Minor Mighty Marvel Movies?
Marvel appears to be dipping into its lower-tier characters for a bunch of lower-budget films. They list some of the usual suspects as well as ones I wouldn't have thought would work, like Dazzler. I mean, she's better known for wearing roller skates than being a major hero, and the cynic in me thinks some producer wants to cast Molly Cyrus and emphasize the character's singing career to push a few Disney tween singles on iTunes. Or is that being realistic these days? :)
Anyway, it got me to thinking about what other titles I'd like to see them take a crack at, and here's just a few off the top of my head:
- Damage Control: This one would probably have to come out after a few more titles get time in front of a camera. In fact, it could be made even more cheaply that way. For those unfamiliar with this group, they're a company that sells "Superhero Insurance" and can use hero-grade technology to put back together whatever has been smashed up by the random fights among the spandex-wearing classes. How could it be cost-effective? Simple. Film all fights for every other Marvel movie that involve property damage from two points of view. The Damage Control actors would make cameos in the other films, and then those cameos would be used as larger parts of their own movie's plot. Instant savings! They're an insurance company. They'd appreciate it.
- Nextwave: Yeah, you knew this one would be on the list. It could be the next "Kick-Ass" but with the hyper-violence conveniently restricted to inhuman characters (mostly) and not so much foul language (except for "The Captain" if someone says his full name). It's wickedly funny, but the special effects might be a bit of a budget-buster even done on the cheap, so maybe an animated feature for Adult Swim?
- Cloak and Dagger: I figured we could toss this one in for the romantics out there. It beats Edward and Bella by a mile, and besides, if Dagger's costume is even remotely similar to the one she wore in the comics, the 18-24-year-old male demographic will drag their significant others to see it.
- Deadpool: The nice thing about this guy is if the plot of the film can touch on something involving AIM or HYDRA, then it could test the waters for a potential SHIELD film. If nothing else, it would give Wade Wilson a ton of Stormtrooper-like mooks to beat up on. Just make him funny, give us the voices in his head, and let's all agree to forget about him in that Wolverine movie.
- ROM: Spaceknight: One of the few toy ideas that became so much more than just a doll with light-up eyes. Rom and his fellow space knights were cyborgs, living brains inside of machine bodies built to take on a race called Wraiths. The dominant sex of the Wraiths is female, able to perform black magic rituals (go with it, they looked pretty scary) and they could suck out your brains and assume your identity. I have no idea why it was so cool to me as a kid, and I'm not sure it would be now, but I'd like to think so.
But what I think these minor films will do that benefits other, larger movies even more is in fleshing out the universe. And they need to allow the writers to at least have characters mention other heroes and groups if it would fit in. One of the biggest beefs I had with the Fantastic Four movies was that they really need other superheroes running around, just so they don't look so out-of-place. Also, Reed and Sue are supposed to be the older and wiser "parents" of the Marvel Universe. With that gone, they seemed even more lame, character-wise. Reed just became awkward, and Sue was only good for the odd underwear gag. They have to wait until Fox gives up the license for this to work, so they've got plenty of time, I'm sure. This would also help if they tried to make another "Punisher" movie. Having the other heroes around makes "crazy guy with guns" seem a little more credible instead of being hunted by every law agency on the planet. Also, he'd have some people to contrast his own moral code with as well as his methods, since he lacks superpowers.
And Stilt-Man has to show up somewhere, even if it's just to get knocked down five seconds after he comes into frame. :)
"Supernatural" was a very Gaiman-esque episode this week (and that's saying something given the angels and demons and what have you). This one reminded me of two events in "The Sandman": the "cereal" convention crossed with the meet-up where all of the old gods vied for the key to hell. And the body count continues to increase (though moreso than last week, it could be a red herring). It looks like if you're being invited back to reprise a role on the show, it could be your final appearance.
"Fringe" gave us a look at a proto-shapeshifter, which was fun. It felt like things were moving, which is always good. There was also a little Dr. Frankenstein action, complete with sparks and lots of slimy goo. I still keep having to remind myself that half of this show isn't going to consist of the evidence of something weird disappearing. It's a nice change of pace after years of The X-Files. And it taught the importance of always having your network cable connected, I suppose.
Before the linkdump, some nerd bits: Torchwood at Fox is dead but a U.S. version might still be in the works, new animated shows are in the works though I think the Bugs Bunny one might be a mistake, and there's a trailer out for Batman: Under the Red Hood which sadly lacks Kevin Conroy (and I hope the narrator of that trailer is the Red Hood, because Bats shouldn't have a voice so high-pitched).
Onto the good stuff:
- A photo many thought could be of a time traveler has been debunked. Of course, the time travelers could have just altered the past to make it seem like it was debunked...
- There's a small language warning on this next clip: Lots of those "Downfall" Hitler subtitle parody videos are being taken down, and Hitler isn't happy about it. Someone might want to send these lawyers a link to the classic Disney-clip film about fair use.
- Here's a collection of Useless Fliers, many with PDF links to download, print, and post around your immediate vicinity.
- Little Stars for Little Wars is a game of numerical conquest. Your planets produce ships, you send them to conquer other worlds while your computer opponent does the same. It's kind of like one of those territory conquering board games except in real-time.
- This is an Etsy page containing some neato Modern Art interpretations of superheroes in poster form.
- Just to increase everyone's paranoia: Most digital copiers now contain hard drives that retain images of whatever they photocopy, like driver's licenses...
- For my mid-life crisis, I would like a street legal bumper car, please.
- Here's a Mario-esque platformer that should please: Enough Plumbers is a game where you need to get at least one plumber to the end of each level. You create clones of him along the way every time you grab a coin.