Earlier than Deadpool made antiheroes modern, and James Gunn introduced gore to the mainstream, The Poisonous Avenger was already mopping up crime within the streets of Tromaville. Born from the warped minds of Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz, it’s a cult franchise that started in 1984 as a low-budget anomaly from Troma Leisure, a studio recognized for pushing boundaries with literal self-awareness. It began as a hideous parody of superhero tropes, however exploded into a whole media phenomenon, spawning sequels, a Saturday morning cartoon, comedian books, video video games, and even a stage musical. Sure. Surprising, however true.
The unique film about janitor Melvin Junko falling into poisonous waste and rising as a deformed however justice-driven vigilante featured a mixture of slapstick violence, grotesque results, and stunning sincerity that struck a chord with midnight film audiences. Over time, the franchise dropped Half II and Half III in 1989, adopted by Citizen Toxie in 2000. Then, after a 23-year cinematic silence, The Poisonous Avenger returned in 2023 with a reboot starring Peter Dinklage.
Now, we’ve ranked all 5 Poisonous Avenger films from worst to finest.
5
‘Citizen Toxie: The Poisonous Avenger IV’ (2000)
The fourth and most unhinged installment of the franchise, Citizen Toxie: The Poisonous Avenger IV opens with a faculty capturing perpetrated by the Diaper Mafia (sure, criminals dressed as infants) on the Tromaville Faculty for the Very Particular. Disguised as a bikini information mannequin, Toxie himself arrives together with his sidekick, Lardass, to save lots of the day. Nevertheless, a bomb embedded in one of many attackers goes off and Toxie and two different college students are transported to an alternate universe referred to as Amortville. In the meantime, Toxie’s evil doppelgänger, Noxie, wreaks havoc in Tromaville.
Troma’s Wildest, Most Self-Conscious Entry
There’s extra to the premise than that, however lengthy story brief, the film is wrapped in absurdity from begin to end. Typically thought-about and labelled the “true” sequel to the origin, with Stan Lee himself narrating the intro and disowning Elements II and III, this entry is directed by Lloyd Kaufman. The film returns to Troma’s roots by that includes grotesque horror, over-the-top gore, and politically incorrect chaos.
Shot with a modest finances of $500,000, the film depends on shock worth reasonably than storytelling. The Rotten Tomatoes rating hovers barely above 60%, which is surprisingly first rate for a film that features fart-powered bomb disposal and a Nazi mayor performed by Ron Jeremy. Citizen Toxie additionally has cameos from James Gunn, Eli Roth, and Corey Feldman. It’s extreme, ridiculous, and deliberately tasteless. A large number, however a large number with goal, it’s also a fever dream for a Troma fan.
4
‘The Poisonous Avenger Half II’ (1989)
The Poisonous Avenger Half II picks up with Melvin Junko, aka The Poisonous Avenger, having cleaned up Tromaville and now working at a middle for the visually impaired alongside his girlfriend Calire. However the good deeds are short-lived when the evil Apocalypse Company, a chemical firm, bombs the middle and begins its hostile takeover of the city. Toxie is someway manipu;ated into touring to Japan to seek out his long-lost father, leaving Tromaville in hassle. In Japan, he makes connections with Masami, battles Yakuza thugs, and discovers his “father” is definitely a drug-dealing imposter, earlier than returning simply in time to cease Metropolis Corridor from blowing up.
Misplaced in Translation and Plot Twists
Directed by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz, the sequel had a considerably bigger finances of $2.5 million, but it surely didn’t fairly translate that into high quality. It tries to mix American slapstick with Japanese tradition and the outcome is a big catastrophe. The Japan subplot appears like a detour from the franchise’s coronary heart, which is chaos. And whereas scenes just like the sumo coaching and kabuki fights are entertaining, they don’t add a lot worth or depth. Additionally, Toxie is recast, with Ron Fazio and John Altamura sharing the roles. His girlfriend is renamed from Sarah to Claire. All that is complicated.
So, regardless of the monetary improve, the film struggles to make sense. The path appears like a collage of concepts. The superhero parts are diluted, and the globe-trotting adventures are distracting. Total, the reception was lukewarm. However the film launched Michael Jai White in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo, which is why it isn’t the worst within the sequence. However it’s undoubtedly probably the most complicated.
3
‘The Poisonous Avenger Half III: The Final Temptation of Toxie’ (1989)
Toxie’s third outing, titled The Poisonous Avenger Half III: The Final Temptation of Toxie, includes a second when all crime is gone from Tromaville. Melvin Junko, our mop-wielding mutant hero, is bored out of his radioactive thoughts. His girlfriend Calire is obtainable an opportunity to regain her sight by way of an costly surgical procedure, and Toxie, determined to assist, sells out to the very company he fought – Apocalypse Inc. He indicators a contract in his personal blood and turns into their spokesperson. Tromaville activates him and Claire is disillusioned. Ultimately, when Toxie snaps out of his, he faces the true villain, the Satan himself, who’s moonlighting as Apocalypse Inc.’s chairman.
