Okay, so if my earlier article (“Rise of the Nerds”) did not expose the fact that I am a nerd, well now I am telling you. Among my favorite nerdy things is the idea of superheroes and villains. Like a lot of you, I enjoy those great superhero movies that have simply been pumping out of the movie factory that is Hollywood. I mean, thank God that "Deadpool" finally got his own movie, am I right?
Considering that I have a decent bit of nerd knowledge and I love sharing my opinion, I am about to give you my personal list of heroes who need to get better screen treatment or get a little bit of shine themselves. Be warned -- I will take shots at many different popular heroes so if you love them, tough. Also, I’m going to try and shy away from the already popular characters -- Wolverine and Batman, you guys can take a seat for once. Without further ado, here’s the list… enjoy.
5. Colossus
For all of those who do not recognize who this guy is, he’s the very large Russian guy from the X-Men. His real name is Piotr Nikolaievitch Rasputin and well, he is an all-around nice guy who happens to turn into a giant metal behemoth who punches things.
The concept behind his powers is the fact that his skin turns into a metal allow that grants him some measure of durability and super strength. The important points of this guy's back story is the fact he grew up on a farm and that his powers surfaced when he saved his baby sister from a tractor. The Soviet Government found out and wanted to capture him.
Fast forward a bit after he got some help from the X-Men and now he’s punching members of the Brotherhood of Evil in the face. The reason he is ranked ten is because he has already appeared in several movies (“X-Men: The Last Stand”, “X-Men: Days of Future Past”, and “Deadpool”).
I am happy that Deadpool did him a little justice; however, that is just a taste. I want the newest X-Men movies to make this key character a standout. His strength and his personality can make him a fan favorite for years to come.
4. Nightwing
So, I am going to assume you all know Robin (as in Batman’s sidekick). Well, the first Robin, Dick Grayson, grew up and decided he didn’t want to run around as a man in tights anymore, so he became Nightwing (who still runs around in tights). Nightwing is the new sleek and up-to-date Batman. He has eskrima clubs that link together to form a bo staff and a utility belt full of convenient weapons (Deus Ex Machina, anyone?).
Being the protégé of Batman, he has all the visually stunning martial arts moves that people love, but with a lot less of the brooding and family issues that accompany the World’s Greatest Detective. I feel that having him as a leader of his own movie or series could introduce a new take on the classic batman mythos. I mean it was successful when “Batman: Beyond” redid the character, so why can’t it be done with someone who is a little closer to home?
3. Teen Titans
I will just say this, if you missed out on the series from the early 2000s, then you missed probably one of the greatest superhero cartoons ever created. The team of the old show consisted of Robin, the leader and essentially a mini batman, Starfire, who is an alien princess with power bolt thingy’s, Raven, a magical being with a demonic father, Beast Boy, who can shape shift into different animals, and Cyborg, a half-man half-machine technical genius. The team is expanded on in the comics but I am focusing on those core five.
Anyway, that old-show explored their characters and their pasts establishing real relationships and getting you generally invested in the characters and their struggles. The show was cancelled and has been replaced with an abomination, Teen Titans Go!, that leaves both my childhood violated and me feeling violently ill (excuse me while I go throw up… I am back). A revamp of the show (which I believe TNT is doing one so I am keeping my fingers crossed) could literally follow the formula of the old show but have the characters a bit older or make some up to date references. Basically, just bring back the Teen Titans.
2. Fantastic 4
Okay, so the Fantastic 4 has had three movies and none of them were good at all. They are actually embarrassing and as a fan of comic books it physically hurt me to sit in that theater. Michael B. Jordan and Kate Mara need to have that movie erased from their IMDB pages immediately. Honestly, I want the $11.59 I paid for the movie back. That movie was just plain torture. Okay, so I am going to try and steer this rant back to why the fantastic 4 should get actual good movies. Actually, Hollywood, just give up and let Netflix handle the Fantastic 4 from now on because they can handle everything with a lot more care and precision.
1. Spawn
So, we have finally reached my top pick, it is the character Spawn. Spawn is a little under the radar character who is basically the grown man’s superhero. Actually scratch that, he is just a registered badass. He is ex-commando Al Simmons, who was tricked by the devil into being a champion of Hell, but instead finds he must fight for power over Hell while also having a fiery bullet storm rained on him by the forces of heaven. In all honesty, he should have been a Netflix hero or at least have a revamped TV show on Stars or something (he is way too hardcore for simple cable). The only thing I can say is you have to love a character who is so sought after that both God and the Devil (or whatever they are called in the comic universe) want his head on a silver platter.
So, this has been my top five comic characters who need better screen treatment. I hope you enjoyed it. Feel free to argue or blast me for my comic choices, just enjoy the article and share it. If you excuse me, I need to go call someone about getting my money back from that abomination that was Fantastic 4.
