It was directed by Lloyd Kaufman and features The Toxic Avenger in an a ...

'' and '' The Toxic Avenger Part III: The Last Temptation of Toxie'', were filmed as one. Director

Lloyd Kaufman Stanley Lloyd Kaufman Jr. (born December 30, 1945) is an American film director, screenwriter, producer and actor. Alongside producer Michael Herz (producer), Michael Herz, he is the co-founder of Troma Entertainment film studio, and the director ...

realized that he had shot far too much footage for one film and re-edited it into two. A third independent sequel was also released, titled '' Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV''. An animated children's TV series spin-off, ''

Toxic Crusaders ''Toxic Crusaders'' is a 1991 animated series aimed at children, loosely based on '' The Toxic Avenger'' films. It features Toxie, the lead character of the films, leading a group of misfit superheroes who combat pollution. This followed a trend o ...

'', featured Toxie as the leader of a team of mutated superheroes who fought against evil alien polluters. The cartoon series was short-lived and quickly cancelled. In 2019, it was announced that

Legendary Pictures Legendary Pictures Productions, LLC (doing business as Legendary Entertainment or simply Legendary) is an American film production and mass media company based in Burbank, California, founded by Thomas Tull in 2000. The company has collaborated ...

would be making a reboot of the film, with original creators

and Michael Herz of

Troma Entertainment Troma Entertainment is an American independent film production and distribution company founded by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz in 1974. The company produces low-budget independent films, primarily of the horror comedy genre. Many of them pla ...

serving as producers, and

Macon Blair Macon Blair (born 1974) is an American actor, screenwriter, director, film producer, and comic book writer known for his roles in the films '' Blue Ruin'' and '' Green Room'', as well as his directorial debut ''I Don't Feel at Home in This World ...

serving as writer and director. The films generally follow the heroic exploits of Melvin Ferd, a weak and skinny janitor turned into the deformed and mutated superhero, the Toxic Avenger, or "Toxie", by exposure to toxic chemicals. All films in the series were released by

, known for producing low budget

B-movies A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double featur ...

with

campy Camp is an aesthetic style and sensibility that regards something as appealing because of its bad taste and ironic value. Camp aesthetics disrupt many of modernism's notions of what art is and what can be classified as high art by inverting aes ...

concepts and gruesome violence. Virtually ignored upon its first release, ''The Toxic Avenger'' caught on with filmgoers after a long and successful

midnight movie The term midnight movie is rooted in the practice that emerged in the 1950s of local television stations around the United States airing low-budget genre films as late-night programming, often with a host delivering ironic asides. As a cinematic ...

engagement at the famed

Bleecker Street Cinemas The Bleecker Street Cinema was an art house movie theater located at 144 Bleecker Street in Manhattan, New York City, New York. It became a landmark of Greenwich Village and an influential venue for filmmakers and cinephiles through its screenings ...

in New York City in late 1985. It eventually came to be regarded as a

cult classic A cult following refers to a group of fans who are highly dedicated to some person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The lattermost is often called a cult classic. ...

Films

''The Toxic Avenger'' (1984)

Tromaville has a monstrous new hero. The Toxic Avenger is born when meek mop boy Melvin falls into a vat of toxic waste. Now evildoers will have a lot to lose.

''The Toxic Avenger Part II'' (1989)

The Toxic Avenger is tricked into traveling to Tokyo to search for his estranged father, leaving Tromaville open to complete domination by an evil corporation.

''The Toxic Avenger Part III: The Last Temptation of Toxie'' (1989)

Toxie finds he has nothing to do as a superhero, as he has ridden his city of evil. He decides to go to work for a major corporation, which he discovers may be the evilest of all his adversaries.

''Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV'' (2000)

The Toxic Avenger must defend his friends from his own evil alternate universe doppelgänger, The Noxious Offender.

''The Toxic Avenger'' (TBA)

Based on the 1984 cult classic of the same name. Set in a fantasy world following Winston, a stereotypical weakling who works as a janitor at Garb-X health club and is diagnosed with a terminal illness that can only be cured by an expensive treatment that his greedy, power hungry employer refuses to pay for. After deciding to take matters into his own hands and rob his company, Winston falls into a pit of toxic waste and is transformed into a deformed monster that sets out to do good and get back at all the people who have wronged him. On December 10, 2018, it was announced that

had the rights to reboot the film, with Kaufman and Herz set to serve as the film's producers. In March 2019,

was announced to write and direct the upcoming reboot. In December 2020,

Peter Dinklage Peter Hayden Dinklage (; born June 11, 1969) is an American film, television and stage actor. He received international recognition for portraying Tyrion Lannister on the HBO television series ''Game of Thrones'' (2011–2019), for which he wo ...

is set to star. In April 2021,

Jacob Tremblay Jacob Tremblay ( ; born October 5, 2006) is a Canadian actor. He is the recipient of various accolades, including a Canadian Screen Award, a Critics' Choice Movie Award, a Young Artist Award, and nominations for a Screen Actors Guild Award, tw ...

also joined the cast with

Taylour Paige Taylour Dominique Paige-Angulo (born October 5, 1990) is an American actress and dancer. She is best known for her role as Ahsha Hayes in the VH1 sports drama series '' Hit the Floor'', and has gained recognition for her performances in the fi ...

, who joined in May 2021. On June 12, 2021, it was announced that

Kevin Bacon Kevin Norwood Bacon (born July 8, 1958) is an American actor. His films include the musical-drama film '' Footloose'' (1984), the controversial historical conspiracy legal thriller '' JFK'' (1991), the legal drama '' A Few Good Men'' (1992), t ...

had joined the film as the villain followed by

Julia Davis Julia Charlotte L. Davis (born 25 August 1966) is an English actress, comedian, director and writer. She is known for writing and starring in the BBC Three comedy ''Nighty Night'' (2004–2005) and the comedies ''Hunderby'' (2012–2015) and ' ...

and

Elijah Wood Elijah Jordan Wood (born January 28, 1981) is an American actor and producer. He is best known for his portrayal of Frodo Baggins in the ''Lord of the Rings'' film trilogy (2001–2003) and '' The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey'' (2012). Wood ...

on June 16, 2021.

Television

''Toxic Crusaders'' (1991)

A group of mutants fight against the pollution-loving alien Dr. Killemoff in the fictional city of Tromaville, led by Toxie, a nerd-turned-superhero.

Cast and crew

Principal cast

* A indicates the actor portrayed the role of a younger version of the character. * An indicates a role as an older version of the character. * A indicates the actor or actress lent only his or her voice for his or her film character. * An indicates the model served as a body double, with the actor or actress's likeness superimposed onto the model. * An indicates the actor or actress lent only their likeness for his or her film character. * An indicates an appearance through a photographic still. * An indicates an appearance through archival footage or audio. * A dark gray cell indicates the character was not in the film.

Other media

Musical

* ''The Toxic Avenger'' (musical) – musical based on the film ''The Toxic Avenger''

Video game

* ''Toxic Crusaders'' (video game)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Toxic Avenger, The American film series Comedy film franchises Fictional characters from New Jersey Fictional janitors Fictional mutants Fictional vigilantes Films adapted into plays Films adapted into television shows Film series introduced in 1984 Horror film franchises Splatterpunk