Summary
Despite many comic book movies in theMCU, theDCU, and beyond appearing too big to fail, some were still unable to live up to expectations. Though themovies of the MCUhave helped elevate the superhero genre to unprecedented heights, comic book movies predate the franchise by many years. Over the long cinematic history of comic book adaptations, there have been a number of incredibly successful titles, as well as some that severely underperformed.
Given the pop culture relevance of most major superheroes and the considerable hype surrounding their big screen adaptations, some comic book movies seem destined for success. However, this isn’t always the case, with critical considerations, conceptual issues, or behind-the-scenes problems all occasionally contributing to a box office bomb. In spite of some movies seeming certain to achieve success, this doesn’t always come to pass, with somecomic book adaptations bombing at the box officeor with critics. Here are 10 comic book movies that seemed to big to fail that ultimately did anyway.
10 Future Comic Book Movies Too Big To Fail
Comic book movies aren’t always the sure-fire box office smashes they used to be, but some upcoming titles certainly seem much too big to fail.
Before themovies of the DCEUbrought a shared DC movie universe to the big screen, there was 2010’sJonah Hex. At the time, it was by far one of the more exciting DC projects, as its unique Western premise adapted a lesser-known hero, much as the MCU had done with the likes of Iron Man. Considering the success of Marvel’s C-list heroes on the big screen,Jonah Hexseemed a great prospect, particularly with such a star-studded cast.
With Josh Brolin in the title role and a supporting cast of Megan Fox, John Malkovich, Michael Fassbender, Will Arnett, Michael Shannon, and Wes Bentley,Jonah Hexboasted no shortage of talent. However, upon release,it bombed at the box office and tanked with critics, with almost every element of the movie criticized on some level. Despite the huge and obvious potential ofJonah Hex, it simply didn’t earn any real success.
On paper,Ghost Ridershould have worked brilliantly and been a huge success. Not only is the titular hero one of Marvel’s most interesting and cinematically enticing figures, but the movie also boasted a cast comprised of Nicolas Cage, Eva Mendes, Peter Fonda, and Wes Bentley. On top of that, the flaming skulled motorcyclist hero having such obvious visual appeal seemed to make 2007’sGhost Ridermuch too big to fail.
Unfortunately,Ghost Riderfumbled the majority of its potential.Its CGI was inconsistent, its script was uninspired, and it failed to capitalize on the acting talents of its cast. It failed to impress critics and ultimately underperformed at the box office, meaning that it thoroughly underwhelmed in terms of the success it seemed to be destined for owing to its cast and exciting premise.
2023’sAquaman and the Lost Kingdomwas tipped to mark the end of theDCEU’s movie timelinelong before its release. Playing such an important role by being the final chapter in a decade-spanning franchise helped boost the movie’s profile ahead of release. The huge and somewhat unexpected success of 2018’sAquamanmeant that expectations were high for the sequel, with the first film’s impressive cast reprising their roles to give the DCEU one final oceanic outing.
Unfortunately,Aquaman and the Lost Kingdomstruggled to break even at the box office, and received mostly negative reviewsfrom critics. As the last movie in the DCEU, the stakes of the movie’s plot felt decidedly low, and it was clear none of the characters would be returning regardless of what happened. The years of hype surrounding the sequel were ultimately dulled by the death of the DCEU, makingAquaman and the Lost Kingdom’s endingan underwhelming send-off for the franchise.
2011 saw DC put their faith inGreen Lantern, a movie adaptation of the popular hero with Ryan Reynolds in the title role. The sci-fi epic teased massive set pieces, groundbreaking visual effects, and a huge budget, as well as a number of big-name stars making up its supporting cast. As such,Green Lanternseemed at one point to be much too big to fail, especially with the studio putting so much behind the movie.
However,Green Lanternwas a well-documented disaster, failing to impress audiences and critics alike.Many aspects of the movie were heavily criticized, and even Reynolds himself has distanced himself fromGreen Lanternin the years since its release. The underwhelming performance of the movie combined with its underwhelming reception marked its failure to live up to the high expectations that the studio clearly had.
Thecast ofThe Marvelsbrought back a number of important MCU characters in their much-anticipated returns to the franchise, with Captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel, and Photon all teaming up to combat a comic-level threat. After 2019’sCaptain Marvelestablished itself as one of the MCU’s most successful standalone movies, hopes were incredibly high for the 2023 follow-up.Captain Marvel’s critical and commercial success set a rather high bar forThe Marvels, though the sequel seemed sure to achieve the success that has become all too familiar for the MCU.
