superheroes - Softonic English

Superheroes in Magic? This beloved character collection promises to ruin you

Everything fits in Magic: The Gathering, and from 2025, superheroes too, but these superheroes are old acquaintances that you will want to have no matter what.

Magic: The Gathering has been on an unprecedented streak of incredible announcements. The latest one so far has been its collaboration with Fallout, the legendary post-apocalyptic video game series. But they don’t want to stop there. At Wizards of the Coast, the franchise owners, they know there’s a vast audience they can reach out to with their game. And now, finally, they have found the mother of all collaborations.

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As we learned last Monday, Marvel and Wizards of the Coast will begin a collaboration in 2025 that will extend over several years. This means that Marvel’s universe of superheroes will make its way into Magic: The Gathering cards, both in the form of collectible products, as seen with Doctor Who and Fallout, and in various complete collections, similar to what we have already enjoyed with The Lord of the Rings collection.

Of course, this didn’t happen overnight. Both companies have been in dialogue for years to make this collaboration a reality, which is now coming to fruition. This was hinted at, even if we didn’t know it, in aspects such as Wizards of the Coast’s head designer, Mark Rosewater, collaborating on Marvel’s digital card game, Marvel SNAP.

If you want to see how these cards will look, unfortunately, we have to tell you that there’s still quite a wait for that. As we’ve mentioned, this collaboration is planned for 2025, and at the moment, they have only released a teaser explicitly announcing the collaboration between the two companies. In the meantime, several other equally interesting collaborations are in the works, including the already mentioned one with Fallout, as well as collections for Assassin’s Creed and Final Fantasy, set to release in 2024 and 2025, respectively.

Therefore, while we won’t know anything about this collection in the near future, this is a significant move for Wizards of the Coast. One that is expected to have enormous implications for Magic: The Gathering in the coming years.

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The big villain of the Marvel Universe in theaters has just become the ultimate superhero in the comics.

Nobody at Marvel sleeps forever. Not even parallel universes.

The Ultimate Universe was born in the year 2000 showing alternative versions of the Marvel superheroes loved by all and it didn’t stop to fit hits until its inevitable downturn in quality. In 2015, ‘Secret Wars’ ended the multiverses and that was the end of the line. But, of course, no one at Marvel sleeps forever. Not even parallel universes.

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What a kangaroo

‘Ultimate Invasion’ is the new from Jonathan Hickman and Bryan Hitch, two of the most sought-after authors in the industry, and we already know that it will be the return of the Ultimate Universe. For this, we have as villain Reed Richards of that parallel Earth (don’t ask, things happen), who survived the destruction along with Miles Morales and a handful of other characters, called himself The Maker and became one of the strongest enemies in the history of the editorial.

Now, when he returns to his old ways, there is only one person who can stop him: his own descendant from the future, the time traveler from the 30th century, the famous Kang the Conqueror. Kang has been giving the Fantastic Four a hard time since the 1960s with his various incarnations, from Rama-Tut to Immortus to Iron Lad. And in the end, although it may not seem like it, he always ends up becoming a villain.

However, in ‘Ultimate Invasion’ he has revealed himself as the ultimate hero who can help the superheroes to put an end to their greatest threat, an absolutely histrionic Reed Richards with evil intentions. Is it a trap? Is it the demonstration that everything depends on the color with which you look at it and he has never really been a bad person… Or a clever twist to the comics giving a turn to his personality?

For the time being, Kang has assembled a handful of alternate versions of superheroes from all over the world to fight The Maker. If he succeeds and gets redemption, who knows? Maybe even Jonathan Majors can… although it doesn’t seem likely.

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X-Men Face Immigration Block: United States and Canada Bar Entry

We are witnessing its lowest moment. So much so that they are being prohibited from applying for asylum. Bad business.

No, we haven’t completely lost our minds while writing this headline, and you haven’t arrived from another world into the Marvel Universe (we wish!). Nor has the X-Gene been discovered in part of the population. It turns out that in Marvel comics, after years of triumph for Cyclops, Xavier, Magneto, and the rest of the mutants, we are witnessing their lowest point. So much so that their asylum requests are being denied. Troubling times.

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Mutant emigrant

It all begins at the annual Hellfire Gala, which started with the murder of several mutants and ended with the destruction of Krakoa, the island where the group had been living (and continuously resurrecting) in peace since 2019. The culprit is none other than Orchis, an organization determined to eliminate the “homo superior” before it destroys humanity, led by a robot from the future. And yes, they’ve succeeded quite well. For now.

