Upcoming Marvel Comics Movies, Part I

Today there is a resurgence of the comic book nerd. This specimen of human being used to be relegated to their room studying the intricate detail of an expanding comic book universe. There they would dream of unrealistically proportioned women as they thought about the possibility of solving all of their life problems, if they could only figure out a way (aside from drinking radioactive Drain-O) to develop a superpower other than the ability to disappear from the vision of the opposite sex.

Now with the incredibly successful genre of movies-adapted-from-the-famous-comic-books-of-old gaining mainstream popularity, these overweight, ugly-beard-and-long-hair-growing 35 year olds can freely come up from their parents' basements and breathe the free air of the most basic form of social acceptance and recognition for their particular area of obsession.

No doubt Stan Lee, the creative life force of most of Marvel Comics would like to coax each and every one of these “I’d Rather be Dating Elektra” t-shirt wearing shut-ins out of their homes and into the local cineplex, because they alone could usher Marvel back to the top of the mountain. These nacho snacking, Easy-Mac eating fountains of modern day mythological information are single handedly bringing Marvel back from the brink of bankruptcy by shelling out their hard earned unemployment funds to watch these films — sometimes twelve times over, painstakingly searching for a new continuity error they can find and post on their favourite BBS when they get back to the (not by choice) boys-only ‘secret hideout’ in the folks cellar.

Let’s celebrate with society's cast-offs and enjoy the imaginative entertainment that Marvel Comics is bringing to the table by reviewing the upcoming Marvel Franchise movies that are coming out in the next few years, shall we? But, when talking with one of these ‘Super Heroes In Training’ faced people who know Spiderman’s shoe size, and where Invisible Woman shops, give them their due respect. They were in on this way before it got big.

The Fantastic Four: This franchise is one of the best and most storied of all comics. Thing, Invisible Woman, the Human Torch, and Mr. Fantastic make up the core team, and are no doubt the characters which the movie will revolve around. This will be a tough one to pull off with the movie reels from the Incredibles still cooling off from its huge success, and the glaring similarities between the two groups of super heroes. Due to a healthy injection of $10 million dollars used to beef up the F4 at the last second, the movie promises to be Good enough to help us all forget that other animated foursome.

Ghost Rider: When you think superhero, do you think Demonic Harley Riding Fiery-skull-for a head monstrosity? Neither do I, but then again I don’t work for Marvel Comics. Ghost Rider is a character who seeks vengeance wherever he encounters injustice. Kind of dark, and odd, and he’s definitely Bad news for the concession stand staff, as the prices they charge for a soda are criminal!

Iron Man: This is a very tough call. Billionaire playboy Tony Stark gets badly injured, designs a special iron suit to survive/walk and then uses it to fight crime. Of course, if you were a billionaire playboy you could make a cool suit like his, too, with lasers, jets, and the ability to withstand any assault short of a comet strike. The re's only one question around this cool story — Just who stars as Iron Man? The two ‘actors’ in talks are Tom Cruise who would be good as Tony Stark, and Justin Timberlake who would just be downright Ugly.

Luke Cage: Marvel Comics' Luke Cage (the company's first black superhero) is a former gang member who is nabbed by the cops after being framed. In jail, he signs up to participate in medical tests, and when things go wrong, he develops superhuman strength and impenetrable skin, which help him bust out of prison. He then becomes an evil-vanquishing mercenary. Director John Singleton describes him as "Imagine if 50 Cent got super-powers." Now that’s just a Bad image! It does send a good message, though, about never signing up for medical tests while in prison.

Sub-Mariner: Namor the Sub-Mariner is a legendary and long existing Marvel Comics character. He lives in Atlantis, can breathe under water, and has little wings on his ankles that enable him to fly. It should be a visually stunning flick, and rumours are that The Rock will be starring as Namor. As a closet Rock in the movies fan, I think this is a Good thing!

X-Men 3: Little is known about the plot for this film, but I still think that this will be a bad-ass flick and one that nobody will want to miss. They started opening the door to focus on a Grey/Phoenix thread at the end of X2, but they will also have to play heavy on the Wolverine factor if they are aiming to give him his own spinoffs. Here’s to hoping the ultra cool Colossus has a bigger part too, because that would add another Good thing to this film with already enormous potential.