After a long road from production to finally being picked up for release, the first trailer for the new Toxic Avenger movie is here. The film, which stars Peter Dinklage in the title role, first premiered back at Fantastic Fest in 2023, and will now finally release this summer.
Check it out:
Fun new bod, same great grub! ☢️The hero we need NOW is coming.THE TOXIC AVENGER is spilling ONLY IN THEATERS this August!#ImWithToxie #ToxicAvengerTeaser pic.twitter.com/RwF02Xj39PMarch 19, 2025
The trailer, which features a commercial for the bizarre, fictional fast food restaurant Miss Meat which devolves into a brutal action sequence with Toxie knocking a guy's jaw off in a bloody mess, channels all the raunchy weirdness and uncanny ultra-violence of the original cult classic film, with the fast food scene even serving as a direct homage to one of the classic film's most famous set pieces.
The original Toxic Avenger premiered in 1984, becoming a cult classic thanks to its cheap but ghastly effects and its over-the-top comedic approach to its scenes of hardcore violence. Toxie, as the franchise's mutated title star has been nicknamed, has gone on to become the mascot of Troma Films, the studio behind the original film and its sequels. '90s kids like me may even remember The Toxic Crusaders, an attempt at adapting Toxie into a Saturday morning cartoon hero complete with his own toy line and video game.
The original Toxic Avenger focuses on Melvin Junko, a dim-witted janitor who is doused in toxic waste by bullies, becoming a melty, mop-wielding hero of the oppressed and an unlikely folk hero to the people of Tromaville. The remake seems to follow much the same plot, right down to the original's creepily cool, corny-but-fun rubber mask style creature make-up. One of the biggest differences so far is that Toxie's civilian identity has been renamed from Melvin Junko to Winston Gooze,
As a fan of the original Toxic Avenger (and of course the Toxic Crusaders spin-off), the new film looks to be a hilariously self-aware revival of the original's sardonic take on wasteful consumer culture and the power of even the lowliest among us to stand up to bullies.
The Toxic Avenger releases in cinemas in August. For more, check out our list of the most exciting upcoming movies in 2025 and beyond.
