Marvel and DC are the comic book kings and while their cinematic universes differ on critical approval, they are both here to stay. Many fans of these classic comic characters experience a flood of excitement when announcements are made as to what characters are going to be adapted for film. Sadly, some of the most iconic characters will never be adapted for comics due to the difficulty of accurately portraying the character. So here are ten possible characters from both Marvel and DC that will never appear in their cinematic universes, ranked in order from more likely to least.
10. Carnage (Cletus Kasady)
Photo courtesy of Comic Vine
When an alien species known as Symbiote attaches to Peter Parker giving him an infamous black suit, Peter ditches the suit when he realizes that the Symbiote has begun to affect his psyche negatively. The Symbiote finds a new host in Eddie Brock who becomes the beloved supervillain Venom. The Symbiote copies all of Peter’s powers granting Brock the knowledge of who Peter is and also gives him the powers of Spider-Man. When Venom is finally brought to justice he is placed in a cell with Cletus Kasady, a deranged sociopath and serial killer. A part of the Symbiote removes itself from Brock and attaches to Kasady turning him into Carnage.
Kasady is one of Spider-Man’s greatest foes, a mixture of the powers granted to both Peter and Brock mixed with the deranged mind of a serial killer. He’s a loose cannon who makes for a terrifying villain both in his television and comic appearances. Sadly Carnage may never be seen on film. To properly introduce him Marvel would need several establishing characters. Introducing both the black suit and Venom proved to be a tragic side story in Spider-Man 3. With the time it takes to properly introduce him there is little chance we will ever see Carnage in a movie. And if we do, it probably won’t be till the late 2020s though.
9. Brainiac (Vril Dox)
Photo courtesy of DC Comics
A scientist turned android from the planet Colu, he is responsible for some of the most reprehensible acts around the universe, especially against his nemesis Superman. His greatest achievement is stealing the capital of Krypton and shrinking it down to microscopic size. He’s motivated only by his desire to display his immense genius and to destroy the symbol of hope that is Superman.
One of Superman’s most popular villains he is a difficult villain to portray and numerous attempts to film an adaptation has ended in the project being cancelled. Whether this is a curse or that Brainiac’s appearance just can’t be captured on film without coming off as odd is a question for another time. The only reason the big-green-headed super-genius is low on this list is because Zack Snyder seems adamant he appear in future DC films.
8. She-Hulk (Jennifer Walters)
A cousin of Bruce Banner, she requires an emergency blood transfusion that only Bruce’s blood will cure. The blood causes her to gain the same powers as her cousin, the ability to gain immense strength and durability when enraged. Although, unlike Bruce she still retains her personality and does not become an unstoppable force or rage, but her appearance in the Hulk form is permanent unlike Banner’s. She is also a talented lawyer and has been to provide counsel to numerous superheroes.
She-Hulk is one of the best female superhero characters in Marvel’s vast lineup. She sadly doesn’t seem as though she will be around anytime soon. Her introduction would require a heavy amount of setup and Hulk centered plotlines have not brought a great amount of financial success to Marvel recently. While she could appear now that her best friend Captain Marvel is getting her own movie, it doesn’t seem like we’ll have everyone’s favorite green-skinned superheroine on the big screen anytime soon.
Photo courtesy of Marvel Database
7. Gorilla Grodd
Photo courtesy of DC Comics
Imbued with hyper-intelligence by a crashed spacecraft, Grodd became the leader of a city of advanced apes and has incredibly powerful telekinetic and telepathic abilities. He is a common enemy of The Flash.
Although Grodd is an enjoyable comic book character he doesn’t seem suited for the movies. He has an immense vocabulary and has been portrayed in animated shows by Powers Boothe. While he is beloved by many fans his appearance in a film would be very hard to portray, especially considering that without establishing Gorilla City early one would lead to a very odd appearance of a talking gorilla in a superhero movie. Grodd did appear in The Flash on The CW, but his appearance in film is a different story.
6. Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew)
Photo courtesy of Marvel
Featuring a similar origin to Peter Parker’s Spider-Man, Jessica is a female with all of the same powers of Peter, with a few additional ones. She is a powerful superhero with an intriguing personality filled with sarcasm, naïveté, and kindness, she is a beloved member to her teams. She is also a talented private eye and in recent comics a new mother.
