Superheroes I Want to See on Film

This blog is a followup to my last blog: Villains I Want to See on Film. I figured if I did one on villains I need to do one with superheroes. Now this list would have been a lot different a few months ago before Marvel and DC announced all the movies they plan on doing. I made this list based on heroes that we have not seen and have not been officially announced for upcoming movies. These heroes are the ones I want to see and realistically could see making it onto the big screen. 
(In no particular order....)



Cable
Cable maybe one of the most popular X-Men not to have made it to the big screen besides Gambit. Although, we know Gambit is getting his own solo movie soon. Cable is one of those complex characters that you just can't throw into a story like most of the X-Men. His origins is unique and has time travel involved in it. They would probably have to make a movie around him but I think it has a lot of potential if they ever want to go in that direction.


Nightwing
I don't know why they have not tried to do something with Nightwing on film yet. Maybe he isn't as popular as I thought. I guess if you are going to do a Batman character then just do Batman. But why not do both in one film? I would love to see Nightwing in a movie and do the New 52 red suit. I liked that one better than the blue. If not Nightwing how about Batman Beyond?





Moon Knight
Some people say Moon Knight is just like Batman but in the Marvel Universe he's definitely different. He has a cool origins story and he would look cool on film. He's an awesome fighter and I would like to see him go head to head with someone like Taskmaster (who should have been on my villains list). I don't know how well he would fit into the Marvel Cinematic Universe but I loved to see them try.

John Stewart (Green Lantern)
For those of us who did most of our growing up in the 90's, we remember John Stewart as Green Lantern in the Justice League cartoon. DC should not be scared of trying to do another Green Lantern movie even though the Ryan Reynolds' one wasn't very good. Even if they just want to introduce him in a Justice League movie first, Green Lantern should be John Stewart. He's a great character that deserves a shot.



Richard Ryder (Nova)
I really wish Marvel would do a Nova movie with Richard Ryder. I wasn't really impressed with the way they did the Nova Corp. in Guardian's of the Galaxy but it was good for the story. I wish they would do a more super powered Nova and Richard Ryder star in the film. I still have hope that he may show up in Guardian's of the Galaxy 2 or maybe Captain Marvel, but rumor is they aren't going to do anything with him.



Metal Men
Metal Men is sort of my cheat for this list because it's more of a team. I've only read a small story of them in the New 52 but I thought they were great. You have five different androids that are made of different metals and their sole purpose is to help people. Each has a totally different personality and look. This one may be a long shot but I would be excited to see these guys in a movie.




She-Hulk

She-Hulk is a character that I think will show up somewhere eventually. I think she would fit in more on a Netflix show or something but she's too great of a character not to use. She's a smart female who kicks bad guys butts.... what else do you want?





Hawkgirl

Although I would not mind seeing Hawkman, I'd rather see Hawkgirl in a movie. With an over saturation of male superheroes on film, they need another strong female superhero to mix things up. She's a tough intimidating character that's very different from the typical superheroes. I don't think she could carry her own movie but she'd be a great addition to a DC film.



Namor the Sub Mariner 

A Namor movie would be one of my top choices of movies not announced yet. Namor's been around since the 40's and was one of the first superheroes Marvel Comics introduced. Although he's had big ties to Fantastic Four and is part of the X-Men, apparently Universal has the rights to Namor currently. Marvel could still make a Namor movie but instead of being under Disney it would fall under Universal and I would imagine Disney would not allow that to happen.

Martian Manhunter

Please, somewhere DC has to put Martian Manhunter in its cinematic universe. I'm sure there is a bigger risk involved with him because of his look and powers and origins but he's such an awesome character. Martian Manhunter is one of the coolest heroes DC has and it would be a shame for them not to put him in a movie. What's the Justice League without Martian Manhunter anyway? That's my biggest complaint about the current New 52 run of Justice League. They have replaced him with Cyborg. Although Jeff Johns has made Cyborg pretty cool and I've enjoyed him, I want more Martain Manhunter.

There it is. The ten superheroes I want to see in a movie and sooner than later. Maybe a few are a stretch but with such a high demand for great superhero movies they should give these heroes a chance. Tell me what you think. Who do you think we will see first? Did I leave off any big names? Who's your favorite? 

