Five Superheroes I’d Rather See Ben Affleck Play Instead of Batman You may have heard that Ben Affleck is the new Batman and that a lot of people aren’t happy about it. You can officially count me as one of those people. I’m unhappy because I don’t think he fits the part and because he already had a turn as a superhero (and we all know that didn’t turn out so well). This post was going to be about the fact that Hollywood appears to have a lack of actors and actresses willing to play comic book characters (as evinced by the large number who have played more than one). However, instead I decided to focus on undeveloped comic properties that I think Affleck would be more well-suited for (pardon the superhero pun). Here they are in no particular order: Not as widely panned as aquaman. No one knows why. Namor: The Sub-Mariner – How many superheroes can claim that their name was inspired by a classic poem? His father was a sea captain, his mother was a citizen of Atlantis. Also, for some reason, he can fly (which has nothing to do with either parent). Oh and his name spelled backward is “Roman” (cue head explosion). They could have fast-tracked the feature film so he’d be ready for the new Avengers movie (or, even more of a stretch, the next X-men film). My guess is that the speedo would be too much for our boy Affleck. Like superman, but with more magic! Shazam! (a.k.a., Captain Marvel): Shazam is actually the name of the Egyptian wizard who gave Billy Batson his powers and the name he must invoke to use said powers but he has been referred to as Shazam for so long that in 2012 DC comics officially changed the name. Shazam has a somewhat interesting back story that involves lots of mythology and magic. Though on the screen he would probably seem to most viewers to be a second-rate superman. Still, if Affleck is going to portray a second-rate superhero it might as well be Shazam. Admittedly a white guy in an all white hooded outfit might not sit well with everyone. Moon Knight: The story of Moon Knight is a classic American tale: the son of a Rabbi becomes a mercenary, stumbles on an Egyptian archaeological dig, decides to do the right thing and gets beaten to death as a result. Oh, and turns out, when you die in an Egyptian temple you get to come back as the avatar of the Egyptian moon god. Back from the dead revenge stories are pretty common in comics and they happen to be one of my favorite tropes. Marc Spector (Moon Knight’s real name) happens to also have a penchant for successfully maintaining three separate identities, so Affleck would really get to showcase his “range.” Bonus potential tie-ins with all three of the major Marvel superhero teams and Spiderman are a definite possibility. Have gravity rod, will travel Starman (Jack Knight): Starman is actually a named used by many different characters throughout the history of comics but the most critically acclaimed version of Starman came about in the 1990′s. Jack Knight, son of the original Starman (Ted Knight), reluctantly assumes the mantle of Starman after his brother David is killed while trying to be like Daddy. Jack Knight eschews the traditional superhero garb in favor of normal people clothes and tank goggles. He flies around with a brilliantly glowing gravity staff. Doesn’t sound that cool, but he’s kind of a non-traditional superhero and his real-life persona is artsy in that “probably is secretly a hoarder” kind of a way. Plus he only decides to become a hero after his father agrees to use his scientific knowledge for the betterment of mankind. It could be pretty cool and gritty if someone like Darren Aronofsky took the helm. Complete with the evil abed goatee Dr. Strange: Stop me if you’ve heard this one – brilliant rich narcissist neurosurgeon damages hands irreparably in a car accident and then goes broke looking for a way to fix them. Forced to perform back alley procedures for cash he takes one last chance, seeking out a mysterious hermit in the Himalayan mountains. The hermit refuses to teach him the mystical arts but has a change of heart after our hero saves the hermit from being murdered by one of his current students. Strange is arguably one of the most powerful characters in the Marvel cannon and a Dr. Strange movie (rumored to be in the works, albeit probably without Affleck in the lead) would allow for lots of magic, alternate dimensions, and a boatload of CGI. Honorable Mention: Wonder Woman Now hear me out. People are crying over Affleck playing a character who has already had 9 feature films and has been played by 7 different actors (this of course is not counting animated and short films). Wonder woman is awesome and the closest she’s even gotten to a feature film was a television movie in 1974. If you believe the hype, that is about to change in 2013 (a mere 71 years after she made her first appearance). And let’s face it, if she were a man this would have happened long ago (and Affleck could have played her). The post Five Superheroes I’d Rather See Ben Affleck Play Instead of Batman appeared first on Stuff Smart People Like. bit.ly/1dvDEzy
Posted on: Fri, 30 Aug 2013 00:22:42 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015