Spider-Woman is one of the best characters in Marvel comics. Intended to be an oneshot she has blossomed into a character of depth and nuance. A loving mother both in a metaphorical sense to her teammates and to her new son. Her appearance in a Marvel film is unlikely though, she requires a Spider-Man film to introduce her, but she also would need to be separated enough from Peter to actually appear. There have been no hints that she will be appearing any time soon, which is quite a shame.
5. Static (Virgil Hawkens)
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
After being doused in chemicals Virgil Hawkens gains a plethora of electicity themed powers, using them to stop crime.
Static is a beloved character from DC Comics. An early face of minority representation in comics, he had his own television series dedicated to him. Sadly, Static and has unique power set and personality have been forgot both in book format and show. He would make a great addition to a possible Teen Titans movie, but nothing like that has been announced. It seems that Static, despite how adored he once was has been forgotten by DC.
4. Namor the Sub-Mariner
Photo courtesy of Comic Vine
A human-Atlantean hybrid, Namor is an incredibly powerful character who is credited with being the first comic book antihero. He’s often portrayed as a hero with a short fuse, and has gone to unspeakable ends to destroy those who bring danger to his homeworld. He is destructive, dangerous, and unpredictable.
He also barely fits anywhere into the current Marvel cinematic universe canon. Establishing that an undersea world exists at this point in time seems like the last direction Marvel wants to go with their films. Also, with Aquaman appearing in his own standalone feature film on the DC side, Marvel could be at the point where Namor would seem like an attempt at playing copycat. Honestly it’s a shame because Namor is an interesting and beloved comic character who deserves his time in the spotlight.
3. Jonah Hex
Photo courtesy of Collider
A physically scarred bounty hunter with a penchant for violence and cynicism. Despite his surly attitude he obeys a strict a conduct and is known for bouts of heroism.
There are numerous reasons why we may never see Hex in one of the new DC films. One, he was already in a film and it was absolutely horrid so nobody wants to see him in a movie again. Two, his timeline is completely separate from the main continuity in DC comics so the only time he appears in stories is if either he time travels to someone else’s time, or they go to his. This usually makes for really weak stories. Three, DC seems interested in making superhero films and a complete pivot to make a western is likely not on their radar. Four, you get the idea, the likelihood of this character appearing ever again is highly unlikely.
2. Silver Surfer (Norrin Radd)
Photo courtesy of Marvel Database
After saving his planet from being devoured by Galactus he now serves as the titan’s herald, traveling to planets on his surfboard like craft to see if they are suitable for his master. After The Surfer stopped Galactus with the help of The Fantastic Four he regained his morality and is known a protector of Earth.
The Silver Surfer is an amazing comic book character, but sadly he will likely never appear on the big screen again. Yes, he has appeared in one movie but it was stupid and bad. I’m talking about a good portrayal. Right now the rights to the character are owned by 20th Century Fox, who will likely never make another Fantastic Four movie again. Even if the rights are bought back by Marvel Studios the likelihood for them appearing under that studio is also unlikely because the Fantastic Four has proved time and time again to be an unmarketable film property that does not make quality films. I’m sorry Radd, but you will likely never grace us with your presence on the screen again
1. Midnighter (Lucas Trent)
Photo courtesy of DC Comics
The great and beloved Midnighter is one of the most unique characters in comics. He is a human with enhancements that deals with crime in an almost sinister way. Comics have portrayed him taking disgusting delight in hurting the criminals he targets. Yet, he is also shown to be loving and sympathetic especially to his husband Apollo. Yes, husband.
Midnighter would never appear in movies because he’s gay, although that is a possible reason why. No, it’s because his level of violence is more suited towards R-rated films, and because his origin story is complex and difficult to handle. Midnighter exists in a separate universe. No, not a different galaxy. A universe. The multiverses of comics hasn’t even been tackled by Marvel’s films. So despite the fact that Midnighter’s recent rise to fame makes him poised to receive his own standalone film (well maybe a duo with his husband), he will likely never appear because of how far he is from current comic film universe’s have been structured.
