10 Biggest Fan Service Moments In Comic Book Movies
"And the smartest man alive... Reed Richards."
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00:00Comic book movies have always played up to the fan service angle,
00:03offering something to audiences for the sheer benefit of putting a
00:05smile on their faces.
00:06These things don't necessarily impact the movie.
00:09They aren't always integral to the story, but they are often a cheap
00:12way of trying to win the audience around.
00:14Sometimes this works a lot better than others.
00:16And so, with that in mind, I'm Ellie with WhatCulture, here with the
00:1910 biggest fan service moments in comic book movies.
00:23Number 10, the classic theme in Spider-Man Homecoming
00:26Is there any superhero across any comic book brand or property
00:29that can compete with Spider-Man for sheer popularity?
00:32The character's longevity and continued success with kids and
00:35adults alike suggest that there isn't.
00:37Even after both Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield brought Peter Parker
00:40to life in five movies over 12 years, Spidey's introduction to the MCU
00:44left audiences with the kind of excitement few others could generate.
00:47He broke the internet when he appeared in a trailer for Civil War,
00:50and in 2017, finally headlined his own MCU movie.
00:54Anticipation for Spider-Man Homecoming was already through the roof,
00:57and audiences flocked to cinemas to see Tom Holland in action.
01:00There wasn't much director John Watts could have done to get fans any more
01:03pumped, but he managed it before the movie ever properly began.
01:06Instead of the typical Marvel fanfare, over the opening montage played
01:09an orchestral version of the classic Spider-Man theme song that would
01:13be recognized by anyone, anywhere.
01:15Did it improve the movie at all?
01:16Not really.
01:17But was there anyone watching who didn't get goosebumps from the score?
01:19Absolutely not.
01:20Number 9, the Joker in Zack Snyder's Justice League
01:24Batman's rogue scullery is as impressive as any other superhero in
01:27comic book history, and can really only be rivaled by Spider-Man.
01:30However, in spite of names like the Riddler, Two-Face, Bane, and many
01:34more, the Joker will always be his greatest ever rival.
01:37As such, there was excitement and intrigue surrounding Jared Leto's
01:40turn as the Clown Prince of Crime in 2016's Suicide Squad.
01:44As we now know, the less said about it, the better.
01:46Leto barely had any screen time, and what he did have, he didn't exactly
01:49set the world alight, until Zack Snyder gave the character a second chance.
01:53In the Snyder Cut, after the Justice League defeated Steppenwolf and
01:56Darkseid, there was a bizarre apocalyptic future dream sequence.
02:00Along with Cyborg, the Flash, Deathstroke, and Mirror,
02:02Batman sought to take down Superman.
02:05There was one more member of this random team, namely, the Joker.
02:08This version was much darker, the aesthetic was immediately stronger,
02:11and even through incredibly jarring dialogue, he managed to convince
02:14many fans watching that he could have been something better if used properly.
02:18This scene ultimately led nowhere, and the movie wouldn't have suffered
02:21for the Joker's omission.
02:22He was literally just included for the fans.
02:24Number 8.
02:25Logan's Facial Hair in Logan
02:27For the most part, James Mangold's Logan managed to avoid the kind of
02:30fan service you might expect to see in a movie based around such a popular character,
02:34particularly one who was supposed to be giving his final performance,
02:37though at the time, there was no way of knowing about Deadpool 3's plans.
02:40Instead of cheap callbacks and references, Wolverine's third solo movie was a powerful,
02:44character-driven piece that served as a truly epic send-off.
02:47That being said, even a movie such as this wasn't immune to bowing to fan service completely.
02:52If there was to be one critique of Wolverine as a character throughout the Fox movies,
02:55it's that his appearance was never strictly comic-accurate.
02:58Hugh Jackman was too tall compared to his comic counterpart, and though it was teased,
03:02there was never the classic comic-accurate X-Men suit.
03:05In Logan, however, Mangold threw fans a bone with the character's facial hair.
03:08While asleep at Eden, the kids decided to shave Logan's
03:11beard into the iconic look from the comics.
03:13This was, of course, something that infuriated Logan within the realms of the story,
03:17but put smiles on the faces of comic book fans in cinemas everywhere.
03:21Number 7.
03:21Wolverine's Cameos in X-Men First Class and X-Men Apocalypse
03:26After the poorly-received X-Men The Last Stand, Fox gave its superhero franchise a soft reboot.
