Though Quentin Tarantino is best known for his original Westerns and crime epics, the director actually spearheaded two unmade Marvel projects. The celebrated auteur worked on screenplays for both a Luke Cage movie and a Silver Surfer movie, but neither of them got past the development stage. However, that doesn't mean Tarantino can't return to the superhero genre.
Redditors have debated long and hard over which superheroes would be the best choice for Tarantino to take on. Given that the filmmaker is known for his over-the-top violence and colorful and profanity-laden dialogue, the choices are typically dark, brooding and vengeful.
Batman
Many directors have been attached to Batman over the years, and the ones that never happened sound jaw-dropping, whether it's Darren Aronofsky's Year One or Ben Affleck's The Batman. But one of the few directors whose name hasn't been mentioned in the same breath as the caped crusader in Hollywood is Tarantino.
2001spaceoddessey thinks that's blasphemy, and they have an interesting elevator pitch for a Tarantino-helmed Batman. They want, "The Frank Miller Batman that no longer gives a s--- and will stalk and pounce on the victims like a goddamn demon." The closest fans have ever gotten to see that is in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice when Batman literally brands people.
Deadpool
Given that Tarantino loves profanity-filled dialogue and ultra-violence, not to mention a pastime for machetes, Deadpool is the obvious character for the director. BipolarbearsRAWR is the first to mention the anti-hero, noting, "Half of Tarantino's dialogue in movies already could be said by Deadpool and it would seem natural."
Whether it's debating the meaning of Madonna's "Like a Virgin" in Reservoir Dogs or even the "we're in the killing Nazis business" monologue from Aldo Raine in Inglourious Basterds, it could have very easily come from Wade Wilson's mouth. Deadpool 2 is the most successful X-Men movie, but Deadpool 3 will undoubtedly beat it because it'll be part of the MCU. However, a Tarantino-directed threequel could have made it an event movie unlike any other in the universe.
Spider-Man Noir
Spider-Man Noir has already been introduced on the big screen in animated form, as he appeared in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. The character was voiced by Nicolas Cage, and the black-and-white character was the MVP of the movie, but that doesn't mean there can't be a live-action depiction of the superhero at the same time.
One Reddit user wants to see Tarantino's take on Spider-Man Noir, and it's a great choice that could lean heavily into Tarantino's pulpy, sensationalist, and exploitative style of writing. And while fans are already debating who could play Spider-Man Noir in the MCU, Tarantino could simply cast Cage. Not only is the actor having somewhat of a renaissance, but after having cast John Travolta in Pulp Fiction and Kurt Russell in Death Proof, Tarantino loves a comeback story.
Moon Knight
The Moon Knight Disney+ series has just wrapped on Disney+, and as of right now, it's a limited series and there are no plans for it to continue. And though Oscar Isaac (Moon Knight) only signed on for one season, it's hard to believe the character won't return in some form in the future.
As the series was a huge departure from the comic book, took some major liberties with the character, and wasn't half as violent as Moon Knight tends to be, it could simply have been a prologue to an under-wraps and excessively violent movie. A deleted user believes that, under the direction of Tarantino, "it would be so bloody!"
Hancock
Hancock is a unique superhero movie in the cinema landscape. Out of the dozens of superhero characters that have gotten a blockbuster movie, Hancock is one of the very few that was created for the medium. The 2008 movie isn't based on a comic book or any other source material, but it's actually an original character. Unidentified_Remains wants to see Tarantino attempt to remake Hancock, positing, "That movie was almost really good. QT could have pushed it over the top."
The superhero is an alcoholic and hateful character who causes more destruction than it's worth, so it has Tarantino's name written all over it. However, a soft reboot with Tarantino in the director's chair might not work, as the filmmaker and Will Smith failed to work together in the past. Smith turned down Django Unchained when Tarantino offered him the titular role, and though they tried to make it work, the actor left due to creative differences.
Nightwing
While some Redditors want to see Tarantino take on Batman, Apatheticviews makes a more astute observation, explaining, "He'd do a great job with Nightwing, actually." A Tarantino-directed Batman would no doubt be incredible, but Nightwing would suit the filmmaker's style much better.
Batman might be vengeful, which is a theme Tarantino loves more than any other filmmaker, but Nightwing is not only vengeful but sarcastic and much younger too. Tarantino's humor wouldn't quite work in a Batman movie, but Nightwing could easily be the director's next vessel for lurid one-liners and pop-culture references. A Nightwing movie could be another great Tarantino revenge flick.
Cable
Cable is another antihero that Redditors believe Tarantino would be perfect for, especially Beskinnyrollfatties. The Redditor posits, "He could really hit the whole time travel thing on the head. Just jump around from the present to the future."
As Cable's superpower is the ability to travel through time, it'd allow Tarantino to depict both the different time periods he's yet to explore and the ones he loves so much. The movie could be a western, a war drama, and a love letter to Hollywood all at once. But better than that, as Tarantino hasn't made a movie set in the present day since Kill Bill, it'd be interesting to see how the director would depict the 2020s.
Daredevil
It seems like Frank Miller's material and Tarantino's direction go hand-in-hand, as not only do Redditors think that the comic book writer's Batman material would suit Tarantino, but his Daredevil stories would too. A deleted user wants to see Tarantino's Daredevil and specifically notes, "Some of the Frank Miller storylines from the 80s I think? Those were Shakespearean comics, Tarantino would do so much justice with those stories."
While 2003's Daredevil is underrated, it would have been much more successful in the hands of Tarantino. And as the MCU is gearing up for some kind of Daredevil content, whether it's a movie or Disney+ series, getting Tarantino on board to some extent would be a dream come true, even if he simply guest directed an episode of a Disney+ show.
The Mask
It's hardly surprising that fans of the director think he'd be a great candidate to direct both The Mask and Deadpool, as the two superheroes have a lot of similarities. Nobody wants to see a Tarantino-directed The Mask more than Huggableape, who notes how many similarities the material has to Tarantino's other work. The Redditor argues, "Tarantino is known for his larger-than-life characters and his violence. He is also really big on revenge."
However, just like with Hancock, as 1994's The Mask already exists, a soft reboot under the direction of Tarantino certainly wouldn't work. Jim Carrey, who plays Stanley in the original movie, has spoken at length about his disdain for violent movies, so he probably isn't a fan of Tarantino's body of work.
Bluntman And Chronic
A deleted user wants to see Tarantino take on Bluntman and Chronic, who are fictional superhero characters in the world of the ViewAskewniverse, a shared universe made up of Kevin Smith movies. Bluntman and Chronic are modeled on Jay and Silent Bob, and the fictional heroes have whole lore built around them in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and Jay and Silent Bob Reboot.
Given how Smith and Tarantino have a similar sense of humor and Smith has never shied away from vulgar humor and violence either, Bluntman and Chronic could make for a perfect sandbox for Tarantino to play around in. Not only that, but according to Cinema Blend, Tarantino is a big fan of the ViewAskewniverse, and as they're the most obscure superheroes ever, if Tarantino was to make any superhero movie, it'd be Bluntman and Chronic.