Today, Sam Raimi’s legacy as a superhero movie director is well-established, but what appears to be much less well-known is the fact that he started making superhero movies back in 1990 with Liam Neeson as the star. Raimi had an interesting journey into making movies. A lot of his early efforts were largely small-scale productions where he needed to gather a group of willing creatives to try and put something together. But after getting some traction for his Evil ᴅᴇᴀᴅ movies, Raimi was able to convince a Hollywood studio to bankroll his original idea for a superhero movie.
Thus, Raimi was able to cast Neeson, a notable actor whose star was on the rise, and make the movie Darkman. Darkman has a lot in common with films like The Crow, which came out four years later, crossed with Phantom of the Opera, and it is a perfect representation of Raimi’s trademarks in movie making. But even more interesting, it appears to have set the course for Raimi’s career over the next several decades.
Sam Raimi’s 1990 Darkman Movie Casts Liam Neeson As Its Lead
Darkman Was A Huge Moment In Liam Neeson’s Career
Liam Neeson is one of the most well-respected actors in the industry, and considering he also hails from Ireland, I already have a bias and an affinity with the man. However, in 1990, he had yet to tackle a leading role in an action film. Darkman cast Neeson in the role of the lead, Peyton Westlake, and it afforded the actor the opportunity to really flex his talents, and develop an appeтιтe for appearing in action movies, which would again shape his career going forward.
Today, Neeson is a celebrated actor who has received an Oscar nomination, and has appeared as a hero and as a villain in several films and franchises. But had Raimi not provided him with a sH๏τ to take the spotlight in Darkman, it’s interesting to speculate whether his career would have followed the same course as it has. The film does have the trademarks of its era, and may appear slightly outdated for audiences more accustomed to superhero movies that cost hundreds of millions to make, but Darkman played its part in popularizing the genre.
Why Sam Raimi’s Darkman Is A More Obscure Superhero Movie
Sam Raimi Created A Completely Original Superhero Story
Unlike most popular superhero movies or shows today, Darkman was not based on a comic book. Most superhero stories link back to colorful source material, but Darkman was simply an original story by Raimi. And as such, the film was a blend between superhero action and horror, in the quirky style that became a trademark of Raimi’s Evil ᴅᴇᴀᴅ franchise. And yet, with a story of betrayal, suffering, and being rejected by society, the film had some profound and compelling narrative beats that elevated it above either genre at the time.
And this is reflected in the Rotten Tomatoes score for the movie, which gives it an 83% rating. But despite the quality of the story, the performance of Liam Neeson, and the direction of Sam Raimi, the movie has never gotten the full recognition that it deserves. Darkman arrived at a time when these kinds of movie were not generally popular, and while Batman was getting a makeover from Tim Burton, the world of superhero stories was a niche that most adults did not approach.
Sam Raimi & Liam Neeson’s Superhero Futures Make The 1990 Movie All The More Noteworthy
This Was Just The Beginning For Sam Raimi & Liam Neeson’s Superhero Careers
However, perhaps the most interesting and wild coincidence to come out of Darkman, considering the film itself struggled to find its audience, was the way the movie acts as a prediction of both Raimi and Neeson’s future in superhero movies. While Neeson went on to perform in a wide range of roles, some of Liam Neeson’s very best performances come from his time in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy. In addition to playing Ra’s al Ghul, Neeson displayed heroics and enthusiasm with each new role.
Sam Raimi continued to work on his movies, creating independent projects and telling stories that resonated with him. But then, in 2002, everything changed when Raimi’s first Spider-Man movie came out, starring Tobey Maguire. Raimi would go on to finish a trilogy of films, though he had big plans for the future of these films which are now left unrealized. And beyond the Spider-Man trilogy, Raimi was brought in to direct Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which continues his legacy in superhero stories. And it’s great to see both Sam Raimi and Liam Neeson thriving 35 years after they collaborated.
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Thunderbolts*
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May 2, 2025
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The Fantastic Four: First Steps
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Avengers: Doomsday (2026)
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Spider-Man Homecoming 4
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July 24, 2026
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Avengers: Secret Wars
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May 7, 2027
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