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AVENGER TOWER — “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” opens this weekend, joining the ranks of the Guardians of the Galaxy, Spider-Man, X-Men and a series of other graphic novels making their way to the big screen in 2014.
With so many illustrated heroes getting a cinematic makeover, it almost makes you wonder, is there any superhero out there still worth converting to celluloid?
Probably not. But that didn’t stop the Flicks Junkies —John Clyde, Curt Linnell and Travis Poppleton — from coming up with a list of possibilities.
Here are 10 superheroes who deserve their own movie.
We know Wonder Woman is missing from the list, but that's mainly due to the fact that she is appearing in "Batman vs. Superman," and not because we don't like female superheroes. Hopefully we've avoided some death threats with that explanation.
Curt's picks
A vigilante carrying around a golfing bag full of different sports clubs for weapons while wearing a hockey mask? Who wouldn’t want to see this movie?
Just think how great this movie would be. How did he turn into this vigilante of justice? Obviously he is a great athlete and loves sports but what ended his career? Why is he now out to fight crime in the City? Just think of the endless possibilities. You don’t need green ooze to make this movie cool.
Travis: Love this. Even a little jealous I didn’t think of it.
John: I love it, but I'd still want to see turtles. So, I think I want a turtles movie with a lot of Casey Jones.
So I know there is supposedly a movie in the works with Ryan Reynolds for “Deadpool,” but that was all started about five years ago and we still have nothing. Now they say its being pushed back due to ‘X-Men Fatigue.’
If you saw the dreadful “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” you know that the only good part of that movie was Deadpool. Reynolds was cast perfectly for that part and Deadpool is such an interesting character. He is funny, weird and can also fight like no one's business. That is a recipe for awesome sauce.
Travis: I get that Deadpool is more than just costumed muscle, but like Black Panther, I don’t know how you market him until the current craze winds down a bit.
John: They missed the mark so bad with their first incarnation of Deadpool on the big screen that this needs to happen. They need to get it right.
So while we are being overly bombarded with Marvel movies, he is the one I would actually like to see. Hawkeye has a really good origin story from the comic books, and it’s a believable story, the way I like it. He doesn’t have super powers or anything like that. He is just a dude that is a master archer. Sometimes the simple stories are the best ones. Jeremy Renner is perfect for the role, and I would love to see more of it, but with good writers and director unlike most of the Marvel movies.
Travis: No. I think this is my only, serious no on the list. Just no.
John: Please see Travis' response.
John's picks
I know, I know. It’s not a Marvel or DC character, but it is a Matt Groening character, which says a lot.
Well, technically there is a Radioactive Man in the Marvel universe, but that's not who I'm talking about.
“The Simpsons Movie” was actually a blast, and fans are clamoring for another. How about in the meantime we get a Radioactive Man movie?
I know it’s a stretch, but just imagine all of that satirical Simpsons’ humor jammed into a superhero movie. It’s almost too much to handle.
Go ahead and mock, but you know you want to see this movie.
Travis: It would be like what “Frasier” was to “Cheers.” I’m all for this.
Curt: It would be a fun TV movie for fans of the Simpsons, but only if Rainier Wolfcastle is Radioactive Man.
This one’s not quite as well-known.
The Great Machine is from the Ex Machina series of comics from DC.
This is an under-the-radar character but he’s pretty interesting.
The Great Machine’s alter ego is Mitchell Hundred, who gained the power to speak with machines and create complex ones like jet packs and ray guns from an alien life form.
Mitchell goes on to become the mayor of New York City, and the comic weaves real storylines into the fictional world.
This could make for a dark and intense film that hits close to home with some real issues and first-rate entertainment.
Travis: I’m with the people that don’t know this story, but it sounds like it has the visuals and concept to be amazing on screen.
Curt: Too obscure for me, if he is not popular in the comic book world there is probably a reason.
So, this one has supposedly been in the works for a long time over at Marvel, but still nothing.
Black Panther has been a part of Marvel canon now for nearly 50 years.
Black Panther would probably be the most complex character Marvel has put on screen, and that makes for some great storytelling. Seriously, the fact this hasn’t been done already is just aggravating.
Travis: I agree with John’s arguments, but don’t know how they’d really make this character stand out in a very overcrowded market.
Curt: I am pretty sure this movie is going to happen hopefully sometime soon, and it needs to happen.
Travis' picks
While, true, people may not consider the wandering fray-lover and his dog Rufferto superheros exactly, I can’t think of another comic book character that takes on entire armies with only a pair of swords. To Groo, that’s just a good time.
A Groo movie would be a hilarious, epic historical piece with everything a great fantasy needs: magic, airships, battles and Groo.
John: I think this would actually work great as an animated flick and super funny.
Curt: This could be a fun movie, but I do not think he would have the universal appeal to be a successful film.
If you read my article on Saturday morning cartoons, you might think I’m a little obsessed with this character. That’s not entirely true; I just happen to think he’d translate well to a great animated feature.
The Tick offers a great backdrop, similar to the Incredibles, where superheros and villains are commonplace. Showing up at a coffee house where costumed vigilantes are waiting in line could almost be expected.
Diluting the grandeur of bulking heroes allows for social commentary most comic book movies can’t quite capitalize on, and the way it openly embraces comedy would be a welcome turn from the sea of superheros that take themselves way too seriously.
John: This is another one that needs to be animated. I love Patrick Wharburton, but the live action series didn’t work and I’m not sure a live-action movie would either.
Curt: The Tick has always been a weird character for me, I just don't know if he would translate over to the big screen.
When first being introduced to the X-Men, I’d been told real fans dislike the card-throwing Cajun, Gambit. I don’t know why? The guy easily has the coolest hair out of the ensemble, Rogue vouches for him, and his weapon of choice is a bo staff, putting him on the same cool shelf as Donatello (the turtle, not the artist).
Regardless, even if he didn’t have all the style and dexterity of a jaguar, his Louisiana background and propensity to make valuables disappear reveal him as an intriguing figure that deserves better treatment than a cameo in that terrible Wolverine movie.
John: When we decided to do this, Travis immediately picked Gambit and we were all jealous. So, yes, I want this made.
Curt: This is my favorite comic book character of all-time so I am all aboard the Gambit train.
Something we all agree on
We won’t lie; we don’t actually care about this character at all. However, the amount of cash they’d have to throw at this film would be spectacular to behold.
We have yet to see a live-action, underwater adventure with a $200,000,000 budget, and we’re willing to watch just about anyone swimming around in whatever yellow spandex you throw on them to see it happen.
What superheroes do you want to see on the big screen? Let us know on Twitter or Facebook. Travis has been covering movie news, film reviews and live events for Deseret News and KSL.com since 2010, and he currently co-hosts the FlicksJunkies podcast. You can contact Travis at tspoppleton@gmail.com.