Villains I Want to See on Film

Superhero movies are dominating the box office each year and a lot of the major production studios are trying hard to capitalize on the popularity. As a comic book fan, it's amazing to see Hollywood embrace the superhero genre as much as they have. Some of the things we are seeing on film would have been laughed about just a few years ago. Some of the superheros and villains seemed to risky to put on film but somehow these studios are finding ways to make them work and work well. In the past few months, Marvel Studios, Warner Brothers with DC, Sony with Spider-Man and Fox with the X-Men and Fantastic Four franchises have announced a lot of the movies they plan to do in the next few years. These studios are pushing the superhero genre even further and pulling a lot out of material from the comics. We know based on the titles what superheros will be involved but the big question is what villains will we get to see? We all know that without a great villain there is not a great superhero. Here is a list of villains I would like to see on the big screen that we have not seen. (This list does not include villains we know we will see in future films like Apocalypse or Black Adam)

In no particular order.... 

Brainiac
I would love to see them do a Superman movie with Brainiac as the main villain. It would be a great way to introduce Supergirl and to take Superman off planet. It would be a classic fight of brains against brawn.







M.O.D.O.K
M.O.D.O.K. is an acronym for Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing. That sounds interesting already right? He's quite a different looking character though. They would probably have to change his look to translate to film better. But M.O.D.O.K is usually associated with A.I.M, which we saw in Iron Man 3. He could easily be adapted into the Marvel Universe by raising up and taking over A.I.M in future films. Maybe not Iron Man but he could fit in somewhere.





Carnage
Out of all the Spider-Man villains, Carnage would be the hardest to keep family friendly. Carnage is a rough character and one of Spider-Man's toughest enemies. It would be interesting if they ever try to do a Spider-Man movie with Carnage. And given Sony's track record, they may need to stay away from such a demanding character.

Mysterio

There are still a few good Spider-Man villains that we have not seen on film yet other than Carnage, which I don't think Sony should even try. Mysterio is one I would love to see in a movie. He is a different type of character than we've seen. If they play with the idea of mystery, trickery, and magic while keeping the audience guessing and in suspense, then they may capture the audience in a new way. Mysterio would be a good way to shake things up in the Spider-Man films.

The Rogues
I'm a big Flash fan and I would love to see some of his other villains like Reverse Flash or Gorilla Grodd, but The Rogues would be more fun. Maybe this is a little bit of a cheat since this is more of a team and you can put different villains on the team. But the ones I would really like to see are Captain Cold, Heat Wave, Mirror Master, and Trickster. Maybe add Golden Glider and/or Weather Wizard. The Rogues are mainly super powered thieves but they are a lot of fun because you get different powers working together against one superhero. We are getting to see a version of some of these characters on The Flash TV show but I'm curious to see what they could do with them on a bigger budget and script.



Baron Zemo
Baron Zemo is one of my favorite Captain America villains and I'm not sure why. I think Zemo is a great adversary to Cap and could easily be tied to Hydra in the Marvel Universe. Don't know if he is a strong enough character to be the main or only bad guy in a movie but I would love to see him and Cap go at it.





Cheetah
Cheetah would obviously fit great in a Wonder Woman movie. She's really tough and even gave the whole Justice League a hard time in the comics. I'd be surprised if they don't put her in the Wonder Woman movie some how. And Cheetah is tough enough to stand toe to toe with Wonder Woman anyway.






Dormammu
It would be very shocking if they don't have Dormammu in the Doctor Strange movie. I'm sure they will explore other dimensions and maybe universes and since Dormammu is the ruler of the Dark Dimensions and is notorious for trying to take over other dimensions, he seems to be a top candidate for Doctor Strange's main villain. Maybe even introduce the Mindless Ones.






Kang the Conqueror
Kang maybe one of the hardest to do for Marvel. If you introduce Kang, you would have to introduce time travel and alternate time lines. I think he is a fierce foe and would like to see him adapted into the Marvel Universe but not sure where he would fit in. Maybe if they ever wanted to reboot the Marvel Universe they could use Kang in some way. He's a complex character and if they ever want to explore Kang I'm in support.

