SUPERHEROES THAT DESERVE THEIR OWN MOVIE

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Nightwing (Dick Grayson)Previously Batman’s first sidekick, Robin10.

10. NightwingAt the end of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy, we saw Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s

character (Robin John Blake) enter the Batcave and hint that a new legacy was afoot. With Nolan’s franchise at its end, however, fans were left to draw their own conclusions regarding the fate of what lay beneath Wayne Manor.

A popular theory was that Robin would use the newly inherited Bat-gear but honour the city’s tribute to the fallen Dark Knight by taking up a new mantle under the name of Nightwing. Fans got excited at the thought of a new movie featuring another member of the bat-family and soon enough edited photos of JGL in the Batman armour with Nightwing’s blue stripe across the chest circulated the web.

Nolan’s trilogy should be left alone but with a new cinematic universe born from Man of Steel and a new Batman (portrayed by Ben Affleck) to be seen by the end of 2016, this is the perfect time to showcase some of the other, younger, DC characters without a complete disconnection from the cash cows that are Batman and Superman.

Nightwing’s New 52 comic series is about to end, unfortunately, but a movie that could respectfully showcase the adrenaline-fuelled acrobatics of the character may well help DC strengthen their efforts in the big screen battle with Marvel.

A short fan film created by YouTube user Ismahawk that has generated over 1 million views shows early potential for the character on-screen and can be seen here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lIgC-i6Sbw

It’s worth noting that the same user has also recently completed filming of a 3 part mini-series based on the character. The mini-series, funded by Kickstarter, raised $14,000 more than its $20,000 goal and should be seen by the end of the year.

Green Arrow (Oliver Queen)9.

9. Green Arrow

The CW’s “Arrow” TV series has been very well-regarded by fans and critics alike and has shown that Green Arrow can be successfully adapted from page to screen. Season 1 ended with a rottentomatoes.com score of 86% and with a successful second season almost over, the network has revealed there will be a third.

Though the television series is doing very well, a movie expansion would allow the character to be enjoyed by a wider audience that have not been exposed to the series or do not have the time to tune in every week.

When the time comes that the show must come to an end, a movie to wrap storylines up could potentially be used to tie in with DC’s endeavours to bring the Justice League to cinemas.

8. The Flash (Jay Garrick/Barry Allen/Wally West/Bart Allen)

8. Flash

A pilot for a series based on Flash has recently been greenlit by The CW as a way of expanding their DC television universe from “Arrow”. With characters like Gorilla Grodd, Captain Cold and The Trickster frequently battling against the scarlet speedster, it would be unjust to restrict this hero to the small screen as the possibilities for a Hollywood production would prove to be endless.

If the Flash series is successful then perhaps it could follow the proposed pattern for Arrow (have a good run then finish with a movie to take it from there) but for now it is hard to imagine how the character will work on television.

Arrow worked because there were no superpowers and a subtle bridge between comics and “real life” allowed the show to be enjoyed outside of the usual niche market. If the Flash and all his villains are to be shown fairly then a movie would be the best option.

The television series will focus on Barry Allen, the second Flash. Perhaps a movie showcasing fan favourite Wally West could be created at the same time and, like the proposal for Arrow, be used to tie in with Justice League. Alternatively, if Wally was to be introduced somewhere as Kid Flash, base the movie around that information and we could maybe even see a Teen Titans franchise!

Aquaman7.

7. Aquaman

Due to misrepresentation, the concept of Aquaman has been laughed off by many in the past. The New 52 reinvention has saw the character get the treatment he deserves and people are really starting to take him seriously.

A movie featuring the King of Atlantis would look beautiful. Imagine the visuals of Thor (2011) transported underwater. The complex architecture of the underwater city and the beautiful colours within are enough reason alone to make the movie happen.

In reference to Thor again, an Aquaman movie wouldn’t be the first time a mythical ruler turned superhero was captured on film. A story showing the young Arthur Curry discovering his Atlantean roots and being faced with the challenge of saving a city from a tsunami on a ”The Day After Tomorrow” scale would make for very exciting cinema.

It has been said time and time again, but DC need to bring a Justice League feature to cinemas sooner rather than later. Aquaman is a core member of the team and cannot be ignored when the time comes to give rivalry to Marvel’s Avengers.

6. Black Panther

6. Black Panther

Black Panther, often credited as the first black superhero in mainstream comics, has been around since 1966 when the character debuted in an issue of The Fantastic Four.

