If you were hoping Sony Pictures might drop announcements about Spider-Woman, Black Cat, or even The Amazing Spider-Man 3 at CinemaCon, then you're no doubt feeling mighty disappointed today. We did get some updates on the animated Spider-Verse franchise and confirmation that Venom 3 is on the way, but the "big" news is that rapper (and pro wrestler) Bad Bunny will star in El Muerto.
A character whose comic book appearances you can count on one hand, he's one of Spider-Man's most obscure allies/enemies, and this is definitely not a movie that anyone has been crying out for.
That's not to say it shouldn't be made, of course. In fact, we're excited to see a Latino superhero finally take centre stage in a Marvel movie, but letting a popular rapper choose whatever character he wants before making that project a priority...well, it's very much a Sony sorta thing to do. However, it wouldn't be the first time Hollywood has delivered a comic book movie no one asked for.
We take a look at some of those in this feature, so hit the "Next" button to check them out!
8. Morbius
We might as well start with Sony, because while the studio was smart to make Venom a priority, there was no one who desperately wanted to see Morbius brought to the big screen in his own movie. He's always been a C-List Spider-Man villain, and even though the character has potential as a foe to the web-slinger, there are many heroes and villains who are worthy of a spinoff before the Living Vampire.
The proof came just a few short weeks ago when Morbius was released in theaters. Sony struggled to find a story to justify putting the spotlight on this blood-sucking anti-hero, and after negative reviews and dismal box office numbers, Jared Leto's tenure as this Marvel Comics character looks set to be even shorter than the time he spent playing the DC Extended Universe's Joker.
7. Superman Returns
While fans were definitely anxious for another Superman movie in the mid-2000s, Warner Bros. made a major misstep by deciding to let Bryan Singer make a sequel to the classic Richard Donner movies. The genre was still in its infancy at this point in some respects, and trying to recapture the innocence of the 1970s only served to make the Man of Steel feel more outdated and boring than ever before.
It was also a decision that did Superman Returns' lead, Brandon Routh, no favours. Forced to emulate a beloved icon, this tame, mostly action-free take on the iconic superhero proved to be an even bigger mistake than most initially anticipated. Of course, we did get the Superman movie we wanted with 2013's Man of Steel, though key creative decisions led to a fair bit of backlash on that occasion as well.
6. Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
The funny thing about 2005's Fantastic Four movie is that, in many ways, it's pretty comic book accurate. We're obviously not talking about Doctor Doom's origin story or the overly sexualised Susan Storm, but tonally, Tim Story's vision was pretty spot on. That didn't make up for how many things the blockbuster got wrong, of course, and it was bad enough that a sequel wasn't wanted or needed.
Fox clearly hoped that throwing Galactus and the Silver Surfer into the mix would be enough to placate fans, and for a time, it was. However, a series of major blunders combined with Galactus becoming a cloud ensured that fans were so soured on this franchise, the studio was forced to put it on ice until 2015. The fact that Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer ever actually happened is truly mind-boggling.
5. Dark Phoenix
Simon Kinberg had already screwed up "The Dark Phoenix Saga" in X-Men: The Last Stand, but he continued to write these movies and somehow managed to weasel his way into the director's chair for Dark Phoenix. In what can only be described as the ultimate form of arrogance, the filmmaker decided to make up for past mistakes by redoing the iconic storyline in this awful 2019 disasterpiece.
Not only was this movie even worse than the one that came out over a decade prior, but Kinberg managed to screw the storyline up again. Fans had made it known they weren't looking for another take on the Phoenix (certainly not so soon into this franchise), and this is why Marvel has put the X-Men on the shelf until people lose the bad taste it left in their mouths.
4. The Suicide Squad
2016's Suicide Squad was a major let-down, though much of that can be attributed to Warner Bros.' interference. Panicking after the mixed reception to Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, the studio made a series of sweeping changes to David Ayer's vision that resulted in disappointment. As a result, fans and casual moviegoers alike were quite content with not seeing Task Force X again.
James Gunn did deliver a great movie with The Suicide Squad. However, while an HBO Max release meant the movie would always struggle at the box office, what it did manage to earn was proof that people simply didn't want to spend time with any iteration of this team. That's a sentiment fans had expressed beforehand, particularly with little clarification as to whether this was a sequel or reboot.
3. Elektra
Daredevil was another disappointment, and while it took some inspiration from Frank Miller's comic books, the execution was extremely flawed. Elektra's death is a good example of this, because even though it was visually accurate, it was a moment which never quite gelled. With Jennifer Garner (a total miscast) contractually obliged to return for a spinoff, she starred in a movie she wanted even less than us.
This sucked on a number of levels, and was the perfect example of a mid-2000s superhero movie that was a far cry from what fans wanted. This was where the Man Without Fear's franchise died until the rights reverted to Marvel Studios and we got the Netflix series which, ironically, also killed Elektra in a similarly underwhelming fashion. Fans were right not to want this, and it's better off forgotten.
2. X-Men: First Class
Proving that sometimes comic book fans don't know what's best for them was the sheer number of people who did not want X-Men: First Class to happen. Well, they did initially, but when it came to light that this was more prequel than reboot and that the real "First Class" would not be part of the proceedings, it quickly became clear that of all the routes Fox could have gone down, this was the most unpopular.
Ultimately, Matthew Vaughn's movie went over pretty well, but it's fair to say nobody asked for a prequel to a series that had run out of steam. Following the filmmaker's departure from the franchise, attempts to connect this series with the original trilogy became more confusing, convoluted, and ridiculous. A fresh start would have been much better, but at least this movie was pretty good.
1. Birds of Prey
It would be wrong to say fans didn't ask for a Birds of Prey movie; they just didn't ask for this version of the team. There was a lot to love about this movie thanks to some great performances, memorable set pieces, and a quirky tone, but with some very strange characterisations (the oddball Huntress, an unrecognisable Cassandra Cain, and a weak Black Canary), this failed to strike a chord with many.
Warner Bros. would have been better off taking note of what the fans wanted because that Birds of Prey movie probably would have been awesome. Instead, this blatant attempt to cash in on Harley Quinn's popularity backfired, and put an end to another promising franchise before it could get going. Still, on a more positive note, at least will always have Ewan McGregor's Black Mask.