Part of finishing off this list of 100 essential superhero movies is bringing in my audience, and so when I got down to the last 20 movies, I decided that I would let you decide. And what better than to reach out to other movie critics and reviewers to let them argue the case for a superhero movie that they are a fan of and at the bottom of the post, there is a poll where you can vote whether or not you agree if it should be included in the 100 Essential Superhero Movies list. But I didn’t want them to have all the fun so today I will be defending the case for a recent indie film that I saw and really enjoyed: Defendor

I feel like Defendor got a little lost in the shuffle by movies like Super and Kick-Ass, but I really quite enjoyed this movie about a developmentally disabled man played by Woody Harrelson who has latched onto the idea that he is a superhero. And through the course of the movie, he befriends a young prostitute played by Kat Dennings, a court appointed psychologist played by Sandra Oh, the chief of police, and also ends up helping to take down a drug, weapon, and human trafficking ring helped in part by a crooked cop played by Elias Koteas.

One of the strongest points of this movie is how sympathetic and inspiring the main character is. Even though he is up against gang members that are more powerful than him, more intelligent than him, have more powerful weapons than him, and have fewer moral objections than him, he still gets up every single time and keeps going after them because that’s what he thinks is the right thing to do. And in some ways, it is the right thing to do. He might not be the brightest hero on the block, but even without standard intelligence, he still manages to have a few cunning tricks up his sleeve and has an eye for the most important details whenever they end up being the most important. Not only that, but he has the ability to do the Batman-style disappearing trick whenever someone’s back is turned for a moment. His costume may not be the best, with just a simple duct tape “D” on the front of an all black outfit topped with an old black war helmet with flashlights and an old VHS camcorder attached, but he is inspiring, and that’s what heroes are meant to be. And on top of that, the film itself is a low budget movie which I love to get the chance to support. So it’s time for you to decide whether you think Defendor deserves its place in the 100 Essential Superhero Movies. Until next time, this has been Bubbawheat for Flights, Tights, and Movie Nights.