Who died, you ask? Get ready: Jubilee, Dazzler, Jean Grey, Cyclops, half the world. Well, more or less, because the inhabitants of Krakoa were transported at the last minute to an uninhabited planet, and we still don’t know exactly where… and they tell us that apparently only Jean Grey has truly died. And in Marvel, we know what “truly” means.

So, Orchis is capturing as many living X-Men as possible and taking them to concentration camps where they’ve implanted power inhibitors, sending mutants to other planets where they won’t be a bother and leaving them there to die. Fortunately, Quicksilver is helping mutants enter safe territories in the United States and Canada…

Until both countries have banned X-Men from entering their territories. They’ve even formed superhero groups like the new Alpha Flight to eliminate them and prevent them from crossing the borders. In short, things are getting chaotic in a world that’s united against mutants, creating a metaphor reminiscent of Nazism. A perfect time for Ms. Marvel to have returned, now as one of them, right? Talk about timing, young lady.

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The Rise and Fall of Amazing-man: A Mother’s Superhero Creation to Rival Superman

Everyone at the time wanted to have their own Superman. Some more or less succeeded and others stayed by the wayside. This is the story of one of them.

Some say that before 1938, there were no superheroes and everything changed when Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster created Superman, as if he had come out of nowhere. And there’s some truth to it: although characters like The Phantom, Sheena, Flash Gordon, or The Green Hornet were born decades earlier, the real revolution was the one brought by the Kryptonian who could lift cars, use X-ray vision, fly, and had an unwavering secret identity. Such was his impact that everyone at the time wanted to have their own Superman. Some achieved it to a greater or lesser extent (Timely), while others fell by the wayside. This is the story of one of them.

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The incredible man

In those years, being a comic book creator was a promising career (unlike now). That’s what Bill Everett thought, a young man who avoided becoming a truck driver like his father and, somewhere along the way, became a teenage alcoholic, a young marine, and eventually a talented comic book artist. The thing is, while he was working at Centaur Comics, a publisher specializing in pulp and science fiction stories, no one saw the overwhelming success of Superman coming. But it hit them hard.

That’s when the editor-in-chief, Lloyd Jacquet, asked Everett for “a Superman-like character.” The surprising part is that, since he couldn’t come up with anything, his mother rushed to his aid. In fact, there’s a preserved letter where she asks another family member to help them: “He needs a new character for a strip that Jacquet wants him to create to compete with the new one called ‘Superman,’ I believe. We’ve racked our brains trying to come up with a new type of character, but I can only think of going back to old folk tales, foreign if necessary, and trying to find some unusual character with which we can build an unusual story for these modern times.” We hope the mother at least received a little bit of copyright compensation.

The superhero that Everett (and perhaps his mother) ended up creating was like a toned-down version of Superman: Amazing-Man, who first appeared in issue #5 of ‘Amazing-Man Comics’… despite there being no preceding four issues. He was the second superhero in history to have his own comic book, and his story was, let’s say, unique.

John Aman was raised by monks in Tibet for 25 years: each member of the Council of Seven, as they called themselves, taught him to master a different superpower, in addition to granting him the ability to disappear in a green mist. Amazing-Man was super strong, invulnerable, super fast, could heal himself, and practiced telekinesis. In other words, he was a Swiss Army knife of strange powers. From issue #5 to #42, he was the star character of the publisher, but in February 1942, the company went bankrupt and left him lost in the (green) mist of history.

Bill Everett would later join a small company called Timely where he created a character named Namor and, much later, a blind lawyer named Daredevil alongside Stan Lee himself. In 1973, Everett passed away at the age of 55, without getting to see his character make a comeback in 1990 in the pages of Malibu Comics and in 2008 as the Prince of Orphans in a comic book called ‘The Immortal Iron Fist,’ published by Marvel. It goes to show that in real life, you may die, but comics are always eternal.

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Meet Snowflame: The DC Supervillain Whose Power Came from Cocaine

Little did the screenwriter imagine that at just turned forty he would create the strangest character of his entire career… or that that macarada would have a twist three decades later: this is the story of Snowflame.

The 80s were a very curious time in superhero comics. Sales were going through the roof on a continuous basis and the sagas were so powerful that the authors were stringing together successes, allowing themselves to do things that nowadays would be banned by hundreds of committees. For example, Len Wein, Gerry Conway and Steve Englehart created an unofficial crossover between Marvel and DC in the pages of ‘Strange Adventures’, ‘Justice League’ and ‘Thor’ in which they themselves (and Englehart’s wife) were talking to the superheroes.

Englehart, by then, was already a name of his own in comics: his are sagas such as The Celestial Madonna or The Serpent Crown in ‘The Avengers’, for example. But little did the scriptwriter imagine that at the age of forty he would create the strangest character of his entire career… or that this macabre story would have a twist three decades later: this is the story of Snowflame.