The Marvelsultimately failed to live up to these expectations, however. Not only was the film the MCU’s biggest box office bomb by a considerable margin, but it also received decidedly mixed reviews.The Marvels’ lack of success seems even worse when judged against the popularity and box office of its predecessor, highlighting that the sequel failed to clear the high bar set for it.
After two relatively underwhelming adaptations in the ‘00s, the heroes of the Fantastic Four were recast for their appearance in Josh Trank’s 2015 reboot. The movie cast a number of prominent actors as its heroes and villains, including Miles Teller, Jamie Bell, Kate Mara, Michael B. Jordan, Tim Blake Nelson, and Toby Kebbell. The big budget reboot was the subject of much anticipation, particularly due to the talented nature of its cast.
2015’sFantastic Fourultimately proved a huge failure.The film struggled at the box office, and was unable to impress criticsor audiences, with multiple aspects of the movie heavily criticized. Ultimately, the movie failed to establish its heroes as relatable or particularly memorable, and its poor handling of the source material also proved a particular sticking point. As such,Fantastic Fourthoroughly wasted its talented cast, and failed hugely as a result.
Black Adamcontinued the DCEU’s story by introducing a number of prominent characters into the franchise. As well as the titular character, the movie brought the heroes of the Justice Society of America to the big screen, casting a number of prominent stars in supporting roles alongside Dwayne Johnson. The WWE superstar fueled a massive amount of hype about his role in the movie, prompting major expectations regarding the actor’s superhero movie debut.
Black Adamwas hardly the success that Johnson had promised it would be. His comments about the movie upsetting the hierarchy of power in the DCEU proved entirely fruitless, and though the movie itself wasn’t without merit, it simply couldn’t live up to the hype. Ultimately,Black Adamwas made to seem too big to fail by its star, only to prove underwhelmingupon release.
After theX-Menfranchise’s initial trilogy in the early ‘00s, Fox’s adaptations of Marvel’s mutant heroes continued withX-Men Origins: Wolverine. Taking the most popular character from the earlier trilogy seemed a surefire recipe for success, with Hugh Jackman’s casting as Logan celebrated as one of the best in superhero movie history.The exploration of Wolverine’s backstory promised to be an especially exciting and action-packed affair, prompting high expectations for the prequel movie.
X-Men Origins: Wolverinewas nowhere near the success that many believed it would be. Its poor handling of many other Marvel characters and wooden script saw audiences and critics alike feel decidedly unimpressed by the movie, asit clearly fell short of the high expectations set by its predecessors.Several of its stars have even expressed their disappointment with the movie, further highlighting its failure.
AfterMan of Steelstarted the DCEU, Zack Snyder chose to follow it up withBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. The decision to introduce a new iteration of the Dark Knight into the DCEU caused a huge deal of anticipation, particularly asthe movie promised to pit two of DC’s most prominent heroes against one anotheras well as the debut of Wonder Woman. On top of that, the movie featured an excellent cast of actors, with Jesse Eisenberg cast as Lex Luthor and Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth alongside Ben Affleck’s Batman.
UponBatman v Superman’s release,the movie failed to live up to the hype. The initial reactions to the movie were incredibly mixed, with many in the audience disliking specific aspects of the film. Though it has since undergone a more favorable reappraisal,Batman v Supermanultimately proved much more of a failure than its potential implied it would be.
As one of the biggest cinematic occasions in the history of the superhero genre, anticipation for the DCEU’sJustice Leaguewas incredibly high. Reuniting the heroes of the franchise and introducing new members of the team,Justice Leaguepromised to be the most substantial entry into the entire DCEU. Considering the huge commercial and critical success of the movie’s MCU counterpart,The Avengers, 2017’sJustice Leagueseemed certain to catapult the DCEU to unprecedented heights.
After a number of behind-the-scenes issues,Justice League’s release saw the movie fail to impress. It received mixed reviews, but proved a box office bomb, thoroughly underwhelming in comparison to its projected success. The many issues with the film contributed to a poor reputation as well, which directly contrasted the considerable hype leading up to its release. ThoughJustice Leagueseemed too big fail, it proved to be one of the biggest comic book movie failures in the history of theMCU, theDCU, and the wider genre.
Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a multimedia superhero franchise that began in 2008 with Paramount’s Iron Man starring Robert Downey Jr. The franchise quickly grew in popularity, with Disney eventually buying out Marvel Entertainment in 2009. The MCU consists of dozens of movies and TV shows, most notably Avengers: Endgame, WandaVision, and Loki.
