Marvel’s first family, the Fantastic Four, are getting their third shot at a successful movie this week. Sometimes characters deserve those extra chances — so with that in mind, we got together to pitch some other comic book characters who deserve another go-around on the big screen! What character do you think deserves another chance? Let us know your pick @SiftPop!
I don’t know what it is about the third movies in X-Men franchises that they can’t get right, but no villain was done dirtier than Apocalypse. As the world’s first mutant and an all-powerful being, the X-Men’s encounter turned out to be nothing more than a fist fight and wasted potential. Oscar Isaac was done a huge disservice with the look of the character, and it seemed like Fox didn’t understand who the character was (par for the course, unfortunately, for the Bryan Singer-led franchise). X-Men: Apocalypse does a poor job of bringing the characters to life by focusing way more attention on the recruitment of the horsemen and jamming in as many other X-Men as possible with this new team, while also not developing any of them. Thematically, the movie is spot on, and the performances of the lead characters are good. Unfortunately, the execution doesn’t work, and the X-Men fans deserve better. (Mike Hilty)
There are not many comic book heroes antiheroes who are cooler than Ghost Rider. A vengeful spirit with a flaming skull head and dress in a black leather outfit is quite the intimidating figure. The use of dark magic through his contract is quite haunting. Shotguns, chains, and a fiery stare make for some awesome action, which would be quite cinematic. Ghost Rider can open the more supernatural elements of Marvel’s world, and that is an exciting prospect which has been only minimally focused on in the MCU. You can play around with a variety of different characters who become the Rider, so there is plenty of potential there as well. You can also leverage so many unnerving and terrifying villains from the darkest edges of Marvel canon. There is a lot of dramatic potential as well, with the trauma of such a decision and the grief of a life and freedom long lost. You can explore a jaded and long disconnected and isolated protagonist, or someone just trying to find balance with this new curse. There are plenty of great actors out there who can challenge the mania of the spirit, while also exploring the darkness and trauma of the host. Ghost Rider needs to come back to the big screen in all of his glory and hellfire. (Shane Conto)
Let’s just call it out right off the bat: Finn Jones was not the right choice for Iron Fist. His show makes Danny Rand so incredibly unlikable that it is hard to ever care about anything that he does. When Colleen Wing is a much more interesting and developed character, that’s a significant problem. True, Iron Fist suffers from being a copycat of numerous other martial arts-heavy superheroes. Still, between the mythology of K’un-Lun and the unique skill of using the fist, the superhero could have potential similar to how Shang-Chi captured the audience with fight choreography. In addition, Danny and Luke Cage’s friendship can drive a series or movie forward, but that wasn’t even done correctly in the Netflix verse. (Mike Hilty)
On its surface, the story of a post-Civil War, Reconstruction era bounty hunter that lives in a gray area and has some supernatural elements is a great basis for a fun comic book film. 2010’s Jonah Hex just didn’t work. The version we got took that intriguing premise and made it boring and safe, but times have changed over the last 15 years. I mean, one of the most beloved comic book movies of all time is Logan, a neo-western which wears its influences on its sleeves. Especially nowadays, when R-rated comic book adaptations are more widely accepted, it seems like it’s time to take another shot at the character. Particularly with the way James Gunn is going about telling different types of stories within his new DC Comics universe, varying genre and scope. It feels like a project that could be given to someone with a vision (at least when it comes to comic book stories) for relatively little capital risk. (Jake Bourgeois)
Calling Sony’s Spider-Man-adjacent universe a misstep is a colossal understatement. Not only did each film spit in the face of decades of beloved creative labor, it also seemingly diminished the chance of certain characters appearing moving forward. This was especially tragic as a longtime fan of Russia’s most ruthless predator, Sergei Kravinoff. I’m here to tell Sony: We will all pretend last year’s abomination Kraven the Hunter doesn’t exist. All we ask is that you let him face off against Tom Holland’s Peter Parker. The world may have forgotten about Peter Parker in the MCU, but Spider-Man’s notoriety is at an all-time high. Former Avenger, globe-spanning superstar, multiversal marvel. Comics Kraven has one goal: ascend the food chain by stalking and vanquishing the world’s most infamous threats. The antics of Holland’s Spidey have undoubtedly garnered the attention of the surgical, spear-wielding savant. “Kraven’s Last Hunt” is universally lauded as an undeniable pinnacle of the medium. It may feel a little dark for the character based on the original trilogy, but No Way Home’s controversial conclusion left the character in an incredibly dark new status quo. An adaptation of that spectacular story may be exactly what the MCU needs to win the audience back over. (Jack Grimme)
