11 Comic Book Characters Who Shouldn't Have Had A Movie (And The Alternatives Who Should)

4. The Phantom

Like the Green Hornet, the Phantom is incredibly old school... and very corny. Even in 1996, he was too dated for a live action movie and, by casting Billy Zane in the lead role, Village Roadshow Pictures were doing themselves no favours (he's no Downey Jr. or Bale). Even with (relatively) big names (and very attractive women) like Catherine Zeta-Jones and Kristy Swanson on board, the film couldn't be salvaged. The titular character was in his pomp in the 1930s and made a brief return in comics and the animated series "Defenders of the Earth", but he was never popular enough to warrant a movie. The box office takings of $17 million were testament to the error made in making this movie - especially from a $45 million budget. Alternative movie that should have been made: Flash Gordon. Sixteen years after the original Flash Gordon movie, 1996 was certainly long enough to have waited for a remake (why on Earth haven't we had one yet, in 2014?!). Both characters were published in comics under the King Features Syndicate imprint and had featured together in the classic animated television series "Defenders of the Earth", so the film-makers would certainly have been aware of the character. It makes you wonder why they opted for the far less popular Phantom. Although Flash Gordon only brought in $27 million at the box office (after spending $20 million on the movie's creation), it since became a cult classic - even by 1996 - and a remake would undoubtedly have drawn the crowds (and "Gordon's Alive" would have become a popular saying amongst a new generation, which would have been no bad thing).