Not all comic book characters are treated equally. Some characters get multiple comic series, TV shows, and movies made about their exploits. Some are lucky to show up in a modern comic book at all as a ‘joke’ character. This isn’t necessarily fair, as Grant Morrison proved with Animal Man when he took a relatively obscure character and fleshed him out. Villains like Calendar Man or Clock King can similarly become very scary in the hands of the right writer, and thereby make for great on-screen entertainment.
The MCU’s Guardians of the Galaxy franchise is famous for bringing obscure comic book characters to the heights of public fame and recognition. Kite Man, who’s regarded as a joke character, is getting his own spin-off TV Show on HBO Max. There is plenty of evidence that even very obscure characters can, in the right hands, tell unforgettable stories. Even characters who seemed too goofy to ever adapt can prove themselves. This list shows a few examples of those characters, across Marvel Comics and DC, that have the potential to have stories interesting enough for adaptation.
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6 Adam Strange
Via DC Comics
In DC Comics, Adam Strange is a human scientist teleported to the strange world of Rann where he has to survive. One of the important things would be to not change his aesthetic, as Adam Strange’s corny suit and raygun hark back to old-timey science fiction. This retro throwback would be a wonderful aesthetic for a TV show, and exploring the sights and experiences of a new and alien world would be very exciting and full of potential storylines. Adam Strange would lend himself to a very interesting animated TV show, where you can leverage his antiquated design without looking corny or weird.
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MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
5 Red Tornado
A red android with powers over wind, DC’s Red Tornado was created by a mad scientist named T.O.Morrow, who wished to destroy the superhero group known as The Justice Society. Red Tornado, however, turned against his programming and decided to help the forces of good. He has been a member of the Justice League, too. He also made an animated appearance in the popular TV show Young Justice. Exploring Red Tornado’s desire to become human and his turn against his own programming and creator would be a good basis for his show. He also has very unique powers for an android and a host of similar “red” androids who control other elements you could introduce as characters.
4 The Question
The Question is an investigative hero in DC Comics with a mask that covers his face, hiding his identity. The Question is an interesting character, and though he often gets typecast as an unstable conspiracy theorist, he actually has a decent amount of depth. He eventually develops a Zen philosophy during his development as a character, which would be interesting to see play out on-screen. Of course, more than the character himself, The Question would give DC an opportunity to go into government conspiracies, hidden villain plots, and other Daredevil-like street-level heroics. A show about The Question could investigate Cadmus or even go to Gotham to investigate The Court of Owls. You could integrate a lot of the hidden and secretive villains into a Question TV series. There would, of course, be a lot of noir influences like in Matt Reeves’ The Batman.
3 Dazzler
Via Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics’ Dazzler is a mutant capable of absorbing sound to power her abilities, transforming that sound into light. As a musical performer, Dazzler represents a different sort of hero who may be more famous as a performer than a crime-fighter. Dazzler is a mutant, so she interacts a lot with the X-men, but, fitting for a celebrity, she gets to rub shoulders with all sorts of superhero talent. She’s crossed over with Spider-Man and the Human Torch throughout Marvel Comics lore. In the context of the MCU, it could be interesting if they had a Dazzler TV show after introducing the X-Men, though her character works in such a way that, even without the greater context of mutants and the X-Men, she would still work as a hero with interesting powers and a celebrity storyline. There’s plenty of cameo potential without it being unfitting or forced, and Dazzler may be forced to choose between the world of music or superheroes. Between passion and responsibility.
2 Man-Thing
Man-Thing is the Marvel Comics counterpart of DC’s Swamp Thing, being normal humans transformed into swampy plant people, though way worse off. Man-Thing is a biochemist named Theodore Salis, though he was rapidly transformed by chemicals when he crashed into a swamp. A Man-Thing TV show would depend on whether the creature would have his current abilities, giving him a mind of his own, or if he would be as he was when written earlier in the character’s history. As it was before, Man-Thing functioned mostly on instinct, but could psychically detect emotions. Strong negative emotions, like fear, caused him pain. A Man-Thing story could be interesting if it revolved around a team investigating Man-Thing. Trying to figure out what this creature is and who he was.
1 Squirrel Girl
You may know Squirrel Girl as a very powerful character who can communicate with Squirrels and has defeated almost every major marvel villain in her past, as outlined by CBR. However, it is not that specifically which would make a good TV show, but instead an adaptation of her comic series The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl. Created by writer Ryan North and artist Erica Henderson, The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl takes the hero out of the sometimes gritty world of Marvel Comics and puts it in a context where an upbeat can-do attitude really can lead one out of trouble. Where someone so silly and goofy really can beat Galactus or Thanos without outrageous power. Many people take comics too seriously and expect everything to line up perfectly, and Squirrel girl is also a perfect reminder that the story dictates who gets to beat up who rather than rigorous power-scaling. A TV show with Squirrel Girl should be just as upbeat and fun, a reminder that the reason we read comic books and stories about superheroes is that they make the impossible possible. There are also some delightful side characters that Squirrel Girl would bring along for the ride like Ken Shiga and Brain Drain.
