A countdown of ten superheroes that I think should star in their own movie.

2. Nightwing (Dick Grayson)
Previously Batman’s first sidekick, Robin10.

3. 10. Nightwing
At the end of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy, we saw Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s character (Robin
John Blake) enter the Batcave and hint that a new legacy was afoot. With Nolan’s franchise at its end,
however, fans were left to draw their own conclusions regarding the fate of what lay beneath Wayne Manor.
A popular theory was that Robin would use the newly inherited Bat-gear but honour the city’s tribute to
the fallen Dark Knight by taking up a new mantle under the name of Nightwing. Fans got excited at the
thought of a new movie featuring another member of the bat-family and soon enough edited photos of JGL in
the Batman armour with Nightwing’s blue stripe across the chest circulated the web.
Nolan’s trilogy should be left alone but with a new cinematic universe born from Man of Steel and a new
Batman (portrayed by Ben Affleck) to be seen by the end of 2016, this is the perfect time to showcase some of
the other, younger, DC characters without a complete disconnection from the cash cows that are Batman and
Superman.
Nightwing’s New 52 comic series is about to end, unfortunately, but a movie that could respectfully
showcase the adrenaline-fuelled acrobatics of the character may well help DC strengthen their efforts in the
big screen battle with Marvel.
A short fan film created by YouTube user Ismahawk that has generated over 1 million views shows early
potential for the character on-screen and can be seen here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lIgC-i6Sbw
It’s worth noting that the same user has also recently completed filming of a 3 part mini-series based on
the character. The mini-series, funded by Kickstarter, raised $14,000 more than its $20,000 goal and should
be seen by the end of the year.

4. Green Arrow (Oliver Queen)9.

5. 9. Green Arrow
The CW’s “Arrow” TV series has been very well-regarded
by fans and critics alike and has shown that Green Arrow can
be successfully adapted from page to screen. Season 1
ended with a rottentomatoes.com score of 86% and with a
successful second season almost over, the network has
revealed there will be a third.
Though the television series is doing very well, a movie
expansion would allow the character to be enjoyed by a
wider audience that have not been exposed to the series or
do not have the time to tune in every week.
When the time comes that the show must come to an
end, a movie to wrap storylines up could potentially be used
to tie in with DC’s endeavours to bring the Justice League to
cinemas.

6. 8.
The Flash
(Jay Garrick/Barry Allen/Wally West/Bart Allen)

7. 8. Flash
A pilot for a series based on Flash has recently been greenlit by The CW as a way
of expanding their DC television universe from “Arrow”. With characters like Gorilla
Grodd, Captain Cold and The Trickster frequently battling against the scarlet
speedster, it would be unjust to restrict this hero to the small screen as the
possibilities for a Hollywood production would prove to be endless.
If the Flash series is successful then perhaps it could follow the proposed pattern
for Arrow (have a good run then finish with a movie to take it from there) but for now
it is hard to imagine how the character will work on television.
Arrow worked because there were no superpowers and a subtle bridge between
comics and “real life” allowed the show to be enjoyed outside of the usual niche
market. If the Flash and all his villains are to be shown fairly then a movie would be
the best option.
The television series will focus on Barry Allen, the second Flash. Perhaps a movie
showcasing fan favourite Wally West could be created at the same time and, like the
proposal for Arrow, be used to tie in with Justice League. Alternatively, if Wally was
to be introduced somewhere as Kid Flash, base the movie around that information and
we could maybe even see a Teen Titans franchise!

8. Aquaman7.

9. 7. Aquaman
Due to misrepresentation, the concept of Aquaman has been laughed off by
many in the past. The New 52 reinvention has saw the character get the treatment
he deserves and people are really starting to take him seriously.
A movie featuring the King of Atlantis would look beautiful. Imagine the visuals
of Thor (2011) transported underwater. The complex architecture of the
underwater city and the beautiful colours within are enough reason alone to make
the movie happen.
In reference to Thor again, an Aquaman movie wouldn’t be the first time a
mythical ruler turned superhero was captured on film. A story showing the young
Arthur Curry discovering his Atlantean roots and being faced with the challenge of
saving a city from a tsunami on a ”The Day After Tomorrow” scale would make for
very exciting cinema.
It has been said time and time again, but DC need to bring a Justice League
feature to cinemas sooner rather than later. Aquaman is a core member of the
team and cannot be ignored when the time comes to give rivalry to Marvel’s
Avengers.

