In recent years I’ve started collecting and curating a physical media collection to ensure I have easy access to the films I want to watch, rather than having to always rely on streaming. The only downside to having such a collection is that physical media can take up a lot of space.
So, how do you solve this problem? Well, for me, it is by creating bespoke boxsets to keep titles together in a handy, dandy way.
What do I mean by this? In essence, by gathering together single release titles into a multi-disc sets.
And some of these space-saving boxsets I’ve put together recently include the Marvel Legacy movies. And when I say “Marvel Legacy movies”, I’m referring to non-MCU films, i.e. Marvel films released by studios such as Fox, New Line, Sony, etc, rather than Marvel Studios/Disney.
The “Marvel Legacy” title includes the movies highlighted in this post (Daredevil, Ghost Rider, etc), but also extends to the old X-Men movies, as well as the Spider-Man film series. However, as the X-Men and Spidey films are regularly grouped together for home video releases, they are not the focus of this post.
This post is about creating new sets or customising existing ones to bring the Marvel Legacy titles together. In short: I want space-saving sets for each film series, so I made them!
As a side note, I have a fondness for non-MCU Marvel movies, particularly the ‘00s era as this was the first time Marvel found success on the big screen. Sure it was often a bumpy period, but as a comic book fan it was exciting seeing all of the iconic Marvel characters brought to life on film and it set the foundations of what was to come with the MCU.
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Daredevil
I started my bespoke Marvel Legacy collections by putting together a three-disc set of Daredevil. The set incorporates a Blu-ray copy of the original theatrically released film from 2003 (i.e the one with Ben Affleck), along with a DVD copy of Daredevil: Director’s Cut, and a Blu-ray copy of spin-off movie, Elektra.
First up, I began with a Blu-ray copy of the theatrical edition of Daredevil. This is the version of the film which played in cinemas back in 2003.
Daredevil has been released multiple times on physical media including DVD and UMD for the now defunct PSP (remember that?), but the highest quality edition to date is the Blu-ray. A 4K edition may follow one day (although it might not), but for now the Blu-ray edition is the best there is on physical media.
Disc number two is a copy of Daredevil: Director’s Cut on UK DVD. This is an alternate cut of the 2003 movie, which was released in 2004.
Daredevil: Director’s Cut is a significantly different version of the film, and includes around 30 minutes of additional material not included in the theatrical release. The material includes a new plot, as well as a new character (played by Coolio), and when it was released in 2004 it was well-received by fans and critics.
Daredevil: Director’s Cut has only ever been released on DVD in the UK and is no longer in print. The film is also not available to buy on digital or streaming platforms, so as far as I’m concerned, this DVD is essential for the set and owning a copy is a great way to preserve this cut.
I should note, the Director’s Cut is available on Region free Blu-ray overseas, so I could have opted for the film in HD if I was willing to locate one online, ship a disc to the UK, etc. But what’s the point?
Onto the third disc in the set, and this space is reserved for the comic book movie, Elektra. For those with short memories (or who simply weren’t around at the time), Elektra is a Daredevil spin-off movie starring Jennifer Garner.
You see, rather than produce a sequel to Daredevil, 20th Century Fox opted for a spin-off film instead, and that spin-off was Elektra. The film debuted theatrically in 2005 with Rob Bowman on director duties and Goran Višnjić and Terence Stamp amongst the supporting cast.
I’ll be honest, Elektra isn’t a great movie, but it is fine for a bit of nostalgic fun every once in a while and more importantly it is an extension of the Daredevil universe. When putting together a bespoke Daredevil set it made sense to include Elektra, so it had to be given a place alongside the other discs.
Once I had gathered together all three discs, I placed them inside a new, three-disc Blu-ray case. This case was picked up from eBay on the cheap. In terms of the cover sleeve, I retained the artwork from the original Daredevil Blu-ray release and used this as the main cover for my bespoke Blu-ray, with the Elektra sleeve on the reverse, so I still had access to all the information should I want it (plus it decorates the inside of the case perfectly).
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Fantastic Four
Next up is the Fantastic Four, and I have a particular nostalgic fondness for the two Fox films from the ’00s: 2005’s Fantastic Four as well as 2007’s Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. As such, I like knowing I have access to them whenever I want.
But I don’t just have the two FF movies to fit on my shelf, I also have a DVD copy of Fantastic Four: Extended Edition.
For those unfamiliar with Fantastic Four: Extended Edition, this is a slightly longer cut of Fantastic Four which was released on home video back in 2007. This cut includes approximately 20 minutes of extra material blended into the film, which was not part of the original theatrical cut.
Is it completely necessary material? No, which is why it was cut from the cinema release.
However, in my opinion, the Extended Edition is a better version of the film if you’re a comic book fan. There’s a bit more meat on the bone, and on occasion a touch more fun and depth too with nods to the comics.
The Extended Edition is somewhat rarer than the standard cut of 2005’s Fantastic Four because it has only ever been released once on DVD. There is currently no Blu-ray edition, no digital copy, and it’s not available anywhere to stream (not even on Disney+), so retaining it in my collection is important. Without physical media, this version of the film does not exist.
Similar to the Daredevil set, I took the cover artwork from the discarded Fantastic Four Blu-ray case and slipped it into place on my three-disc set. On the reverse (i.e on the inside), I then used the cover art from Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.