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Feel the warmth of Snowflame!

Some people don’t realize how much publishers copied each other in the 80s. So much so, that DC had a group called Guardians of the Universe before Marvel came up with their galactic namesakes. This team was born in 1960 and was united with the Green Lantern Corps until a crossover changed everything (or so they thought): ‘Millennium’ began in 1988 and lasted eight weeks, in each of which a comic book from the main collection was released.

Throughout this crossover, Herupa Hando Hu, a Guardian, and Nadia Safir, a Zamaron (really, we understand you don’t read comics, it doesn’t seem simple at all) chose different heroes from around the planet to form a new team: The New Guardians. An Australian woman who became a cosmic force, a Peruvian man who was one of the first gay superheroes in history, a Chinese woman, a man-plant…

The eight members of the New Guardians were DC‘s way of opening up to a more diverse world. Characters ended up as everything from cosmic entities to robots to being bitten by white supremacist vampires with AIDS. No, we’re not making this up: The Hemo-globin was the first villain ‘The New Guardians’ faced. But the one that changed everything and made the series go down in history of infamy was the one in its number 2: Snowflame.

What a delight, what a pleasure, to be on cocaine

The comic began directly in the jungle with the group facing an enemy dressed in red with a white aura around him, who claimed “Cocaine is my god, and I am the human instrument of his will”. Subtlety flew out the window and the comic was just getting started: Snowflame was getting stronger and stronger as he snorted the power of the cocaine plant he was fighting over.

The villain’s mansion, in the middle of the jungle, had a swimming pool, girls dancing in their underwear and the character himself saying phrases like “Do you know how many bags we have to sell to the dealers to buy a Rolls-Royce? Ten, Manuel!”. In the background, characters appeared snorting straight away – in a DC comic! Think of the sheer lunacy of it all! What’s more, Snowflame himself was doing it to confront our heroes, no plants involved, claiming that he was in for “The ultimate exhilaration, the divine ecstasy, the euphoria of electricity now surging from every molecule in my body.” My goodness, ‘Vicious Bear‘ in muscle version.

Finally, the fire that enveloped Snowflame made him explode… And that was the end of his story. Well, a priori, or don’t you know that in superhero comics nobody lives or dies? They just transform. Let’s move 32 years into the future: September 2020. Society was secluded in their homes, afraid of the Covid. It was the perfect time for Blake Northcott and Sean Murphy to bring back the kids’ favorite supervillain.

He wasn’t dead, he was on a spree

Issue 23 of ‘Catwoman’ volume 5. Selina travels to Nevada Island (subtle she certainly isn’t) to attend an auction hosted by – exactly – Snowflame, who explains how she got off years ago: “The key to faking your own death: explosions. If you blow enough people away, no one’s going to look through the mess to identify body parts.”

Mind you, he was far from reformed: he was still taking drugs (which he even offers to Catwoman), acknowledging that he’s “never quit long enough” to know whether the self-confidence is natural or cocaine-induced. Of course, Catwoman has to take down the entire drug cartel by confronting her old flame, Snowflame (because yes, they do let it slip that they were involved for a small period of time).

And indeed, power still comes from sniffing uncontrollably. Some things never change. The last we see of him is how a giant panther appears from the shadows to eat him, with his superpowers eliminated thanks to an antidote from the people of Isla Nevada. Since then, we haven’t heard from him again, but it’s possible that, seeing as he’s not even a worthy rival for Batman‘s girlfriend, he won’t be back in the pages of DC other than to be comic relief from time to time. Honestly? He won’t be missed much.

Marvel’s last chance to save the Fantastic Four

Can Marvel’s original superteam survive a third reboot?

Marvel shared a ton of news with us at Comic-Con last week: A handful of new TV series, some of the upcoming movies in Phase 4, and a bunch more. One promise that raised some eyebrows was the announcement of another Fantastic Four reboot.

Yes, another one.

We’ve had three movies with these guys in the past 15 years, and they were all pretty … well, they weren’t fantastic.

Guide to Marvel Phase 4: Everything you need to know

Get caught up!

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been ridiculously successful of late, even toppling long-standing box office giant “Avatar“.

One of their more remarkable feats is time and again bringing long-forgotten characters into the glorious spotlight. Who could have foreseen the popularity of Iron Man over a decade ago? The same can even be said of the Avengers. How many people had even heard of the Guardians of the Galaxy before 2014 (seriously, comment below if you had; kudos to you)?

Complete Guide to Marvel’s Infinity Stones

Confused? You're not alone.

