Paul Reubens will forever be known as Pee-wee Herman to legions of fans, but that was not the only character he played in his career. A lot of people likely remember him as one of the more entertaining evil vampires in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie. However, he was also the star in a forgotten superhero movie that might be one of his most entertaining performances outside of Pee-wee Herman. In fact, this superhero comedy was released almost a decade before the start of the MCU, and it even beat the first major Marvel Comics superhero movie, X-Men, into theaters by almost a full year.
On August 6, 1999, Mystery Men got its wide release in the United States, a superhero comedy that starred Paul Reubens as Spleen. Based on the comic books by Dark Horse Comics, it was a box office flop and received mostly mixed reviews, but it has since become a beloved cult classic.
Mystery Men Was an Early Era, Misunderstood Superhero Comedy
Mystery Men was a 1999 superhero movie that was supposed to be a Ben Stiller vehicle, but it ended up struggling to find an audience during its theatrical run. The movie was based on Flaming Carrot Comics, a 1980s absurdist superhero comic by Bob Burden. The comics followed the adventures of the Flaming Carrot, and they were published by Aardvark-Vanaheim (1984-1985), Renegade Press (1985-1987), and Dark Horse Comics (1988-2002). Following the movie’s release, the comics moved on to Image Comics in 2004 for a two-year stay. While this doesn’t make sense for people familiar with the movie, Mystery Men was a spinoff of Flaming Carrot Comics.
It was Mike Richardson, the publisher of Dark Horse Comics, who pitched Mystery Men as a concept, and it ended up getting made with an impressive cast, led by Ben Stiller. He played Mr. Furious, someone with no superpowers and the weakest on the team, which is what makes him angry since he started the team. He was surrounded by an incredible cast, including Hank Azaria as Blue Raja, William H. Macy as Shoveler, Greg Kinnear as Captain Amazing, Kel Mitchell as Invisible Boy, Janeane Garofalo as Bowler, Wes Studi as The Sphinx, and Paul Reubens as Spleen. Add in names like Geoffrey Rush, Claire Forlani, Eddie Izzard, Tom Waits, Ricky Jay, and cameos by Riki Rachtman and Michael Bay, and this movie is stacked.
It didn’t seem to matter. The entire movie poked fun at superheroes in an era where fans had fallen out of love with Batman movies following Batman & Robin. This was a superhero team of misfits who had to figure out how to get their act together to beat a supervillain threatening the world. The movie had an estimated budget of $68 million, and it finished its run by only making $33.5 million worldwide and $29.8 million domestically. Critics said there were a lot of laughs from the talented cast, but it was also called hit-and-miss, and it didn’t receive its biggest praise until years later in retrospective reviews after it became a cult classic.
Paul Reubens Played a Flatulent Superhero In the Comedy Mystery Men
Paul Reubens’ role here was a comeback of sorts. After making his name as Pee-wee Herman and starring in two movies as that character, he took on a role as a vampire in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. However, Reubens stepped away from the public eye, while appearing in small roles in movies like Batman Returns and Matilda. For anyone who remembers, Reubens had an unfortunate incident that ruined his reputation for years, and he completely disappeared after this. While Pee-wee’s Playhouse was a children’s show in name only, he was still considered an influential star for young audiences, and his actions caused him to shelve Pee-wee Herman for well over a decade.
When Reubens signed on to star in Mystery Men, his work to promote the movie was as himself, which was one of the first times in years he made public appearances as Paul Reubens rather than Pee-wee Herman since the 1980s. His role in Mystery Men was also a good way to distance himself from the role of a children’s television star. He played The Spleen, and his power was that of flatulence, so any time he passed gas, anyone around him would pass out from the smell. This fit in well with other heroes, such as Bowler, a person who throws a bowling ball containing the skull of her dead father at villains, and Blue Raja, a superhuman with great accuracy who throws cutlery at people.
Following Mystery Men, Reubens got back to work, and he even appeared in the crime drama Blow, based on the real-life story of U.S. drug trafficker George Jung. Reubens played a flamboyant hairdresser turned drug dealer in that movie, and he finally got his foot back in Hollywood after his career downfall in 1991. He showed up in Reno 911!, showed up on 30 Rock, and had a role on Dirt. Then, in 2010, Reubens brought back Pee-wee Herman for a new stage show, which was a tremendous success. In 2016, he was back with Pee-wee’s Big Holiday, and then Reubens died seven years later at the age of 70.
What are your thoughts on Mystery Men and Paul Reubens’ performance in the movie? Let us know in the comments below.
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