With Black Panther set for 2018, and Channing Tatum locked in for Gambit, we’re wondering why some of these obvious comic book origin stories haven’t gotten their due on the big screen. While some are villains, side characters and lesser knowns, it has us wonder if Marvel is rushing to put their universe together. Because we know for damn sure, DC is completely out of their minds (although since they will keep reeling in the cash they might as well keep going and continue to push out stuff).
Now chances are that Marvel and DC will probably make origin stories for every damn hero and villain on their list, because people will continue to rush out to the movies to purchase an overpriced ticket, stuff their face with more overpriced food, inject super large quantities of caffeine into their blood and enjoy a movie like it was meant to be enjoyed: In front of a massive screen around other people just like them. Now that’s America.
But hey, there sure are plenty of superhero movies not based off comic books.
Now you have to read this: 10 Comic Books That Predicted The Future
Comic Book Origin Stories
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The Joker
We’ve had a couple Joker origin moments within Tim Burton’s Batman and Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight, but DC is vastly underestimating the potential of a Joker-centric origin story. Their Suicide Squad made a Harley Quinn origin story seem wise, but they're forgetting the most key ingredient: the green-headed monster. Although Jared Leto’s colorful portrayal was an interesting interpretation, they should probably attempt something a little more Jack Nicholson for the role. It’s never too late for some whacky Jack.
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Lex Luthor
The perspective of the villain seems to be a great way of retelling old stories. For instance, live-action Disney remakes, like the upcoming 101 Dalmatians, puts the villain at the center of the story, rather than the hero. Although Alexander Luthor has had his appearances in the Gene Hackman 1978 Superman and Superman II, the Kevin Spacey 2006 Superman Returns and the recent Jesse Eisenberg Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, we’re yet to see an origin story reminiscent of Michael Rosenbaum’s Smallville.
We want to see how nature and nurture, or lack thereof, turn a simple, spoiled child into an evil, power-hungry villain. And we want it cast better next time! If you’re going to use Eisenberg, it should start from a much younger age (since he looks 19).
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Black Widow
With numerous appearances in Marvel spinoffs and multiple Avenger movies, Scarlett Johansson has been gaining traction with her Black Widow character since 2010’s Iron Man 2. Rumors have been thrown with some confirmations of a future Black Widow-focused film, but nothing has been set in stone. What we do know is that we thoroughly enjoy her in a leather spandex suit kicking plenty of ass.
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Scarlet Witch
Speaking of strong female leads, what about Scarlet Witch? We got our first taste of her (Elizabeth Olsen) alongside Quicksilver in 2015’s Avengers: The Age of Ultron, but there’s not much we know about her character without nosing through the comic books. Though both she and Black Widow are set to appear in Avengers: Infinity War, there are no set plans for her to take the lead.
Although, with the way Marvel has been doing things, don’t be surprised if it happens down the line, should Olsen do a witchin’ job with the role. But it does bring into question solo ventures for characters like Hawkeye and Quicksilver, or maybe they’re not quite worth the investment yet.
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Aquaman
DC seems to struggle with building their universe compared to Marvel, so much so they just throw all the characters into one movie then work backward with origin stories for Wonder Woman and Harley Quinn but leave out big names like Aquaman. The CW attempted an Aquaman TV adventure in 2006 with Justin Hartley after his role on Smallville as Green Arrow alongside Aquaman played by Alan Ritchson (just before they went on to make Arrow without Hartley (I know, confusing, right?)). And then there was the short-lived Justice League: Mortal with George Miller in 2007, another attempt quickly axed. The super swimmer will appear in Justice League next year, but his origin story will likely be skimmed over in a hasty fashion, much like the rest of DC, as he’s played by Jason Momoa.
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Green Arrow
The CW has done its best to give us a backstory to the Arrow after being introduced briefly on Smallville, but what’s lacking in the Arrow series is due to the fact that it’s on TV, namely The CW, and will continue to cast youngsters and employ cheesy scripts for countless seasons until they realize they've overstayed their welcome. Our advice? Go straight up Robin Hood with it, get gritty and cast the shit out of the film. No more CW, no more.
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Cyborg
With Justice League coming out next year, one year after Batman v. Superman, it makes you wonder where the heck DC is going to go with this afterward? Is there anywhere to go but backward? Should they do so, don’t be surprised if we get a Cyborg solo shot. He’ll be played in the 2017 film by Ray Fisher, alongside Ben Affleck and the others.
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Storm
First, we got three X-Men films, then we got a trilogy of prequels, and now we’re running up the Hugh Jackson solo flicks, but when is someone going to step in and give the X-Women a female film lead? First on our list is Storm, but we do like the villainous route of making a Mystique movie. We’ll do just about anything to get Halle Berry back in spandex, so long as it’s not a reboot of her awful Catwoman movie.
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Rick Flag
Suicide Squad was a piece of overhyped crap, but it did have its good parts when Will Smith wasn’t hogging the screen and Margot Robbie wasn’t looking hot to distract us from the awful setup of the film. In terms of follow-up spinoffs, Rick Flag is actually our top rocker. We got glimpses into the backstories of most of the characters, much to our dismay, but we want to know a bit more about Flag, as he has by far the most human elements of the bunch but still finds himself thrown into the messy mix. Joel Kinnaman got jacked for the role and was the quiet hero of the film. Let’s see if they can’t come up with something clever involving him and not Will Smith but maybe Margot’s ass.
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Deadshot
Having said that, a Deadshot film would be pretty cool. His backstory was the biggest and most interesting of the entire Suicide Squad. Let’s just not use Will Smith when we could use someone younger and less commercial. Capiche?