If you told a Marvel fan back in 2005 that the Guardians of the Galaxy would rake in more cash than the Fantastic Four, he’d laugh in your face through his vintage issue of Alpha Flight. That’s because the Fantastic Four weren’t a long-lost offshoot in the overlooked annals of comic book history – they were at the epicenter of the Marvel universe, and had tie-ins to virtually everything involved inside it.

Why the Fantastic Four are so important

Fantastic Four Jack Kirby — These guys have been on more adventures than anyone else in the Marvel Universe!

Historically the Fantastic Four were the group that propelled the Superhero genre into the modern era. It did so by capitalizing on what were, at the time, very atypical angles of narrative: Though they got their start in space, the problems they shared were very down-to-earth.

The four teammates did not get along like the members of the original Justice League; The Thing despised his monstrous appearance and wished he’d never gotten his super powers; and Reed Richards struggled with decidedly non-super problems – overspent budgets, stock market crashes, failures in his personal projects, and struggles to lead his team. Instead of an unapproachable hero figure, Lee and Kirby created a relatable family of misfits:

It was at this point (in 1961) that Stan Lee convinced Martin Goodman to rename the company Marvel, and the team really started finding their own voice. It’s sad to see such a flagship of comic book history fail to meet the mark again and again with a modern audience, and it would be a welcome change if Marvel were to redeem their golden four.

The Fantastic Four might be the most important team in the original Marvel comics

The Fantasic Four are also hugely important to several story arcs and characters that the MCU could tackle soon, most notably Galactus, Silver Surfer, Kang the Conqueror, the Negative Zone, Annihilus, and of course the infamous Doctor Doom. So it’s not just about Marvel’s fab four looking shiny on-screen, it’s about what it could mean for the direction of the cinematic universe on a macro level.

Marvel Galactus — Question: How do you go bigger than Thanos? Answer: Galactus.

Where does the MCU go after Endgame?

What might we get in Phase 4?

Can Feige can finally fix the Fantastic Four?

That brings us to the big question: The Fantastic Four have been done before and it’s bombed every time. How can they be done better? When asked why the latest Fantastic Four did poorly at the box office, Stan Lee’s response was pretty legendary: “It was probably because I didn’t have a cameo in it,” he joked.

Unfortunately the MCU can’t rely on the same selling point that pushed the Fantastic Four comics to stardom, this notion that superheroes weren’t too dissimilar from us, or that they dealt with everyday problems; the MCU has already covered that in spades, and it wouldn’t make them stand out from characters like Hawkeye, Spider-Man, or Hulk.

How Stan Lee created Marvel’s complex characters

Tips from the man himself

So what can make this story work? First off, we’re all dying to see Doctor Doom, but maybe it’s best that we don’t – at least not right away. Spider-Man’s biggest villains are the Green Goblin and Doctor Octopus, and the MCU wisely chose to veer away from them in favor of the less famous, less scary Vulture and Mysterio (both of whom they did really well). Instead they might be better off focusing on the Skrull, Terrax, or Annihilus, the latter two being characters we’ve never seen on film before.

Fantastic Four Marvel Annihilus — Introduce the Negative Zone early, and bring in Annihilus as their first big villain!

Besides picking the right villain, it’s also important that the film tell the right story. We don’t need another origin story. Please. We didn’t need one for Spider-Man, we didn’t need one for Black Panther, and we don’t need one here.

Instead, focus on the family dynamic that made the team likable to begin with, and then pick a conflict for them to face together. The Negative Zone is an especially powerful plot thread that could have a huge impact on the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and a Fantastic Four reboot is the best chance to introduce it in a big way.

We’re anxious to see how Marvel and Feige plan to handle the Fantastic Four, but tbh we’re still biting our nails; we’ve been burned three times. Let us know in the comments below if you agree with our points, and what you’d like to see the company do with the Fantastic Four!

10 best superhero casting choices

From classic Superman films to the groundbreaking MCU, these performances paved the way for the franchise!

The choice of who you cast in your superhero flick can have huge consequences, both positive and negative.

When Disney cast Brie Larson for “Captain Marvel,” fans who disliked the actress review-bombed the movie on Rotten Tomatoes until it had an artificially low percentage. This was a factor that led to Rotten Tomatoes changing its review system entirely.

Clearly, casting decisions can have a huge impact. That said, which choices were the best? Which actors transcended the screen, and truly became their characters?

Let’s find out!

10 best movie superhero casting choices

10. Ian McKellen as Magneto

As far as comic book villains go, you’d be hard pressed to find a better-written villain than Magneto.

The Nazis put him in a concentration camp after killing his family for being Jewish. After this, Magneto realizes that he must fight back against those who challenge his very existence. Lo and behold, Magneto is a mutant, and there are also people who want him dead because of that.

