Prankster V Superman?
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00:00 So, Superman is undeniably one of the most popular superheroes in the world, having starred
00:05 in multiple films and headlined several comics every month for absolutely decades.
00:09 And as you might expect, being as popular as that, there are numerous supervillains
00:13 just lining up around the Bureau de Change who want to knock his bloody block off.
00:16 But many of them are going to be waiting a fair while, because, let's face it, they're
00:20 not that great.
00:21 And some of them are just way too crazy to ever appear in any mainline upcoming Superman
00:26 film.
00:27 So let's take a look at them as I'm Jules, this is WhatCulture.com, and these are 10
00:29 Superman Villains Way Too Crazy for Superman.
00:32 10.
00:33 Bloodsport
00:34 The first version of Bloodsport was Robert Dubois, a Vietnam draft dodger who went crazy
00:39 and imagined himself to be a hardened war veteran.
00:42 His role was succeeded by Alexander Trent, an angry white supremacist who wanted to wreak
00:46 havoc on the world.
00:47 Now, the common bond between them was an advanced teleporter in their armor which they used
00:51 to bring futuristic weaponry to themselves at a moment's notice.
00:54 Sounds cool, right?
00:55 But you know what?
00:56 Apart from that, he's pretty unremarkable in all of the important ways.
00:59 He's notable in all of the wrong ones.
01:01 His modus operandi consists of having just some guns and kryptonite weapons.
01:05 It's incredibly unoriginal, and there are hordes of Superman villains who have similar
01:09 gimmicks.
01:10 Conversely, on a personal level, he's completely unlikable and rather ridiculous.
01:14 Both incarnations are crazy, with one being completely unstable and the other being, well,
01:18 an unstable racist.
01:19 As a character, he lacks any sort of compelling motive or characterization to go with his
01:23 rather bizarre theme.
01:24 So in a movie, he'd amount to little more than a disposable henchman.
01:28 9.
01:29 Superman
01:30 When cowboy Toby Manning was a boy, he was abducted by aliens.
01:33 They taught him how to use their weapons and sent him back to the present day with their
01:36 own guns that were modified to look like old West revolvers.
01:40 To top off the ensemble, he would often ride around on a flying horse and try to lasso
01:43 Superman.
01:44 Now, the updated version of his origin was a little less ridiculous, but still not exactly
01:48 memorable.
01:49 Like a version of Poison Ivy, he fought to protect the Earth with the same futuristic
01:52 revolvers and cowboy gimmick as before.
01:55 Why a cowboy would want to save the Earth like that with high-tech weaponry is weird,
01:59 isn't it?
02:00 It's just odd.
02:01 But good on you, mate.
02:02 We need more eco-warriors, but maybe with less warrior parts.
02:03 You know what I'm trying to say.
02:04 Now, why he wouldn't work in a film is because Terrorman's identity is built around two
02:08 concepts that haven't really played well on film in recent years - cowboys and aliens.
02:13 And that's about the extent of his character.
02:15 His personality is undefined, and his exploits aren't very special.
02:18 If Superman needed to fight some type of hired gun, using the one who completely reads like
02:23 a useless and unmarketable gimmick would seem like a rather poor choice.
02:26 8.
02:27 Encantadora
02:28 Lord Lucero's father finally acquired the fantastic mists of Ibella, only for them to
02:34 drive him utterly insane.
02:35 His daughter would instead embrace their power and become Encantadora.
02:40 Though she would occasionally help Superman, this femme fatale's most memorable enterprise
02:44 was selling fake kryptonite to criminals.
02:46 But here's the real problem - she feels like a ton of wasted potential.
02:50 She was given an immense amount of power, but chose to use it for the most mundane and
02:53 impractical purposes.
02:55 But more than that, selling fake kryptonite in a city where the real thing seems to be
02:58 pretty easily acquirable makes her out to be a fairly inept criminal.
03:02 Beyond the failings of her character, magic has never really had much place in Superman's
03:06 world.
03:07 Sure, it can weaken him, but it doesn't really fit with who he is as a character.
