Even though we’re living in the golden age of superhero movies, where even the most obscure of characters are receiving their own standalones, there are still some heroes whose chances of getting the silver screen to themselves are next to none. Don’t expect to be buying tickets to see these guys anytime soon…
The Inhumans
Marvel’s other persecuted race of genetically bred super-humans, the Inhumans, should have been out in cinemas already. Originally announced as part of the Marvel cinematic Universe’s slate of phase three films, it seemed King Black Bolt and co were poised to go from obscurity to being household names, like so many of Marvel’s successful IP’s. However instead of bookending the MCU’s phase 3 in style the Inhumans was adapted for television…only for it to flopp hard! And if an unsuccessful tv show wasn’t bad enough, Marvel now have the rights to the X-men (the very thing they were trying to replace) back under their roof, making any form of Inhuman revival project, completely pointless.
Robin
Out of all the members of the bat-family, the boy wonder is easily the most recognisable, trumped only by the caped crusader himself. So why then, hasn’t a Dick Grayson/Jason Todd/Tim Drake/Damian Wayne movie been announced yet? After all, providing plans at DC haven’t changed, all the other sidekicks and allies of the Dark Knight are getting one. Could it be that the public image of Robin is too obscured by bright yellow tights and memories of “Holy Ravioli, Batman!” for executives to trust bird-boy with 2 hours of screen time?
Daredevil
Now, while Daredevil already had his chance (and blew it) at wowing cinema audiences many years ago. That was before he had a hit three season run on Netflix that, not only gave us the “man without fear” we deserved, changed the very perception of comic book based television. Yet despite the sudden polymorphism from ‘complete joke’ to ‘complex vigilante’, it’s hard to see how the family friendly Marvel movies would ever allow such a dark character into phase 5. At least not without killing the magic with a P-G rating.
Catwoman
Technically, the queen of femme fatales, has a film…technically. That’s only if you class the complete bastardisation that was Halle Berry’s’, ‘Patience Phillips’ version. The true Catwoman, the alluring master-thief, Selina Kyle would both steal audiences hearts and be able to stand alongside the likes of Wonder Woman as a strong female protagonist. But alas, we’re stuck with the 2004 version.
Professor Gamble
Hailing from the deepest recesses of Marvel’s character vault, you could probably count, Justin Alphonse Gamble’s comic appearances on one hand and still have fingers left over. For those unaware of his existence, ‘The Professor’ is an eccentric time traveller who travels through time in a shape-shifting spaceship and constantly battles pepper-pot shaped robots called ‘Dreadlocks’ that shout a battle cry of “Incinerate!”. If any of this sounds remotely familiar to a British audience, be sure not to tell Marvel’s lawyers as they’re bound to get sued. Despite the potential copyright infringement, a Professor Gamble movie would be any Doctor Who fan’s dream. Especially considering that any official film from the Timelord is nowhere in sight.
