Hugh Jackman’s Only 10/10 Sci-Fi Action With Anthony Mackie Is Leaving Free Streaming

Long before Shawn Levy handed Hugh Jackman the claws again in Deadpool & Wolverine, the two of them made a movie about robots punching each other. Real Steel came out in 2011 and follows Charlie Kenton, a washed-up boxer played by Jackman.

Charlie once had a shot at a title, but that door closed when massive robots took over the sport. He scrapes by as a small-time promoter, building cheap fighters out of junk metal and barely making enough to get from one underground match to the next.

After hitting bottom, he reluctantly joins forces with his estranged son Max, played by Dakota Goyo, to build and train a robot good enough for one last shot at redemption.

The cast is quietly stacked with future Marvel faces. Anthony Mackie, now the MCU’s Captain America, appeared alongside Jackman, the only time they appeared together in a movie (and we expect a second collab in Avengers: Endgame). Evangeline Lilly, who would go on to play the Wasp, also appeared.

Levy, of course, later became one of Marvel’s biggest directors. Put together, Real Steel is basically an MCU reunion that happened more than a decade before anyone planned it.

The film is based on Richard Matheson’s 1956 short story Steel, which was also adapted into a famous episode of The Twilight Zone. It’s streaming free on Tubi right now, but that won’t last much longer.

Hugh Jackman’s Real Steel Is Leaving Tubi Soon

Hugh Jackman in a still from Real Steel | Credits: Walt Disney Pictures

Shawn Levy‘s Real Steel landed on Tubi earlier this year and quickly found a second life with viewers who never caught it in theaters. But it has now turned up in the platform’s Leaving Soon section, which means the free ride is almost over.

Once it drops off, there are still ways to watch, though none of them are free. The film is also available on Fubo and FX Now. Fubo is a paid live TV service with no permanent free tier, and while it does offer a short trial for new users, you’ll be charged once that window closes.

FX Now, meanwhile, requires you to sign in with a cable or streaming TV provider, so it’s only useful if someone in your house already pays for one.

Beyond that, your last option is renting or buying it outright on the usual digital storefronts. Which is fine, but it’s hard to argue with free while free is still on the table.

Real Steel Is One of Jackman’s Best Movies You Shouldn’t Miss

Hugh Jackman in a still from Real Steel | Credits: Walt Disney Pictures

On paper, a movie about robot boxing sounds silly. However, on screen, Real Steel is one of the most quietly effective things Hugh Jackman has ever done. That’s because the robots were never really the point. The film is a father-and-son story wearing a sports movie costume.

Jackman plays Charlie as a genuinely flawed man rather than a lovable underdog. His chemistry with Goyo carries the emotional weight of the entire film. Mackie adds real personality in his scenes as Finn, and Lilly grounds the whole thing.

The craft holds up too. The movie mixed CGI with real animatronics to make the fights feel physical, and it earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Visual Effects. It was also a solid hit, pulling in around $299.3 million worldwide against a $110 million budget (via Box Office Mojo). A sequel was always teased, but it never took off.

Critics gave it a 60% on Rotten Tomatoes, but audiences pushed it to 73% (as of September 11, 2026). It’s warm, it’s predictable in the best way, and it earns its big finale. If you’ve never seen it, watch it on Tubi before it’s gone.

What do you think of the movie? Let us know in the comments below!