03:10 And this is all the more true for the movies, where the more comic book-style elements of
03:13 his character seem to be tolerated rather than embraced.
03:17 7.
03:18 Microwave Man
03:19 In the comics, one of Superman's first supervillains, Louis Paget, found his way
03:22 to harness microwaves and use them for crime.
03:25 Before his initial spree of robberies could continue, though, aliens took notice of his
03:29 creations and invited him to travel the universe with him.
03:32 Returning to Earth as an old man, he used the alien's power to have one final fight
03:35 with Superman before he died.
03:37 Though he only appeared in two issues, the story of Microwave Man is so stupendous and
03:42 memorable that his legacy still carries on.
03:44 Because it's important to remember that even though Superman himself is an alien,
03:48 it's still a fairly silly notion for the villain to gain his superpowers via alien
03:52 abduction.
03:53 Now, in fairness, Microwave Man is exactly why comics exist - they belong in a more fantasy-orientated
03:59 world.
04:00 Unfortunately, though, he hasn't really aged all that well, because at the time of
04:02 his creation, microwave technology was still a novelty.
04:05 Now it's an old, familiar discovery that would seem so stupid to see highlighted in
04:09 a film, especially if it required aliens to make it a serious threat.
04:12 6.
04:13 Silver Banshee
04:14 After a failed supernatural ritual, Gatelit clan leader Shabar McDougal was sucked into
04:19 the Netherworld and transformed into something inhuman.
04:22 She's offered a chance to return to the world, but only if she can deliver an occult book
04:26 to her demon captors.
04:27 Naturally, that book in question now resides in Metropolis.
04:30 Under the guise of the Silver Banshee and sporting an otherworldly shriek, she would
04:34 repeatedly plague Metropolis while trying to retrieve the book and restore herself.
04:38 But it wouldn't work in a film because, well, she's already appeared on TV, and
04:42 it didn't really work out that well.
04:44 The character looks simply unbelievable in real life, and her ancient Gaelic origins
04:48 in no way fit with Superman's mythology or the types of films that he stars in.
04:52 And when you think about it, Superman already has a huge roster of female villains which
04:56 he could fight off against on the silver screen, so the Silver Banshee is probably going to
05:00 be very far back in that queue.
05:01 5.
05:02 Titano
05:03 The DC Universe is no stranger to super-powered apes, but thanks to his special powers, Titano
05:09 stands apart.
05:10 Once a normal chimpanzee, he was experimented on and became super-sized, as well as gaining
05:14 the power to shoot kryptonite beams out of his eyes.
05:17 Now, his exact origins have been altered somewhat over the years, but he's regularly portrayed
05:21 as a mindless ape that's been granted super-strength and other various powers.
05:25 In every incarnation, his immediate reaction always seems to just go around just mindlessly
05:29 destroying the city.
05:30 And as much as Superman fighting King Kong could be a sight to behold, it's not exactly
05:34 something that fans are clamouring to see.
05:37 Somehow, a giant, super-powered gorilla just doesn't seem to fit in with Superman's
05:40 story in any realistic or meaningful way.
05:42 On top of that, because the DCEU is already struggling as it is, introducing a super-powered
05:47 gorilla might set things back just a little bit.
05:50 4.
05:51 Composite Superman
05:52 After being saved by Superman and given a job in his museum, Joseph Meech quickly became
05:57 resentful of the Caped Crusader.
05:59 One night, while cleaning up, he was struck by a bolt of lightning and given superpowers.
06:03 Choosing to shapeshift into a green monster, he came up with a costume that was half Superman
06:07 and half Batman, with the goal of seeking out and humiliating both heroes.
06:11 As it really is, his identity has been inhabited by other entities, but each one remains as
06:15 unbelievable as the next, all the while sporting that same over-the-top costume.
06:19 And I mean, the reason why he just wouldn't work on film is just look at him.
06:22 There's no possible way something as far-fetched as this could ever exist in the rather hyper-serious
06:27 world that Superman now finds himself in.