03:30Turning to younger versions of Professor X and Magneto had the desired refreshing effect,
03:34and while the focus stayed on two of the central characters, it strayed from its best.
03:38The story of how Charles and Eric met and the inception of the X-Men was a phenomenal story,
03:43but had no place for Wolverine.
03:45However, the creators did manage to cram everyone's favorite mutant into the movie,
03:49with one of the greatest Marvel cameos of all time.
03:51Who doesn't love seeing Logan tell Charles and Eric to go fff themselves?
03:54Fast forward five years, and the X-Men franchise was a tired one,
03:57and had more than outstayed its welcome.
03:59Apocalypse was supposed to compete with both Civil War and Dawn of Justice in 2016,
04:03but instead disappointed on every level.
04:05Even the Wolverine cameo.
04:07While in First Class, Hugh Jackman's appearance had been a joyous moment,
04:10seeing those famous claws in Apocalypse felt a little more transparent.
04:13There was literally no reason to bring him in other than fan service,
04:16and this wasn't just one scene.
04:18It was an entire sequence seemingly put together just to shoehorn him in.
04:21These are two very different ends of the spectrum of how well fan service can be received.
04:266. The A-Force in Avengers Endgame
04:29The Marvel Cinematic Universe has grown to be so extensive that there are superheroes
04:33inhabiting the franchise that have never crossed paths.
04:36However, plenty have been thrown together to face a common enemy,
04:39never on a bigger scale than Avengers Endgame.
04:41This was the conclusion of the Infinity Saga,
04:44and almost every live hero was on the battlefield.
04:46This allowed for team-ups and crossovers like never before.
04:49One such idea that the Russo Brothers implemented was that of an MCU A-Force,
04:53namely taking every female hero and putting them into the same scene,
04:57whether it made sense or not.
04:58The idea of the coming together on paper was excellent,
05:01and had it been executed better, could have been one of the greatest moments of the entire movie.
05:05Instead, bringing them all together seemingly just because,
05:08was supposed to be a great bit of fan service, but instead came off more as pandering.
05:11It took far too long for the MCU to boast a female-led movie,
05:15and the complaints were loud and numerous.
05:17Unfortunately, instead of genuinely compelling stories with female characters at the forefront,
05:21this seemed like a quick fix that for most fans missed the mark.
05:24Hopefully, the team can be brought together properly in the future.
05:275. A Live-Action Spider-Verse in Spider-Man No Way Home
05:32As we mentioned earlier, Spider-Man is arguably the most popular superhero of all time.
05:36Even within the realms of the MCU,
05:38after the two previous iterations didn't exactly end as planned,
05:40Tom Holland's Warcrawler has enjoyed huge success under the Marvel Studios banner.
05:44Both Homecoming and Far From Home were critical and box office successes,
05:48and naturally the third in the trilogy was highly anticipated.
05:50However, nothing could have possibly beaten bringing both Tobey Maguire and
05:54Andrew Garfield back into what was essentially a live-action Spider-Verse.
05:58Into the Spider-Verse is one of the best Spider-Man movies ever,
06:00and No Way Home took that and brought it to life with all three live-action Spider-Men.
06:05This was the kind of thing comic book and mainstream movie fans dreamed of.
06:08It almost didn't matter what the story was when Tobey and Andrew stepped through Ned's portals.
06:12Needless to say, the movie was a huge success, because why wouldn't it be?
06:15It could have been underwhelming in literally every other department,
06:18but with the three Spider-Men on screen together at last,
06:21not too long after it seemed that even one appearing in the MCU was impossible.
06:25It was guaranteed success.
06:27If we're being totally honest, this entire premise was one big load of fan service.
06:31And it worked.
06:324. The X-Men in Deadpool 2
06:35Everyone knows Deadpool's schtick by now.
06:37Until Jennifer Walters burst onto the MCU scene,
06:39he was the only comic book character who could truly get away with breaking the fourth wall.
06:43And the Merc with the Mouth certainly pushed these boundaries.
06:46He actively asked which version of Professor X Colossus was taking him to,
06:50whether it was McAvoy or Stewart, as the timelines were too confusing.
06:53He spoke to the audience whenever possible,
06:55and made multiple jokes about why there were never any other X-Men on the screen.
06:59This last one, after in the first movie Deadpool suggested the studio wouldn't
07:02pay for any more characters to appear, enjoyed a huge payoff in the sequel.