Pet Peeve

People grip and complain about anything and the comic book community is no different. Some people seem to get outraged for the smallest things, but I guess it's like anything else, the few people with the loud voice over shadow the majority. I know people have things that bother them and I think it is good to voice your opinion.  Me... I tend to enjoy most things and go with the flow. That, for the most part, is my personality.

However, there is one thing that has gotten on my nerves the more immersed I become in the comic book circle and that is the phrase "If done right". I know I hear it's other places too but I've noticed it being used way to much in the comic community and it really has no value. Where I hear it the most is when it comes the the comic book based movies. People want to talk about what comic book based movies that film studios should make and it is fun to talk about but people seem to justify their choice by saying "if done right". For instance, here is a sentence you might hear: "If done right, a Black Panther movie would be so good" or "I think a  Flash, Green Lantern Team-Up movie would be awesome.... if done right".  If you think about it, doesn't any movie or comic book or anything have potential to be great and make money "if done right"?

Take Guardians of the Galaxy for example, this is a case of a movie being "done right". No one knew about these characters, their history or anything really unless you were a big comic book fan and look how great it did. Honestly, it had more potential to fail than succeed but it was done right and is a huge hit!
But, on the other end of the spectrum, we had Superman Returns that came out a few years ago. Now a Superman movie has huge potential to be successful because Superman is one of the (if not the) biggest and most well know superheros out there. However, I think that Superman Return is one of the worst superhero films. I could name a few others that rank up there with it but I think Superman Returns had the most potential but just wasn't "done right".
There are two newer comic book runs that I thought sounded terrible but has turned out to be two of my favorite to read; they are Uncanny Avengers and All New X-Men. These are "done right". Look these titles up, you may like them as well.
I think people just want to say some crazy concept and rationalize it by saying "if done right". Isn't it really a rhetorical phase? Anything can be good "if done right". The phase doesn't give any insight into how to do it right or what would make it successful. People just use the phase to say "I would like to see this".
So lets stop using the phrase "if done right". We know what you're trying to do and what you really mean.

Winter Soldier: The Bitter March #1 Review

If you don't know already, I'm a huge Captain America fan and a huge Winter Soldier fan. The Ed Brubaker Winter Soldier arc was one of the first stories I ever read. Winter Soldier as Captain America was so good and really drew me into comics. Despite all that, I knew that Winter Soldier: The Bitter March #1 was going to be a lot different. The story is set in 1966 during the middle of the Cold War and Bucky Barnes aka The Winter Soldier is a Russian assassin and fighting for the wrong side. Not knowing much else about the comic in advance I wanted to give this book a chance. 
I really enjoyed this book. I was afraid I would be a little turned off because it's set in the past and with that comes limitations (mostly continuity issues) but it turned out to be very entertaining. I have noticed that I really enjoy spy books a lot, which isn't a big surprise seeing how much I've always loved the James Bond and James Bond type movies. Being a spy book set in the 1960's, it's no surprise you get to see some S.H.I.E.L.D involved and see a young Nick Fury in action. 
Rick Remender takes a risk following Ran Shen in the book rather than Nick Fury (or even Winter Soldier for that matter) and it pays off. Ran Shen is a new character to the Marvel line up and this is the first book I've read that he is in. I doubt the book will follow him in every issue but I have bought into the character and curious about him moving forward. That being said, I hope we get to see more Winter Soldier than we did in this issue moving forward. 
We also get a look a HYDRA during the 60's. They are basically the same as you would expect, always wanting to take over the world. Not sure if we get to see a lot more of HYDRA in the coming issues but you know they are always there. Looking at the cast of characters you wouldn't think we would see much superpowers in this series but the HYDRA portion of the book we see there will be parts with superpowers; how much remains to be seen.

One of my favorite parts in the book was the dialog between Nick Fury and Ran Shen. The competitive camaraderie between the two is very entertaining. With that added to the interesting espionage parts, I'm ready to see what's in store. 
Roland Boschi's art in this issue works quite well. The coloring, done by Chris Chuckry, is nice and together it has a pleasant 1960's feel. It's clean at times and gritty in places when it need to be. Sometimes these spy books get a little too gritty and dirty with the art and hard to tell what is actually going on but here it is a good balance. Also, the paneling is creative at times but I think they can play with that even more.
I see lots of potential for this series. I bought this book wanting to see more Winter Soldier but he's not the reason I enjoyed this so much. That I can take as a positive sign. It's a fun book and different from the other books I read. If you like spy books and superheros this may be a book to check out. 