06:29 There's so many villains based on variants of Superman that if they really wanted to
06:33 use his opposite, they could easily turn to the likes of Bizarro or Cyborg Superman before
06:37 they had to stoop as low as possible to use Composite Superman.
06:41 3.
06:42 Cancer
06:43 When Superman became poisoned with kryptonite, a team led by Dr. Emil Hamilton was quick
06:47 to save him by removing the main malignant tumor inside of him.
06:50 Some time later, General Zod, then a Russian despot, acquired the tumor and brought it
06:55 to life.
06:56 The creature he created was massive, gifted all sorts of superpowers, and hated his former
06:59 "father" Superman for rejecting him.
07:02 Cancer would then use his toxic touch to seek revenge on Superman and all of his allies.
07:06 And the reason why this wouldn't work on film is because Cancer isn't exactly super-marketable,
07:11 is it?
07:12 I mean, just listen to that origin story and tell me that that would work as a film.
07:15 No it would not.
07:16 It's incredibly, incredibly insensitive.
07:18 2.
07:19 Prankster
07:20 So when his children's show was cancelled, Oswald Loomis sought out revenge of the executive
07:24 who pulled the plug.
07:25 Eventually, his plots of vengeance would expand as he took to all of Metropolis to stage pranks
07:29 and acts of chaos and crime.
07:31 Now over the years, his enterprises have evolved, operating as a distraction for other criminals
07:35 as well as a cyber-criminal.
07:36 Nevertheless, he always read like a kind of non-threatening knock-off of the Joker.
07:41 To his credit, the character has been steadily improving over the years, but he's still
07:44 never really been a real match for Superman.
07:47 I mean, acid pies and electronic buzzers against the Man of Steel?
07:50 Really?
07:51 Prankster's more of an annoyance that acts like a light-breather of a Superman while
07:54 he's going between stopping aliens from destroying planets.
07:57 This function is important in a monthly comic, but films need to go all out each time.
08:01 There's no desire for Superman to have some downtime during a movie, and thus Prankster
08:05 feels just useless.
08:06 At number one, Mr. Mixelplic.
08:08 So if the Prankster is a thorn in Superman's side, then Mr. Mixelplic is the ultimate nuisance.
08:14 Everyone's favourite imp from the fifth dimension, he shows up on a whim to challenge Superman
08:18 with his world-bending, albeit light-hearted, games from time to time.
08:22 Despite his preposterous nature, he's been one of Superman's most recurring foes and
08:26 is beloved by many fans for his fun-loving attitude when compared to Superman's usual
08:30 foes.
08:31 But it wouldn't work on film because realistically, there seems to be very few ways to portray
08:34 this character in a successful way that wouldn't involve completely overhauling who he actually
08:39 is.
08:40 His appeal is how unbelievable and over-the-top both his personality and his powers are, and
08:44 that just doesn't work on multiple fronts.
08:46 It would be very tricky to convey his vast powers in live action, and his bombastic attitude
08:50 isn't really suited for a more serious film.
08:53 Despite all of this, though, the character was very nearly included in Superman 3, so
08:57 I guess anything is possible, but you know what?
08:59 We're not holding our breath here.
09:00 And there we go, my friends.
09:01 Those were 10 Superman Villains Way Too Crazy for Superman on Film.
09:04 I hope that you enjoyed that, and please let me know what you thought about it down in
09:07 the comments section below.
09:08 As always, I've been Jules, you can go follow me over on Twitter @RetroJWithA0, or you can
09:12 swing by Live and Let's Dice, where I do all of my streaming outside of work, and it'd
09:16 be great to see you over there, my friends.
09:18 But before I go, I just want to say one thing.
09:20 Hope you're treating yourself well, with love and respect, my friends, because you
09:22 deserve all of the best things in life, and do not let anything or anyone else tell you
09:26 otherwise, alright?
09:27 You are the hero of your own story.
09:28 Now go out there and absolutely smash it today.
09:31 As always, I've been Jules, you have been awesome, never forget that, and I'll speak
09:34 to you soon.