8 Annoying Comic Book Movie Trends That Must Die In 2017

You're a screenwriter in need of a threatening but entirely vague entity that can, like, blown stuff up. Well, it's time for a Giant Laser Beam in the Sky, surely?

So if you hadn't noticed, guys, there's an incredibly annoying trend that has overtaken not just comic book movies, but movies in general: that of the Giant Laser Beam in the Sky, a kind of huge, swirling portal thing that opens up and brings havoc to large metropolitan areas. Seriously, every superhero movie nowadays uses these things, including The Avengers, Man of Steel, Fantastic Four, and Suicide Squad.

What are these and why are they in fashion? Why have they suddenly infested the blockbuster medium? Can't these writers think of a single other third act revelation other than that of the Giant Laser Beam in the Sky, which either serves one of two purposes: destroy the ground beneath said laser beam, or shoot up from a machine into the clouds, creating something sinister.

The heroes of any given film must, of course, stop said Giant Laser Beam in the Sky, and when they do, peace is restored to the planet or whatever. Of all the irksome trends on this list, though, this - this lazy device - might be the worst.