25 Greatest Comic Character Portrayals (First Revision)

It’s been a couple of years since I made the first edition of this list. With the plethora of new comic films that have been released since then, several of which have introduced us to new characters or at least new takes on established ones, I figured it was time to dust off the old list and give her a revision. As before, I looked at a combination of performances that stayed true to the comic counterpart and just plain old great acting to create a compelling character. Some of them lean more towards one side of the equation, but I feel like all of them touch on at least a little of both. Some portrayals have risen in the ranks, some have fallen, and several fell off all together. Also like before, with several of these characters having been played by multiple people, I list the actor and what movie(s)/television show the portrayal is in.

Portrayals that fell off from the previous list:
Michael Sullivan (Tom Hanks) – Road to Perdition, Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) – The Amazing Spider-Man, Marv (Mickey Rourke) – Sin City, Professor X (Patrick Stewart) – X-Men, Superman (Christopher Reeves) – Superman, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) – Marvel Cinematic Universe, Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) – The Dark Knight trilogy

25. The Flash (Grant Gustin) – The Flash

 

24. Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) – Black Panther

 

23. Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) The Walking Dead

 

22. X-23 (Dafne Keen) – Logan

 

21. Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) – The Walking Dead

 

20. Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper) – Marvel Cinematic Universe

 

19. Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) – Marvel Cinematic Universe

 

18. Kilgrave (David Tennant) – Jessica Jones

 

17. V (Hugo Weaving) – V for Vendetta

 

16. Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) – Marvel Cinematic Universe

 

15. The Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) – Watchmen

 

14. Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) – Marvel Cinematic Universe

 

13. Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley) – Watchmen

 

12. Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) – X-Men

 

11. Spider-Man (Tom Holland) – Marvel Cinematic Universe

 

10. Loki (Tom Hiddleston) – Marvel Cinematic Universe

 

9. Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) – Deadpool

 

8. Thanos (Josh Brolin) – Marvel Cinematic Universe

 

7. Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio) – Daredevil (TV series)

 

6. Daredevil (Charlie Cox) – Daredevil (TV series)

 

5. Batman (Christian Bale) – The Dark Knight trilogy

 

4. Captain America (Chris Evans) – Marvel Cinematic Universe

 

3. Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr) – Marvel Cinematic Universe

 

2. J. Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons) – Spider-Man

 

1. The Joker (Heath Ledger) – The Dark Knight

 

So what do you think? Who’s too low? Who’s too high? Who got left off that shouldn’t have been? Let me know in the comments.

Worst Comic Book Character Portrayals

While there have been many truly incredible portrayals of characters in comic book movies and television series, there have also been more than a few absolute clunkers. Some of these aren’t necessarily the actor’s fault; they were just written horribly, given awful dialogue, or were stuck with crappy plots. But whatever the reason, they still flopped. Here are my worst of the worst.

25. Iron Fist (Finn Jones) – Iron Fist

Netflix’s Iron Fist isn’t very good. It lacks an identity, has subpar fight choreography for a show about a Kung Fu master, and the worst thing about it is the lead. There’s literally nothing interesting about Danny Rand. He comes across as whiny and immature. For someone that’s supposed to be a “living weapon”, I wasn’t blown away by his fighting ability. In fact, I’d take Charlie Cox’s Daredevil over his Iron Fist any day.

24. Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) – X-Men First Class, X-Men: Days of Future Past, X-Men:Apocalypse

Jennifer Lawrence is a fine actress and seems quite likable as a person, but her portrayal of Mystique is so inconsistent. Her motivations and characterization seem to change from movie to movie, and are whatever the writer needed her to be in that story.

23. Ghost Rider (Nicholas Cage) – Ghost Rider, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance 

Ghost Rider would be a very easy character to make silly and over-the-top, and Nicholas Cage didn’t even attempt to play it otherwise. He’s already known for being quite the over-actor, and it’s on full display here, complete with terrible puns and one-liners.

22.  Dr. Doom (Toby Kebbell) – Fantastic Four

Will we ever get a good Dr. Doom in a live action movie? Hollywood writers just can’t seem to understand the things that make the character great and compelling. Sadly, another entrance in a long line of failed attempts at bringing Victor Von Doom to life.

21. Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) – Thor, Thor: The Dark World

Natalie Portman reportedly hated being in Marvel movies, and it shows. For such a talented actress, her performance is flat and uninteresting. She also has zero charisma with Chris Hemsworth, making for a very blah love story.

20. Batman (Ben Affleck) – Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad, Justice League

If there’s anyone that clearly hates playing their role in a comic movie more than Natalie Portman, it’s Ben Affleck when he dons the cape and cowl. He seems like he’d literally rather be anywhere but making these movies. With the quality of the 3 DC movies he’s been in, I can’t entirely blame him.

19. Colossus (Daniel Cudmore) – X2: X-Men United, X-Men: The Last Stand , X-Men: Days of Future Past

One of several prominent X-Men characters that are supposed to be from countries other than the US that are passed off as American in the films. Piotr Rasputin, otherwise known as Colossus, is supposed to be from Russia, yet there’s no hint of a Russian accent on him whatsoever. And for a character whose power is to turn his skin into organic steel, we actually see him transform once for all of about 15 seconds in 3 movies.

18. Electro (Jamie Foxx) – The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Another example of a good actor being stuck in a crappy role. Completely devoid of interest, and despite what was clearly meant to be a sympathetic role, you don’t even feel sorry for the guy because he’s so badly written.

17. Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon) – X-Men: First Class

Kevin Bacon delivers one of the most one-dimensional performances of his career. You just don’t care about his character whatsoever, nor is the character anything close to resembling his comic book counterpart.

16. Storm (Halle Berry) – X-Men, X2: X-Men United, X-Men: The Last Stand, X-Men: Days of Future Past

Here’s where the “drop the accent” game started in the X-Men franchise. Halle Berry at least attempted an inconsistent one in the first film, but then dropped it all together in the second movie on. Spoiler alert: this isn’t the only time Ms. Berry will be appearing on this list. I promise I’m not picking on her as a performer in general…just in comic movies apparently.

15. Apocalypse (Oscar Isaac) – X-Men: Apocalypse

Everything about this take on Marvel’s first mutant falls completely flat. Poorly acted. Poorly written. Poorly designed. Even his plans and motivations don’t make sense. Severely disappointing as I love Apocalypse in the comics and had high hopes for him here.

14. Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst) – Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2, Spider-Man 3

Could they have made audiences care less about the love interest of the hero? Mary Jane is supposed to be a constant, grounding force in Peter Parker’s otherwise tumultuous life, but here she’s flighty, annoying, and really serves no other purpose than damsel in distress and creating relationship drama…bouncing around between 7 different relationships in 3 movies.

13. Diamondback (Erik LaRay Harvey) – Luke Cage

I am unfamiliar with Harvey’s work outside of Luke Cage, but I seriously hope it’s better than what we got in the Marvel Netflix series. Tries way too hard to come across as a cool villain, but it doesn’t work at all. Just rather boring to be honest, especially in the shadow of Mahershala Ali’s brilliant performance as Cottonmouth.

12. Elektra (Jennifer Garner) – Daredevil, Elektra

There’s plenty to hate about the Daredevil movie, and Jennifer Garner’s bland turn as Elektra is definitely one of them. For a character that’s supposed to be exotic and enticing to Matt Murdock, she gives a performance about as compelling as watching paint dry. Oh and on the topic of being exotic, they claim she’s Greek (as she’s supposed to be), yet she makes no attempt to speak with an accent.

11. Gambit (Taylor Kitsch) – X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Much like Daredevil, there’s a lot to hate about X-Men Origins: Wolverine, a stupid story with plot holes big enough to fly the X-Jet through being first and foremost, but it also contains some of the absolute worst comic character portrayals ever (there’s another to come on this list). A primary example of writers shoehorning a character into a story that he had no business being in…and the version we got has very little in common with his comic counterpart other than his name. Gambit is known for his silver-tongued charm and razor sharp wit, yet Kitsch plays him with all the charisma of a coma patient…and seriously, why doesn’t his staff explode like everything else when he charges it with kinetic energy?

10. Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) – Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Oh, the DCEU and their consistent misunderstanding of their own properties. Whiny, neurotic, and just plain stupid…that’s really the only way I can describe this version of Superman’s nemesis. And talk about idiotic motivations: Luthor wants to show the world how dangerous Superman is, so he creates Doomsday, which is even more powerful and dangerous…um, what?

9. The Joker (Jared Leto) – Suicide Squad 

Easily the DCEU’s biggest bomb as a character is Leto’s pseudo-Joker (I refuse to refer to that as the actual Joker). Before I trash his utterly stupid look (which I’m going to), I’ll focus on the actual performance. It’s bad. Just plain bad. Not once did I believe I was watching the Clown Prince of Crime. His motivations are counter to those of the actual Joker, who would never have attempted to break Harley out prison. He would have let her rot until she found her own way out. Ok now for his appearance: what on Earth made them think that THAT is a look people wanted? This “Joker” looks like he’s a douchy rapper that’s part of a drug cartel, who just got some stupid tats in prison, and is on his way to a crappy Avenged Sevenfold concert. Oooo…how “dark and gritty”…

8. The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) – Iron Man 3

Speaking of pseudo characters. What was meant to be the MCU’s greatest plot twist ended up being nothing more than its biggest middle finger to comic book fans. Turning Iron Man’s nemesis into a fake and nothing but a distraction from the “real” villain, was a giant “F you” to longtime readers who were excited to see this major villain brought to life.

7. Juggernaut (Vinnie Jones) – X-Men: The Last Stand 

If there’s one thing 20th Century Fox knows better than making terrible Fantastic Four movies, it’s delivering awful performances in its X-Men franchise, and sadly this isn’t the worst. A cheap rubber muscle suit and a stupid-looking helmet that’s purpose is never explained in the movie, so he just runs around with a trashcan on his head for the sake of looking dumb. Also, Cain Marko is not a mutant, yet he’s somehow effected by Leech’s power draining ability?

6. Bane (Jeep Swenson) – Batman & Robin 

The first of 3 craptacular portrayals from Joel Schumacher’s equally awful Batman & Robin, making up half of the top 6. Take one of Batman’s most brilliant and strategic enemies and turn him into a mindless monster just because he’s big. Great choice. *insert eye roll*

5. Venom (Topher Grace) – Spider-Man 3

You can tell that Sam Raimi didn’t want Venom in this movie, but was forced to by Avi Arad (former head of Marvel), as he gave the character no direction or seemingly any thought. Totally unbelievable as an antagonist. Why does the symbiote make Eddie Brock bigger, but didn’t Peter Parker? Why did it latch on to Brock and mutate immediately since he didn’t have adrenal cancer like he did in the comic? The only thing worse than Venom in this movie is watching the My Chemical Romance version of Peter Parker dance.

4. Catwoman (Halle Berry) – Catwoman 

Here I am to crap on Halle Berry again. Everything about this role is bad. The acting, the writing, the direction, the costume…all of it. I appreciate the attempted homage to Eartha Kitt’s Catwoman from the 1960’s Batman television series, but the cheesiness and camp are just too much and it comes across like a B-movie performance.

3. Mr. Freeze (Arnold Schwarzenegger) – Batman & Robin

But no one out camps Arnold’s turn as Mr. Freeze. Seriously, 75% of his dialogue is cold puns. One at the right moment would have been acceptable and might have gotten a little chuckle, but not a constant bombardment of “chill out’s” and “everybody freeze’s”. It really makes you hate a villain that should actually be one of the most sympathetic antagonists in comic movies.

2. Batman (George Clooney) – Batman & Robin 

The final entrant in my dump on Batman & Robin trilogy. Completely unbelievable as Batman. Not even a decent Bruce Wayne. All the things that make Batman special are absent and quite frankly not things that Clooney is capable of pulling off. He was cast simply because he was a hot name.

