The Most Obscure Comic Book Heroes to Get Movies

Before Clayface got his own 2026 movie from DC Studios, he had headlined exactly zero (0) monthly comic series. Sure, he’s gotten a handful of one-shots through the years, and he’s antagonized Batman in a rightfully beloved Batman: The Animated Series episode. But as superheroes (or villains) go, he’s among the most obscure to ever receive his own big-screen movie.Among the most ... but through the years, both DC and their competitors at Marvel have produced some very big movies based on some very minor properties. Today, let’s look at 12 of the most notable examples.(Keep in mind: These are obscure superhero movies from just the Marvel and DC libraries. If I expanded the list to include Dark Horse, Image, Oni, or smaller indie publishers, there are even more arcane films I could have cited. Where are my R.I.P.D. fans at???)Big Hero 6 (2014)I’m going to guess most people who saw Big Hero 6 in theaters had no idea that the characters originated in a Marvel comic — one that starred a former X-Man, no less. The team debuted in the 1998 book Sunfire & Big Hero 6. Most of the characters who wound up in the Disney animated movie did appear in that comic, although some in drastically ...