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10 Comic Book Characters Who Should Never Make It To Film

Mark Pickavance


Beneath Iron Man, The Dark Knight and The Incredible Hulk is a collection of potential comic book films we never want to see - Dogwelder, anyone?

Published on May 8, 2008

Comic book heroes are big business these days, since the studios started taking them seriously and getting the movies made properly. But there are some from comic lore that they should really be avoided, even though I know that some of these are already in pre-production.

Wonder Women:
This was so camp and funny as a 70s TV show, but I have huge reservations about the character now. Her powers are matching bulletproof bracelets and a lasso that makes people tell the truth. What? Okay, I accept that in the early comics she had the powers of the ancient gods, but presumably no costume making ability whatsoever. If they succeed in filming this it could actually be worse than the horrendous Catwoman.

The Green Lantern
Another DC character that needs to be avoided at all cost. He's got a ring that can do almost anything including time travel, invisibility, flight and telepathy, among a zillion other things. But he's powerless against anything yellow, eh? So you can threaten him with a banana or a lemon? So he's stupidly overpowered but rather obviously circumvented by anyone colour coordinated. How frickin useless is that?

Arm-Fall-Off-Boy
No kidding? This unique hero turned up in a try-out for the Legion of Super-Heroes, with his amazing power that his arms came off…which he then used to create blunt force trauma. He also went by the name of The Splitter, which is moderately less dumb than Arm-Fall-Off-Boy! Legion of Super-Heroes didn't let him in, despite offering places in their moronic ranks to equally stupid heroes such as Bouncing Boy and Matter Eater Lad. I'm not excited by the prospect of any of them coming to the big screen, unless it's to take the piss out of them.

Thor
Marvel isn't perfect either, and Thor proves it. He's a god, borrowed from Norse legend, who travels by throwing his hammer, to which he's attached. Please! Why they needed to put mythical gods in comics was lost on me anyway, but with a winged helmet he looks like a silly hood ornament. No, I wouldn't be looking forward to that movie…ever.

She-Hulk
Why? The new Hulk movie looks okay, and I can even handle the Ang Lee one until it gets weird at the end, but She-Hulk? No. I don't like women with bigger pectorals than me, and it's a stupid name, character and idea. Stop it now!

Dogwelder
If you thought you'd seen powers, you've seen nothing until you experienced the hero that is Dogwelder! Part of the crime fighting team Section Eight, he rarely speaks, but with his welder's mask firmly in place he attaches (welds…actually) dead dogs to the faces of evil doers. No you didn't misread that, he spot welds dead dogs to people. He does this so they're easier to recognise next time they meet, I assume. Actually I take it back - this is a movie I want to see so badly. Please Hollywood, bring on the Dogwelder, and let the sparks fly!

The Legion of the Superpets
DC really lost the plot in late fifties, and one of their most amazing ideas was Legion of the Superpets! Animals with Super-pet powers and red 'super' capes to match, how could it fail? Krypto the Superdog, Beppo the Supermonkey, Streaky the Supercat, and… Comet the Superhorse! Yay! Or is that nay? My personal favourite was Comet, who'd become human once a year and date Supergirl. And most disturbingly I didn't make that bit up. DC at it's most bestial. If anyone tries to greenlight this project they should be checked for controlled substance abuse pronto.

Animal-Vegetable-Mineral Man
Is this a quiz or a superhero? To be honest he's a super villain, but he's so dumb he deserves his fifteen seconds of fame. He appeared in a comic called Doom Patrol in the sixties, and got his powers from being dipped in those exceptionally dangerous chemicals - amino acids. He can be anything, sometimes multiple things at once, a bit like The Thing…but more colourful and Swedish.

Captain Boomerang
Can you guess his power? If you said 'he throws boomerangs' then you've just undermined his dramatic first film appearance. I can't see this being made thankfully, because he's an unpleasant racist character, described as "a jerk and a screw-up." by his 'friends' in his own Suicide Squad comics. He's so admired by his super team members they drop him onto a deserted island, never to be seen again. Exactly the fate I have planned for any movie exec that comes up this franchise plan.

The Red Bee
This character is comedy gold, that needs to be left buried. He fought gangsters and Nazis in the 40sin a fetching pink and red outfit. Devoid of any actual powers, he did have a 'stinger gun' and…wait for it…trained bees! These he kept cunningly concealed in his belt buckle. His favourite bee (no, I've not been to the pub…yet) was called Michael, but I'm not sure if he named them all. Michael's little secret was that he must have been a transsexual bee, because as everyone knows male bees can't sting only females. The buzz about this one is that it's on the backburner after Bee Movie's box office numbers came in.