07:06With Wade rolling around the mansion in Xavier's wheelchair,
07:09berating both Colossus and the studio for not giving the movie even one other member of the team,
07:14they all appeared in the background for a matter of two seconds.
07:17Professor X, Beast, Quicksilver, Nightcrawler, Storm, and Cyclops showed their faces in a scene
07:21that in the timeline made absolutely no sense, and realistically had no place there,
07:25but was one of the best cameos in comic book movie history.
07:293. Cap lifting Mjolnir in Avengers Endgame
07:33Not only did Avengers Endgame bring together the Infinity Saga that
07:36stretched forward previous 22 movies, it was also the end of the road in the
07:39franchise for several major characters. One of the biggest, most important,
07:43and most popular characters in the history of the MCU is Captain America.
07:46There were some truly epic Cap moments in the movie, from standing as a one-man army
07:50against Thanos' entire forces, to finally uttering Avengers Assemble after so long.
07:55The latter could arguably have made it into this list on its own merit, but
07:59it just can't beat Steve Rogers proving himself worthy.
08:01As Thanos was kicking Thor all over the battlefield,
08:04about to pierce the God of Thunder's chest with Stormbreaker,
08:06Mjolnir began to move, cracking the Mad Titan on the jaw before zipping into Captain America's hand.
08:12The reaction of audiences across the world shows just how much this meant to fans of the franchise.
08:16Way back in Avengers Age of Ultron, Steve was able to make Mjolnir budge just a fraction of an inch,
08:21to the surprise of Thor. For the next four years, fans were convinced that he was worthy,
08:25and this moment proved it. It was a huge exclamation point on Cap's story,
08:29but it was as much for the fans as it was for the star-spangled man.
08:322. Superman's Black Suit in Zack Snyder's Justice League
08:37Let's kick off this entry with a statement any comic book movie fan knows all too well.
08:40Justice League, plain and simply, missed the mark. This was supposed to be DC's Avengers moment,
08:45but too many issues to go through here led to its ultimately disappointing failure.
08:49Four years later, the lobbying of Zack Snyder's fans paid off,
08:52as the Snyder Cut was released in all of its four-hour-long glory.
08:55Inherently an improvement on the theatrical version, though still severely flawed,
08:59the movie was received far better by audiences. In short, Snyder gave the fans what they wanted.
09:03In one particular scene, this revolved around Superman's appearance after his resurrection.
09:07The black suit was rumored and subsequently omitted from Joss Whedon's Justice League,
09:11but in the Snyder Cut, it was there for fans to rejoice at.
09:14In the comics, Superman wore the black suit to maximize regenerating his powers after coming
09:18back to life, and it signified something of a new beginning for the character. In the movie,
09:22none of this was truly ever explored, and no explanation for the changing clothes was given.
09:26Instead, Clark Kent donned the black suit seemingly just to give those fans loyal to
09:30the director a kick.
09:311. John Krasinski as Reed Richards in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
09:37In a conversation about fan service in comic book movies, there simply can't be any other
09:41place for Reed Richards' appearance in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness than at
09:45the very top. Kevin Feige himself admitted that this was done purely for the fans.
09:49The inclusion of the Illuminati and of Professor X was needlessly spoiled in the trailers for the
09:53Doctor Strange sequel, but the biggest reveal of them all was still kept quiet.
09:57After years of fan casting, John Krasinski finally brought to life Reed Richards,
10:01making MCU fans' dreams come true. This was easily the greatest moment in what was a
10:05disappointing movie, though actually seems ten times better by comparison after seeing
10:09Thor Love and Thunder. It was, however, a fleeting glimpse of Krasinski in the role
10:13every single Marvel fan wanted to see him in, as he was killed after only a few minutes of
10:17screen time, with the rumors being that he won't portray the Earth-616 version of Richards in the
10:22upcoming Fantastic Four movie. Instead of Krasinski, Adam Driver's name is the latest to
10:26have been floated for the role, but no matter who brings Mr. Fantastic to life going forward,
10:30we'll always have those several minutes.
10:32And that concludes our list. If you think we missed any, then do let us know in the
10:35comments below, and while you're there, don't forget to like and subscribe,
10:38and tap that notification bell. Also, head over to Twitter and follow us there,
10:41and I can be found across various social medias just by searching Ellie Littlechild.
10:44I've been Ellie with WhatCulture, I hope you have a magical day, and I'll see you real soon.