Agent Coulson Theory....

Marvel's Agents of Shield has begun on ABC and has been pick up for a full 22 episode season. This is great news for us fan boys (or girls). The series has been meet with some criticism but I like the show fairly well. At least enough to keep watching. I know it will take some time to work some of the kinks out and really get a footing. The rating are still high and the show still has lots of viewers so I hope they can meet everyone's expectation. There are some good things about the show and some things I don't like or need some adjusting but I don't want to talk about that in this blog.

The biggest thing and most intriguing part of the show, and the main reason I want to watch every episode, is to find out more about Agent Phil Coulson. We know that this show is a spin-off from Marvel's Cinematic Universe and that Agent Coulson "died" in The Avengers. Since Agent Coulson was such a loved character in the other Marvel movies it speculated if he would return somehow or not in future movies. Amazingly they decided to bring him back in a TV show first. We wondered how he survived but turns out things aren't what the seem evidently. WARNING.... POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD.....

In the first episode Agent Coulson chalks up his death to making a full medical recovery and taking some time off in Tahiti before getting back to active duty. We quickly found out that something much different must have happened after Maria Hill tell a doctor that "he (Agent Coulson) can never know". We don't know what happened but the internet has exploded with theories. 

There are tons of blogs, articles, videos etc. with people voicing their theories on how Coulson survived and what that means. So I'm joining in with my theory and what this mean moving forward.

Since Agent Coulson's death I wanted Marvel to bring him back somehow. He seemed like the glue of the franchise for some reason. I loved his character since he showed up in Iron Man. So what makes sense for the franchise? To me it makes sense and also would be utterly awesome if he turns out the become The Vision! The fan boy in me wants this so bad. I thought this would be the best way to bring such a popular Avenger into the Cinematic Universe without introducing something brand new. 

Obviously I don't believe that Agent Coulson made a miraculous recovery like he says in the show. At first I thought he was a clone. I have heard a lot of people think that he is or was a life model decoy or LMD . I don't think he is a LMD because that is more a Nick Fury trick. Maybe they can use that later. Other theories are that his death was faked, magic was involved, he's a Skrull, or maybe he got some kind of super soldier serum that brought him back. There are plenty other theories and some arguments are very compelling and some would work well but I don't think any of these theories are correct. I think he is actually an android. I believe he is in a synthetic man made body that is extremely life like and SHIELD or someone was able to take his consciousness and memories and insert in into this fake body and his real body is gone. There have been a few times in the three episode so far that make me believe that he is not as human anymore.

1. Episode one: He dodges a car door flying at him. He seemed to move or "matrix duck" a little to easy and quickly.

2.  Episode three: His "muscle memory" isn't the same. He struggles to disassemble a gun several times.

3. All episodes: He keeps referencing his time in Tahiti during his time off. I believe these memories were inserted in his mind to bridge the gaps in his memory.

If my theory is correct this could be the set up for him to become The Vision. Here is the rest of my theory and what I hope to see happen: I think that he eventually finds out that he is in fact an android. At first he is torn with the idea and feel betrayed and lost. Then he embarrasses the idea and starts upgrading his body slowly gets superpowers one by one as he needs them: strength, durability, stamina, flights, phasing, optic beam etc. 

One thing to keep in mind too is that in the next Avengers movie, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ultron is the main villain in the movie and in the comics Ultron created Vision. If in fact Agent Coulson turns out to be Vision, that could be a used in the movie quite easily. I don't think that Ultron would create him but possible use him or something. 

Also we know that Scarlet Witch will be in Avengers: Age of Ultron and in the comics at one time Scarlet Witch and Vision were a romantic item. Could be another plot point for the movie.

We don't know what will happen or when but Marvel is doing a great job and keeping people guessing and wanting more. Maybe there is a simple answer to what happened to Agent Coulson and how he survived. Or maybe they are planning something big for the beloved character. Either way they have me hooked and I look forward to seeing how this develops. So check out Marvel's Agents of Shield on Tuesdays at 8ET to watch this story unfold. Also tell me what you think. Leave comments and tell me if you agree or disagree with my theory.