Ian McKellen captures both his tragedy and motivations perfectly. Also, when showing off his abilities, he does so with such a quiet power. You just have this feeling that he could wipe out an entire building with a flick of his wrist.

McKellen’s final scene as Magneto happens toward the end of “X-Men: Days of Future Past.” In the scene, the last hope for the mutant race is about to be extinguished. Before recent events, Magneto fought against the X-Men as he believed that a future war was coming. Professor X didn’t deny this, but he believed in pursuing peace.

It turns out, both of them were right. However, Magneto realizes that it was his fault that mutants couldn’t come together to find peace with humans.

McKellan makes the character both powerful and tragic. That’s all we could have asked for our favorite master of magnetism.

9. Michael B. Jordan as Killmonger

When it comes to the MCU, villains typically aren’t considered the strong point of the films. Sure, actors like Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Hemsworth can really carry the film as the main hero, but their villains just pale in comparison. Can you even give the names of the villains in all three Iron Man movies?

Michael B. Jordan’s performance as Killmonger in “Black Panther” was what really broke the mold for a lot of fans. He commands the screen in all of his scenes.

Black Panther

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Let’s look at the scene where he reveals to the king’s counsel that he is Wakandan, and he is challenging the throne:

He approaches the situation calmly at first by allowing himself to be taken in as a prisoner. He lets T’Challa make the first move to help dictate how the situation will unfold. However, once he is asked who he is, he reveals that he is Wakandan, by speaking it in isiXhosa, an actual language spoken in Africa.

Once everyone believes him, all the balls are in his court. T’Challa has to accept his challenge in order to abide by traditions. He also compromised T’Challa’s leadership by stating that T’Challa’s father, King T’Chaka, killed Killmonger’s father.

To be fair, one of the things that makes Jordan’s performance so poignant is the phenomenal writing. This line perfect:

Jordan commanded the screen as Killmonger so well, that we actually kinda wish he would’ve ended up on Wakanda’s throne.

10 remarkable facts about Black Panther

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8. Josh Brolin as Thanos

Wow, three villains in a row!

Josh Brolin did not have an easy task ahead of him when he agreed to play the mad Titan Thanos. He had to somehow capture all the hype leading up to a character we had been waiting to see for more than five years.

He not only nailed it, but “movie Thanos” was better than “comic book Thanos.”

Yeah, yeah, yeah. that was a pretty bold statement, but let’s take a look at the comics. There, Thanos wanted to gather the Infinity Stones so that he could woo the female embodiment of death.

Seriously, we’re not kidding.

Sure, Thanos’s motivations in “Avengers: Infinity War” are not pure, but they are stronger than what we were given in the comics.

Brolin was menacing, well-written, and well-performed. There were so many movies leading up to his arrival, and yet Brolin was able to make the wait worthwhile. And he’s a completely digital creation!

Hopefully, Marvel will showcase a great new villain in the MCU now that he’s gone. If not, fans will be at the theaters shouting, “Bring us Thanos!”

5 Marvel villains who could follow Thanos

Who's next? Read Now ►

7. Michael Keaton as Batman

In major Hollywood Batman films, we’ve had Adam West, Christian Bale, Val Kilmer, George Clooney, Ben Affleck, and, of course, Michael Keaton don the cape and cowl. With so many different Batman (Batmans? Batmen?) to choose from, what makes Keaton come out as the best?

The answer is simple, Keaton was able to be a good Bruce Wayne AND a good Batman.

Sure, other actors who have played the bat have done well. Christian Bale was a menacing Batman, but he was a forgettable Bruce Wayne. Also, don’t even get us started on his voice:

Adam West is the OG Batman for a lot of people, but he lacked the dark and ominous feel the character is known for having.

Ben Affleck was one of the only interesting parts of “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice” and “Justice League.” However, flat dialogue and meandering storylines gave the bat nothing to work with.

Keaton’s performances in “Batman” and “Batman Returns” were coupled with great writing from Tim Burton. Pair Keaton’s performance with other great villains like Joker and Penguin, and you have something special.

10 things you didn’t know about Batman Begins

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6. Patrick Stewart as Professor X

Patrick Stewart had a difficult task ahead of him when he chose to play Professor Charles Xavier. He had to take the character from humble beginnings as a teacher and leader of the X-Men, to a freedom fighter trying to save the mutant race, to a frail old man seeking redemption.

Despite the varying quality of the X-Men movies, Patrick Stewart was consistently one of the best parts. Each word out of his mouth is filled with hints of both his experience and his pain.

In “Logan,” Xavier is battling dementia and is in recovery after he caused the death of nearly every one of the X-Men. After discovering a child with mutant powers that needs his help, Xavier begins a journey toward redemption.

