10 Comic Book Movie Characters We Need Better Versions Of (And Quickly!)

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There has been some fantastic depictions of classic comic book movie characters on screen; Iron Man, Wolverine, Loki, Magneto, Batman, the Joker, the Mask, Captain America, Hellboy and Superman to name but a few. However, for every great depiction, there’s an awful one too.

In many of these cases, the bad depictions haven’t been rectified with a decent version – and it’s about time that changed.

We already know that 2016 will see us getting a much better version of Deadpool than the one we were given in 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine, but which other characters from comic book movies do we need to see an improved version of in the near-future?

Here are ten comic book movie characters we need better version of (and quickly!).

The Juggernaut

Juggernaut

Juggernaut

Vinnie Jones’ awful depiction of the Juggernaut in 2006’s X-Men: The Last Stand was a massive disappointment. He looked ridiculous, he spoke like a moron and his powers were based on mutation rather than coming from a magical item like in the comics – and they were also considerably watered down from the comics.

A better depiction would be most welcome, as the villain (and occasional hero) is an iconic character and should be treated as such on the big screen.

He’s a character whose strength and durability should rival the Hulk’s – he has punched through dimensions and survived being burned down to a skeleton, for goodness sake – so the wimpy live action depiction we got in 2006 just wasn’t right. With the Marvel Cinematic Universe set to introduce magic, perhaps Fox’s X-Men movies should consider doing the same, so that a Juggernaut faithful to the source material can be adapted on screen.

Green Lantern

Green Lantern

Green Lantern

In 2011, a Green Lantern movie was released with Ryan Reynolds in the lead role. Frankly, he was quite simply the wrong man for the role, as none of the main Green Lanterns are remotely suited to a man with his over-the-top personality.

He played a far too cocky version of Hal Jordan – a typical Reynolds depiction of any given character, really – but he just wasn’t right for it.

A Green Lantern Corps movie is, however, scheduled for release as part of the current DC Extended Universe in 2020 – and when that comes around, we want a better portrayal of the lead character – whoever that may be, probably John Stewart (of course, a more faithful Hal Jordan depiction would be cool at some point in the future as well!).

The Fantastic Four

Fantastic Four

Fantastic Four

The Fantastic Four have now been treated terribly on screen in two different franchises, across two different films. 2005’s Fantastic Four and its 2007 sequel Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer were bad, but 2015’s Fant4stic was absolutely horrendous.

The first franchise was extremely cheesy and the reboot was just incredibly boring – and Marvel first family deserve so much better.

Now that the rebooted franchise has been as good as cancelled, it might be a good time for Marvel Studios to bring the group home. It would be awesome to see them in the Marvel Cinematic Universe fighting alongside the likes of the Avengers, the Defenders and the Guardians of the Galaxy – and sooner rather than later would be cool, before Fox are tempted to try again!

Venom

Eddie Brock

Eddie Brock

Ugh, very few comic book movie character depictions have been quite as annoying and frustrating as Topher Grace’s version of Eddie Brock AKA Venom.

The iconic Spider-Man villain was portrayed as a wimpy and whiny shadow of the classic comic book version of the character – and that’s something that definitely has to be rectified now that Spider-Man and his supporting characters have moved over to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Grace’s version appeared in Sam Raimi’s 2007 Spider-Man 3 movie – and it managed to totally sour the entire trilogy, which is quite the achievement, as it was previously great! Tom Holland’s Spidey should face a much-improved version of the character in the near future. It’s an absolute must for Spider-Man fans around the entire world!

Doctor Doom

Doctor Doom

Doctor Doom

Doctor Doom is arguably Marvel Comics’ most iconic villain – and yet he’s tragically been ruined on screen twice, by two different actors in two different Fantastic Four franchises produced by Fox.

Julian McMahon played the character in 2005’s Fantastic Four and its 2007 sequel Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, before Toby Kebbell played the character in 2015’s Fant4stic. Both were awful in their own unique way.

