What If…? Movie Edition

What is one of the most tiring things to listen to when it comes to fanboys and their favorite characters? If you have ever spent time in your local comic shop or maybe hanging around playing Heroclix with friends, this one thing has probably come up, especially more in the last few years. What is it?

“I can’t believe that they changed Superman’s costume for the movie. That is like sacrilegious.” “Ryan Reynolds was all wrong for Green Lantern, I know it will suck so I will not even watch it, but I will still complain about it every chance I get.” “Can you believe they put plastic nipples on Batman’s costume in that movie?” “The Avengers was so stupid. Marvel has completely ruined the team on the big screen.” “That is so not what Thor/Ororo/Deadpool/Lex Luthor/Green Arrow/(insert character name here) should look like. I hate this show, the producers and writers are stupid.” Thanks to the cartoon show Freakazoid! for his nemesis Fanboy!

HOLY CRAP! I get so tired of this stuff. So, this week’s question is: What if all comic book movies were exactly like the comic books?

I’ll tell you what would happen. Most comic book fans would not go watch them. Why go to the theater to see a movie when you know exactly what is going to happen and how it is going to end? Sure, you may go just for the uniqueness, but you won’t go watch it three times, like you may have for Thor or Captain America or The Avengers. Why not? Because once is enough. You will have seen how they translated your favorite hero, exactly as you expected, to the big screen, kept true to every detail of the story, and you might even buy the DVD/BluRay copy for your collection.

I guess you could just take your comic with you to the movie and go “yep, they got the first panel… and there is panel #2.” I wouldn’t pay $14 for that. It is one thing to joke about these things, but there are folks who seriously get offended and harbor deep hatred for the companies, the actors, and even the comic book characters themselves when things are not exactly as they want or expect them to be.

What do we want? Superman to wear underwear on the outside again! When do we want it? With the next reboot!

I love comic books and comic book fans, they are a diverse and interesting group. There are too many times when I start typing a snarky comeback to someone about a character they love and I have think… should I send this? I usually don’t. There is nothing wrong with having passion about a character and loving things from a purist perspective. the problem comes when you hate things on principle and don’t even give something new a chance.

So, I want your input. I know there are people out there with very strong opinions about all this stuff, I see them posting on Facebook everyday. Tell me why we should all hate The Avengers movie. Explain why Green Lantern was awful. Complain about anything you hate and have never taken the time to even watch. I know you want to. Here is my biggest complaint: Rubber Ear Captain America.