Not so Superman? Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the worst creative blunders made in cape flicks.
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the worst creative blunders
00:07made in cape flicks.
00:19A film about a team of spider-themed heroes might sound exciting, but this one falls flat
00:24in almost every single way.
00:26The main character, Cassandra, is impossible to root for, and her connection to Peter Parker
00:29is aggressively shoehorned in.
00:32And let's not even get started on the painfully obvious audio dialogue replacement.
00:38If you were hoping for at least one decent action sequence from our heroes, you'd be
00:41disappointed again.
00:42In fact, calling these characters heroes is a bit of a stretch.
00:45For most of the film, they're just ordinary teenagers barely involved in the action, and
00:49the one fight scene they have in costume doesn't even last up to one minute.
00:53Who knew the disaster that was Morbius could be topped?
01:10When it comes to their Spider-Man movies, Sony clearly has a villain problem.
01:14They're either poorly adapted from the source material, or there's just too many of them
01:17involved in the plot.
01:18The Rhino embodies both of these problems.
01:21Paul Giamatti gives it his all, but his performance is way too cartoony, even for a comic book
01:25movie.
01:29Then the film gets even more embarrassing when he dons a mechanised suit to fight Spider-Man.
01:40Not only does it not resemble a rhino, but it's so big that it makes Giamatti look
01:44absolutely ridiculous.
01:46He makes you appreciate the movies that get the supervillain costumes right.
02:03After the successes of Thanos and Mysterio, we were hoping for another great villain in
02:07Taskmaster.
02:08In the comics, Tony Masters is often depicted as an arrogant mercenary with a wry sense
02:13of humour.
02:14But some of the elements that made their way to the movie were his powers and costume.
02:23In the MCU, Taskmaster is reimagined as Antonia Dreykov, a brainwashed assassin who works
02:29for the Red Room.
02:30This new version lacked the original character's personality, making her feel more like a knock-off
02:34Winter Soldier.
02:35Additionally, her backstory mainly served to drive Black Widow's plot, rather than
02:39be compelling on its own.
02:40These changes only resulted in a far less interesting villain than we would have loved
02:44to see.
02:57This film is infamous for making some very strange decisions when it came to villains.
03:01Poison Ivy didn't just have a weak motivation, she also lacked the depth of her comic book
03:06counterpart.
03:07You don't even need to mention Mr Freeze's embarrassingly bad ice puns.
03:17Somehow Bane manages to be worse than both of them.
03:19I mean, if you're going to reduce one of Batman's most cunning villains into a mindless
03:23brute, at least give him a decent costume or an intense fight scene.
03:26But the filmmakers couldn't even deliver on that.
03:33Thankfully, Christopher Nolan came around and redeemed this character, helping us almost
03:39forget about this horrendous rendition.
03:54Marvel Studios has turned Seelers' characters into fan favourites, transforming obscure
03:58heroes like the Guardians of the Galaxy into icons.
04:01But sadly, this wasn't the case for the Eternals.
04:03Despite solid performances from the cast, the film struggled to develop its nine characters.
04:08We only get brief glimpses into their backstories, and the character growth that does exist feels
04:12half-baked.
04:13Even Kingo left the movie when it got too crammed.
04:23While Infinity War and Endgame also had large ensembles, they focused mainly on one or a
04:27few characters at a time, most of whom were already established in previous solo projects.
04:32But introducing a team of nine new heroes in one go might be too much for any movie
04:37to handle.
04:56Calling this sequel disappointing is putting it mildly.
04:58It was plagued with lacklustre action, bad visual effects and convoluted writing.
05:03Among the most baffling choices, however, was the return of Steve Trevor.
05:06When Diana wishes to reunite with him, Steve is resurrected, but in another man's body.
05:22This raises a lot of questions about how the Dreamstone works, particularly why it
05:26caused Steve to possess someone else rather than be brought back in his own body.
05:30Even more troubling is that neither Diana nor Steve seem to care that they took away
05:34another man's autonomy for their own selfish interests.
05:37This felt like a huge oversight, that should have definitely been rewritten.
05:51Sam Raimi's Spider-Man films are known for their great villains, but this one stands
05:58out for all the wrong reasons.
06:00Fans of the comics remember Eddie Brock's Venom as a disgraced journalist who's obsessed
06:04with killing Spider-Man.
