On May 13, 1994 The Crow, based on the comic book by James O’Barr, was released. At the time, comics-based movies — the superhero variety or otherwise — were in a slump. After the initial excitement following the massive success of Tim Burton’s Batman in 1989, that series had taken a darker turn with 1992’s Batman Returns, and the corresponding dip in box office had Warner Bros. Pictures preparing a far more kid-friendly and garish Batman Forever for 1995.

The Superman franchise had died a more gruesome death than even Doomsday itself could bestow with 1987’s Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, and as a result Krypton’s last son lay dormant in re-development hell. As for iconic publishers like Marvel…let’s just say that the bargain-basement Captain America (1990) and the TV quickie The Death of the Incredible Hulk (1990) were a long way off from the future glories of Avengers: Endgame.

Original entries like Darkman (1990) were an occasional bright spot, but they didn’t electrify audiences in the same way Burton’s Caped Crusader had just a short time earlier. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) was a massive surprise hit (the highest grossing independent movie of its time), but also catered to a niche audience, mainly children. Studios seemed caught in a creative conflict: how do we make the darker, harder-edged comic book movies that will appeal to longtime readers while also releasing something that one can take the kids to see?

The Crow answered that question by ignoring it. The source material and its inspiration was grim enough to start, and the horrific circumstances surrounding the completion of the movie only added to the dark penumbra that seemed to encircle it. But ironically, by walking hand in hand with death and grief from the very beginning — seemingly a surefire path to box office and cultural obscurity — The Crow became a kind of legend in its own right and arguably helped pave the way for the superhero influx to come.