By MARK NEWMAN
For CBM
Yes, we fans know that a Superman movie could probably make money on its own. And we don't have to be financial wizards to know the next Batman movie may bring in a few bucks.
But my know-it-all friends have always insisted having the "movie" Batman and the "movie" Superman team up, like they do in the comics, wouldn't generate more money than two separate films would.
With that in mind, the know-it-all question to me has always been this: Why should a film studio make a superhero teamup? My supernerd answer is this: Because it'd be freakin' awesome, that's why.
I'd love to see Spidey and Luke Cage, Supes and Batman, Cap and Wolverine. Hell, I don't know. Go crazy, and I'll go to the movies.
I can say that because the know-it-alls don't look so smart any more. Avengers proves them wrong. So did Iron Man II (with some solid scenes from War Machine and a "cameo" from Black Widow). In fact, a long time ago, in a galaxy not all that far away, even the Hulk on TV teamed up; once with Thor and once with Daredevil. Wonderfully hideous stuff. There must be more crossover-type live-action projects I'm forgetting.
But I'm sure there are more on-screen superhero partnerships in the works. Why? Because they're awesome, that's why.
(Mark Newman is a newspaper reporter and comics fan in small-town Iowa.)