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In a world where superhero movies reign supreme, a new contender emerged in 2023, as the fifth installment inThe Toxic Avengerfilm series. Well, it’s not your typical caped crusader tale, but Elijah Wood and Peter Dinklage’s film still contained the potential to take the DC Universe by storm.
Delivering a cocktail of weirdness that even the notoriousBatman & Robinwould fear to compete with, Macon Blair’s DC-inspired horror comedyThe Toxic Avengergarnered a stunning 91% rating, despite its eccentricities. Considering that Blair’s strangest visions become a delightful source of entertainment, let’s dig deeper into the 2023 movie and its DC inspiration.
Macon Blair Reimagined Elijah Wood and Kevin Bacon as DC Villains
Reimagining the 1984 low-budget cult classic, Macon Blair came up with the fifth installment in the franchise –The Toxic Avengerreboot, in 2023. Unlike the inaugural installment in the franchise that could never claim the participation of prominent Hollywood stars, Blair’s movie managed to boast an ensemble cast includingPeter Dinklage, Elijah Wood, and Kevin Bacon.
Toxic Avenger Reboot: Everything We Know About This Potential Cult-Classic
Thereafter, delving into the original horror comedy narrative about a janitor who falls into a barrel of toxic waste and becomes a disfigured, musclebound superhero, Macon Blair starred Peter Dinklage in the titular role. However, while sharing his surreal experience of creating this outlandish movie withEW, the filmmaker opened up about his vision for Wood and Bacon.
[Wood’s appearance is] sort of Riff Raff from The Rocky Horror Picture Show and the Danny DeVito Penguin mixed together. The look came about by discussions I had with our designers and with Elijah himself.
I wanted it to feel like a Peter Sellers type of performance where he just goes invisible. The idea is that you forget that it’s the Elijah that you know from Lord of the Rings or anything else.
[Bacon is in] the mold of Lex Luthor, where they have all this money and resources at their disposal, but he’s just kind of a disaster.
The Lord of the Ringsactor Elijah Woodplayed the role of Fritz Garbinger, a villain with black rotten teeth, eye sockets darkened like a panda, and long tendrils of hair sprouting from his mostly bald pate. While Wood’s and Bacon’s atypical villain persona was inspired by DC characters, these weren’t the only inspirations derived byMacon Blairfrom the popular superhero franchise.
The Toxic Avenger’s DC-Inspired Madness PutsBatman & Robinto Shame
Directed by Macon Blair,The Toxic Avenger(2023) initially finds Peter Dinklage’s Winston Gooze taking a fateful dip in a vat of toxic waste, echoing the transformation of the Joker in DC lore. Then comes Elijah Wood’s appearance and villain personainspired by DC villain Penguin. Further, the filmmaker revealed taking inspiration for Fritz’s brother, the corporate overlord Bob Garbinger, played byKevin Bacon, from DC’s Lex Luthor.
“Peter Dinklage has never been this unhinged”: Game of Thrones Star’s New Superhero Flick Gets Internet’s Approval
After taking character inspiration from DC, Blair commented onElijah Wood’s Fritz Garbinger having a gang of dangerous lunatics at his disposal, that mirrors the madmen of Arkham Asylum. With layers of deep-rooted inspirations purposefully derived and subconsciously picked up from DC,The Toxic Avengeralmost paralleled the level of chaos and absurdity often witnessed in DC movies.
However, while Elijah Wood and Peter Dinklage’s film embraced the eccentricities, it did so with such sincerity that it resonated with audiences, unlike DC’s fan-proclaimed weirdest superhero movie,Batman & Robin. Well, despiteGeorge Clooney‘s 1997 DC flick featuring some of the weirdest takes in the superhero genre, the movie failed to make an impact likeThe Toxic Avenger.
The Toxic Avengercombined all the weird elements of a superhero film and yet succeeded with a 91% rating, while DC’s most eccentric filmBatman & Robinmanaged a mere 12% rating. Despite taking risks and embracing madness, Macon Blair’s reboot stood out as a breath of fresh air.
The Toxic Avengeris available on Peacock.
Batman & Robinis available on Max.
Krittika Mukherjee
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3217
Krittika Mukherjee is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on films, TV shows, and celebrity news with over 3,000 articles published. With an educational background in Journalism, and a keen interest in filmmaking, Krittika blends factual precision with creative flair, when crafting her editorials, or dissecting fan theories.Her coverage often includes news and analyses of critically acclaimed films, celebrity news, and franchises like the Wizarding World, LOTR, DC, and MCU—particularly Harry Potter, Fantastic Beasts, Superheroes, and fan theories. As a Wizarding World aficionado, Krittika has spent countless hours exploring hidden backstories, unadapted book moments, spells, and trivias surrounding J.K. Rowling’s lore.An imaginative writer with a way with words, Krittika has worked as an entertainment journalist for the past two years and a web content writer for a year. She brought her experience and expertise to FandomWire to pursue her desire for sipping coffee while dissecting films and tracking celebrity drama.
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Elijah WoodKevin BaconMacon BlairPeter DinklageThe Toxic Avenger
