Next year could see a change coming for superhero movies, because February 12th sees the release of Deadpool, and if the early hype is anything to go by it might just usher in the age of the R-rated comic book movie. Sure, it’s been tried before, but as popular as Watchman and Sin City were, it just didn’t take off. And the less said about Dread’s abysmal and totally undeserved box office showing the better. But Deadpool could seriously turn the tide. Not even the fact that the character is a left over from X-Men Origins: Wolverine, one of the worst superhero movies of the last few years, or that Ryan Reynolds is ‘three strikes, you’re out’ when it comes to this genre can deter people. So, as I’m want to do, I’ve compiled a list of three R-rated comic books that are just begging to be brought to the big screen.
Hitman
Not the video game. That’s been done two times already, to no avail. No, I’m talking about Garth Ennis creation Tommy Monaghan, lovable anti-hero and probably one of the closest things DC Comics has to Deadpool (in tone. Comic book fans will know Deadpool’s characteristics and look are similar to Deathstroke. A bit too similar). A denizen of Gotham City’s The Cauldron, a lower-class Irish district, Monaghan’s life as a contract killer took a turn after an encounter with an alien parasite left him with x-ray vision and moderate telepathy. Armed with these new powers, he takes on the supernatural and metahuman human threats his more conventional colleagues would steer clear of.
During Monaghan’s 61 issue run, he took on Nazi sharpshooters from hell, the SAS, zombie sea life, dinosaurs, The Joker, and mob bosses of varying quirks, dispatching them in increasingly violent ways and always with a cheeky grin on his face. He even puked on Batman’s boots. Sure, Hitman's irreverent humour may seem a bit out of place with the dark and gritty approach Warner Bros. are taking with the DCCU, but a bit of hyper violent, silly fun would be a nice change from the serious GrimDark goings on of the other DC Comic heroes every now and again.
The Boys
Garth Ennis again, and while most comic book books paint superheroes as modern day gods and pillars of virtue, The Boys has a very different view of them. In this world, superheroes are vain, egotistical celebrities, whose reckless and extreme behaviour, from any debauched act you can think of to just out and out murdering people for the hell of it, is kept in check by The Boys, a CIA backed black ops team who are just itching to put the super teams in their place. Think of The Wolf of Wall Street with Superman as Jordan Belfort and the FBI as a team of endearing vigilantes with super strength, led by a muscle bound Jack Carter from Get Carter, and you’re on the right track.
The Boys has been stuck in development hell since 2008, with Anchorman’s Adam Mckay attached to direct, no doubt over how to bring some of the more extreme and politically charged moments (superhero team The Seven is brought out for the first time to thwart the 9/11 attacks. Their ineffectiveness causes the destruction of the Brooklyn bridge, killing over a thousand people) to the big screen. My answer? Lean into it hard. Sure, some of the more sensitive moments (the above 9/11 sequence included) could be dialled back on, but there’s enough left over for a shocking and entertaining antidote to the usual superhero fare.
Nikolai Dante
Like any comic book loving teenager living in Ireland, I got hooked on 2000 A.D. And like any fan of 2000 A.D., Dread’s inexplicable crashing and burning at the global box office saw my thoughts of other characters from the famous anthology book. Chief among them was Robbie Morrison’s lovable rogue, Nikolai Dante. A swashbuckling hero inhabiting a future where a resurgent Imperial Russia has absolute power over the Earth and parts of the known galaxy, Dante is a thief and ladies man who discovers he is illegitimate heir to the Romanov Dynasty, rivals to the current Tsar. Adventure, political intrigue, and star crossed love dominated the character’s fifteen year run, all run through with a heady dose of sic-fi, including concepts like the 'Weapons Crest’, a biological weapon that bonded with Dante and granted him the power to extend bio blades from his hands. Because every good swashbuckler needs his trusty swords.
Everyone loves a good lovable rogue, from Han Solo to Star-Lord, and Dante is up there with the best of them. Think of it, an old fashioned adventure movie with a serious sic-fi bent. The potential for fun there is incalculable, and Nikolai Dante can certainly deliver.
