10 Comic Book Movies Hollywood Didn't Have The Balls To Make

Though it was considered to be something of a controversial comic upon its original release (for one reason in particular), Spider-Man: Reign has been the subject of reappraisal in recent years, with many fans citing the dark and somewhat bewildering entry in the canon as an overlooked masterpiece.

Clearly inspired by Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns, this dark-minded comic is set during a retired Peter Parker's elderly years in which New York is ruled by an authoritarian government. Haunted by the death of Mary Jane Watson, Peter decides to return to his superhero duties and is forced into a conflict with the city's corrupt mayor and the Sinister Six, who are released from prison and ordered to kill him.

Reign is most famous, of course, for the unexpected revelation in which Spidey admits that his radioactive sperm killed Mary Jane Watson after she was continually exposed to it over their years together. This reveal was ridiculed at the time of Reign's release, written off as lame, but in retrospect it feels more interesting than it does silly, a clever play on a similar plot point in Alan Moore's Watchmen, in which Dr. Manhattan is briefly believed to have infected people in the same manner.

Given the subject matter, it's obvious why Hollywood are yet to have the courage to adapt or incorporate Reign into any of the films so far. It would be hard for a screenwriter to drop the radioactive sperm plot point, and even harder for audiences to accept it.