Plot
J.J. Doherty, who works at the corrupt pharmaceutical company BTH (Body Talk Healthstyle), 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 support his stepson Wade after Wade's mother dies of cancer. Winston sees neighbor Daisy threatened by thug Spence to sell her property but does not intervene, disappointing Wade. At BTH, owner Bob Garbinger and assistant Kissy worry about the company's financial issues, especially Bob's debts to mobster Thad Barkabus, Spence's father. Fritz reports J. J. has escaped, and Bob demands her capture.
Winston learns he has a brain disease needing uncovered medication. At a fundraiser hosted by Bob, he begs for help but is tricked and locked out. Desperate, he breaks into BTH, makes a weapon from toxic sludge and a mop, steals from the vault, and ties up a guard.
Winston leaves the alley; J. J. arrives to steal waste to expose BTH but is chased by The Killer Nutz. J. J. bumps into Winston, dropping the waste canister on Winston's money bag, incinerating it. The gang kills Winston, shooting him in the head and dumping his body in toxic sludge, unknowingly reviving him as a mutant. Winston returns home, startling Wade, who knocks him onto Spence's car. Daisy signs her property over to Spence under his threat, but Spence notices Winston and fires at him. Winston's regenerative power ejects the bullet. Winston rips off his arms; Daisy attempts to snatch the property transfer while he's unconscious.
Police arrive, and Winston escapes to the woods where he meets hermit Guthrie Stockins, who urges him to show Wade the truth. Using his mop, Winston returns and fights right-wing terrorists, The Nasty Lads, saving hostages and becoming The Toxic Avenger. Wade recognizes Toxie as his stepfather, as do Bob and Fritz. Bob recognizes Winston and demands answers; scientists reveal his powers are due to toxic waste mixed with unique genetics. Bob orders the Nutz to capture Winston to create Super Soldiers.
J. J. visits Winston's home and meets Wade, but The Killer Nutz kidnap Wade and shoot J. J. in the stomach. Winston arrives in time to heal J. J. with his toxic blood, and later confronts The Killer Nutz at a concert, killing the band but not before revealing the true circumstances of his mutation. Winston and J.J. manage to subdue the last surviving band member, who is also a victim of BTH chemical waste with a mutated, bean-sized head. They raid Bob's compound for Wade but are captured. Winston is subjected to brutal blood extraction to develop a serum to give Bob similar power.
Thad Barkabus demands his investment back after Winston's outburst causes the Mayor to withdraw support from BTH, devaluing its stock. Desperate, Bob drinks the untested serum, killing Thad and his men. Kissy, captivated by Bob's mutated form, drinks the remaining serum and mutates herself. Bob then feels sick, a side effect of the imperfect serum. Fritz, disgusted, considers quitting, but Kissy attacks him as her mind deteriorates. Winston and J. J. escape, but a gunfight ensues, ending with an explosion that destroys Wade's shed. Bob fights Winston, but Wade persuades Winston not to kill him. In a final struggle, Winston throws Bob into a car engine, and J. J. shreds him. Mutated Kissy attacks but is defeated and exploded by Winston.
Winston wakes in the hospital, hailed as a hero, his mutation curing his disease. Bob's crimes are exposed, saving Wade, J.J., and Fritz, though Fritz is arrested. The townspeople celebrate Winston, and he 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 Wade 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]
