Uncanny X-Men #137
The Comic Panel: The climax of almost every X-Men fans’ favourite story ‘The Dark Phoenix Saga’. Afraid of the uncontrollable power within her, Jean Grey sacrifices herself in a battle on the moon rather than risk any more lives.
Big Screen Version: X-Men: The Last Stand was one of the weaker movie outings for the franchise, including its treatment of Jean Grey/Phoenix. With director Bryan Singer promising to ‘fix a few things’, he might pave the way for a sharper adaptation of ‘Dark Phoenix’.
Strange Tales #138
The Comic Panel: The first appearance of Eternity in Marvel Comics. After an extended search for the cosmic entity, the outgunned Doctor Strange was told to ‘believe in yourself’ and promptly sent on his way.
Big Screen Version: Doctor Strange is another property that has been confirmed by Marvel Studios. To set itself out from the other films, it will need to tap into the weird, otherworldly and bombastic quality of those original stories. Eternity’s appearance is essential.
Infinite Crisis: Secret Files and Origins
The Comic Panel: The imprisoned hero-turned-psychopathic-monster Superboy Prime, escaped from his paradise-like prison during the Infinite Crisis event. As he punched against the walls of reality, various convenient alterations were made to the DC Universe. Seriously.
Big Screen Version: This could be a get out of jail button if Warner Bros ever needs a reset button - should they want to erase the Green Lantern film from reality, for instance. Although the unpopular reality punch maneouver would almost certainly lead fans to revolt.
Thunderbolts #1
The Comic Panel: The final page of this team book's debut issue, which ostensibly featured an entirely new cast of characters, revealed that those heroes were in reality the disguised villains known by the subtle moniker the Masters of Evil. Some twists are telegraphed a mile off, but this genuinely took readers by surprise.
Big Screen Version: We want a major twist. Leave us wondering who is who - who are our friends, and who are our foes.
Thor #365
The Comic Panel: Loki has made countless attempts to rid himself of his noble stepbrother Thor over the centuries. His most baffling plot involved a cursed kiss that transformed the god of thunder into a frog.
Big Screen Version: The two Thor films have both been noted for their humour. His next outing could see the Asgardian transformed - if only for a comedy moment - into a heroic amphibian.
Final Crisis #6
The Comic Panel: After Batman’s showdown with Darkseid, his friend Superman carried his corpse from the ruins of the fortress. The truth regarding the body turned out to be far more complicated than it appeared, but the image remains a powerful one.
Big Screen Version: How about finishing the Man of Steel sequel with Batman’s death? We would all be left biting our nails and wondering how Bruce could get out of that one while we waited for the follow-up.
Action Comics #900
The Comic Panel: Superman has always stood for ‘truth, justice and the American way’ but in this milestone issue he caused a stir by distancing himself from US political policy. It did not really go anywhere, but it raised some interesting questions about how we view America’s oldest superhero.
Big Screen Version: In Man of Steel , the US authorities essentially sold Superman out to Zod. How do you think he will feel towards them in the sequel?
Astonishing X-Men #18
The Comic Panel: Joss Whedon’s run on Astonishing X-Men focused in part on the psychological development of the traditionally stuffy Cyclops. After a series of sessions with Emma Frost delving deep into his psyche, he emerged from a coma with a new outlook that hovered somewhere between clarity and psychosis.
Big Screen Version: James Marsden has said that he is keen to return as Cyclops in future X-Men films. His character stayed true to type in the original trilogy, but perhaps Fox will see fit to have some fun with Scott Summers next time he shows up.
Wonder Woman #219
The Comic Panel: When faced with a mind-controlled Superman, Wonder Woman did what neither Batman nor Kal-El would have done. She did what needed doing. Snap.
Big Screen Version: There are many sides to Wonder Woman, but if Zack Snyder decides on the no nonsense, does-what-needs-to-be-done aspect of her personality, here is his template.
Amazing Spider-Man #121
The Comic Panel: ‘The Night Gwen Stacy Died’ is one of the most famous Spider-Man stories of them all, featuring the shocking death of his long term girlfriend at the hands of the Green Goblin. This raised the stakes of the rivalry between Peter Parker and Norman Osborn, and drew painful parallels with the earlier loss of Uncle Ben.
Big Screen Version: Now we don’t know what Marc Webb’s plan is for Emma Stone’s Gwen Stacy, but she should probably watch her back.
