Since X-Men became a smash hit at the box office at the turn of the millennium, studios have been snapping up every prosperous comic book property they could get their grubby little hands on. With the current Marvel Cinematic Universe garnering the genre its biggest box office receipts to date, it is unquestionably a boom time for these larger-than-life characters and the insane situations they get themselves into. As a result, there's certainly the fear that studio heads could get a little overzealous and start adapting some lesser-known works just for the sake of it, without thinking about if they'd actually work as a movie. Whether they would upset current movie continuity or just foster poor taste, here are 10 comic books that should never become movies...
10. Shazam
Premise: Shazam aka Captain Marvel is the alter ego of a young boy named Billy Batson, who whenever he utters the name "Shazam", is struck by a bolt of lightning and transformed into the gigantic superhero pictured above.
Why It Wouldn't Work: Though there's something to be said for Shazam's loony sense of humour - think of him as a less-dry version of Superman - the whole origin story is really goofy, and in an age of dark, gritty superhero films, probably wouldn't fly (sorry) with most audiences. When the trend probably returns to lighter whimsy in a few years time, then perhaps this one
might work, but it would have to be thoroughly self-aware and totally tongue-in-cheek still.
Chance Of It Happening: 4/10