My Love for Captain America...

Every comic or superhero fan has one character that they love more than the others. Sometimes it's hard to understand why we love that character but we do. For me, I have been fond of Captain America for awhile now. I've even tried to like other character more than him but I still love the star spangled hero.

My first real experience with Captain America as a character wasn't until I played Marvel's Ultimate Alliance video game. He was the best character on there. He would throw his shield and bash guys and reference the Super Soldier Serum in some of his dialog which was so cool to me. At that time I didn't know much about him or what his story was but the game sparked my interest. Keep in mind that this was before I started reading comics. I knew all the "major" superheroes like Batman, Spider-Man, the X-Men etc. from the cartoons and movies but Cap hadn't hit main stream yet. Don't get me wrong, I knew OF him, I just didn't KNOW him. So, I read a little of his history on the internet and got what I could out of the game but it wasn't until I start reading comics that I really "fell in love" with the Cap. 

Like most new readers, I didn't know where to start reading, what to read or even how to read comics. Like I mentioned in my blog "Comics: Where Do I Start?", I made the choice to read some back issues first and wanted to start with Captain America. I found Ed Brubaker's "Death of Captain America" intriguing enough and started there. I won't talk about it much again but after reading that first arc, I was hooked and kept reading Brubaker's back issues on Captain America. 



Cap has become my number one superhero but why do I love the character so much? His origin story is amazing. A small, wimpy boy from the Bronx who just wanted to fight for his country given the super soldier serum then frozen in time then released into a strange world and yet still fights for freedom. How can you not love his rich history, what he stands for, and the way he carries himself. I love the fact that he doesn't have a superpower too. Cap is just the peak of human physical potential thanks to the serum. He carries a sweet shield around made of an incredible (yet made up) material, vibranium. The fact that it's a defensive weapon he carries around says a lot about his character too. That's very impressive to me. I love the humility he portrays and his strength to stand up for what is right no matter the situation. The leadership qualities he has is unlike any other in comics. And as an American, it's hard not to love the star spangled super soldier. 


I get that Captain America is a little cheesy at times and his uniform is out dated and he's not as dark and gritty and interesting as some other popular characters... cough... cough... Batman but he's my guy. I love character's like Batman and Hulk and Iron Man but Cap is my number one superhero. Everyone is different and has their own reasons to love their favorite hero and that's what I love. I'd love to hear who your favorite hero is. Leave a comment about who you like any why they are your favorite. 

Top 10 Comic Book Movie Castings

There have been a lot of comic book movies in the past and sometimes the success or failure depends on the casting of the characters. These characters are already developed in comics and it is the actors job to portray them on the big screen that is believable and does the character justice. I wanted to look back at all the comic book movies over the past 20 plus years and celebrate the best comic book castings. I've come up with a top ten list of my favorite casting based on not only looks but the acting and their take on the character. We will count it down from 10: 

#10 - Michael Chiklis as Ben Grimm/ The Thing

Chiklis played orange stoned bodied hero known as The Thing in 2005's Fantastic Four and 2007's Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. I thought the cast of Fantastic Four was done well but Chiklis was a stand out performance. The most interesting part his job as The Thing was the fact that he did his own voice. I originally thought it was done with affects but he did a great job on his own.

#9 - Tom Hiddleston as Loki

Hiddleston played the super villain and trickster god Loki in Thor (2011) and in The Avengers (2012) and will be playing him again in Thor: The Dark World coming out in November this year. Hiddleston took a not so well known character to the non-comic book reader and made him a house hold name. He did an awesome job being an evil and twisted but yet likable villain. He has an accent that you would imagine an Asgarding would have and played the trickster role very well. I've heard that fans are even petitioning to Marvel for a "Loki" solo movie staring Tom Hiddleston. Sounds like I'm not the only one who felt he has done an incredible job.

#8 - Kelsey Grammer as Hank McCoy/ Beast

Kelsey Grammer played the highly intelligent blue X-Man Hank McCoy aka Beast in X-Men: The Last Stand (2006). I'll admit, I didn't like the idea of Fox casting Frasier as one of my favorite X-Men but turns out he was the perfect choice. He definitely surprised me with his performance. He sounded like I imagined Beast would and he did a great job during the action scenes. My hat is off to you Kelsey.

