Greetings from the Odinson,
I Just watched the trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy again and I all I can say is I CAN’T WAIT! Visually, it looks amazing. It was quite a thrill to see Marvel sci-fi characters like the Nova Corps and Ronan. Rocket, Drax, and the rest of the Guardians look dead on and Chris Pratt is going to kill it as Peter Quill the infamous Star-Lord. Marvel has cracked the code when it comes to adapting their characters for the Big Screen.
If the pulse-pounding trailer for Amazing Spider-Man 2 is any indication, the rumors that this sequel sets up spin-offs starring The Sinister Six and Venom gain quite a bit of merit. Who knows what incarnation the movie will feature, but in the comics the Sinister Six is comprised of Spider-Man’s greatest adversaries – Doctor Octopus, the man that killed Spider-Man and took his place as the Superior Spider-Man, Sandman, an oft times reluctant member and a complex villain that is haunted by his blue collar conscience, Electro, one the most powerful and underrated Marvel super villains, Mysterio, Master of Illusions, the high flying Vulture, and Kraven the Hunter, the only other man who can say “I killed Spider-Man!”
If – who am I kidding – WHEN they do a solo Venom movie, the Odinson would love to see an adaptation of the current incarnation of the character. The Flash Thompson version of the character is infinitely more interesting and lends itself to a movie plot more than the Eddie Brock version. I am aware of the character’s meteoric rise to fame in the 1990s, but the Odinson has never been a huge fan of Spidey’s symbiote villains. However, a classic hero’s journey of the teenager that once upon a time used to bully a young Peter Parker who then grows up to become a soldier that is crippled in the Middle East and is given a second chance because of a mysterious super soldier experiment involving an alien symbiote appeals to me. That story has way more pathos potential than a photo journalist who is mad because Peter Parker takes better pictures of Spider-Man than he does.
DC and Warner Bros. are continually playing catch up. As we wait around impatiently for more news on the upcoming Batman vs. Superman film, rumors are starting to circulate that may make DC a player as they are also toying with the notion of the super villain movie. I have heard that DC and Warner are thinking about bringing The Suicide Squad and Deathstroke the Terminator to the Big Screen. Yes, you read that right – THE SUICIDE SQUAD and DEATHSTROKE THE TERMINATOR!
The Suicide Squad is a team of incarcerated super villains that are forced by the US Government to take on black ops missions where they have very little chance of coming back alive. Though the roster has rotated many times over the years, there are a few core members that must be a part of any Big Screen adaptation. Deadshot is one the Odinson’s all time favorite bad guys and no roster of the Squad would be complete without the DCU’s deadliest assassin. Captain Boomerang is an untrustworthy conscienceless killer that will stab anyone in the back in order to win his freedom. Bronze Tiger is one the deadliest unarmed combatants in the world and the governments appointed team enforcer. Amanda Waller is their government liaisons who keeps this ticking time bomb of a team in line with her iron will. Other Squad members and DCU villains I’d love to see in a Suicide Squad movie are Harley Quinn, the Joker’s psychotic girlfriend, King Shark, visually one of the most terrifying looking super villains, Bane, the man that broke the Bat, Rick Flag, a Sgt. Fury-like soldier, and Nightshade, a super heroine working under cover in the belly of the beast and the erstwhile squeeze of Captain Atom.
Slade Wilson, the man known as the Terminator, is one of the most cunning, deadly, and complex villains in the history of DC Comics. He’s orchestrated the defeat of the New Teen Titans, beaten the Batman unconscious, and fought the Justice League to a stand still. Already a highly trained soldier and successful mercenary, Slade was enhanced by an experiment and given super human reflexes, strength, and endurance and his mind was amped to make him one of the best tacticians in the world He is not an evil man, purely professional, but this does not make his marks any less dead. He possesses an askew sense of honor that allows him toe the line between villain and anti-hero. Another aspect of Deathstroke that makes him a complicated figure is a tumultuous past with his family that haunts him to this very day.
The Odinson does not normally celebrate the super villain but I would be the first in line to buy a ticket for a movie about either of these DC mainstays. The Suicide Squad could a Dirty Dozen-style foray and the Deathstroke installment could be a tale about an old soldier/mercenary pulled back into the game by an enemy from the past who has put Slade’s family in jeopardy, much like Commando which starred Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Here are a few other Super Villain movies the Odinson would love to see:
Doctor Doom – There is no more complicated character in comic books than Victor Von Doom. He is a man of great passion which is only overshadowed by the dark desires which poison his soul. He is arguably the smartest man alive. His genius puts him in the league of other great minds like Mister Fantastic and Ant-Man. He has created battle armor that in some ways even surpasses Iron Man. He is an accomplished wizard whose mastery of the dark arts rivals even the Sorcerer Supreme himself, Doctor Strange. Doom rules his own country and has nigh unlimited resources at his disposal. He has single-handedly defeated the nigh omnipotent Beyonder (see Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #10). And he has stormed the Gates of Hell to face down the devil himself (see Triumph and Torment). This scarred despot is feared throughout the Marvel Universe by both hero and villain alike. A movie exploring the life of the greatest foe of the Fantastic Four would be awesome.
Mephisto – Mephisto is the Marvel Universe’s version of the Devil and he’s one of the Odinson’s biggest guilty pleasures (no pun intended). His forked-tongued monologues and devilish sense of humor make him, hands down, one of the most entertaining evildoers in comics. And the tale that must be adapted to the Silver Screen is Mephisto Vs. In this startling hybrid of action and horror, the Ruler of the Underworld sets out on a quest for the ultimate prize. His mission leads him into conflict with Marvel’s First Family, the Fantastic Four, Charles Xavier’s First Class, X-Factor, the Uncanny X-Men, and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, the Avengers. Mephisto has tried to corrupt the noble soul of the Silver Surfer, withstood the unparalleled might of Thor, and challenged the incomprehensible power of Galactus. Mephisto’s tale would be a dark comedy and a Pie in the Sky project for to get all these characters in the same move would be next to impossible due to legal rights.
The Tomb of Dracula – Bram Stoker’s gothic horror is a timeless classic that has entertained generations of readers and movie goers for over a hundred years. There have been many, many different incarnations and adaptations of this classic monster, but by far the Odinson’s favorite take is Marv Wolfman and Gene Colan’s epic masterpiece The Tomb of Dracula. It is such a Herculean task to make me root for the villain, and make no mistake Dracula is the original super villain. Wolfman and Colan do such a tremendous job on this series that Dracula is all at once menacing and terrifying while also being sympathetic and, on occasions, heroic. With an amazingly fleshed out supporting cast that includes Frank Drake, Dracula’s own descendant, Rachel Van Helsing, the grand daughter of the man who once defeated the Prince of Darkness, Dr. Quincy Harker, the son of the original survivors from Stoker’s novel, the hulking mute, Taj, and the vampire detective, Hannibal King. Tomb of Dracula also saw the birth of one the Marvel Universe’s greatest anti-heroes, one of Dracula’s most tenacious adversaries, and one of Marvel’s biggest movie stars – Blade the Daywalker. If done right as a movie trilogy or a dark television series in the same vein as The Walking Dead or Preacher, in Marvel’s capable hands, an adaptation of Marv Wolfman and Gene Colan’s Tomb of Dracula could be amazing.
Rumors of super villain movies are hitting the internet and it has the Odinson making a wish list and saying…nay shouting – BRING ON THE BAD GUYS!
This is Odinson bidding thee farewell
MyComicShop 
