Currently Hot Topics:
Star Trek Into Darkness
|
Iron Man 3
|
Supernatural
|
Arrow
|
Game of Thrones
|
Walking Dead
|
Doctor Who
Before They Were Movies: Early Attempts to Bring Superheroes to Life Onscreen
by Paul Young
(23 of 22)
Both DC Comics and Marvel would have you think that big-budget, blockbuster films like Superman, Spider-Man, Batman, X-Men, Green Lantern and The Avengers are their only attempts to bring popular comic book characters into the live-action arena. They would like everyone to forget the sometimes absurd, ridiculous and often ugly reality: that there were numerous early - and failed - attempts to bring super heroes to both the big and small screens.
Over the next few pages you can read about these early superhero attempts and the actors who portrayed them on-screen. Some you may be familiar with, but we'll bet you've never heard of many of them.
NOTE: This list doesn't cover every instance of every superhero who has ever appeared on TV or in a direct-to-video movie - that would be far too exhaustive. Instead, we've covered only those superheroes who have a movie already released, in development or will have one in development soon.
Over the next few pages you can read about these early superhero attempts and the actors who portrayed them on-screen. Some you may be familiar with, but we'll bet you've never heard of many of them.
NOTE: This list doesn't cover every instance of every superhero who has ever appeared on TV or in a direct-to-video movie - that would be far too exhaustive. Instead, we've covered only those superheroes who have a movie already released, in development or will have one in development soon.
![Fall TV 2013: 10 Best New Shows [Trailers]](http://static.srcdn.com/slir/w87-h65-c1.33:1/http://screenrant.com/wp-content/uploads/abc-fall-previews-shield.jpg)
‘Pacific Rim’ Featurette Explores ‘Drift Space’; First TV Spot Offers More Action 
AMC Says ‘The Walking Dead’ Will Still Be Around in 2022 
‘Man of Steel’ Star Wants A Batman/Superman Teamup Movie 
Fall TV 2013: The 10 Best New Shows [Trailers] 
Actually, Thor was in the first Hulk YV movie… The Return of the Incredible Hulk. Daredevil in the second. I don’t think there was a superhero guest in the Death of the Incredible Hulk
The female love interest for Banner has characteristics similar to the Black Widow of marvel comics.
Yeah
How on earth could you skip over “Captain Nice”? TV show from the ’60s I think, sort of a live-action parody of Super Chicken, a police criminologist who gets his power from a potion he concocted himself. Its saving grace was that it never took itself seriously.
Wait- skip that- nobody ever considered making a movie of this.
what about green hornet ?
@geej – Green Hornet was a radio character at first and not a comic book character which is why he was left off.
Thanks,
Paul Young
similarly tarzan and doc savage ….
on another note – it might be nice to find out the top 5 superhero films that got it spot on (which film represented its origin the closest with the least ‘telling’ changes )
In that retrospect, The Shadow started out as a radio character voiced by the legendary Orson Welles. The Green Hornet was a TV show in the 1960′s that was a spin-off of Adam West’s Batman series. It starred Van Williams as the Green Hornet and Bruce Lee as Kato.
Technically correct, however, the Shadow was the “phantom narrator” of Detective Story Hour radio show which were dramatizations of Detective Story Magazine (Street and Smith). Listeners to the show found the narrator more interesting than the stories and demanded a Shadow magazine (which appeared 10 months after the first radio show). The Shadow, as a protagonist, originates with the book “The Shadow Strikes”.
Just a small addition about the 1990 Flash show. It was actually a real good version of the Flash. Part of the issue as stated before was the cost, another was that a huge chunk of the season was not shown when it was supposed to because of the news footage from Desert Storm.
I liked The Flash and I do remember the budget restraints which surely spelled its ultimate doom.
The other obstacle for “The Flash” was that it was up against “The Cosby Show” and “A Different World.” They moved “The Flash” to 8:30 ET and tried to lead with “The Simpsons” — it didn’t help.
However silly you may think Tom Tyler’s “Phantom” costume was, it was an accurate representation of the comic-strip character’s costume, a rare thing in these movies.
I take pride of my collection of marvel dc comic book movies and tv shows i have over 70 different shows and movies in my collection. I notice im missing alot more then i figured lol. I finally after 3 years if searching. I found 1978 spiderman on dvd i want to know why is it still costing 60 bucks. I got incredible hulk and wonder women cheaper than that…any subjection where i can get it cheaper..Thank you
I take pride of my collection of marvel dc comic book movies and tv shows i have over 70 different shows and movies in my collection. I notice im missing alot more then i figured lol. I finally after 3 years if searching. I found spiderman tv series on dvd i want to know why is it still costing 60 bucks. I got incredible hulk and wonder women cheaper than that…any subjection where i can get it cheaper..Thank you
Swamp Thing
Originally a comic book and afterward were two films and also a tv series.
You left out Black Canary from CW’s Birds of Prey (as well as Batgirl), Smallville, and that Superheros special that had the Flash and Hawkman….
I have the trial of the Incredible Hulk. I didn’t realise it was the first onscreen rendition of Daredevil.
I really need them to make a Wonder Woman movie!
During the 1970′s there was a tv special titled Endoman. I only remembered the one episode, and it was loosely based on the Ironman comic book. A scientist creates a cybernetic suit after he is paralyzed by some thugs, and goes out at night to fight crime.
I saw a lot of the 60 & 70 attempt at superheros lots of them failed.Some were fun to watch, but overall I would prefer to watch as movies not TV shows. And the movies need to quit making origin movies that’s getting real old. Try something like the Avengers Movie that was great.
I agree, although I did love the cheesy way the Hulk TV series was made !!!
Avengers movie: 10 out of 10 for me !!!
The characters were portrayed to perfection, I could even forgive the fact that the original Nick Fury was white !!
Only really disappointed that the makers referred to Thor (GOD of thunder) as a Demi-God !!!
Number 8 on your list has incorrect information.
You state that The Punisher was “Dolph Lundgren sans the iconic white skull on his chest, speaking in rhyme, and riding a motorcycle.”
He DID NOT speak in rhyme. The alcoholic retired actor that acted as his informant spoke in rhyme, and not every time he was on screen.
Rant Begin:
People……… Please get your facts right !!!! Thor is NOT a Demi-God !!!
A Demi-God is Half Human, Half God !!!
Both of Thor´s Parents are Asgardian, therefore he is a God ie: God of Thunder !!!
Hercules is a Demi-God: Zeus mated with a human woman who concieved Hercules !!!!
Thor was also referred to as a Demi-God in the film Avengers, a fact nobody seemed to pick up on !!!!
If you´re gonna portray marvel characters, whether on screen or in print……. Get your facts right !!!!
I can understand/tolerate slight chronological changes (Tony Stark built the original Iron Man suit was while imprisoned in a Chinese POW camp)eg: Afghanistan as the setting for the first Iron man suit, and Banner was first bombarded with gamma radiation, saving Rick jones during testing of the bomb, but for the purpose of the film the backstory was altered !!! These things are acceptable, but calling Thor a Demi-God is UNACCEPTABLE !!!
Rant Over !!!
Have you actually watched any of these movies? The Punisher in the godawful Dolph Lundgren movie did not ‘speak in rhyme’. His informant did……
What about “Man from Atlantis”? Could have been put under aquaman