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The Punisher
My next project was a three-disc boxset of The Punisher movies. This set includes the two Punisher films from the ‘00s, The Punisher and Punisher: War Zone, as well as the oft-forgotten 1989 version of The Punisher.
As a quick reminder, to date there have been three live-action Punisher movies. The first is a low-budget affair released at the tail-end of the ‘80s, while the next two debuted in fairly quick succession during the 2000s, when Marvel was experiencing a period of box-office success thanks to films such as Blade (1998), X-Men (2000), and Spider-Man (2002).
The first film – titled The Punisher – stars Dolph Lundgren as Frank Castle/Punisher, and is essentially a generic action movie. Despite its name, the film is largely a Punisher movie in name alone, but if ‘80s action is what you’re after it ticks many of the right boxes.
The next film from 2004 (which is also titled The Punisher), stars Thomas Jane in the lead role of Frank Castle, alongside a cast which includes John Travolta, Roy Scheider, and Rebecca Romijn-Stamos. This film is more comic book accurate than its predecessor and is arguably the strongest of the three Punisher pictures.
Meanwhile, the third film is Punisher: War Zone, a fairly bonkers and brutal actioner starring the late Ray Stevenson. The movie was critically panned upon release, but does have a cult following today.
Now, it’s fair to say none of the Punisher movies are particularly amazing, but each has its own charm. My personal favourite is the Lundgren picture, but I have a bit of nostalgia for the other two, as I generally like the 00s/pre-MCU era of Marvel movies.
So, similar to what I did with the ‘00s Fantastic Four films and Daredevil, I wanted to collect together this trio of Punisher movies in one space-saving set. There is currently no commercially available boxset of the three Punisher films and due to licensing and ownership etc, there probably never will be.
In terms of the cover art, I took the cover from the 1989 Dolph Lundgren movie and used this as the main cover for my new set. I slipped this into a new, three-disc box, inserted all the discs, then used the Punisher: War Zone cover art on the reverse, so it would be visible from inside the box.
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Ghost Rider and Blade
Pushing beyond the above collections, I added two additional bespoke Marvel legacy boxsets to my shelf. One is for Ghost Rider and the other is for Blade.
Now I know what you’re thinking, don’t boxset already exist for these film series? Well, yes they do, but there is a reason for my sets… just let me explain.
In the UK (where I live), the two Ghost Rider movies – Ghost Rider and Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance – have never been collected together as a set. I’m aware they have overseas, but not over here – we just had two individual releases. As such, I wanted to bring the two films together in one case.
Moving onto Blade and when it comes to physical media, this movie series is very much still in print. The three Wesley Snipes Blade movies – Blade, Blade II, and Blade: Trinity – are currently available in a boxset from entertainment retailers (HMV, Amazon, etc).
However, I wanted to tweak this boxset by adding one additional film. A necessary addition? Nope – but a bit of nostalgic fun nonetheless. The film I added is Blade: House of Chthon: Uncut. This is a ‘movie’ starring Sticky Fingaz, which was released on DVD in 2007.
Although for a little added clarity, House of Chthon: Uncut isn’t actually a movie – it is the first two episodes of the short-lived Blade television series, edited together and released on disc as a film. The Blade TV series aired in 2006 with Fingaz taking over the title role from Wesley Snipes, and House of Chthon episodes were released as a feature-length tale.
So, why have I added this DVD to the Blade trilogy? Well a.) as a bit of an extension to the Snipes films, and b.) because the script for House of Chthon was co-written by David S. Goyer, the writer of the Blade trilogy.
Anyway, I replaced the three-disc Blade trilogy case with a new, four-disc case to accommodate this additional title and slotted House of Chthon: Uncut in.
With the Ghost Rider and Blade sets complete, I added them to my shelf with the three previous sets, to form five Marvel Legacy boxsets. This in turn brings together a wealth of nostalgic viewing and a whopping 15 discs, which only take up five spaces in my ever-expanding collection.
Now, you may be wondering about some of the other Marvel Legacy titles, such as Hulk, Howard the Duck, the 2015 version of the Fantastic Four, or Man-Thing, amongst others. Well, these films (and more) from Marvel’s past fall into one of two categories: Films which don’t need collecting together, or films I don’t care to own.
In the case of Hulk and Howard the Duck, these films are fine as single release Blu-rays on my shelf. In the case of the 2015 Fantastic Four, Man-Thing, Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., and a couple of others, I simply have no desire to own them.
I did contemplate collecting together some of these titles and creating a sort-of ‘misfits collection’ of remaining Marvel Legacy films, but then I asked myself, why? I don’t really like films such as 1979’s Captain America II: Death Too Soon, or the 1978 Dr. Strange movie, so why give them the shelf space?
I had fun sourcing and putting my sets together, I got what I wanted and saved space, so there’s no point in needlessly going beyond this. The fear of missing out (FOMO) or being a completist will always be there, but sometimes you just need to know when enough is enough.
In the future, I may look into getting some custom covers created, to include all of the information for all of the titles in the sets, but for now I’m more than happy with the bespoke boxsets as they stand. I have the Marvel Legacy titles I care about in my physical media collection, and they all look neat and tidy on my shelf.
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Thank you for stopping by It’s A Stampede! to read this post about physical media. For more posts be sure to check out the recommended reads below.
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