The Toxic Avenger (franchise)

The Toxic Avenger
Official franchise logo
Created by	Lloyd Kaufman
Original work	The Toxic Avenger (1984)
Owners	Legendary Entertainment Troma Entertainment
Years	1984–present
Print publications
Comics	The Toxic Avenger (1991–1992)
Films and television
Film(s)	The Toxic Avenger (1984) The Toxic Avenger Part II (1989) The Toxic Avenger Part III: The Last Temptation of Toxie (1989) Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV (2000) The Toxic Avenger (2023)
Television series	Toxic Crusaders (1991)
Theatrical presentations
Musical(s)	The Toxic Avenger
Games
Video game(s)	Toxic Crusaders (1992) Toxic Crusaders (2024)

The Toxic Avenger is an American superhero black comedy splatter film media franchise created by Lloyd Kaufman. It originated with the 1984 film of the same name and continued through three film sequels, a stage musical, a comic book series from Marvel Comics, a video game, and an animated television series.^[1]

Two less successful sequels, The Toxic Avenger Part II and The Toxic Avenger Part III: The Last Temptation of Toxie, were filmed as one. Kaufman realized that he had shot far too much footage for one film and re-edited it into two. A third independent sequel was also released, titled Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV. An animated children's television series spin-off, Toxic Crusaders, featured Toxie as the leader of a team of mutated superheroes who fought against evil alien polluters. The animated series was short-lived and quickly cancelled. In 2019, it was announced that Legendary Pictures would be making a reboot of the film, with Kaufman and director/producer Michael Herz serving as producers, and Macon Blair serving as writer and director.^[2]

The films generally follow the heroic exploits of Melvin Junko, a weak and skinny janitor turned into the deformed and mutated superhero, the Toxic Avenger, or "Toxie", by exposure to toxic chemicals. All films in the series were released by Troma Entertainment, known for producing low budget B-movies with campy concepts and gruesome violence. Virtually ignored upon its first release, The Toxic Avenger caught on with filmgoers after a long and successful midnight movie engagement at the famed Bleecker Street Cinemas in New York City in late 1985. It eventually came to be regarded as a cult classic.