The ones that didn't make the cut…

Siryn: Woman that screams her enemies to death just like Naomi Campbell.
Vibe: Spanish break-dancing superhero that had 'shockwave' power and a full wardrobe of Italian suits.
The Absorbing Man: Turns into everything his touches, which must make going to the loo a nightmare.
Infectious Lass: Makes everyone ill…she's a laugh a minute.
The Black Racer: Death is a downhill skier…apparently
SuperPro: He's an American football player who hurts his knee, amazingly.
Green Arrow: He fires arrows…usually green ones.
Reverse Flash: Same as the Flash, but bad.
Belle of the Ball: A girl who can control balls, no less. Can't think of anything funny to top that!
The Four Marys: No explanation does this comic quartet justice, just accept that.
The Whizzer: Not what you think, at all.
Gale Alien and the Girl Squadron: They all wear stiletto shoes on Jupiter, as you do.
Spurt Hammond: Worst comic character name ever, bar none!
Prez First Teen President: We all need political heroes…they keep telling us.
Fatman The Human Flying Saucer: Don't ask, please.

Leave your own suggestions in the comments field!

 

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Re: 10 Comic Book Characters Who Should Never Make It To Film
Posted By Ian_Osborne 1 May 8, 2008 10:02:52 AM

What about Nick Fury? They never could decide who he was or what he did, and rebooted the series so many times the character so many times you could do pretty-much anything with a film without it feeling 'wrong'. Trouble is, all you'd be getting for your character-licensing fee is an eye patch. You might as well licence Pete Burns. He has an equally macho name and is just as pointless, but he'd be a darned sight cheaper...

Re: 10 Comic Book Characters Who Should Never Make It To Film
Posted By stuxmusic 1 May 8, 2008 10:45:26 AM

Nick Fury is in films. wether he'll get his own or not is another thing. Isn't thor happening?

Re: 10 Comic Book Characters Who Should Never Make It To Film
Posted By sitar_tattoo 1 May 8, 2008 11:09:21 AM

So, basically a bunch of DC characters. Hmmm. I want a Dogwelder movie too ut fear itand I want it directed by somebody like Gaspar Noe. Please.

Re: 10 Comic Book Characters Who Should Never Make It To Film
Posted By Robmac 1 May 8, 2008 01:14:33 PM

Green Lantern would make a great film - The Sinestro Wars is supreb and ripe for the picking for a huge summer blockbuster. Also the Absorbing Man has already been in a film - the Ang Lee Hulk film featured Banners dad as a semi-absorbing man type bad guy not dissimmilar to Crusher Creel in the comics only without the ball and chain and egg shaped head

Re: 10 Comic Book Characters Who Should Never Make It To Film
Posted By PeaJay18 1 May 8, 2008 01:19:09 PM

I thought that Nick Nolte was The Absorbing Man in Ang Lee's Hulk...

Re: 10 Comic Book Characters Who Should Never Make It To Film
Posted By DuncanMonkey 1 May 8, 2008 04:25:25 PM

My life is better for this article - I had no idea that so many rubbish heroes were out there and am now looking into optioning the rights for Dogwelder to make the whole world a better place...

Re: 10 Comic Book Characters Who Should Never Make It To Film
Posted By ninjabear 1 May 15, 2008 04:20:20 PM

Go Dogwelder! Make a new film of it. I'll direct,and George Clooney can play Dogwelder

Re: 10 Comic Book Characters Who Should Never Make It To Film
Posted By DarthMar 1 May 21, 2008 05:02:14 AM

How about...The list is painfully endless...I'm just thankful none of the comic book teams have never resurected the two villians from the older Batman/Superman comics... It would be fun to see a Gen13 movie tho'

Re: 10 Comic Book Characters Who Should Never Make It To Film
Posted By jaini 1 November 14, 2008 02:06:23 AM

Hawk and Dove would probably make a crappy movie too

Re: 10 Comic Book Characters Who Should Never Make It To Film
Posted By AlexandreAlves 1 December 16, 2008 06:53:11 PM

Steel.

Re: 10 Comic Book Characters Who Should Never Make It To Film
Posted By balouie 1 April 3, 2009 08:31:47 PM

Hate to tell you this but a Nick Fury: Agent of Shield has already been done. It Starred(if you can call it that) David Hasselhoff.

Re: 10 Comic Book Characters Who Should Never Make It To Film
Posted By balouie 1 April 3, 2009 08:34:44 PM

There has also been a She-Hulk, That starred Bridgette Neilsen.

Re: 10 Comic Book Characters Who Should Never Make It To Film
Posted By jinste 1 June 14, 2009 11:57:38 PM

Swamp thing-why does he even exist?total shit.and yes,Im aware hes been in at least two movies

Re: 10 Comic Book Characters Who Should Never Make It To Film
Posted By jinste 1 June 15, 2009 12:03:48 AM

The Sub Mariner-Prince Namor.

Re: 10 Comic Book Characters Who Should Never Make It To Film
Posted By jinste 1 June 15, 2009 12:07:42 AM

one comic strip that most certainly SHOULD be filmed is The Rise and Fall of the Trigan Empire.After the awesome spectacle that was the LOTR trilogy-Peter Jackson would be my pick to write and direct.
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Yep. It's Dogwelder. Yep. It's Dogwelder.

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