06:05While the film keeps some aspects of the character, the casting of Topher Grace was a huge miss.
06:13He played a convincing dark parallel to Peter Parker, but he just wasn't intimidating
06:18or scary.
06:19Instead of a bulked-up monster driven by hatred, he came off more like an entitled frat boy.
06:29And to make matters worse, the film peeled off Venom's iconic mask at almost every
06:33opportunity to show his face, constantly reminding us of this poor casting choice.
06:46The film debut of DC's most famous female hero turned out to be a surprise hit with
06:51audiences and critics, but it has a major flaw that many have since pointed out.
06:55The final battle with Ares falls short compared to the strong first two-thirds of the movie.
07:05David Thewellis' over-the-top performance didn't mesh with the gritty tone the film
07:08had already established.
07:10Hence, when the final showdown between him and Diana arrived, it felt like any run-of-the-mill
07:14third act finale, especially when compared to the film's earlier battles.
07:18It's clear that this final act was mandated by the studio, so we can't pin all the blame
07:23on director Patty Jenkins.
07:37Audiences have come to expect the MCU to put its own spin on the Marvel Universe, and many
07:41of the changes made have been welcomed by fans.
07:43However, their take on M.O.D.O.K. is one of the studio's biggest misfires.
07:55Not only does he feel like an unnecessary addition to the plot, but he's just downright
07:59unpleasant to look at.
08:00No shade to actor Corey Stoll, who clearly deserved better.
08:03Beyond just pushing us deep into the Uncanny Valley, Marvel also gets a lot wrong about
08:08his characterisation.
08:09Sure, this version has the self-seriousness fans wanted, but it also lacks the tragic
08:19and comedic edge that makes him interesting.
08:22Maybe some things are better left on the page.
08:31Superman destroys Metropolis, Man of Steel.
08:40It would be an understatement to say that this 2013 film sparked mixed reactions.
08:45Many questioned the dour tone and revised Superman origin.
08:48Even more controversial, though, was the final battle against Zod.
08:56In the heart of Metropolis, the two Kryptonians fly and blast their way through several buildings.
09:01Battling to the death on an apocalyptic scale.
09:04This wouldn't be so distracting, if not for Superman's indifference to all the destruction
09:08around him.
09:09I mean, he doesn't even try to rescue people trapped in a collapsing skyscraper.
09:12Though he does save a family from Zod's heat vision, snapping his neck felt unnecessarily
09:17brutal.
09:18This, combined with a wanton destruction, left viewers unsatisfied with Man of Steel's
09:22portrayal of the ideal superhero.
09:30Galactus is a cloud, Fantastic Four, Rise of the Silver Surfer.
09:42For a film with a decent Silver Surfer, the portrayal of Galactus is shockingly poor.
09:47At a time when superhero movies still struggled with comic-accurate costumes, one of Marvel's
09:51most iconic villains ended up with a disappointing design.
09:55Galactus is presented as a vague, dark cloud, instead of an imposing giant who eats planets.
10:00Although we see his silhouette by the end, hinting that he's more than just a big cosmic
10:11cloud, this creative choice is just too bizarre to forgive.
10:14After all, is a black fog really a more menacing representation than a colossal figure who
10:19devours entire worlds?
10:25It can be a good idea for film studios and directors
10:35to create their own versions of famous comic book characters.
10:38However, you also don't want to stray too far from the source material, which is exactly
10:42what this movie did.
10:44Instead of Selina Kyle, Halle Berry plays someone named Patience Phillips.
10:54In the comics, Catwoman's origins are fairly simple.
10:56She's a jewel thief with a sexy persona, who evolves into an unlikely hero.
11:01Here, she's murdered, but an Egyptian Mao brings her back to life.
11:04Now possessing cat-like abilities, she dresses up in leather and fights evil cosmetic executives.
11:09I mean, no wonder this movie won several Razzies.
11:21Victor Von Doom is one of the greatest villains in the Marvel Universe, but for some reason
11:29they can't get him right on the big screen.
11:31In the comics, Doom is the ruler of Latveria, a fictional European country, and his disfiguration
11:36and subsequent rise to villainy are a result of his own misguided actions.
11:41The films seem to dislike this origin, however, making him more involved with the Fantastic
11:45Four and essentially eliminating his home country altogether.