Doom needs to be intimidating, with real authority, incredible willpower, a variety of gadgets and skills in magic as well as science. Hopefully, the character can become the new big-bad of the Marvel Cinematic Universe at some point – because he truly is worthy of following Thanos in that respect, assuming he’s portrayed faithfully, which Marvel Studios can definitely do.

Supergirl

Supergirl

Supergirl

Female characters are sorely neglected in comic book movies and while there are a few on the go and on the way at the moment – Black Widow, Scarlet Witch, Gamora, Wonder Woman etc – a few more still wouldn’t be unwelcome.

Supergirl first appeared on film back in 1984, when Helen Slater took on the role in a movie that was a spin-off to the iconic Christopher Reeve Superman movies – but, unfortunately, it just wasn’t very good.

The character should definitely be introduced to the DC Extended Universe at some point – and she has been hinted at through Easter eggs in 2013’s Man of Steel – to fight alongside her Kryptonian cousin and the likes of her gender counterpart Wonder Woman. If it happens, hopefully a modern depiction will improve upon the previous offering vastly.

The Mandarin

Trevor Slattery

Trevor Slattery

The Mandarin is a fairly unique entry to this list, as he hasn’t really been depicted on screen at all yet – 2013’s Iron Man 3 saw a bumbling British actor named Trevor Slattery playing the Mandarin as a character, while the Extremis-powered Aldrich Killian actually committed acts of terrorism in his name.

It’s arguably the most controversial twist on a character in comic book movie history – the Mandarin is to Iron Man what the Joker is to Batman, after all – and it really should be rectified.

A subsequent Marvel One-Shot suggested the real Mandarin in the Marvel Cinematic Universe was annoyed that someone had been using his name, so he definitely exists in the franchise. The sooner he emerges the better, as he’s a classic villain who deserves a faithful movie depiction.

Ghost Rider

Ghost Rider

Ghost Rider

Ghost Rider has, thus far, appeared in two movies – 2007’s Ghost Rider and 2012’s Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance. On both occasions, the character was played by Nicolas Cage (although it’s debatable as to whether the second movie was actually a sequel or a reboot) and, on both occasions, it was an awful depiction of the character.

It really is bizarre that Cage was allowed to reprise the role, because he was awful – and it’s about time the iconic character got some better treatment on the big screen.

Now that magic and the supernatural are coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, perhaps Ghost Rider could join the franchise. Surely they’d treat him right?! They’ve done a good job with most characters so far and seeing Ghost Rider fighting alongside the likes of Doctor Strange would be cool as hell.

The Phoenix

Jean Grey

Jean Grey

In 2006’s X-Men: The Last Stand, one of the main antagonists was actually Jean Grey – a character who had previously been allied to the X-Men and the forces of good – when an alternate side of her personality took over her, making her more powerful and more evil.

That alternate personality was called the Phoenix – an entity that, in the comic books, is something completely different and not merely an alter-ego of Jean Grey.

It’s a cosmic force of nature that, when living within a host, grants it incredible psionic powers and augments the host’s existing powers to incredible levels. Fans of the X-Men comic books would really like to see that version in the movie – and it’s a logical progression to use it after Apocalypse, as very few characters could follow him without being underwhelming.

Galactus

Galactus

Galactus

Galactus is one of the most iconic cosmic beings in all of comic books and the only version of him seen on film to date was an absolute mess.

2007’s Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer introduced the character as a big cosmic cloud that was capable of engulfing planets to consume them – and that’s a far cry from the character fans are so familiar with seeing from the comic books.

What fans would really love to see is the giant purple humanoid version adapted to the big screen. Imagine, now that Fox’s Fantastic Four franchise has all but been cancelled, that the character comes to the Marvel Cinematic Universe to replace Thanos as the big-bad – now THAT would be awesome, given what Marvel Studios can do with its characters.

What do you think? Do you want better versions of these characters soon? Who else falls into that category? Have your say below!

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