The story gives a tragic, yet fitting conclusion to Xavier’s journey. That journey would have felt far less fulfilling if not for the work of Patrick Stewart.

5. Christopher Reeve as Superman

Superman is not an easy character to play.

Most superheroes have to overcome overwhelming odds and break their limits in order to save the day, but not Superman. Superman has no limits and instead needs to figure out how to be a god living amongst men.

For this reason, it is often hard for fans to relate to the Man of Steel. However, Christopher Reeve absolutely nailed the character.

Reeve’s Superman is both strengthened and incapacitated by his human upbringing. His Kryptonian biology might make him the strongest being in the universe, but his humanity is what makes him use his powers for good.

In “Superman II,” Supes decides to give up his powers in order to pursue a life with Lois Lane. Despite the fact that others dream of having abilities like his, Supes makes the selfish decision to abandon what can keep the world safe in order to be “normal.”

True, he does end up restoring his powers so he can duke it out with General Zod (complete with him throwing a random cellophane S).

What made Reeve a great Superman was his ability to get us to identify with an unidentifiable character. Superman constantly walked the line between what is good for others and what is good for him.

Sure, none of us can move faster than a speeding bullet, or be more powerful than a locomotive. However, throwing aside what makes us unique for the chance to be normal is something we can all understand. For that, we have Reeve to thank.

4. Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man

First, let’s do introductions:

Robert Downey Jr. was a very risky pick to play Tony Stark. His battle with addiction made him far from a slam dunk choice, and failure meant that the MCU simply wouldn’t happen.

Luckily, Robert Downey Jr. blew expectations out of the water. If you’ve ever read an Avengers or Iron Man comic book, you probably have a decent grasp of what kind of person Tony Stark is. He’s both cocky and arrogant, but he does have a very blunt view of justice (for better or worse).

Basically, if Stark believes something is right, it’s very difficult to prove him wrong.

That scene took place right after Stark created Ultron. Even after creating what is essentially an AI-powered weapon of mass destruction, he still defends his motives and the need to create it.

This scene made people hate Stark. Nobody could believe that he would still defend his actions after creating such an evil force. Here’s the thing though: that’s exactly who Iron Man is.

Even when faced with the reality of his actions, Stark rejects that reality for his own. Guess what else? He was right!

The world did need more protection, and it did need a suit of armor. Thanos made sure of that. Although the Avengers did defeat Thanos, Stark was right in assuming the team would not be enough.

You can poke holes in MCU movies and in the Iron Man movies until the cows come home. However, at the end of the day, RDJ was right, he IS Iron Man.

3. Heath Ledger as Joker

Nope, Heath Ledger didn’t get our #1 spot.

Sure Jack Nicholson gave us a pretty unbelievable Joker. However, Heath Ledger blew Nicholson out of the water with just one chilling scene from “The Dark Knight“:

Despite what many people think, Joker is actually a very versatile character. Sure, at his core he’s a criminal who dresses up as a clown, but he can be portrayed in many different ways.

Nicholson’s approach was to make Joker act more like a gangster. Cesar Romero made Joker focus more on the clown antics and gags. Jared Leto… did whatever this was:

However, nobody even came close to match Ledger’s madness and sense of anarchy. Throughout the movie, Ledger is two steps ahead of the mob, the police, Batman, and even the audience. There is simply no reasoning behind his actions other than the fact he wants to cause chaos.

He blows up a hospital and almost gets himself killed just for a chance to make Harvey Dent turn on Gotham.

Look, we can talk about Ledger’s Oscar-winning performance all day, and show you clips from the movie, and it still might not convince you. For a last-ditch effort, we’ll try a magic trick:

10 fascinating facts about The Dark Knight

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2. Hugh Jackman as Wolverine

Hugh Jackman played Wolverine in nine different X-Men movies. However, he only needed to be in one to cement himself as Wolverine for all eternity.

From the start, Jackman gave us exactly what we wanted Wolverine to be. He was tough but only had the best intentions. He was strong but also weakened by his unstable mentality. He was tragic but always triumphant.

He was Logan.

Sure, Jackman was able to be an incredible action star when portraying Wolverine, but he was also able to bring some real drama to the character.

Down the road, we are probably going to get a new incarnation for most of the characters we have already named. Heck, we already know about the next Batman.

Robert Pattinson is the next Batman… we’re being serious

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However, there is nobody else who can become Wolverine like Hugh Jackman.

At this point, you are probably wondering, “Who could possibly have the #1 spot?”

Sure, we named off some incredible talent up until now. However, the next entry was someone so good that not only does he represent one of the best parts of the movie(s), but his character has never been recast since.