Hailing from the fictional African nation of Wakanda, the character’s home land is a source of Vibranium, which has proven to be a key plot point in the current Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Fans have wanted Fox and Sony to hand over the rights to Spider-Man, the X-Men and Fantastic Four since Marvel began making their own movies. This may seem unlikely, but in an ideal world the studios would collaborate to allow the path-crossing of many key characters. Black Panther would allow crossing over to occur through all three studios by the inclusion of his battles with Kraven the Hunter, a Spider-Man villain, and his relationship with Storm from the X-Men.

Kevin Feige, President of Marvel Studios, has stated in an interview with BlackTree.TV that there are definitely plans for a Black Panther movie in the future.

The Runaways5.

5. The RunawaysThe Runaways are a group of teens that find out their

parent’s annual meetings are not charity events, as they claim, but rather meetings to discuss their plans as the criminal super-group “The Pride”. The teens leave their parents and, after discovering they have inherited their powers, use them to do good.

A movie of the Runaways would be a great way of saying thank you to the teen fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe whilst also introducing a great storyline to the uninitiated.

The majority of The Runaways team are female, unlike other teams such as The Avengers who are currently at the top of the world. With Black Widow being the only woman in the Avengers (and one of two members without a solo movie), the superhero genre needs more female representation.

Characters such as Katniss Everdeen from the Hunger Games are proving to be strong female role models for young women and now is the time to start giving them the spotlight they deserve.

Shazam / Captain Marvel4.

4. Shazam / Captain Marvel

Captain Marvel is DC comics answer to every young boy’s dream of becoming a superhero. Granted his powers by a wizard, 15 year old Billy Batson transforms into a hero whenever he calls the magic word – Shazam! The New 52 reboot saw the character officially renamed from Captain Marvel to Shazam after years of informal recognition of the title by fans.

Shazam has joined forces with Superman on multiple occasions, opening the door to more crossover movies for DC. Adding the character to the Justice League roster would allow the DC cinematic universe to expand beyond “realistic” superheroes and aliens by including the fantasy-laden back story of magic that Shazam possesses.

Black Widow(Natasha Romanoff)3.

3. Black Widow

After starring in the background of Iron Man 2 before getting a bit more screen time in The Avengers and, more recently, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, it is time for Black Widow to be given a movie of her own.

The next Avengers movie, Age of Ultron, is set to feature Black Widow more prominently than ever before, but will it be enough to entice a standalone feature?

Reiterating the point made in the section on The Runaways, Marvel need to expand their screen time of female heroes and the former Russian super-spy is just the girl for the job.

Wonder Woman2.

2. Wonder Woman

Princess Diana of Themyscira ticks all the boxes for what the superhero genre, and more specifically DC, need right now. The female warrior is set to appear in the second Man of Steel alongside Batman and Superman but it’s about time Wonder Woman is seen in a solo feature film.

Allowing the inclusion of female representation, a different genre of fantasy to be explored, and another core member of the Justice League to be brought to life before the whole team is seen together, Wonder Woman should be high priority in DC’s movie to-do list.

The character starred in a very popular TV series in the 1970s and has left a cultural impact on the world since Lynda Carter’s portrayal graced television screens. Rumours speculated that Wonder Woman would return to television as a cameo in Arrow but for now fans eagerly await to see how successful Gal Gadot’s portrayal will be in “Man of Steel 2”.

Deadpool(Wade Wilson)1.

1. DeadpoolFan favourite Deadpool is first on the list of superheroes that

deserve their own film. After the disappointing portrayal in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, fans were left rather unhappy at the unfair treatment delivered to Marvel’s funniest character.

Constantly breaking the fourth wall and speaking to the voices inside his head, Deadpool’s unique outlook on the world could lead to a revolution in comic book movie history.

The Kick-Ass movies used a similar blend of humour and violence donned by the “merc with a mouth” and found success in their deviation from the typical seriousness that superhero movies have channelled in the past few years. Deadpool already has such an established fan base (unlike Kick-Ass at the time of release) that Hollywood should have complete faith in a successful project featuring him.

The character celebrated the release of a videogame in 2013 which had a hilarious storyline and was faulted only by its repetitive gameplay between the cut-scenes that formed an overall clever plot composed of multiple encounters with other Marvel characters. If Daniel Way found himself hired to write a screenplay similar to his video game effort, we might just be on to a winner.