Werewolves and Vampires and Zombies. Oh My!

It’s October. Which means one of my favorite holidays is right around the corner, Halloween. I love Halloween. The costumes, the candy, and a little good old fashioned scariness all come together to make for a great season (because seriously it’s more than just one day). With spookiness and supernatural roots being part of the core of the season, what better time to highlight some of the greater supernatural characters in comics. I tried to steer clear of characters that dealt specifically with magic (John Constantine, Dr. Strange, Zatanna, etc.) and those who are the product of science experiments gone wrong (Swamp Thing, Morbius the Living Vampire), and instead focused on those that have more true supernatural origins and abilities. Let’s take a look at some of the characters that go bump in the night.

Spawn (Image)

Arguably the most popular character on the list, especially at his peak. When Al Simmons dies and is sent to Hell for his sins, he was granted powers from Malebolgia (essentially Satan) with the intent on him becoming his greatest weapon against Heaven. Simmons rebels against Malebolgia and becomes a very violent anti-hero instead.

Blade (Marvel)

Marvel’s half-human/half-vampire. After his pregnant mother was bitten by a vampire, he was gifted with the strength, speed, and stamina of a vampire (but also the hunger for human blood), without the weaknesses against daylight, garlic, and holy water. Blade decides to use his abilities to rid the world of vampires.

The Spectre (DC)

Chosen as the Spirit of Vengeance after his brutal death during a robbery, Jim Corrigan is one of the more powerful beings in all of DC Comics. He is for all intents and purposes omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent with the ability to change reality. One of the few characters uneffected by DC’s multiple continuity resets, retaining knowledge of all of the realities that existed before.

Werewolf By Night (Marvel)

As the name would suggest, Jack Russell, due to a family curse, transforms into a mindless werewolf during a full moon. However, he can also voluntarily transform outside of the full moon, and during these times he retains his human intellect. Much like Blade, Werewolf By Night uses his abilities to defend mankind by fighting against the forces of darkness.

Solomon Grundy (DC)

DC Comic’s resident zombie. When Cyrus Gold was murdered in a swamp, he was reborn as a monstrous, almost mindless undead creature. Taking on the name Solomon Grundy after the nursery rhyme, he returns to the life of crime he had lived before his death. Mostly an enemy to the Green Lantern, he has also been a major villain in the Batman comics as well.

Ghost Rider (Marvel)

Stunt-rider Johnny Blaze is fused with the demon Zarathos after a deal with hell dimension ruler Mephisto goes wrong. Blaze transforms into a skeleton wreathed in flame when in the presence of evil. Cursed to punish the wicked, he is one of the more violent and merciless anti-heroes Marvel Comics has to offer.

Deadman (DC)

When trapeze artist Boston Brand is murdered during a performance, his spirit is imparted the ability to possess the body of any sentient being by the Hindu god Rama Kushna in order to seek justice. After doing so, he continues on as a force for good among the dark. When in ghost form he is able to become invisible, intangible, and can fly.

Moon Knight (Marvel)

After being betrayed and left for dead in the Egyptian desert by his parter, mercenary Marc Spector is given the chance to survive from the Egyptian god Khonshu by becoming his avatar on Earth. He takes the opportunity, avenges his attempted murder, and begins fighting crime as the vigilante Moon Knight. With his sanity connected inseparably to the moon and its phases, the fuller the moon, the more violent and erratic he becomes.

5 Characters I Want to See In the MCU…And Who Should Play Them

Even with new Marvel Cinematic Universe projects being announced over the last few years, there are still several characters that have yet to be seen in Marvel’s ever-expanding interconnected universe. A couple of the characters on this list are all but guaranteed to show up eventually as they are villains for an iconic hero set to have his first solo outing in the MCU next year. But I still want to see them finally done right. With each charater, I’ve also listed who my dream casting would be. What other characters would you like to see in the MCU? Do you have a better casting in mind for any of these? Let me know in the comments.

Green Goblin – Jason Isaacs

The Green Goblin is my all-time favorite villain (probably because Spider-Man is my all-time favorite comic character). While Willem Dafoe did well in his portrayal of Norman Osborn, I couldn’t help but feel like there was something missing: menace. Jason Isaacs, having already brought Lucius Malfoy and Captain Hook to life, can undoubtedly play a villain well. He also can convey menace as well as anyone in the business. As Green Goblin is Spidey’s nemesis, I’m sure we’ll see him sooner rather than later, but I just can’t wait to see him as part of the MCU and feel like Isaacs would be perfect for the role.

Venom – Tom Hardy

Another Spider-Man villain that appeared in the Wall-Crawler’s original trilogy. Where Green Goblin was actually done pretty well in that series, Venom was not. Hardly resembling the character from the comics, Eddie Brock was shown as a small, weakling of a man that was almost dwarfed by Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parker. This is not supposed to be the case. Eddie Brock is a massive individual that should dwarf Spider-Man even without the symbiote. This is why I think Tom Hardy would play this part so well. He proved in his role as Bane in The Dark Knight Rises that he can put on large amounts of muscle mass for a part. Then add in that he’s just an incredible actor as well, and you have a can’t miss casting for Venom.

