IO9 asks Which DC Comics character could save DC’s non-Batman/Superman movies?
The problem is, all of them could be awesome, and all of them could be duds. Part of it has to do with the actors, the writer, the director, etc. — just like any other theme or character, a super-hero can rise or fall based on them. But some characters — due to their power sets, in some cases, or to their being interesting because of the rich texture of their back history — seem liable to fare better than others.
I mean look at the choices IO9 provides:
The Flash: On the one hand, the I still think the TV show was awesome sauce. There’s so much you can play with concerning a person who can move so fast, the world is like an array of statues. Or think of the interesting dynamics of the Flash vs. his Rogues. On the other hand, it’s such an all-trumping one-note power, all you can do (in the course of a movie introducing the character) is keep taking it away from him, which gets tiresome.
Wonder Woman: Imagine a WW set during WWII, with the gritty patriotism of a Captain America, but dealing with the added elements of myth, women’s rights, and being an emissary of peace in a world at war. On the other hand, imagine discarding everything about the character except some names and, kinda, the costume — oh, wait, no imagination necessary, just look at the (dropped pilot) TV show we just lost.
Teen Titans: The new animated has shown a great way to handle this — teen angst and trying to establish yourself as someone worthy of respect, while working in the shadow of your “mentor.” On the other hand, you’d have to be careful about the mix (and number) of characters, and really resist the temptation to make it a stupid teen comedy.
Justice League: Dudes, you need to get at least four characters “right” before even thinking of it. Not just “right” but “compatibly right” — current DC Superman and Batman movies don’t exist together, so their characters should not. (Teen Titans is different, as there the elder heroes are props.) Marvel is doing a solid job building their universe before they build the Avengers.
Green Arrow — and Speedy!: On the positive side, the FX are very manageable, and there’s all sorts of stuff you could do with GA (optionally with Speedy). Rich man / poor man. The addicted side-kick. Heck, people love Robin Hood and Legolas, why not Ollie? On the other hand, figuring out how to make him different from Batman and the Green Hornet in personality/backstory is non-trivial (at least for the non-comics population). Plus, the last thing you want is to encourage bow-wielding vigilantes.
Justice Society of America: After having just dissed JLA, JSA has some potential, if only as sort of the flip side to Teen Titans — heroes, past their prime, no longer the most powerful ones on the beat, trying to still feel useful. Potential downside: being played for laughs.
Aquaman: The problem with Aquaman is his story has been all over the map. Short of a “Man from Atlantis” style movie, or some sort of eco-warrior — it’s not clear what you’d do with him.
Hawkman: So you either do the Eternal Warrior (which is fine, but kind of boring, unless you include Sheira) or the Thanagarian space police (which is just goofy). Biggest problem with Hawkman is CG wings all the time. I’d probably go with the warrior / archaeologist / eternal love thing — The Mummy meets The Dark Knight.
Birds of Prey: Assuming, after the awful TV show, you weren’t laughed out of any studio, there’s possibilities here. Girl Power! The mysterious Oracle! The dauntless Black Canary! The … whatever other female heroes you wanted to throw in. And since they are mostly punchy-punchy, that keeps it from being a GL-style CG-fest. Risk: Desperate House-Heroes of Gotham. Or Sex and Gotham City. Bleah.
Mister Miracle and all the rest of Jack Kirby’s Fourth World: It would be tough to do the Fourth World without it being a Frank Miller-esque Gruesomefest, or else something played for laughs. Sorry, Jack.
Ambush Bug: It starred Jim Carey and was called The Mask. No thank you.
The Doom Patrol: Mutants who really are grotesque outcasts? Works for me, though there may be too much similarity to the X-Men (esp. the most recent flick) to make Hollywood happy. Or, perhaps, Hollywood will rear its imitative ugly head once more …
Is there anyone else? I’d love to see a John Constantine that was Keanu Reeves (i.e., played for sardonic and evil chuckles). Booster Gold has (dare I say it) some comedic possibilities. Vixen would make a nice one-off. Deadman works almost as-is. There are things you could do with Deathstroke (enhanced mercenary assassin with a heart of … well, whatever) that would work. How about an Authority movie; that could seriously rock.
What other DC super-heroes are there that you think would make a great movie?