10. 6. Black Panther

11. 6. Black Panther
Black Panther, often credited as the first black superhero in
mainstream comics, has been around since 1966 when the character
debuted in an issue of The Fantastic Four.
Hailing from the fictional African nation of Wakanda, the character’s
home land is a source of Vibranium, which has proven to be a key plot
point in the current Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Fans have wanted Fox and Sony to hand over the rights to Spider-
Man, the X-Men and Fantastic Four since Marvel began making their own
movies. This may seem unlikely, but in an ideal world the studios would
collaborate to allow the path-crossing of many key characters. Black
Panther would allow crossing over to occur through all three studios by
the inclusion of his battles with Kraven the Hunter, a Spider-Man villain,
and his relationship with Storm from the X-Men.
Kevin Feige, President of Marvel Studios, has stated in an interview
with BlackTree.TV that there are definitely plans for a Black Panther
movie in the future.

12. The Runaways5.

13. 5. The Runaways
The Runaways are a group of teens that find out their parent’s annual
meetings are not charity events, as they claim, but rather meetings to
discuss their plans as the criminal super-group “The Pride”. The teens
leave their parents and, after discovering they have inherited their
powers, use them to do good.
A movie of the Runaways would be a great way of saying thank you to
the teen fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe whilst also introducing a
great storyline to the uninitiated.
The majority of The Runaways team are female, unlike other teams
such as The Avengers who are currently at the top of the world. With
Black Widow being the only woman in the Avengers (and one of two
members without a solo movie), the superhero genre needs more female
representation.
Characters such as Katniss Everdeen from the Hunger Games are
proving to be strong female role models for young women and now is the
time to start giving them the spotlight they deserve.

14. Shazam / Captain Marvel4.

15. 4. Shazam / Captain Marvel
Captain Marvel is DC comics answer to every young boy’s
dream of becoming a superhero. Granted his powers by a
wizard, 15 year old Billy Batson transforms into a hero
whenever he calls the magic word – Shazam! The New 52
reboot saw the character officially renamed from Captain
Marvel to Shazam after years of informal recognition of the
title by fans.
Shazam has joined forces with Superman on multiple
occasions, opening the door to more crossover movies for
DC. Adding the character to the Justice League roster would
allow the DC cinematic universe to expand beyond
“realistic” superheroes and aliens by including the fantasy-
laden back story of magic that Shazam possesses.

16. Black Widow
(Natasha Romanoff)3.

17. 3. Black Widow
After starring in the background of Iron Man 2
before getting a bit more screen time in The
Avengers and, more recently, Captain America: The
Winter Soldier, it is time for Black Widow to be
given a movie of her own.
The next Avengers movie, Age of Ultron, is set to
feature Black Widow more prominently than ever
before, but will it be enough to entice a standalone
feature?
Reiterating the point made in the section on The
Runaways, Marvel need to expand their screen time
of female heroes and the former Russian super-spy
is just the girl for the job.

18. Wonder Woman2.

19. 2. Wonder Woman
Princess Diana of Themyscira ticks all the boxes for what the
superhero genre, and more specifically DC, need right now. The female
warrior is set to appear in the second Man of Steel alongside Batman and
Superman but it’s about time Wonder Woman is seen in a solo feature
film.
Allowing the inclusion of female representation, a different genre of
fantasy to be explored, and another core member of the Justice League
to be brought to life before the whole team is seen together, Wonder
Woman should be high priority in DC’s movie to-do list.
The character starred in a very popular TV series in the 1970s and
has left a cultural impact on the world since Lynda Carter’s portrayal
graced television screens. Rumours speculated that Wonder Woman
would return to television as a cameo in Arrow but for now fans eagerly
await to see how successful Gal Gadot’s portrayal will be in “Man of
Steel 2”.

20. Deadpool
(Wade Wilson)1.

21. 1. Deadpool
Fan favourite Deadpool is first on the list of superheroes that deserve their
own film. After the disappointing portrayal in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, fans
were left rather unhappy at the unfair treatment delivered to Marvel’s funniest
character.
Constantly breaking the fourth wall and speaking to the voices inside his
head, Deadpool’s unique outlook on the world could lead to a revolution in comic
book movie history.
The Kick-Ass movies used a similar blend of humour and violence donned by
the “merc with a mouth” and found success in their deviation from the typical
seriousness that superhero movies have channelled in the past few years.
Deadpool already has such an established fan base (unlike Kick-Ass at the time of
release) that Hollywood should have complete faith in a successful project
featuring him.
The character celebrated the release of a videogame in 2013 which had a
hilarious storyline and was faulted only by its repetitive gameplay between the
cut-scenes that formed an overall clever plot composed of multiple encounters
with other Marvel characters. If Daniel Way found himself hired to write a
screenplay similar to his video game effort, we might just be on to a winner.