12 Comic Book Superheroes That Should Get Their Own Movie

It is truly the golden age of comic book cinema. Since 2000, nearly 50 major motion pictures have been based on superhero characters, including some very highly praised blockbusters like Spider-Man (2002), The Dark Knight (2008), Iron Man (2008), The Avengers (2012) and some less than well-received adaptations like Catwoman (2004), Punisher: War Zone (2008), The Spirit (2008) and Jonah Hex (2010).

But the pantheon of comic book superheroes is nearly as limitless as the stars, and as comic book movies mature into a second decade of computer-generated dominance at the cineplex, as-yet-untapped characters will need to step in to satisfy the audience’s hunger for more adaptations.

It’s become something of a parlor game in comic book and movie circles to speculate which superhero will get green-lit for their own big-budget treatment on the silver screen.

Here’s our list of 12 comic book superheroes (plus one bonus superhero) that we think deserve to be in the next big comic book movie. While some of these characters are household names and some are known only to comic book fans, they would all make for great movies.

#12 Alpha Flight

A movie version of Alpha Flight would delight the true comic book diehards. Essentially the Canadian version of The Avengers, Alpha Flight features a cool collection of superheroes, particularly the aptly named Puck and Sasquatch.

#11 Concrete

Back in the 1990s, Bill Murray was attached to star as this unusual Dark Horse superhero. Today’s CG effects would certainly do this award-winning character justice.

#10 Doctor Strange

The supernatural Doctor Strange would seem to be a great fit for today’s effects-laden summer blockbusters even if he’s not a well-known name beyond comic fans. Doc Strange is rumored to launch as a standalone movie as early as 2015.

#9 Luke Cage

Also known as Power Man, Luke Cage has frequently been targeted for cinematic adaption for a decade. This product of the 1970s has a raw, everyman quality distinguishing him from other superhero characters, which could give a movie version more depth and human interest.

#8 X-Factor

While the name of the movie may need to be changed to avoid confusion with the TV show, this spin-off of the X-Men seems like a natural extension of the ever-growing X-Men movie universe (seven in all if you include 2014’s X-Men: Days of Future Past).

#7 Nightwing

Nightwing is sometimes Robin and sometimes not, but he seamlessly inhabits both Superman and Batman’s worlds and could be a vehicle to keep those iconic characters in play. The aesthetic of Nightwing also fits in with Christopher Nolan’s movie world (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, anyone?).

#6 Aquaman (and Namor the Sub-Mariner)

True, DC’s Aquaman (left) is one of the most well-known superheroes to not get a full-fledged movie treatment, but really, that other aquatic superhero dude, Marvel’s Namor the Sub-Mariner (right), is way cooler. Unfortunately, nobody (who doesn’t read comics) knows who the Sub-Mariner is.

#5 Captain Marvel

Part of the problem is there are like 17 different Captain Marvels, which confuses everyone. However, the latest Captain Marvel (formerly Ms. Marvel) sports one of the cooler superhero outfits. That alone deserves some screen time.

#4 The Flash

Since his short-lived series in the 1990s, The Flash hasn’t seen much screen time, but he has a lot of fans, even if all he can do is run really fast. And, yes, he is slightly faster than Superman. So there.

#3 Batman Beyond

Basically Batman in the future. In 2039, an old Bruce Wayne passes on the mantle of Batman to a young kid named Terry McGinnis. A Batman movie with sci-fi elements could be another blockbuster.

#2 Black Panther

Kind of shocking that Black Panther hasn’t gotten his own major motion picture yet, although rumors abound that Marvel is developing it for release as early as 2014.

#1 Wonder Woman

Absolutely, unbelievably shocking that Wonder Woman hasn’t gotten her own major motion picture yet, but then you can probably thank the horrific Catwoman and Elektra for that.

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One Comment

1. 

   sam

   November 21, 2013 at 9:55 pm

   I would love to see an ambush bug film … a batman beyond film would be nice too

   Reply