39. Hitman
Introduced as part of DCs Bloodlines event in 1993, Hitman was created by writer Garth Ennis and artist John McCrea. An ex-Marine turned contract killer, Monaghan was based in the Cauldron, a lower-class Irish district of Gotham City. After gaining X-Ray vision and moderate telepathy from an encounter with an alien, Monaghan uses his new powers to go after the metahuman and supernatural threats more conventional contract killers shy away from.
How Close Is It To Being Made: No movie plans right now, though there should be.
Casting Choices: Michael Fassbender as Monaghan? Yes please.
Suggested by Tom White
38. Lex Luthor: Man of Steel
Written by Brian Azzarello with art by Lee Bermejo, this 5 issue mini series (later collected as graphic novel simply titled Luthor) presents Luthor as a hero to the people. This Lex is liked and, strangely, is willing to help the little guy we have seen him so often crush under foot. Hes a shrewd businessman, not a cackling, evil mastermind (he threatens the family of a construction working opposing his plans for unpaid overtime, but its nothing compared to giving people super powers then taking them away mid-flight Yes. That happened). Hes charismatic, convincing Bruce Wayne of the dangers of Superman (Yes, Im aware that saying you got Batman to mistrust someone is like saying you taught a fish to swim), and conjuring a common enemy for the people of Metropolis to unite against. He also has a very unique argument for his vendetta against the Man of Steel: the human race no longer have any need to better themselves because they can never be better than Superman. The scary thing is, reading the book, you began to see his point. Warner Bros haven't yet been brave enough to make a movie with the villain as a lead character but Luthor, as he slowly becomes more sinister, could make a great protagonist in the vein of this book before later becoming a villain in a Man of Steel sequel.
How Close Is It To Being Made?: It's not right now but WB would be wise to adapt this story before a Man of Steel sequel.
Casting Choices: Josh Brolin would be awesome as Lex.
Suggested by Tom White
37. Kingdom Come
Kingdom Come is probably one of the greatest superhero graphic novels of all time. Written by Alex Ross with stunning artwork by Ross also, Kingdom Come takes place 20 years into the future where old school superheroes like Superman and Wonder Woman are a thing of the past while dangerous vigilantes with little or no moral codes are on the rise. Batman finds himself somewhere in the middle his human body not blessed with the anti-aging qualities of his Kryptonian rival. To combat the effects of aging hes assembled a group known as the Outsiders who take the good fight to the streets in a desperate attempt to prevent an all out super war that could ultimately destroy the planet. Better than a Justice League origin movie, going straight to the Kingdom Come era would make a much better movie.
How Close Is It To Being Made?: Justice League will be made instead.
Suggested by Tom White
36. Animal Man
Like most superheroes, Animal Man has had a bit of a chequered past. Conceived by Dave White and first appearing in Strange Adventures #180 in September 1965, the character Buddy Baker eventually took the moniker Animal Man 10 issues later, but after bit parts in numerous titles, it was Grant Morrisons run in the late 80s that put the character fully in comic readers consciousness. He may have gotten his powers by being a mite closer than he should to an exploding alien spacecraft, but Morrison gifted him an everyman quality, with a family, living in a world of superheroes and aliens. Of course, thats being an everyman with the ability to channel the strengths and abilities of numerous types of wildlife. With DCs recent re-launch event, the new 52, writer Jeff Lemire and artist Travel Foreman have taken Baker one step further, in an exhilarating story arc encompassing family, elemental forces, and nightmares. With Baker a Hollywood stunt-man, turning actor, its perfect fodder for some indie-style, dark, super-heroics, with some peeks behind the movie-making curtain.
How Close Is It To Being Made?: In truth, theres nary a whisper about Animal Man making it onto the big screen, let alone the SyFy channel, but as we continue through the apparent pinnacle of Superhero filmmaking, and DC begins to ramp up its own super universe, dont count out a savvy development exec taking a shine to Buddy Baker.
Casting Choices: Buddy Baker is not your classic muscle bound superhero, but as a man who performs stunts and has to handle animalistic behaviours were not talking about Martin Freeman here. Wiry, fit, muscular, with the ability to play family and haunted we could see a younger Jim Caveizel, but from the younger crop of actors wed suggest current Robocop Joel Kinnaman. After inhabiting the mentally and physically scarred Murphy, Buddy Baker shouldnt be too scary a prospect.
Suggested by Mark Clark
35. 100 Bullets
If you were given an attaché carrying 100 bullets, a gun and the proof that the person whose picture is in the attaché is the individual who has made your life a living hell... would you kill them if it could be guaranteed that you would never get caught or being punished in anyway? That is the premise behind 100 Bullets, Brian Azarello's pulp noir comic series that unbelievably has not yet been adapted for the big screen. The early stories of the comic follow a bald and mysterious Agent Graves who offers this opportunity to seemingly random individuals (one of which would obviously make a great movie protagonist) but as the storyline and universe expands, it is revealed that Graves may have his own agenda with links back to an old European organisation. Saying anymore would spoil the story but the success of whether the movie would work will depend on whether you are hooked by the text above.
How Close Is It To Being Made?: Last year Showtime and Dark Knight trilogy writer David Goyer announced plans to adapt the comic into a tv series, where perhaps it would work better than on film, but so far no casting has taken place as it is still in the writing stages.
Casting: Patrick Stewart as Agent Graves, Hugh Jackman as our protagonist. Doesn't that sound fun?