11:54This only serves to confuse the story and make the overall world smaller, severely weakening
11:59a character that should be one of the greatest comic book villains ever.
12:10Expectations were high for the third X-Men film, since it was going to include one of
12:20the most famous plotlines in all of Marvel Comics, the Dark Phoenix storyline.
12:25In the comics, when Jean Grey turns into the Dark Phoenix, she essentially wields limitless
12:29power and is nearly unstoppable.
12:37In the film, however, she simply becomes a pawn of Magneto.
12:41Even Pyro is given more to do than her, which is saying something.
12:44Her death is also glossed over and done rather quickly, as opposed to the noble sacrifice
12:49she makes in the comics to save her friends and the universe.
13:01As annoying and frustrating as it may be for actors and actresses to wear superhero costumes
13:05for hours at a time, it is far better using a real costume than one generated through
13:10a computer.
13:11That's the route this film took in 2011, however, and it did not turn out well at all.
13:22Critics commented on how the CGI costume did not mesh well with Ryan Reynolds' live-action
13:26head.
13:27While the film did things this way because Green Lantern's ring generates the costume,
13:31it's still supposed to look like a real costume, which it doesn't.
13:35Even Deadpool agrees.
13:46Marvel has done many things right with its cinematic universe, but one area that remains
13:50a struggle is the lack of quality villains.
13:52Initially, it seemed like they had a great one here.
13:54In the comics, the Mandarin is Iron Man's greatest foe, and it appeared that they'd
13:58a modern version of the character that was as compelling as he was terrifying.
14:02Instead, it's revealed that Ben Kingsley's portrayal is exactly that, a performance.
14:14The real Mandarin is Guy Pearce's Aldric Killian, who has a personal vendetta against
14:18Tony Stark, in a twist that's frustratingly similar to the first two films.
14:38When the initial Suicide Squad trailers came out, one of the most intriguing aspects was
14:42Jared Leto's Joker.
14:44Could his stand out from other great portrayals of the character we've seen?
14:48That question is still up for debate, I suppose.
14:55After the films released, some people called him merely a gangster in make-up, while others
14:58praised his original take on the supervillain.
15:01One thing's for certain, however, he is completely unnecessary to the movie's plot.
15:09With several scenes involving his character left on the cutting room floor, the Joker
15:12is nothing more than an extended cameo, and ultimately had no real reason to be included
15:17in the film.
15:31While Wolverine's origin story has gotten increasingly complicated in the comics, the
15:35basics remain the same.
15:36He's imprisoned as part of the Weapon X programme, has adamantium fused onto his bones
15:40and spends the majority of his life fighting to be more than the weapon he was created
15:44to be.
15:52While the film does include these aspects, there's also a plot involving the pretend
15:55murder of Logan's girlfriend, Silver Fox, by his half-brother, Victor Creed, all of
15:59which was orchestrated by William Stryker to make Logan want to have the procedure.
16:04And none of this makes much sense.
16:06But what's worse is that it detracts from Wolverine's character, reducing him to a
16:10porn that can be easily controlled.
16:26When it was announced that Jesse Eisenberg would play Lex Luthor, many people had concerns
16:30that he wouldn't be able to capture the supervillain's intensity.
16:33While Eisenberg certainly put it all on the line, his portrayal of the character was far
16:37more neurotic than intense, and his over-the-top acting quickly became a distraction.
16:50While the script did the character no favours, with its convoluted storylines and questionable
16:54character motivations, it can't be denied that Eisenberg's performance left a lot
16:58to be desired, as he turned one of the greatest villains in the DC Universe into what many
17:03consider a stuttering mess.
17:29This is easily one of the most baffling portrayals of a great character in cinematic history.
17:33I mean, where do we even start?
17:36The costume was completely abandoned, they ignored his iconic physical traits and gave
17:40him a number of powers, including Cyclops' optic blast, for some random reason.
17:48They removed his dynamic personality, instead making him a puppet of Stryker.
17:52But worst of all, they sewed up his mouth, leaving him unable to talk.
17:56Deadpool, unable to talk.
17:58I mean, what is that about?
17:59That's like removing Spider-Man's webs or Wolverine's claws.
18:05Luckily, comic book fans everywhere can pretend this version of the character never existed,
18:09thanks to Ryan Reynolds.
18:16So is there an even bigger sin that we missed?
18:18Let us know in the comments.