1. Deadpool (Scott Adkins) – X-Men Origins: Wolverine 

Here we are: the worst of the worst of the worst. Take everything about Deadpool that makes him unique and special and compelling…Hell take literally EVERYTHING away. Instead of kitanas, slap on some blades that pop out of his forearms like he’s freaking Baraka from Mortal Kombat. Instead of guns, have him shoot lasers out of his eyes. Instead of being a mercenary, make him a science experiment and slave. Oh and sew his mouth shut. Wouldn’t want the Merc with the Mouth to actually talk. Because I mean, come on…a source material faithful Deadpool would NEVER work…oh…wait…

The Avengers: Infinity War Predictions

With Marvel’s The Avengers: Infinity War just a week away, the culmination of the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe to this point is almost here. You’d be hard-pressed to go anywhere online without finding some talk about the movie going on. And with good reason. It is without question the most ambitious undertaking in the history of cinema. Leading the threads of nine separate series into one enormous, inter-connected franchise has been nothing short of incredible. The fact that over the span of 18 films with 15 different directors Marvel has rarely fumbled in delivering high quality, enjoyable entertainment would be reason enough for celebration on their part, but to have done so while weaving together a world of gods, super soldiers, aliens, spies, and genius billionaire playboy philanthropists, is truly amazing.

For all 10 years of its existence, Marvel Studios has been building to this moment…to Thanos and the Infinity Gauntlet. Based loosely on Infinity Gauntlet, the 1991 limited series by Jim Starlin that saw the powerful titan Thanos collect the six Infinity Gems (changed to Stones in the MCU) that each contain the essence of and grant control to the possessor of a different facet of the universe: Mind, Power, Reality, Soul, Space, and Time. For all intents and purposes, to wield them all is to be like God…though Marvel’s actual version of God, the One-Above-All, is still more powerful as he exists outside of reality and time. Thanos uses his new found omnipotence to wipe out half the life in the universe to balance the scales as a tribute to Death, with whom he is desperately in love. This obviously draws the attention of Marvel’s heroes as well as a few villains and more neutral cosmic beings. An alliance of them all faces off against Thanos with him easily defeating/killing almost all of them, taking some serious manipulation and reverse psychology to finally get the Gauntlet from his hand, allowing Adam Warlock to reverse all the destruction Thanos had caused.

The main question surrounding Infinity War is “who will survive.” With the contracts of several of the main actors in the MCU coming to an end, and one (Chris Evans) having said he’s looking to retire from acting to focus on directing, many believe that a lot of the old guard like Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor are on borrowed time. I have my own theories on what to expect in this monumental event.

Personally, I don’t expect as many major deaths in this film as most seem to. That is not said as a slight to Marvel Studios for fearing to pull the trigger on killing off their major properties as I’ve read several Marvel-haters imply. I simply believe that with Avengers 4 coming out next year and acting as a 2nd half to this story, that that is when we will see the bulk of superhero slaughter. I see Infinity War as focusing on Thanos and his quest to collect all the Infinity Stones. There will obviously be resistance from our merry band of heroes, and I do believe we will see a few deaths in the process, but not on the scale that many are expecting.

One hero whose days are all but surely numbered is Vision. The sentient android is literally walking around with the Mind Stone on his forehead. Unless he finds a way to survive without it, he’s going to have to die for Thanos to complete the Gauntlet. I also have a suspicion that Loki may meet his end in the film, possibly very early on. In the mid-credit stinger from Thor: Ragnarok we see the ship that now carries all of the Asgardian people intercepted by an enormous spaceship that clearly carries the design of Thanos’s helmet on the front. We can assume then that the ship is that of the Mad Titan himself…probably there to collect the Tesseract which houses the Space Stone. While we never actually saw Loki take the Tesseract from Odin’s vault, it clearly caught his attention on his way to resurrect Surtur in the Eternal Flame. We also see in the trailers for Infinity War that Loki appears to be holding the Tesseract and offering it up to someone. This leads me to believe that Thanos will board their ship and start killing Asgardians trying to find the Stone…a battle that I believe will result in Thor being thrown from the ship (as he’s seen floating in space and discovered by the Guardians of the Galaxy in the first trailer). Loki, finally heeding his brother’s words that he could be more than just the God of Mischief, will offer it to him in exchange for sparing his people. I see Thanos accepting the deal, but then turning around and killing Loki instead. With Loki sacrificing himself, he’ll finally be the savior of Asgard with the admiration of his people he always desired.