1. J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson

Since Tobey Maguire first put on the Spidey suit in 2002, we have had three different live-action Spider-Man, two different Gwen Stacy, three different MJ‘s, two different Harry and Norman Osborns, three different Aunt May, and two different Uncle Ben.

However, we have only had one man and one man only play J. Jonah Jameson, and for good reason.

J.K. Simmons feels like he was ripped right from the pages of the comic books. He’s hammy, he’s over-the-top, but he’s a true comic book character.

Walk over to a comic book store, and find the shelf with all the Spider-Man comics. Throw a rock at the shelf, and read whatever issue it hit. No matter what, you will see that J.K. Simmons’s portrayal was 100% spot on to the comics.

He commands the screen in every scene he’s in. He’s a miserable jerk, but you can’t help but smile every time he opens his mouth. They could have taken out an entire action sequence from one of the movies and replaced it with more J. Jonah Jameson and nobody would have complained.

You can disagree with us all you want. However, before you go throwing this list out the window, answer this one question, “Who else could have played him better?”

Honorable mention

Yes, it hurt us not to include Ron Perlman’s performance as Hellboy.

Perlman captured the character perfectly, giving us the perfect comic book adaptation. Unfortunately, there were just 10 choices that were better.

We still love you, Ron.

Wrapping up

Whether or not you agree with our list entirely, you can’t help but admit that these were all some stellar performances.

At the end of the day, there have been so many other great performances in superhero movies. Emma Stone was the first actress who truly was able to give Gwen Stacy the justice she deserved. Gene Hackman was the only good movie villain Superman has ever had. Chris Hemsworth gave the god of thunder the charisma and character he desperately needed.

We’re in an age where comic book movies are being taken seriously, and aren’t just popcorn thrillers for the summer. These performances are what got them to this level.

Let us know in the comments below who you think should have made the list!

Robert Pattinson is the next Batman… we’re being serious

Taking the cape and cowl from Ben Affleck, the next Batman is set to be our favorite sparkly vampire.

Michael Keaton. Christian Bale. Ben Affleck.

These are actors who can play both an intimidating vigilante as well as an extravagant billionaire with grace and excellence. Say what you will about their shortcomings as Batman, each actor in their own right brought their own unique flair to the character, while still being a badass superhero.

For the next iteration of the caped-crusader, Warner Bros. has chosen this guy:

That’s right. For better or worse, the next Batman is going to be the sparkly vampire himself, Robert Pattinson.

Pattinson will don the cape and cowl in a new Batman film coming out in 2021. The film simply titled, “The Batman” is being directed by Matt Reeves.

With Reeves, we see a glimmer of hope. Reeves directed both “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” and “War for the Planet of the Apes,” and both of those movies were awesome.

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The last actor to play Batman in a live-action movie was Ben Affleck. Affleck played the role in “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice,” “Suicide Squad,” and “Justice League.” Although Affleck will not be returning to reprise his role in “The Batman,” he has been credited with writing an early screenplay for the film. Given the fact that Affleck is an Oscar-winning writer, his name attached to the project can’t hurt.

Most fans agree that despite all the faults of the DC Extended Universe, the one saving grace was Affleck’s performance. You know… when he wasn’t being stupified by hearing “Martha:”

We’re going to try to go into this as optimistically as possible.

Yeah, Pattinson has been in some stinkers, and he’s not our first choice for who we’d like to see play Batman. However, he’s come a long way from seducing high school girls in his vampire make-up.

Pattinson has had some challenging roles that show he can take on a more macho persona. For example, in 2017’s “Good Time,” he plays a criminal who goes through New York City’s violent underground in order to get his brother out of prison.

Sure, the role is a far cry from Batman, but it’s a step in the right direction. Also, the actor has dropped hints that he was less than thrilled with his character in the Twilight films.

Look, we might be grasping at straws, but we just want a decent live-action Batman movie. Most of everything else from the DC Extended Universe has been a stinker.

Man, here we thought the news about Chris Rock reviving the Saw franchise was random and weird.

We’re keeping our expectations low for this one, but we truly are hoping for the best. If Pattinson is great, then we will be happy. If not, we still can watch and enjoy both “Batman” and “The Dark Knight” any day of the week.

10 remarkable facts about Black Panther

Learn what you never knew about the groundbreaking action epic.

Marvel’s “Black Panther” is widely regarded as one of the most groundbreaking superhero films of all time. The movie follows T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman), king of the fictional African nation Wakanda. Under the moniker Black Panther, T’Challa defends his nation from a variety of outside threats, including the ruthless rogue black-ops soldier Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan). Read on for some little-known facts and fascinating bits of trivia about the making of this blockbuster film.