Moon Knight – Jensen Ackles

Easily one of the most under appreciated, under marketed heroes in all of comics, Moon Knight needs a movie franchise or television series yesterday. The character is tailor made to be part of the darker, grittier corner of the MCU on Netflix. Jensen Ackles, best known for his role as Dean on Supernatural, would be perfect for the role. A rather underrated asset himself, Ackles would be bring a genuineness and touch of humor to a role that could very easily be made overly serious, and could pull off the badass quality that is a must for Moon Knight. On top of that, he also bears a remarkable resemblance to Moon Knight’s alter ego, Marc Spector.

Ghost Rider – Josh Holloway

Stuck with the terrible taste in my mouth from the awful Nicholas Cage-fronted Ghost Rider movie franchise, I’m ready to see Johnny Blaze represented properly. Ghost Rider is an extremely compelling character in the comic world. So the MCU counterpart should be shown as such. Not the pun-spewing, blandness we got before. I’m torn on where the Ghost Rider should be though: the dark, violent content necessary for the character is more in line with the Netflix family of the MCU, but the amount of visual effects needed to pull it off would be more in the budget range of an MCU film. Whichever way they go, Josh Holloway, of Lost and Colony fame, would make a great Ghost Rider. He’s a very good actor that can easily pull off the dramatic elements required for the part. But even more, Holloway would give the character the cool-factor that was so missing from the last portrayal.

Spider-Woman – Kate Beckinsale

Another character that should have gotten the movie treatment a long time ago. With HYDRA being destroyed at the end of season 3 of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Spider-Woman’s backstory would have to be reworked, but I have faith that Marvel Studios could come up with a new dark and tragic history for the assassin turned superhero. I’ll admit that I love Kate Beckinsale. So perhaps I’m biased in my feeling that she should play Spider-Woman in the MCU. But my adoration aside, she is a fantastic actress with serious dramatic chops, but has shown in the Underworld franchise that she can handle action-heavy sci-fi roles as well. Add in the fact that she is absolutely gorgeous, which is a necessary element to the Jessica Drew character, and you have the perfect Spider-Woman.

100 Greatest Comic Characters of All-Time – Part 6

75. Miyamoto Usagi

It takes a pretty good writer to turn a story about a rabbit ronin into an epic tale on par with some of the greatest samurai films ever made, and that is exactly what you have in Stan Sakai. Despite some appearances on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoons and toy line, he’s never gotten quite the popularity he deserves. A combination of historically accurate samurai culture, grand story-telling, and just the right amount of childish accessibility, Usagi is a great example of the types of characters you find only in the world of comic books.

74. The Kingpin

Marvel’s resident crime boss and nemesis of the Man Without Fear, Daredevil. Part business man, part violent crime lord, the real-world believability of Wilson Fisk stands in stark contrast to the super-powered beings in spandex that dominate the landscape of the vast majority of comic books. This is a big reason why he is such a compelling villain. The fact that he’s crossed paths with The Punisher and managed to remain among the living is a testament to his awesomeness.

73. Gambit

The X-Men’s smooth talking Cajun. From his humble beginnings as a pick-pocket and thief, to his rise as a bona fide badass on the X-Men roster, everything about Remy LeBeau adds to his appeal to comics fans. Armed with his charm, a silver tongue, his trusty staff, and a super-power that can turn anything into an explosive weapon, Gambit is one of the coolest Marvel mutants.

72. Black Widow

A former Russian assassin, turned American super spy, Natasha Romanoff is the epitome of a femme fatale. A skilled marksman, a fierce hand-to-hand combatant, and a master interrogator, she is one of SHIELD’s greatest assets. Black Widow’s terribly dark past adds to her cool factor and makes her one of the more complex females in all of comics. The lovely Scarlett Johansson’s portrayal of Black Widow for the Marvel Cinematic Universe has lead to a well-deserved sharp increase in the character’s popularity as well.

71. Moon Knight

I’ve said it on here before, you don’t mess with a guy that wears white to a fight because he obviously doesn’t plan on getting dirty. That’s exactly what you have with Moon Knight. Chosen as the avatar of the Egyptian moon god Knoshu, Marc Spector is a straight-up badass. Imagine all the high-tech and traditional weaponry that Batman utilizes, but in the hands of someone that has no problem killing the villains unfortunate enough to cross his path. With his connection to the lunar cycle, and having a god taking up shop inside his body, he tiptoes the line between sanity and madness…and sometimes falls completely into the crazy side. This makes Moon Knight an extremely volatile, yet utterly entertaining character.