Outside of those two, I don’t believe any of the major characters perish in this film. I can see several of the supporting characters meeting their end, like Dr. Strange’s fellow sorcerer, Wong, or some of the secondary characters from Black Panther, as there definitely seems to be a large scale battle taking place in Wakanda, with Thanos even squaring off with Cap in one of the most truly epic snippets in any of the trailers.

So who do you think will die in Infinity War? We’ll find out if I’m right next week. I’ve got my ticket for the preview night on the 26th. I’ll try to have a review out the following day. See you then.

Reader’s Poll: Who Has the Best Rogues Gallery in Comics?

What good is a hero without great villains? No matter how incredible or interesting the protagonist in a story may be, if he/she is not met by equally incredible or interesting antagonists, the story just feels flat. Aside from Star Wars‘ Darth Vader, who is without a doubt the coolest bad guy in pop culture, there’s no better place to find villains than comic books. So which hero has the best rogues gallery? You as the reader get to determine which ones I write about. Vote below and I’ll feature the top 5 vote-getters in a future post (might be a multi-parter).

 

The 25 Greatest Comic Book Movies (Revised) – Part 3

Alright, after the long holiday weekend, I’m back with the next chapter in the countdown of the greatest comic book movies. With two Alan Moore graphic novel adaptations having already graced the list, another legendary comic writer joins him with a 2nd entry in this installment.

15. 300 (2006)

Frank Miller’s historically-inspired  epic about the Battle of Thermopylae adapted brilliantly into a feature film. Zack Synder’s talent for visuals is perfect for the over-the-top, highly-stylized violence that is seen throughout this movie. Wonderful performances by Gerard Butler and Lena Headey are also a huge driving force for the greatness that is this movie. Is it completely accurate historically? Not at all. But is it a hell of a fun watch? Absolutely!

 

14. Spider-Man 2 (2004)

This might come as blasphemy to some, but while I love this movie, I do not believe that it is better than the first movie in the franchise. So spoiler alert: Spider-Man will be on this list as well. The infusion of the “Spider-Man No More” story arc from the comics was well done and Alfred Molina delivers a powerful performance as Dr. Octopus, but the mishandling of the Mary Jane character that was rampant throughout the entire franchise was still very prevalent here, as was Sam Raimi’s apparent insistence that every villain have a personal connection to Peter Parker.

 

13. X2 (2003)

For the longest time, this was the best sequel in the history of comic movies (not anymore), and the first time that a sequel surpassed the original…which has been done several times now. Loosely based on the “God Loves, Man Kills” story, which is a personal favorite of mine, this is by far the most emotionally powerful film in the X-Men franchise. The opening scene alone with Nightcrawler in the White House is worth the watch.

 

12. Road to Perdition (2002)

Taken from Max Allan Collins’ Depression-era gangster graphic novel, Road to Perdition is one of the most powerful comic movies ever made. Paul Newman was nominated for an Oscar for the Best Supporting Actor for his incredible work, the first time that a comic movie received an acting award nomination. Though his wasn’t the only great performance in the film. Daniel Craig, Stanley Tucci, Jude Law, and Tom Hanks in his only appearance in a comic movie, all gave outstanding performances as well.

 

11. Iron Man (2008)

The movie that birthed the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The casting of Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark was sheer genius. His captivating portrayal of the utterly charismatic arms dealer is reason enough to watch the movie. The fact that we got a great story on top of that was just a bonus. Then add in Nick Fury waiting for him in his living room during the after-credits stinger, ushering in the most ambitious project in cinema history, and you have one incredible movie.

 

See you guys next time.

 

Spoiler-Free Captain America: Civil War Review

Due to a very busy schedule, and then an unfortunate stomach bug, I wasn’t able to see Captain America: Civil War until this past weekend. This delay gave me plenty of time to read tons of reviews, which pretty much unanimously praised the movie. Some went as far as to call it the best offering from the MCU to date, and more than one said it was the greatest superhero movie ever. Even with those very lofty remarks, I tried my best to go in with lowered expectations. Though with my love for Captain America, and the fact that my favorite superhero of all, Spider-Man, would be making his MCU debut, I probably failed to lower them too much.