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10 remarkable facts about Black Panther

1. Chadwick Boseman took inspiration from legendary African leaders

chadwick boseman black panther t'challa — Image courtesy Marvel Studios

To prepare for the role, Boseman threw himself into some intense research. He based his character on a number of real-life figures, such as Nelson Mandela, Shaka Zulu, and Patrice Lumumba. He also made multiple trips to South Africa, where he met with local tribal leaders and studied various forms of martial arts and other combat styles.

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2. Killmonger’s scars aren’t CGI

black panther killmonger scars — Image courtesy Marvel Studios

That’s right, the scars that cover Erik Killmonger’s body are totally real. Each scar is a piece of individually sculpted silicone. There are over 90 scars covering his body, which took roughly two hours to apply. Actor Michael B. Jordan would have to spend an additional two hours to have them removed after a day of filming.

3. Danai Gurira shaved her head daily for her role

danai gurira black panther — Image courtesy Marvel Studios

Fans know actress Danai Gurira for her role as zombie hunter Michonne on AMC’s “The Walking Dead.” For her role as bodyguard Okoye in “Black Panther,” Gurira was required to re-shave her head every day to apply her tattoo makeup. All told, the process could take up to three and a half hours.

4. Angela Bassett’s wig was incredibly intricate

angela bassett wig black panther — Image courtesy Marvel Studios

Actress Angela Bassett plays Ramonda, T’Challa’s mother. For the role, she wears a striking waist-length silver wig. That wig is actually made from 120 pieces of hair. The hair was then hand-rolled into dreadlocks to create the finished wig.

5. Wesley Snipes almost played Black Panther

wesley snipes blade — Image courtesy Amen Ra Films

Back in the 1990s, actor Wesley Snipes began production on a Black Panther movie as a personal project. The production was eventually scrapped for a number of reasons, including the fact that Snipes was already playing vampire hunter Blade, another Marvel character. When production began on the 2018 version of “Black Panther,” Snipes was quick to give his blessing to the project.

6. Wakandan is a real language

black panther wakanda — Image courtesy Marvel Studios

The language of Wakanda is actually based on a real language. The dialect is primarily based on Xhosa, one of the eleven official languages of South Africa. Star Chadwick Boseman was taught the language by actor John Kani, who portrays T’Challa’s father in “Captain America: Civil War.”

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7. The movie’s composer compiled multiple sources for the soundtrack

black panther battle — Image courtesy Marvel Studios

To write the movie’s Oscar-winning soundtrack, composer Ludwig Göransson made a lengthy trip to South Africa. While there, he spent several weeks working with local musicians to research the sound he wanted to create for the movie. He also worked to incorporate a variety of traditional African instruments into the soundtrack, such as the talking drum.

8. The movie broke Twitter records

black panther chadwick boseman — Image courtesy Marvel Studios

Hype for “Black Panther” reached epic proportions on social media. On Twitter, in particular, the movie was tweeted about an estimated 35 million times. This made “Black Panther” the most-tweeted about movie ever, with an average of about 559,000 tweets made about the movie in a single day. To put that in perspective, the average film only garners about 100,000 tweets per day.

9. It also broke a 35-year movie ban in Saudi Arabia

black panther costume — Image courtesy Marvel Studios

“Black Panther” also broke down other barriers across the globe. As part of a series of strict traditionalist policies, cinemas had been outlawed in the nation of Saudi Arabia since the early 1980s. After the ban was lifted in late 2017, “Black Panther” became the first movie to be shown in the nation in over three decades. The premiere was attended by a host of diplomats and influential figures from around the region, including Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Culture and Information.

10. Hundreds of costumes were made for the movie

black panther throne room — Image courtesy Marvel Studios

The intricate costumes of “Black Panther” drew inspiration from a variety of sources. Costume designer Ruth E. Carter combined elements of traditional African tribal garb with more modern influences from the likes of Yves Saint Laurent and Donna Karan. In particular, the dress of Tuareg, Zulu, and Xhosa tribes heavily inspired the movie’s clothing styles. Over 700 different costumes were created for the movie by Carter and her team. Thanks to her imagination and skill, Carter became the first African American woman to win an Oscar for costume design.

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DC unveils first trailer for ‘Swamp Thing’ show

Swamp Thing gets a teaser trailer and a release date.

Wow, the new live-action Shrek show looks bananas.

DC’s “Swamp Thing” got its first teaser trailer as well as a May 31 release date.

The show will be available to watch on DC Universe.

According to DC, “Swamp Thing” follows Abby Arcane as she investigates what seems to be a deadly swamp-born virus in a small town in Louisiana. She soon discovers that the swamp holds mystical and terrifying secrets. When unexplainable and chilling horrors emerge from the murky marsh, no one is safe.