Unabashed

Marvel has better super heroes than DC: Fact. And, even though DC has reigned in the movie adaptation biz up until recently, the shift over to Marvel has begun, and get ready, because it looks like Marvel’s in it for the long haul and are ready to expound upon the statement made initially by Spider Man and now by Iron Man.

Between mecha-fighter Iron Man’s second movie, coming in April 30, 2010, and military-sponsored super-soldier Captain America, coming May 6, 2011, Marvel Comics’ upcoming movie slate has a very militaristic feel. But where’s the peaceful shrinking scientist Ant-Man, who communicates with ants? Apprently his movie’s on hold, so we can get Norse god Thor’s movie, directed by Matthew Vaughn (Stardust, Layer Cake), on June 4, 2010. Captain America’s full title will be The First Avenger: Captain America, and his film will be followed by The Avengers in July 2011.

I’m glad they’re redoing the Hulk, but if they really want to fix past failures they need to look seriously at Daredevil. Or Ghost Rider. In fact, let’s just go ahead and ban Nick Cage and Ben Affleck from any and all future super hero movies. For the genre, I think Robert Downey, Jr. and Ed Norton are exactly the kinds of actors needed to fill the roles. Though I thought Eric Bana did an okay job as Bruce Banner, he just wasn’t right for the role. Ed Norton looks like I might imagine Banner looking like, so, casting is at least better in this adaptation than in the first Hulk. And casting is monumentally important in super hero movies. Just plugging in any-ol’ star won’t work with us fanboys. The actor must fit the role. Like Robert Downey, Jr. in Iron Man. If they’d given that role, as was originally planned, to Nick Cage, or even worse, Ben Affleck, even if nothing else in the movie had changed it wouldn’t have been as good.

For Thor and Captain America, casting is going to be equally important. We–I’m speaking for Fanboy Nation here–don’t care so much about the big names, we just want to see the character fulfilled. We want the actor to fit the role.

The forming of Marvel Studios should help make comic movies a lot better. They should be more focused on presenting the characters faithfully to the storylines already established. Or at least I hope they will. And they’ve got to, because they’ve all but ruined comic books with crossovers multiple titles for the same characters.