At present it is easy to forgive the minor miscasting or questionable narrative choices that occur in comic book movies. For every trifling disappointment there is a triumphant pay-off to be found in films such as The Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy, which have received virtually universal seals of approval from the fan community since their release. Even in great superhero flicks though there can be head scratching moments which make you think how much they would be improved if theyd utilised certain characters in more effective ways, or made a different narrative choice, or in extreme cases, even if a different version of the property, with an entirely different creative team, had been greenlit instead. What follows are twelve of these moments, opportunities that could have improved the film in question or projects that never saw the light of day, that could have shaped the comic book cinematic landscape as effectively as Marvels interconnected project. Twelve superheroic "what ifs?" that make you think "Hrm, yeah they could have done that a whole lot better".
12. Not Referencing The Joker In The Dark Knight Rises
Given the depth of public appreciation of Heath Ledgers widely lauded posthumous Oscar winning performance as the Clown Prince of Crime, we were never going to see a recast of this most iconic and essential role. Nobody expected that but what we could have received was some kind of hint as to the Clown faced terror-mongers whereabouts in the Gotham of The Dark Knight Rises. In a way the Nolan Bat-verse has never felt like it was brought to a satisfying conclusion because of this issue with the Joker. Dark Knight Rises suffers in comparison to the previous two entries, as being the Tusk to The Dark Knights Rumours as it was clearly an impossible job to follow up Batmans most definitive foe with any character. One approach could have seen Gotham overrun with a proliferation of villains in the wake of the Joker - tapping into the idea that it is Batmans presence in the city that has given birth to the citys rogues gallery - starting with the Joker. This would have at least given the character a narrative legacy. What was most certainly a great opportunity to bring some closure and pay a debt of fan service would have been to include an Easter Egg scene of some form, a scarred smile disappearing into the shadows whilst his laughter echoes into the night, something that would have told the audience hes still here; the kind of doff of the cap that Marvel roll out effortlessly in every film they produce.
As well as the odd article, I apply my "special mind" to scriptwriting for Comics, Films and Games... Oh and I cut down trees, I skip and jump, I like to press wild flow'rs, I put on women's clothing, and hang around in bars.
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