 

I can say with certainty that my expectations were met. Can I say that they were exceeded? Sadly, not really. With that said, I don’t want to make it sound like this was in any way, shape, or form a “bad” movie. Quite the opposite, it was a great movie. But lofty expectations will make cynics of us all.

Fear not, faithful reader: NO SPOILERS lie ahead.

The tension between Cap and Iron Man (the real crux of the war) is palpable and feels genuine. Both Chris Evans and Robert Downey, Jr. stayed true to form and played their parts to perfection. Scarlet Johansson’s Black Widow was very good in the somewhat limited role she was given. But the real gems are Black Panther and Spider-Man, played brilliantly by Chadwick Boseman and Tom Holland respectively.

The Russo Brothers did an incredible job fleshing out every character’s motivation and each character had their moment to shine without becoming tedious. Which is no easy task for a cast this large. Much like Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the fight scenes were amazing in their storytelling. The fight choreographers deserve a ton of praise for their ability to create seamless fights with each character fighting with an individual style (Cap and Bucky fight with a very gritty, visceral style, Black Widow is much more acrobatic and Judo-based, Black Panther, while also very high-flying, is more focused on striking).

The one negative that I’ve read from a lot of critics is the film’s villain, Helmut Zemo. I, however, really enjoyed him. He’s not your typical super villain, and is much more about working in the shadows, and I thought that was a great choice for this type of movie. Plus, let’s face it, aside from Loki, most of the villains in the MCU have been pretty one-dimensional. Zemo is anything but. Without giving anything away, he is very much a product of the world in which the MCU takes place. It is a little disappointing that he never dawns his signature mask from the comic.

The only real problem I had with the movie was that while for the most part, the pacing was crisp and constantly moving forward, it did tread water for a little bit about halfway through. But once the big battle between the dueling hero factions takes place, the film is propelled forward for the rest of its run time. While the film uses the “Civil War” story arc from the comics as a guide, the two are very different. So even if you’re a fan of the comic book story, there is plenty to keep you entertained and guessing.

Overall, I cannot say that Civil War is the greatest superhero movie ever…I’m not sure I can say that it is even quite as good as Winter Soldier. But it’s certainly close. It is definitely better than The Avengers: Age of Ultron. I would definitely recommend this movie to anyone that enjoys superhero cinema, or just enjoys a good action flick (though without seeing at least some of the other MCU movies, you might be a little lost from a plot standpoint).

Final verdict: 9 out of 10.

But I’m Not Dead Yet…

Readers, DO NOT adjust your screen! Reports of this blog’s death have been greatly exaggerated. I am back, and back for good.

SOOOO much has happened in the world of comics during my hiatus. I will try to cover it all, albeit not in great detail. Here’s Part 1 of my quick thoughts on everything I can think of:

• Daredevil

Best. Superhero. Show. Ever. Everything (minus one plot point) about this show was amazing. The casting was spot-on. The acting was great. The writing was quick, smart, and clever. Connections to the bigger Marvel Cinematic Universe were present throughout but felt natural and unforced. The one thing I was disappointed in was the killing of a major character (don’t worry, no spoilers) in the Daredevil mythos this early.

• Avengers: Age of Ultron

I really enjoyed this movie, but couldn’t help but feel a little underwhelmed. The movie is very good, but it just didn’t feel as special as the first. I was really looking forward to seeing James Spader’s portrayal of the titular villain, Ultron, but I have to say that I was a bit disappointed with the actual product. I felt like Ultron showed too much human emotion and wasn’t as cold as I’ve always seen the character. However, the actions scenes were crazy and spectacular, and the focusing more on Hawkeye and Black Widow’s back stories was an unexpected treat.

• Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

The first teaser trailers and pics from the set have been released. And I still don’t care.

• Deadpool

Squeal!!! With every picture, tweet, and announcement my anticipation for this movie grows! It has been way too long coming for us fans of the Merc with the Mouth to finally see him done right on the silver screen. Ryan Reynolds has always been the perfect guy for the role, and it couldn’t make me happier that the movie is going to get a hard R-rating. You can’t do Deadpool without adult language and over-the-top violence. This movie is going to be crazy awesome!