Campy and Slimy, With That Signature Troma Aptitude
This one is probably the most narratively heavy film within the franchise. It makes use of satire to play with morality, and on some odd degree, it really works. Directed by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz, it was stitched collectively utilizing leftover footage from Half II and a few new scenes. The finances was, once more, round $500,000, and it grossed simply over $360,000. And whereas the Rotten Tomatoes rating sits at a disappointing 25%, there’s something compelling about watching Toxie battle capitalism. And that remaining battle between Toxie and Satan is sort of a surreal video game-style showdown with 5 ranges, every extra superb and grotesque than the final. Pure Troma, to be sincere.
What makes Half III price watching is its ambition. It tries, for the primary time, to be extra than simply gore and gags. The superhero parts are subdued as a result of Toxie spends extra time soul-searching than crime-fighting. And the Satan’s transformation right into a green-skinned demon coated in rats and bugs is a memorable second. All of that stated, it has gained cult appreciation for its bizarre mix of satire, horror, and slapstick.
2
‘The Poisonous Avenger’ (2023)
The fifth and most up-to-date installment is a reboot of The Poisonous Avenger movie sequence that premiered because the opening movie Unbelievable Fest in 2023 and has now lastly earned itself a 2025 worldwide launch date. It takes viewers to the dirty city of St. Roma’s Village, the place a janitor named Winston Gooze is barely scraping by. After a poisonous accident involving radioactive sludge transforms Winston right into a hideous however highly effective Poisonous Avenger named Toxie, he will get a brand new sense of justice, arms himself with a mop, and takes on corrupt CEO Bob Garbinger in addition to a number of freaks and gangsters. In the meantime, Winston additionally struggles to guard his son Wade and to keep up his final remaining morsel of humanity.
A Reboot That’s Simply as Gory
Within the age of remakes and reboots, it was solely a matter of time earlier than The Poisonous Avenger would reappear as a reluctant hero in a world that desperately wants one however doesn’t realize it but. Directed by Macon Blair, the 2023 reboot doesn’t attempt to sanitize the franchise, however as an alternative, embraces its roots. With a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 88%, it’s the highest-rated entry within the sequence, however that doesn’t imply it’s universally beloved. The consensus states, “Like the unique, The Poisonous Avenger is not for everybody – however viewers looking for a particularly gory, extraordinarily foolish good time will not be upset.”
Relating to the forged and manufacturing high quality, it’s clearly a step up from Troma’s DIY aesthetic. Peter Dinklage, Kevin Bacon, and Elijah Wooden chew the plot with glee and produce some much-needed unpredictable chaos. The motion sequences are hit-or-miss, however the emotional core, the place Winston bonds together with his son, is kind of efficient. To echo critics’ ideas, it isn’t for everybody, and that’s okay. As a result of it’s not on daily basis {that a} reboot respects the unique and carves in one thing new and polished on the identical time.
1
‘The Poisonous Avenger’ (1984)
The film that began all of it earlier than Troma grew to become synonymous with cinematic absurdity, The Poisonous Avenger is ready towards the backdrop of the fictional city of Tromaville. It follows Melvin Ferd, a scrawny, socially awkward janitor working at an area well being membership whereas being bullied relentlessly by a gang of sadistic fitness center rats. Bozo, Slug, Wanda, and Julie trick Melvin into sporting a pink tutu and kissing a sheep, then chase out a second-story window. He lands in a pool of poisonous waste, bursts into flames, and reappears as a nutated individual with superhuman talents. As “The Poisonous Avenger” or “Toxie,” he begins cleansing up Tromaville by dispatching criminals and drug sellers.
Trash Cinema Turned Weirdly Groundbreaking
Directed by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz beneath the pseudonym “Samuel Weil,” The Poisonous Avenger is a low-budget splatter comedy that originally flopped on launch. However due to midnight screenings at Bleecker Road Cinemas and word-of-mouth buzz, the film discovered its viewers and have become Troma’s cult hit. Its Rotten Tomatoes rating sits at a decent 70%, which is spectacular for a film that options exploding heads and a scene the place Toxie crushes a thug’s face in a deep fryer. Nevertheless, scrappy or campy it could appear visually, there isn’t a denying that The Poisonous Avenger is creative and has a form of punk-rock sincerity.
Toxie’s sense of justice is chemically enhanced, so the usage of a mop as an emblem of heroism is authentic. Aside from that, The Poisonous Avenger endures as the perfect film within the franchise as a consequence of its outrageous humor and surprising moments of coronary heart. Even the movie’s villains have a cartoonish allure and Tromaville is offered as a city the place corruption is so exaggerated that solely a monster can repair it. A beloved staple of the midnight film circuit, this one gave Troma its identification.
The Poisonous Avenger
- Launch Date
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August 29, 2025
- Runtime
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102 Minutes
- Producers
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Lloyd Kaufman, Michael Herz, Alex Garcia