Several comic book stories have deserved to be told one way or another in recent years. With Marvel Comics having the MCU and now Disney+ to play around with, they could tell stories for days. Yet DC Comics is not in a bad position either, as HBO Max will allow them to tell more stories too. These smaller stories are great to use and will only help to establish new major characters and brands for the companies they are connected to. Sometimes, there is a need to bring stories in that have a twist. One thing Disney has done is tell comic book stories that are slightly altered compared to their comic book counterpart. The reason for this was two-fold. First, they did not own every Marvel character, so for something like Civil War, they could not tell the exact comic book story. They also wanted to tell a different version that allowed the MCU to stand out on its own. Disney did not want to just tell the same story Marvel already has. They also combined stories. Such as with Thor: Ragnarok. The team combined the Ragnarok story with some elements of World War Hulk. All of this is great to see. In the end, we just want the stories to be told. The question is, what stories have yet to be told that need to be done?
We’re glad you asked!
Marvel: Original Sin
- Debuted: 2014
- Written By: Jason Aaron
Marvel’s Original Sin story revolves around The Watcher. He’s a high-powered being that literally sees all. He not only sees what occurs in our universe but also in other universes. But with The Watcher seeing everything, sometimes, that means he sees something he shouldn’t have. That allows him to know every secret the multiverse could offer. Potentially due to this, someone decided to kill him, but who? The assassin did not just kill him but they also steal the eye of The Watcher too. Now, every dark secret any living being has could be exposed at the whim of one individual. Comic book stories like this would be fun to see unfold in a film but likely even more as a series. Perhaps 6 to 12 episodes could fully flesh out every important detail that this dramatic story gives us.
The Original Sin offers us some very impressive story-telling. In it, we find out it was really Nick Fury that killed The Watcher, but he never wanted to do it. The Watcher wanted to die and Fury needed to be the one to do it. Why is this? It turns out, Fury has been around a long time himself but somehow has not aged. He has been assumed dead many times in the comics yet always comes back. How is this possible? This and more is told through Original Sin, making it one of the most incredible stories you could use. It is a story that has several twists and turns, with secrets being exposed about many favorites. That even includes one about Thor that makes him no longer worthy of possessing Mjollnir, seriously.
DC’s JLA: Tower Of Babel
- Debuted: 2000
- Written By: Mark Waid
We’re kind of cheating with this one, as there has been a movie about it. However, it was an animated film called Justice League: Doom. They also told a different version of the actual story that fit into their current animated universe at the time. While this was a good short movie, nothing came of it in the universe and the original comic book story was actually better. The story goes a little like this: Ra’s al Ghul wants to try to take over the world (we know, again?) but he knows the Justice League can stop him.
He feels he can alter communication systems and use a beacon that could mess with the brains of those on Earth. The idea would be that he could offer salvation from this. Upon deploying the beacon, everyone on Earth cannot understand words or numbers. They are both jumbled up for them, like a high form of dyslexia. This could be fixed, but Ra’s does not want it traced back to him. How can he avoid a massive League response? He has a secret weapon, supplied by the Dark Knight himself. Technically, Batman did not give al Ghul any assistance. Rather, he decided to come up with contingency plans for every major player or threat in the League. They were stored only on the Bat-Computer but the plans were stolen. Ra’s then uses those plans to try and neutralize members of the League.
The Contingency Plans:
Ra’s al Ghul freezes Plastic Man, makes Aquaman afraid of or feel allergic to water, and blinds Kyle Raynor (Green Lantern). For Wonder Woman, he manages to plant a microchip in her head that makes her believe she’s fighting something or someone with the hope it’ll fry her brain. Martian Manhunter is hit essentially with a rocket that contains microbes that set him on fire.
On top of this, the current Flash (Wally West) is hit with tech that puts him into several epileptic seizures at the speed of light that cause repeated spasms to his muscles. Superman is taken down by red kryptonite, used to overload his system with solar absorption and thereby cause him tremendous pain. While Batman tries to stop all of this but he’s not able to do so. For Bruce Wayne himself, he arrives home to see the caskets of his parents missing. This is the last straw for Batman.
He knows Ra’s al Ghul is behind this and tracks him down. However, before he can get to him, Ra’s threatens to drop Bruce’s parents into the Lazarus Pit. While the pit will bring his parents back to life, it also warps a person’s brain when it brings them back from the dead. He does not want that for his parents and Ra’s knows it. Now Batman is faced with having to save his parents, his friends, and stop Ra’s al Ghul. Comic book stories like this are clearly too awesome to avoid using.
