Not all heroes wear capes, but they do.

Before he was starring in movies like “Pineapple Express,” creating the series “Eastbound & Down” and “Vince Principals,” or writing a “Halloween” sequel, Danny McBride was a mere film student at the North Carolina School of the Arts. As his thesis, the funny man wrote and directed a short film called “Eddie Noble and the Heroes” — a 20-minute preview of his talents that, thanks to the wonders of the internet, you can watch below.

Far from what you’d expect of McBride, the film is like a childhood fantasia that begins onstage as a crowd of kiddos watches a troupe of theatrical superheroes. 10 years later, we see the effect this performance has had: Eddie and his friends are now would-be vigilantes attempting to keep their neighborhood save from evildoers. Very ’90s in both form and content, it brings to mind films like “Small Soldiers” and even “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.”

McBride has always been more than just an actor, though he’s better known for appearing in “Tropic Thunder” and “This Is the End” than he is for co-creating his two HBO shows. After “Halloween,” which he’s co-writing with frequent collaborator David Gordon Green (who’s also directing), McBride will next be seen onscreen in “The Angry Birds Movie 2.”

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