Is it really that hard to get the DC Movie Universe off the ground? Apparently so - and a big problem might just be translating the superpowers of the superheroes and supervillains alike. After all, the DC movie failures are much well-known than the Marvel ones. And we can't blame it all on the writers and on the directors. Or can we?
Well, here are 5 superheroes that couldn't be translated too well on the big screens - also, since the DCMU is just getting started, we might look a bit into the future too.
Green Lantern
Deadpool in the house!
Sure enough, Green Lantern isn't exactly the heavy-hitter from this side of the comic book movie universe. However, and apparently, Warner Bros found it very difficult to adapt any storyline from the comics for the silver screens.
The power of the Green Lanterns can be easily summed up this way: if you can imagine it, then it can be done. A world of possibilities is thus opened for the right writer. However, there is much more to it.
Each Green Lantern depicted in the comics had a personality of his/her own. In the case of Hal Jordan, the studio decided to go with emphasizing his humorous side - and not in the better way. So instead of presenting this awesome power in an awesome way, they decided to make fun of it all.
And yeah, Parallax, the main baddie, is depicted like a giant space cloud. What's with these studios?!?
On the next page, the superhero who crossed a universe!
DC in the future - SHAZAM
As said, there aren't too many superhero movies, since this cinematic universe is just taking shape. However, we can glimpse into the future and see that the awesome Captain Marvel SHAZAM will debut in 2019.
While Superman is, basically, still mortal and isn't actually a God, it would be very interesting to see how Warner Bros decides to go with SHAZAM. The guy isn't just a god (as far as his abilities are concerned), but has the powers of many Greek gods (SHAZAM as in Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles and Mercury). So how they will try to deal with all the abilities that come with the name seems pretty problematic.
SHAZAM
Hopefully, DC Studios won't take their cue from Marvel when it comes to portraying actual gods. Ahem. Thor.
Hopefully, the studio will stear clear from the Nolanesque way of portraying superheroes… We all know that the main problem with Man of Steel was this one.
On the next page, Zod!
Doomsday
The guy, or whatever it is, killed Superman - what else can be added? Well, besides this creature's tremendous strength and viciousness, it also has an incredible ability: to come back to life no matter what and to become immune to whatever killed it before.
Doomsday
We included Doomsday in here because it is too an iconic character and because he can actually bring a fitting end to a Superman franchise (thinks the Superman: Doomsday animation). We might not see him next year in Batman v Superman (or will we?), but he will certainly pop sometime along the line.
The problem in here is how can they depict such a terrible power - we believe that it might be easy enough. But DC has showed us before in its movies that they can get it wrong, even with the most basic characters.
On the next page, the Justice League founder nowhere to be found… yet!
Martian Manhunter
Ridiculous name asks for a ridiculous amount of power, doesn't it? J’onn J’onzz will most likely be featured, sometime in the future, in DC movies, since he is one of the core members of the Justice League. And the problem appears when you see all the powers that he possesses, with shape-shifting and intangibility being the most exotic ones.
Martian Manhunter
Vision's intangibility was solved by Marvel, in the sense that it wasn't included in Avengers: Age of Ultron (of course it was, but in a blink and you’ll miss it scene). Hopefully, when this Martian will arrive on the big screens, he will be as awesome as in the comics.
On the next page, the granddaddy of all villains (Thanos included)!
Darkseid
He is literally the Thanos of DC comics (inside joke, maybe), able to defeat singlehandedly the entire Justice League - and that without the help of gimmicks such as a glove. So you can bet that we are anxious about what DC and Warner Bros will do when he'll arrive on the silver screens.
Darkseid – DC’s Thanos. Or was it the other way around
And that is because he will definitely appear - maybe not in the first Justice League, but definitely sometime in the future.
What we hope is that DC will steer away from teasing the character, without showing him in action. How come? Because this doesn’t make a string general, but rather something akin to a MacGuffin – something just to keep the universe going, only to be lamely defeated in the end.
On the next page, the necessary special mention!
Superman
We definitely wanted to include him in here too - however, we believe that DC and Warner Bros have made a pretty good job in depicting him. Sure enough, it may be said that he is one of the most powerful characters in the comics. However, Man of Steel presented him as, in some way, a newborn superhero - hence him not being actually too super-powerful and actually letting people die. And killing someone.
Man of Steel
