The Toxic Avenger has now mopped up $15 million in American medical debt

Peter Dinklage's Toxie fights corrupt medical companies in the throwback superhero comedy, and actual medical debt here in the real world.

By William Hughes  |  October 8, 2025 | 6:51pm
The Toxic Avenger, Photo: Cineverse
Film News The Toxic Avenger
The Toxic Avenger has now mopped up $15 million in American medical debt

Back in August, we reported that throwback black comedy splatterfest The Toxic Avenger was taking on a surprisingly germane villain of American public life: Massive unpaid medical debt, with the film’s production team working with non-profit Undue Medical Debt to buy up big chunks of medical debt from hospitals and other companies and clear them off the board. At the time, the Peter Dinklage film’s team was pledging to use what was basically the last portion of its marketing budget in order to make the donation, potentially clearing $5 million in debt off the tabs of some of America’s poorest folk. (Because the debt is being sold in bulk, and isn’t expected to recoup much cash in the first place, you can usually buy it for rates of something like 100 to 1.)

Per Bloody Disgusting, though, the promotion/charitable act has actually had quite a bit more impact than previously expected: Matching donations from fans and supporters have now reportedly bumped the number up to $15 million, allowing even more people to get one of Undue Medical Debt’s surprise envelopes, which arrive one day to let people know their debt has suddenly been cleared. (Of course, that’s only a tiny drop in the bucket of overall American medical debt, which is estimated to be north of $220 billion—but still certainly more than any other low-budget genre flicks you might care to name have done; Art The Clown isn’t out here helping people deal with housing insecurity.) Toxic Avenger has reportedly now helped more than 10,000 people to clear at least parts of their debts.

The movie’s marketing team notes that donations are still being accepted, writing, “Together, we can continue turning the joy of fandom into hope for those who need it most. Everyone can be a hero.”

The Toxic Avenger, which stars Dinklage as a downtrodden dude crippled by his own medical debts, who then becomes a highly lethal superhero after being murdered by the agents of corrupt Big Pharma, is currently available on VOD; it hits physical media on October 28.

 
Join the discussion...