X-Men: Schism
- Debuted: 2011
- Written By: Jason Aaron
Professor X is dead and a new leader is needed to lead the X-Men going forward. While some might naturally assume the popular Wolverine would be a natural leader, Scott Summer aka Cyclops often led the team on missions. He was essentially the general, field leader, and tactician for the X-Men and made the most sense to lead them. Cyclops also had the same vision in mind for the mutants that Charles Xavier himself had. But how Scott decides to lead does not gel well with Logan.
While the two have been friends for years, their issues with one another are well-documented. Now, there was no Professor to get in the middle of their issues. Their problems become much greater, leading to the events of X-Men: Schism. This was a split of sorts within the mutant community, especially the X-Men. In some ways, it’s basically the X-Men’s Civil War. In the end, things are clear. You’re either Team Wolverine or Team Cyclops.
Wolverine & Cyclops have been at odds a lot, but this particular issue that led to the schism comes right after the results of the Messiah Complex & House of M storylines. The X-Men are cut heavily by these events yet new mutants slowly popped up from time to time, one of which ended up being Hope Summers. Of course, Hope becomes a huge part of this story as well as other newer mutants.
The Schism:
Schism then focuses on the “5 Lights” or those born after House of M. On top of this, Kade Killgore, a young evil genius without powers, becomes a major part of the story. To Wolverine, all these newer mutants are just kids and need to be treated as such. Yet Cyclops sees them as new X-Men that are capable of being on the front lines, saving the world, and stopping great evils. This is in spite of very little training or understanding of their powers.
Logan doesn’t want to see them created into child soldiers, something a man like Wolverine knows a good bit about. The rift in this truly explodes off when the governments of the world decide to reinvest in the Sentinal program. That only comes after claiming they’d pull them back, and as the mutants come out from hiding. Outside the X-Men, most mutants have hidden in fear for years. Not only do these governments break their deal to pull back Sentinals, but now the Hellfire Club is back.
This is not your Sebastian Shaw/Emma Frost-led Club though. It is back to what it used to be, a group of influential, rich people. Of course, they now have the goal of taking down the X-Men. Controversy pops off though, and due to several issues, Hellfire Club is killed. Now, the young mutants are put in a difficult situation. The X-Men were always about being a peacekeeping organization, but this is war. This was not Xavier’s vision. What could come from this?
X-Men Schism is clearly one of the best comic book stories that need either a movie treatment done to it or a long-running, live-action series. With Disney now owning them, it’s clear they’ll want to make a big impact. This is one way to do it.
DC’s Sinestro Corps War
- Debuted: 2007
- Written By: Geoff Johns & Dave Gibbons
While Sinestro has been a major villain for many years, he and his Yellow Lantern Corps manage to hit even harder in this Green Lantern Rebirth series. In it, Sinestro is back to his old tricks. He enforces control via fear while the Green Lanterns accomplish everything through hope and simple force of will. In the initial portion of this story, Sinestro takes the fight right to the Green Lanterns and even manages to defeat several. Through this unexpected attack, Sinestro manages to capture the very first Green Lantern of Earth…Kyle Raynor. Now that he has a beloved member of the Green Lantern Corps hostage, he decides to infect him with Parallax, a being that basically acts as a beacon of Yellow Lantern power.
On top of this, Sinestro somehow resurrects the Anti-Monitor. You know, the guy who nearly wiped out the entire multiverse. Sinestro and the Yellow Lanterns are difficult on their own but add in Anti-Monitor and a potentially turned Raynor…and you have a fight the Green Lanterns could truly lose. On top of that, they’re headed right for Earth. The Green Lanterns are potentially the only group that can stop them, but not if they hold back. Therefore, for the first time in the mainline DC Comics, the Guardians of the Universe allow the Green Lanterns to use lethal force to end this, once and for all. The Sinestro Corps is ready to do whatever it takes to get what they want, and the Green Lanterns are no longer having to hold back. Comic book stories like this could give you chills as you watch them unfold on the big screen. The epicness of a properly done Green Lantern movie cannot be overlooked.