Mr. Freeze is a complicated and compelling comic book character who hasn’t exactly had his chance to sparkle like the multifaceted snowflake he is. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s campy portrayal in Batman & Robin, while a highlight in a film full of flaws, mostly glosses over VIctor Fries’ transition from a loving husband and gifted scientist to obsessed cryogenicist criminal. This is an origin story worth exploring. Was he an inquisitive child that was nurtured by a family filled with doctors to develop his love of science, or did he stumble into his career through a chance meeting with college coed, Nora, that sparked his interest in the discipline? Having his story take us through his young adulthood could also provide the opportunity to revisit some other villains that were done a little dirty in the ‘60s by their over-the-top portrayal in the live action series. Victor encountering other future foes of Gotham along his journey to villainhood, like buying Nora’s engagement ring from a jeweler that employs William Tockman (Clock King), or being part of a study group with the clearly well educated Puzzler, would be a fun way to bring other long lost outlaws to life on screen. And how amazing would it be to see a recently turned to the dark side Mr. Freeze out looking at listings for potential evil lair locations while recruiting lackeys to join his frosty faction? (Patrice Downing)
I’ll be honest: I was never much of a comic book fan when I was a kid. Instead, my gateway to the wonderful world of superheroes was reruns Adam West’s 1960’s Batman show and 1966 movie, featuring the whacky misadventures of Batman and his sidekick Robin as they faced off against their infamous rogues gallery. In the 60 years since then, we’ve had six different actors take on the role of the Caped Crusader, but only one has portrayed the Boy Wonder: Chris O’Donnell, who last portrayed the character 28 years ago in Joel Schumacher’s Batman & Robin (no, Joseph Gordon-Levitt in The Dark Knight Rises doesn’t count). The film’s poor reception certainly left a sour taste, but that can hardly be blamed on Robin, and it’s due time for the character to get another chance in a live action Batman film, especially with James Gunn at the helm, and some whimsy being reinjected into the DC Universe. There are many different iterations of Robin that could be chosen, from the acrobatic Dick Grayson who becomes the hero Nightwing, to the tragic Jason Todd killed by the joker in the “A Death in the Family” run, to Damian Wayne, Batman’s own edgy son. What I’ve always loved about Robin is how he humanizes Batman, helping to ground and otherworldly hero and bring out sides of him that others cannot, and it’s due time to bring this element back to the Batman film mythos. (Jake Hjort)
1994 brought us some of the most iconic movies of the decade. The Lion King, Pulp Fiction, The Mask, Speed, The Shawshank Redemption. But unfortunately The Shadow was not one of them. The stacked cast, elaborate sets, and unique abilities of New York socialite Lamont Cranston’s (Alec Baldwin) alter ego were no match for a screenplay battling a prosthetic nose (seriously, why didn’t they just use little brother Billy?!) to see which could elicit the most cringe. Despite this misstep, the character deserves another shot at big screen greatness. For 17 years, mysterious storylines intrigued listeners during The Shadow’s run on radio, followed by an equally popular collection of TV serials. The well of material to pull from is absolutely overflowing, ensuring no shortage of plots, plights, plans, and pitfalls to flesh out a new iteration of the man who is basically a hypnotic ventriloquist capable of disappearing right in front of you. The added romanticism provided by a 1930’s New York City social scene and globe trekking antics of a spoiled playboy flittering through life could be an interesting way to explore the secret identity of a crime fighting vigilante, and would stand out from the pack of present day heroes inundating the genres currently. Unlike the cloaked crime fighter, I may not know what evil lurks in the hearts of men, but I do know we deserve another opportunity to see The Shadow attempt to find out. (Patrice Downing)