• Marvel Comics Secret Wars

I’m not a fan of this. Randomly wiping out continuity and starting over is a DC move, and a move that Marvel should have nothing to do with. But the worst part is the fact that Miles Morales, not Peter Parker, will be the only Spider-Man, and Sam Wilson, not Steve Rogers, will be Captain America in the new continuity is stupid and insulting. Instead of making better minority characters, just changing major established characters into minorities is lazy and shows a complete lack creativity.

25 Greatest Comic Book Movies Ever

As a fan of both comics and movies, I’m a huge fan of movies based on comic book properties. Contrary to what some people think, I am not an absolute purist when it comes to comic book movies. I understand that liberties will be taken with the source material…some things just don’t translate well from the page to the screen. The important thing with any movie based on a pre-existing source is that the story stays true to said source. That for me, is what separates the good comic movies from the bad ones.

I’ve had a running list for years now of my “25 Greatest Comic Books Movies”, and it obviously has to be updated whenever new great comic-based films are released. This is actually my 4th revision to my list…and I may very well have to revise it again later this year if Guardians of the Galaxy and Sin City: A Dame to Kill For live up to my expectations.

Without further ado, here’s the list.

(Honorable mentions: American Splendor, Batman, Blade, Captain America: The First Avenger, Ghost World, Iron Man 2, Kick Ass, Men In Black, The Punisher, & The Rocketeer)

25. The Incredible Hulk

24. Thor

 

23. X-Men: Days of Future Past

22. Watchmen

21. Thor: The Dark World

20. The Crow

19. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

18. Superman

17. X-Men First Class

16. Hellboy

15. X-Men

14. Sin City

13. V for Vendetta

12. 300

11. Road to Perdition

10. Spider-Man 2

9. Iron Man

8. X2: X-Men United

7. Spider-Man

6. The Dark Knight Rises

5. The Amazing Spider-Man 

4. Captain America: The Winter Soldier

3. Batman Begins

2. The Avengers

1. The Dark Knight

Captain America: The Best of Us

Whether you love him or hate him, you cannot deny that Captain America is one of the most iconic characters in all of comic books. Having debuted in 1941, his history is almost as old as the superhero genre itself.  So on the eve of the release of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, I’ll give you my perspective as to why he might be the greatest superhero of them all.

Principles: The entire character of Captain America is a symbol of doing what’s right. He was created a year before the attack of Pearl Harbor forced the United States into World War II solely because Joe Simon and Jack Kirby opposed the actions of the Nazi Party. The cover of the very first Captain America comic features the titular character punching Adolf Hitler in the face. This decision was extremely controversial at the time. Many opposed the US getting involved and felt that this could possibly cause retaliation from the Germans. But Simon and Kirby refused to sit quietly while Europe was locked in a bloody battle for freedom. This set the tone for the character that they created, and that still lives on to this day. Regardless of what is popular or safe, Captain America always stands up for what is right.

Lack of Superpowers: One of the most intriguing things about the Star Spangled Avenger is the fact that, while he has no actual superpowers, he is one of the most respected and feared individuals in the Marvel Universe. True, he had his physiology pushed to the absolute peak of human potential by way of the Super Soldier Serum, but nothing about him is remotely superhuman.

 

Intangibles: What he lacks in superpowers, he more than makes up for with his unwavering moral code, a brilliant tactical mind, an incredible fighting prowess, and relentless courage. This lack of abilities has not deterred or prevented him from going toe-to-toe with the likes of The Hulk, Dr. Doom, or Iron Man. He even stood up alone to Thanos while he was in possession of the Infinity Gauntlet, making him practically omnipotent. Even the god of thunder Thor, has stated that Captain America is the only human from whom he will take orders…the ultimate sign of the respect that Steve Rogers garners.

Longevity: The fact that a character that was created to be a symbol of American patriotism in the face of a World War has stood the test of time speaks volumes to its appeal. The fact that he has remained relevant even now in a time where Americanism is not considered something to be valued or proud of, is an incredible testament to the undying hope for the ideals upon which his character is founded.

So, let’s all give a heartfelt salute to the Sentinel of Liberty and show Hollywood (and the world as a whole) that Captain America is and forever will be the best of what comics has to offer, by throwing down your hard-earned cash to see his new movie.