Marvel’s Galactus Trilogy
- Debuted: 1966
- Written By: Stan Lee
We’ve seen Fantastic Four movies in the past and through at least one, we were introduced to a version of Galactus. Yet it was the powerful Silver Surfer that mainly operated as a hesitant antagonist. Surfer is the herald for Galactus, and the “Eater of Worlds” must feed. Earth is in his sight, and the Fantastic Four must do something to save the planet and maybe even other planets if they can help it. It is an important battle meant to save Earth. But it’s also one of the first times we get to see Marvel’s “First Family” stand out above other teams or characters in Marvel. Several key players are introduced through this story, but perhaps none bigger than the Silver Surfer. While we would not know much about him initially, we’d later find that he can travel through time and enter into other galaxies in the blink of an eye. This Zenn-Lavian humanoid becomes so beloved, Marvel gave him his own epic series.
A movie that can get him right as well as this story could be epic to see. Comic book stories like this are so very important to the history of comics. Thus, it would be amazing to bring the Fantastic Four into Disney and have them face off in this true Trilogy that can unfold along with other stories across three films. If not, they could be introduced another way and get around to Galactus to end a major MCU “Phase” too. The ball is in your court, Disney!
DC’s Injustice
- Debuted: 2013
- Written By: Tom Taylor & Brian Buccellato
What happens when a God falls from their celestial palace? To some, Superman is a God. It’s not hard to see why. He is capable of flight, has super-speed, super-strength, super-eyesight, super-hearing, can shoot high-powered lasers from his eyes, cold breath, & x-ray vision. While a small bit of green rock from his home planet might be able to bring him down, you have to use it without the man knowing. That isn’t easy, at least…for most people.
Injustice is not written by DC Comics writers, oh no. This was written by the team at NetherRealm Studios, the team behind the Mortal Kombat series. While some assume they just wrote up the Injustice video game scripts, the story writers also continued the Injustice series well beyond the first & second games. The original series did wrap up, but due to the massive popularity of Injustice, a new series called Injustice: Year Zero, ended up launching in August of 2020. It’s clear that Injustice is now a cash cow for DC Comics, so a live-action series or movie would be awesome to see. Don’t believe us? Let’s just address the very start of the series and you can decide for yourself if you’re intrigued by things. Sound fair? Good!
Injustice, The Beginning:
Louis Lane is pregnant and Superman cannot be happier, but if he thought this would slow down his wife in any way, Superman would be foolish. Though he just found out about the pregnancy, Lane must go out on an emergency alert that evening with her cameraman Jimmy Olsen. Bored by all of this, Superman decides to go on patrol with Batman. He’s not around the Dark Knight for even a minute and concludes Louis is pregnant before the Man of Steel can say a word.
He can see the happiness written all over the Man of Tomorrow’s face. Happy it’s out there, Superman asks Batman to be the child’s Godfather to which Batman humbly accepts. It’s getting late though, and Louis has not checked in with Superman as she usually does so he goes to check on her. That is when he finds his friend Jimmy, dead, with a Joker card lying right next to his body. Superman rightly concludes Joker killed Jimmy and kidnapped Louis.
Naturally, the Justice League offers to help find her. Yet Joker has planted a bomb somewhere in Metropolis that they must find too. Superman searches for Louis while the League tracks down the bomb. This is when they start to uncover several major events that have already unfolded. Scarecrow is found dead by the Justice League with his fear gas taken. On top of this, a small bit of kryptonite is also missing but no one knows where either is.
Breathless:
Superman finds both The Joker & Harley Quinn, they are holding Louis captive. But this seems too easy a catch. They spray Superman with Scarecrow’s fear gas but obviously, Superman is immune to such things and easily blows it away. Suddenly, Doomsday comes rushing up to Superman to attack. This is the being that once killed the Man of Steel, so he decides to fly him up into space. As he’s doing this, he tells the League where Joker is.
Upon being captured, Joker laughs and tells Batman and the rest of the Justice League that nothing will matter soon. Joker has put something special on Louie that follows the beating of her heart. The moment it stops, Metropolis will explode. That is when Batman realizes what is happening. Joker laced the fear gas with kryptonite, allowing it to affect Superman. Louis Lane ran up to greet him for saving her but he thought she was Doomsday and took her into space.
Now, it’s too late. The fear gas wears off and Superman is left holding Louis Lane’s dead body. Her heart stopped and Metropolis is now gone, blown off the face of the Earth. Within a minute, Superman lost the entire city he swore to protect, the love of his life, and his unborn child. All out of a joke. Superman, troubled by all of this, goes to the prison holding Joker and shoots lasers from his eyes right through the brain of the Clown Prince of Crime, killing him.
All of this is done right in front of the Justice League. Talk about one of the best comic book stories in recent memory. If you opened a movie with this, it would probably be the most epic thing you could do in a superhero film.Man of SteelPlastic Man
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