Both Marvel and DC Comics have inspired some amazing superhero movies, yet many of these film franchises were ruined by their third films. It may seem astonishing that superhero movies were once seen risky ventures, given how they have grown to dominate the Hollywood landscape. Yet there were also considerable profits to be made in adapting a popular property into a movie in those days, even ignoring the potential for marketing toys, t-shirts and other merchandise to kids and collectors.
It was this desire for a continuing source of regular revenue that led to the production of the first superhero franchises, yet the number of franchises that survived past their third film and maintained a consistent level of quality is quite small. Sometimes the franchises failed due to a change in direction or the cast. On other occasions, it was due to a reduced budget or studio interference. In every case, the law of diminishing returns kicked in to ensure that nothing good lasts forever.
10 Christopher Reeve’s Superman
1978’s Superman: The Movie was a game-changer and continues to influence superhero adaptations today, with Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige declaring it “the archetype of the perfect superhero film origin story.” 1980’s Superman II was slightly less well-received but is still regarded as a solid film, despite some erratic shifts in tone from scene to scene. This was the result of a conflict between producers Alexander and Ilya Salkind and director Richard Donner. The exact details of their feud are disputed, but the production of Superman II was ultimately taken over by director Richard Lester.
Lester, who most famous at that time for directing the Beatles’ movies A Hard Day’s Night and Help!, had complete control of Superman III, which was more comedic in tone and just as much a vehicle for comedian Richard Pryor as it was for Superman. With a heavy emphasis on slapstick and a plot involving corrupt billionaire Ross “Bubba” Webster’s scheme to take over the world’s coffee and oil supplies, Superman III lacked the grandeur of Donner’s films. While there is some debate whether Superman IV: The Quest for Peace was worse, it cannot be denied that Superman III was the beginning of the end of Christopher Reeve’s Superman.
9 Tim Burton/Joel Schmacher Batman
Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman was the biggest film of a shockingly successful summer for Hollywood. The 1992 sequel Batman Returns was also a hit, although not quite as profitable. The blame for this fell on Burton, whose dark aesthetic was believed to have driven families away from the theaters. Joel Schumacher was hired to direct Batman Forever, with orders to make, in Tim Burton’s words, “something more child- or family-friendly.” Batman Forever was more effective in selling toys, but it failed to fly with critics or audiences. Schumacher’s sequel, Batman and Robin, was even campier, and brought an end to the Batman live-action movie franchise until 2005’s Batman Begins.
8 Batman: The Animated Series
Set in the same reality as the Batman: The Animated Series television show, 1993’s Batman: Mask of the Phantasm is widely regarded as one of the best animated films of all time. Indeed, it is considered by some to be the best Batman movie ever made. The 1998 sequel, Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero, is not as well-regarded, but is still a serviceable thriller that offers a fitting continuation of the show’s anti-heroic take on Mr. Freeze.
The same cannot be said of Mystery of the Batwoman, which was released direct to video with little fanfare in 2003. While not without merit, the film suffers from its use of the brighter character designs from 1997’s The New Batman Adventures and some recast roles, such as David Ogden Stiers replacing Paul Williams as The Penguin. The film’s story is also anti-climactic, with little mystery where the titular Batwoman’s identity is concerned.
7 The Blade Trilogy
The original 1998 Blade was the first successful cinematic adaptation of a Marvel Comics property. The 2002 sequel, directed by Guillermo del Toro, proved even more popular. Unfortunately, Blade: Trinity failed to hold the series’ edge. Accounts differ as to why the production on Blade: Trinity fell apart, though most blame the New Line Cinema executives that decided the third Blade movie should be a light, comedic affair with Blade fighting Dracula, rather than the dark, dystopian film that writer/director David S. Goyer had planned. Another issue was star Wesley Snipes, whose displeasure with the new script and with Goyer’s direction led to increased tension during filming.
