The Toxic Avenger hit theaters in 2025, and while there are no previous movies anyone needs to watch, fans should check out a couple of the originals if they enjoy this kind of carnage and unrated gore. The new Toxic Avenger has a bigger cast, with Peter Dinklage as Toxie and Kevin Bacon and Elijah Wood as villains.
However, the original films had no stars as Troma Entertainment productions because the movies were actually made with an ultra-low budget. They also had plenty of gratuitous nudity and gore, and pushed the boundaries of what was decent. With that said, at least two of the original Toxic Avengers movies are worth watching.
The Toxic Avenger & Citizen Toxie Are The Two Toxic Avenger Movies You Should Watch
The Toxic Avenger is easily Troma Entertainment’s most popular movie franchise. It isn’t their best movie as films like Tromeo and Juliet, written by James Gunn, exemplify the quality of Troma. However, The Toxic Avenger is an example of the style of film that makes Troma popular among cult movie fans.
Ultimately, of the four movies, there are only two that most fans should check out, although all four offer something of value to Troma fans. The first film remains the best, with the origin story of Toxie and his first adventures. Citizen Toxie, the fourth movie, is the actual sequel to the first film and is of the best quality.
The first film sees nerdy Melvin working as a janitor at a fitness center. When members play a mean prank on him, he races to a nearby window to leap out and lands in a vat of toxic waste, turning him into the Toxic Avenger. He then becomes a hero to the downtrodden in a town overrun by crime.
Citizen Toxie has an opening narration by Stan Lee, who says it is the sequel to the first film, erasing the second and third from canon. Part of the reason for its success was that Toxie was sent into an alternate dimension where things were different, and an evil Toxie lived. It was easily the most ambitious Toxie movie.
Amazingly enough, The Toxic Avenger has a positive 70% Rotten Tomatoes score thanks to its camp value, and Citizen Toxie is at 60% fresh.
The Entire Toxic Avenger Series Is Now Available In 4K Physical Copies
While no one thinks of quality when discussing Troma films, either in sound or picture quality, the entire four-movie original Toxic Avenger series is available to own on 4K Blu-ray. This means it is easy to find and buy these Troma films, allowing you to watch these bizarre, unrated gore fests anytime.
The box set hit shelves in August 2025, just in time to watch the new Toxic Avenger movie later that same month. The films run about $33 each individually or $88 as an eight-disc box set, and Troma fans will have the best versions of these iconic cult films to own for a lifetime.
