The Punisher (1989)

Marvel in the 1980s did not have the resources DC had when it came to movie adaptations. So while Superman and Batman got massive, well produced, praised movies with all star casts, Marvel got stuff like… the 1989 Punisher. Where the biggest star was Dolph Lundgren, and getting Louis Gossett as another character probably took up most of the rest of the budget.

Thing is, this isn’t really that bad. Not because of the actual movie itself, which is a sleazy low budget action thriller. But rather because the Punisher is uniquely suited to sleazy low budget action thrillers in ways most other superheroes aren’t. So unlike say, the awful 1990 Captain America, this at least has a reach that doesn’t exceed its grasp. And there are worse things than sleazy low budget action thrillers.