All Superheroes Must Die
A 2011 independent superhero horror film directed by Jason Trost.
Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons
All Superheroes Must Die, also called Vs, is a 2011 American independent film that blends superhero and horror genres. Jason Trost directed and starred in the movie, which also featured James Remar, Sophie Merkley, and Lucas Till. Filming took place in Los Angeles, California. The movie had its premiere on October 26, 2011, at the Toronto After Dark Film Festival in Toronto, Ontario. Critics gave it overwhelmingly negative reviews. A follow-up, titled All Superheroes Must Die 2: The Last Superhero, appeared on Jason Trost’s YouTube channel.
The story begins with four heroes—Charge (John), Cutthroat (Ben), The Wall (Charlie), and Shadow (Jill)—waking up in a deserted town. Each has strange injection marks on their wrists. They find television sets through which their enemy Rickshaw, whom Charge supposedly defeated earlier, speaks to them. Rickshaw explains he has set up a game across town, with innocent lives at stake, and has stripped them of their powers. To prove it, he kills a civilian near Cutthroat. He then orders the heroes to meet at a gathering point. There, they have a short reunion and realize Charge still has some abilities. Rickshaw interrupts and gives new instructions. Charge takes charge of the group almost unanimously, though Cutthroat seems unhappy with the decision.
At a hardware store, Rickshaw tells each hero to pick a weapon. He splits them into two teams and orders them to fight two of his henchmen in different locations. Charge and Cutthroat go to a lumber mill, while The Wall and Shadow head to a scrap yard. At the mill, they find civilians strapped to explosives with the fuse already lit. Charge fights a goon named Sledgesaw while Cutthroat tries to disarm the bomb. Charge wins, and they cut the fuse, but Rickshaw remotely detonates the explosives just after Charge pulls Cutthroat to safety. Cutthroat mourns the lost civilians, saying he could have saved them with his super speed.
In the scrap yard, The Wall and Shadow face Manpower, who uses a flamethrower. When it runs out of fuel, The Wall charges him but is quickly defeated without his powers. Shadow tries to help but, lacking her invisibility, cannot stop Manpower from stabbing The Wall in the stomach. Charge and Cutthroat arrive and beat Manpower. Charge tells the group that The Wall will die from his wounds. He tells Shadow, who had a close relationship with The Wall, to st
- Release Year
- 2011
- Country
- United States
- Genre
- Superhero horror
- Director
- Jason Trost
- Starring
- Jason Trost, James Remar, Sophie Merkley, Lucas Till
- Premiere
- Toronto After Dark Film Festival, October 26, 2011
- Sequel
- All Superheroes Must Die 2: The Last Superhero
Lore & Background
The film follows four superheroes—Charge/John (Trost), Cutthroat/Ben (Till), The Wall/Charlie (Valmassy), and Shadow/Jill (Merkley)—who wake up in an abandoned town with injection marks on their wrists and their powers stripped away. Their nemesis, Rickshaw (Remar), forces them into a deadly game where civilians are executed if they fail. Charge retains some abilities and leads the group through a series of brutal challenges, including a deathmatch at a lumber mill and a scrap yard, where The Wall is killed. The plot reveals that Charge never had superpowers, unlike his companions, and that he has been aging while they remained ageless. He ultimately locates and kills Rickshaw, though Rickshaw activates a failsafe device before dying. A post-credits scene shows Cutthroat's eyes opening.
Reader's Guide
All Superheroes Must Die is notable as an independent take on the superhero genre, blending horror elements and a grim, low-budget aesthetic. The film was met with unanimously negative reviews, with critics citing poor production values, weak dialogue and characterization, and a failure to live up to its intriguing premise. However, James Remar's performance as the villain Rickshaw was singled out by several critics as one of the few highlights. The film's sequel was released directly on Jason Trost's YouTube channel, reflecting its cult status outside mainstream distribution. Its significance lies in its attempt to deconstruct superhero tropes through a survival-horror lens, though execution was widely considered lacking.
Did You Know?
- The film is also known as Vs.
- Filming took place in Los Angeles, California.
- The sequel, All Superheroes Must Die 2: The Last Superhero, was released on Jason Trost's YouTube channel.
- James Remar's performance was singled out by several critics as one of the few highlights.
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