#7 - Michael Clarke Duncan as King Pin

The unfortunate late Michael Clarke Duncan played the super villain crime boss King Pin in Daredevil (2003). Regardless of what I think of the movie, I have to give Fox credit for ignoring the fact that in the comics King Pin is white and casting the part to the best actor. I loved Michael Clarke Duncan in anything he was in but his raspy voice, huge frame and his his tough guy "I'm the boss" attitude is exactly what this character needed.  

#6 Tie - Michelle Pfeiffer & Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle/ Catwoman 

I could not decide who did a better job portraying the manipulating seductress we love and know as Catwoman, so I had to make it a tie. Michelle Pfeiffer played Catwoman in Batman Returns (1992) and Anne Hathaway played her in The Dark Knight Rises (2012). Although both are different in their own ways, they brought the perfect performance for those styles of movies. Not to mention both are easy on the eyes.

I remember hearing a lot of negativity over Hathaway being cast in The Dark Knight Rises before the movie even began filming. I have always liked her and wanted to give her a fair shot before making a judgment but after her first scene in the film I knew they got it right. I know a lot of people were eating their words after seeing the film.  

I was really young when Batman Returns came out but I remember liking Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman. The movie was a little dark for me at the time but watching the movie again not to long ago I think they cast her very well. Pfeiffer has always been a great actress.

#5 - Patrick Stewart as Charles Xavier/ Professor X

Stewart plays the wheel chair bound telepathic leader of the X-Men Professor X in the 2000 X-Men trilogy. For starters, he looks the part but he also has the acting skills that made him the perfect choice to play such a key role in the X-Men. Professor X was an important role to get right if the movies were going to be successful.  The worst part of the whole trilogy was when he was killed early in X-Men: The Last Stand. 

#4 - Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/ Iron Man

Downey Jr. plays the billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer we know and love as Tony Stark aka Iron Man in the 2008 Iron Man trilogy plus The Avengers (2012). I think Downey Jr. was made for this role. Sometimes I don't think he has to do much acting. I think my wife thinks he really is Iron Man. But seriously, his style, attitude, and personality made for the perfect casting for Iron Man. He has been the glue that has brought everything Marvel was doing in their cinematic universe together.  

#3 - Hugh Jackman as Wolverine

Jackman has played the iconic, nearly indestructible X-Men Wolverine in five (going on six) films over the past 13 years. He is the most beloved character in the comic book movie genre. I love Hugh Jackman not only as Wolverine but as an actor and person. He maybe one of the most down to earth actors in Hollywood. Despite that, he was a perfect choice to play the animalistic Wolverine. His adaptation to the character on the big screen is a perfect balance of edgy crazed animal and likableness. I know he can not play the character forever and I don't know how they will ever replace him. 

#2 - Heath Ledger as The Joker

Ledger played the notorious supervillain The Joker in The Dark Knight (2008). This is one of the most surprising standout performances not only in comic book movies but all movies in the past ten years at least. It was unbelievable how people hated the idea of Ledger playing the part of The Joker but that hatred turned into praise after seeing his take on the crowned prince of crime. His take on the character and what he brought on screen was everything you hoped to see. I remember watching the movie and not seeing Ledger playing the part but just seeing The Joker on the screen. And that's the way it should be. It's sad that Ledger died before the movie even came out but he will always be remembered, if for nothing else, for his role as The Joker.

#1 - J. C. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson

Simmons plays the humorously obnoxious editor and chief of The Daily Bugle J. Jonah Jameson in the 2002 Spider-Man trilogy. Of all the comic book movie castings this is my favorite. Simmons totally looked and sounded the part and sold the character on every level. He is even doing the voice of Jameson in some current Marvel cartoons. Even though Jameson is more of a supporting character than all the others, it's like they pulled him straight out of the comic books. His role in the Spider-Man trilogy was by far the most consistent part of the films and I don't know how they could ever get a better J. Johah Jameson.

I found a video of the Top 10 J. Jonah Jameson moments to help prove my case: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgL8h_u2PHw

Honorable Mentions:

Jay Choe as Kato in Green Hornet (2011)

Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox in The Dark Knight Trilogy (2005)