Plot
J. J. Doherty, who works at the corrupt pharmaceutical company BTH (Bi-Toxiphetamine Hydroxylate), manages to send secret information to an investigative reporter. However, they are attacked by The Killer Nutz, a gang working for BTH, and the reporter is killed while J. J. escapes, angering the gang's manager, Fritz Garbinger.
In St. Roma's Village, BTH janitor Winston Gooze struggles to provide for his stepson Wade after Wade's mother dies from cancer. One day, Winston witnesses his neighbor Daisy being threatened by a thug but does not intervene, disappointing Wade. At BTH, owner Bob Garbinger and assistant Kissy are anxious about the company's financial troubles, especially due to Bob's debts to mobster Thad Barkabus. When Fritz informs them that J. J. has escaped, Bob demands that J. J. be found.
Winston learns he has a serious brain disease and needs medication that his insurance does not cover. At a fundraising gala hosted by Bob, Winston begs for help but is tricked and locked out. In a fit of desperation, he breaks into BTH, uses toxic sludge to make a weapon out of a mop, and steals money from the vault, while tying up a guard.
As Winston leaves the alley, J. J. arrives pursued by The Killer Nutz. J. J. escapes again, but the gang kills Winston by shooting him in the head and disposing of his body in toxic sludge, not realizing it revives him as a mutant. Winston returns home but frightens Wade, who knocks him off a fire escape. After being shot by the thug who had threatened Daisy, Winston heals instantly and brutally attacks the thug.
Police arrive, and Winston escapes to the woods, where he meets a hermit named Guthrie Stockins, who encourages him to show Wade the truth about himself. Armed with his mop, Winston returns to town and fights off terrorists called The Nasty Lads, saving hostages and becoming a hero known as The Toxic Avenger. Wade recognizes Toxie as his stepfather, and so do Bob and Fritz.
J. J. visits Winston's home and meets Wade, but The Killer Nutz kidnap Wade and shoot J. J. in the stomach. Winston arrives just in time to heal J. J. with his toxic blood, and later confronts The Killer Nutz at a concert, killing the band. Winston and J. J. then raid Bob's compound for Wade but are captured. Bob attempts to extract Winston's blood to gain superpowers and drinks an untested potion, turning into a beast.
Thad Barkabus arrives for his payment, but Bob kills him and his men. Winston and J. J. manage to escape, but in the ensuing chaos, a gunfight occurs, resulting in an explosion that destroys the shed where Wade was held. Bob fights Winston, but Wade convinces Winston not to kill Bob, leading to Bob's death during a final struggle. Mutated Kissy attacks but is ultimately defeated by Winston.
Winston awakens in the hospital, hailed as a hero, with his mutation curing his disease. Bob's crimes are exposed, and the lives of Wade, J. J., and Fritz are safe, though Fritz is arrested. Celebrated by the townspeople, Winston embraces Wade, affirming their bond as father and son.
In a post-credits scene, it is revealed that Kissy survived but is severely burned, while Winston teaches how to make a grilled cheese sandwich.
Production
In April 2010, a remake of The Toxic Avenger (1984) was announced. [9] The remake, said to be aiming for a "family-friendly" PG-13 release similar to the animated Toxic Crusaders television series, was set to be co-written and directed by Steve Pink. [10] In May 2013, Arnold Schwarzenegger was in talks for a role in the film. [11] He eventually dropped out to work on Terminator Genisys (2015). [12]
In September 2016, reports indicated that Conrad Vernon would direct the film, with Guillermo del Toro of Double Dare You, Bob Cooper and Alex Schwartz of Storyscape Entertainment, and Akiva Goldsman and Greg Lessans of Weed Road Pictures executive producing, while Mike Arnold and Chris Poole were attached to rewrite the screenplay by Pink and Daniel C. Mitchell. [13] In December 2018, Legendary Pictures won the rights to reboot The Toxic Avenger, with the original's producers, Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz of Troma Entertainment, returning. [14] In March 2019, Macon Blair was announced to write and direct. [15] Of the script, Kaufman said, "Macon Blair knows Troma better than I do. He's seen everything. He's seen the cartoon [Toxic Crusaders], he's seen the Halloween special, he's seen everything. And he loves our movies... I've read the script and it's better than the original and I leave it to him. If I'm called upon, I'd be happy to jump in. I learned on the musical to leave the creative to the creative. I learned to let them ask so if they want me, I'm there... I hope that Legendary keeps going. If they let Macon Blair direct it, I think it will be terrific. He knows the Troma sense of humor, the combination of slapstick, and satire with the environmental theme." [16]
In November 2020, Peter Dinklage came on board to star. [17] Additional cast members were revealed from April to June 2021. [18] [19] [20] [21] Principal photography commenced on June 21, 2021, in Bulgaria and wrapped on August 14, 2021. [20] [22] [23] In December 2021, Dinklage said the film was "not a remake". [24] In January 2022, Blair confirmed the film will employ practical gore effects, and the time period setting will be a "little bit of both" in the past and present. [25] Luisa Guerreiro wore the full-body suit and makeup of the Toxic Avenger with Dinklage dubbing the dialogue in post-production. [26]
Release
The Toxic Avenger premiered as the opening film of Fantastic Fest on September 21, 2023. [27] The film also played at Beyond Fest on September 30, 2023, before having its international debut at the 56th Sitges Film Festival, as part of the Out of Competition section, on October 13, 2023. [28] [29] It had its UK premiere at the Midnight Madness strand of the 78th Edinburgh International Film Festival on August 19, 2025. [30] [31]
The film initially had trouble securing a distributor for wide release after its premiere, with one unnamed producer deeming the film "unreleasable" due to concerns about its violent content. [32] In January 2025, it was announced that Cineverse had acquired distribution rights, with plans to release it unrated (after initially earning an R rating) theatrically later that year; that same month, the company scheduled it for release in the United States on August 29, 2025. [4] [33] [34] In March, Cineverse partnered with Iconic Events Releasing to bring the film to theaters. [35] In July, members of the cast made appearances at San Diego Comic-Con and at Digital Gym Cinema to promote the film. [36] [37]
The marketing team for The Toxic Avenger and its distributor, Cineverse, partnered with the nonprofit Undue Medical Debt to buy out 5 million USD of medical debt instead of using the money for marketing. Additionally, for every $1 million the movie makes at the box office, Cineverse agreed to buy out another million in debt. [38] Cineverse's SVP of Marketing, Lauren McCarthy, said, “We spent hours brainstorming how to close out the campaign and, while sending Toxie to the moon was appealing, no idea came close to combating unexpected medical debt for families. The Toxic Avenger had his entire life upended by crushing medical costs so, as Toxie says, ‘Sometimes you have to do something’.” [39] [40]
