6 Superhero Comic Book Arcs That Would Make The Best Movies

25th September 2021

6 Superhero Comic Book Arcs That Would Make The Best Movies. By George Bate.

Comic book movies have dominated the silver screen in the 21st century. You can’t walk through a cinema today without a big and bold superhero posing heroically on the wall.

But the box office has only scratched the surface on the potential that comic books hold. Hidden away in the glossy pages are thousands of incredible superhero stories that have stretched back to the 1930’s.

The MCU, DCEU and all the stand-alone feature films have extraordinary potential moving forward in the future. Some of these stories have become iconic in their fandoms and doing them justice in live-action would please a lot of comic book and movie fans alike.

The Killing Joke

The Killing Joke is one of DC’s most famous comic arcs, a dark and twisted story that delved into the Joker’s character. It gave audiences a back-story to the infamously mysterious villain, a deeper meaning behind the sadistic clown and it received overwhelming critical praise.

The story revealed that the Joker was once a regular man, grinding to support his wife and child. But when his family is killed, a heist goes wrong and he falls into a vat of chemicals, his mind snaps and warps, becoming the Clown Prince of Crime.

The Joker realises that Batman is just one bad day from becoming the same twisted villain. Without knowing that Barbara Gordon is Batgirl, Joker tracks her down and breaks into her home. He shoots her in the stomach before sexually assaulting her and kidnapping her father.

It is one of the darkest comic stories in history. After the overwhelmingly positive reception of 2019’s Joker movie, an R-rated adaptation of The Killing Joke on the big screen would be a slam dunk at the box office.

Guardian Devil

Guardian Devil was the 1999 comic story from Kevin Smith that is widely known as one of Daredevil’s best adventures. The story follows Matt Murdock as his life falls apart, both as the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen and as a small-time lawyer.

The story begins with Daredevil being delivered a child, born from a 15 year old who claimed it was through immaculate conception. He is told that the baby is the Antichrist. Once the baby is under his protection, his life unravels. Matt’s partner, Karen Page, is diagnosed with HIV, his friend, Foggy Nelson, is framed for murder and he loses his job as a lawyer.

Through several plot twists and heart-wrenching deaths, Guardian Devil explores just how much mental torture that Daredevil can take, all manipulated by one man. It is a brilliant story that would make for a great big screen debut for the Man With No Fear.

Injustice

Injustice is the iconic DC comic arc that sparked the massively successful video game series. However, before NetherRealm Studios brought it into the public eye, Injustice was one of DC’s best stories.

A newly pregnant Lois Lane was kidnapped by the Joker and Harley Quinn, sparking Superman and the rest of the Justice League to go out and search for her. In their rescue, they discover that a bomb has been planted in Metropolis. While trying to kill two birds with one stone, Doomsday suddenly appears.

While Superman flies Doomsday to space, the Justice League discover the sinister plot. The Joker infected Superman with Scarecrow’s fear gas, tricking him into believing that Lois Lane was Doomsday, killing her and their unborn child. However, when she dies, the bomb is triggered in Metropolis. Superman loses his wife, his child and his city in a matter of seconds. The Man of Steel’s mind snaps.

This sparks a dictator-like Superman and a civil war amongst the heroes and villains of the DC Universe. It is a brilliant story of power and justice that would be on par with Marvel’s Avengers films.

Avengers: Under Siege

Avengers: Under Siege is a simple yet brilliantly written Marvel comic story that has become a classic tale in the Avengers lore. The arc follows Baron Zemo forming a team of over a dozen villains to bring down the Avengers in an all-out assault.

For most of the time, the Avengers had lost. Baron Zemo broke their spirits and outright destroyed the team. It is their biggest loss outside of the Infinity Gauntlet and Secret Wars. In the end, the good guys come back and win, in the classic Marvel fashion.

With Daniel Bruhl even more fleshed out as Baron Zemo and the MCU chock-full of villains, it would be an excellent way to expand on their one-off antagonists and expand their roster of evil moving forward into Phase 4 and 5.

The Tower of Babel

The Tower of Babel is an iconic Justice League story that truly demonstrates Batman’s skills as a strategist and tactician, resulting in one of the most clever and brutal stories of the DC comic universe.

In order to wreak havoc and control the world, the infamous Ra’s al Ghul discovers Batman’s contingency plans against his fellow Justice League members. Ra’s unleashes hell on the DC heroes.

Aquaman develops a fear of water. Green Lantern is rendered blind. Martian Manhunter is infected with microbes that light him on fire. The Flash is hit with tech that forces him into seizures if he runs too fast. Wonder Woman has a chip implanted in her brain that makes her believe she is permanently fighting enemies, exhausting her. And Superman is left in excruciating pain after being exposed to red kryptonite.

Seeing all these gods being brought down by one human man’s plans is a sight to behold. It would work brilliantly as a sequel to the Justice League story and would establish Batman as a force to be reckoned with. After Justice League 2017, Batman was left a laughing stock but The Tower of Babel storyline would put back at the top of the food chain.

House of M

House of M is a famous and compelling story surrounding Scarlet Witch and her descent into madness. After she loses her husband, Vision, and her two children, Wanda warps reality, fuelled by her anguish and grief.

But this alters the world around her. Magneto becomes a ruling force in the world, Ms. Marvel becomes the most popular hero. As the world begins to realise that things have changed, the Avengers and the X-Men meet, in order to establish what to do against the most powerful woman alive.

The Avengers decide to kill her and end the madness she is unleashing, however, the X-Men believe they can get through to her. What follows is a small civil war between the two teams and Scarlet Witch realises what she did, the bloodshed is her fault. With her powers at their highest level, she speaks the words “No more mutants”.

It is a controversial and extreme story that would work perfectly as an introduction for mutants into the MCU. With Wanda’s slow descent into madness during WandaVision, it would logically lead to the big House of M storyline. They would need to alter some events in order to introduce the X-Men and the mutant gene but it would be an amazing spectacle moving forward in the MCU.

6 Superhero Comic Book Arcs That Would Make The Best Movies. By George Bate.

Facebook

Google

Twitter

We hope you're enjoying BRWC. You should check us out on our social channels, subscribe to our newsletter, and tell your friends. BRWC is short for battleroyalewithcheese.