There is little doubt that this past summer was an absolute golden age for comic book movies. Christopher Nolan concluded his Dark Knight trilogy in grand, stunning fashion, Marvel's biggest superheroes assembled and made serious bank in The Avengers, and the Spider-Man franchise was reborn.
The world is experiencing a comic book movie renaissance but that doesnât mean that any old good guy will work on the screen. Not all heroes have the widespread recognition, decades of on-page success, or the wealth of great source material that Batman and Spidey do. When there is wiggle room and the need to broaden a character or movie's appeal, producers typically bastardize and put out something that nobody enjoys.
Case in point: Almost two decades ago, Sylvester Stallone tried and failed to launch a Judge Dredd movie franchise with 1995's eponymous dud, which, much to the chagrin of longtime fans, showed Sly's high-profile mug to help sell the movie despite the fact that the hero's face-obscuring helmet never comes off in the comics. This Friday, Dredd, starring Karl Urban as the titular judge, jury, and executioner, explodes into theaters looking to right that wrong. We're happy to report that Dredd hits the mark this time, staying true to the comic's abundant violence and dark humor and his helmet stays put.
It can be done, but sometimes it's better to leave well enough alone. With that in mind, check out 50 Comic Characters Who Should Never Get A Movie.
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Written by Jason Serafino (@serafinoj1)