6 Fox’s Original X-Men
2000’s X-Men brought Marvel’s mutants to life in style and made Hugh Jackman an international superstar. The sequel, X2: X-Men United, proved even more profitable, with a story based on the classic comic God Loves, Man Kills. Unfortunately, 2006’s X3: The Last Stand was far less successful. This was largely due to a fractured script, which haphazardly adapted both The Dark Phoenix Saga and 2004’s Astonishing X-Men: Gifted. Another issue was scheduling conflicts created by a rushed and revised shoot, which forced some of the major cast into reduced roles. Finally, director Brett Ratner abandoned the thoughtful character development of the earlier movies in favor of expensive action sequences.
5 Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man
Director Sam Raimi was an unorthodox choice to bring Spider-Man to the big screen. Despite being a life-long superhero fan, he was most famous for horror movies. Yet Raimi’s love of the classic comics by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko shone throughout the finished film, leading to two sequels. While Spider-Man 2, is still considered one of the best superhero movies ever made, Spider-Man 3 has few defenders.
The chief problem with Spider-Man 3 is an overstuffed script, which fails to balance the introduction of Sandman, Hobgoblin and Venom. Raimi was reportedly forced to add Venom to the story by Sony, and his lack of enthusiasm for the character was apparent. Raimi ultimately stepped down when Sony threatened further interference with his plans for Spider-Man 4, leading to the rebooted Amazing Spider-Man franchise.
4 Fox’s First Class X-Men
After the failure of X-Men: The Last Stand, Fox went back to the past for a fresh start, detailing the early days of the X-Men in 2011’s X-Men: First Class. The two franchises crossed over to great acclaim in 2014’s Days of Future Past, based on the X-Men comic of the same name. Unfortunately, the 2016 follow-up, X-Men: Apocalypse, failed on almost every front.
The script was dull, repeating the same tired story beats from the earlier films, with Magneto once again finding redemption. The story was also contradictory to the earlier films, with Mystique working as a recruiter for Xavier’s school despite having been leaning towards villainy in Days of Future Past. Finally, the make-up design for the titular villain left Oscar Isaac looking far from intimidating, drawing comparison to the Power Rangers villain Ivan Ooze.
3 Iron Man
Few expected the 2008 Iron Man movie to be a success, much less the start of a Marvel Cinematic Universe. 2010’s Iron Man 2 is less well regarded, largely because it is more focused on establishing the larger setting and introducing characters like Black Widow than on Tony Stark. Despite this, it still felt like a continuation of the original Iron Man story, for all of its flaws.
Iron Man 3 seemed to go too far to the other extreme, with a story focused on Tony Stark figuring out just who the man behind the iron mask truly was. While Shane Black did a fantastic job of exploring Tony’s PTSD and his battle with his own image as a hero, the movie’s villains were lackluster and uninteresting. The film also suffered from some logic problems, with it being unclear just why Tony couldn’t call on his Avengers allies for help and Pepper Potts’ new superpowers suddenly vanishing.
2 Zack Snyder’s DCU
Director Zack Snyder lay the groundwork for a new cinematic universe with 2013’s Man of Steel. Unfortunately, WB’s desire to catch up to Marvel Studios proved the old adage about haste making waste. Snyder’s 2016 follow-up, Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice boasted some impressive visuals, but the story suffered from studio interference and the need to expand the new DCU beyond introducing Batman. The theatrical release of Justice League, completed by Joss Whedon after Snyder stepped down from the project, was even worse, due to the conflicting styles of the two filmmakers and the studio rushing the movie to a 2017 release.
1 Ant-Man
Ant-Man was one of the weirder heroes to come out of either Marvel or DC Comics, but the 2015 movie sold the premise of a scientist superhero and his sneak-thief successor, who shrank and talked to ants. Rather than fight the ridiculousness of its concept, director Peyton Reed and his writers embraced the comedic potential of a shrinking superhero. This established a unique aesthetic, which allowed Ant-Man and Ant-Man and The Wasp to win over audiences. Unfortunately, Quantumania lacked the laughs of the first two films, being forced to set the stage for MCU’s Phase Five and the coming of Kang the Conquerer.
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