Spider-Man and The Creeper In: "Something Sinister This Way Creeps!"

Well, It looks like Spider-Man will be staying in the MCU a little while longer, for one more solo movie and an appearance in another Marvel event film.  This is very good news, as they will now be able to provide a resolution to the cliffhanger we were left with at the end of Spider-Man: Far From Home. Most are assuming another Avengers film for his other appearance, but I am hoping to see him with The Fantastic Four.  I always liked his friendship with The Human Torch in the comics, and it would be great to see that played out on the big screen.

This is the third meeting between Spidey and The Creeper on this blog.  They last met in STF #306  and before that, they were the very first team-up when I switched over to Super-Team Family way back in STF #1...

Machine Man and Cyborg

Machine Man is at the top of my list of Marvel characters that I really want to see on the big screen.  I'd prefer him in his original version, as used on this cover, rather than the more human look he adopted in Nextwave.  Now that The Vision has been destroyed (we'll see if he truly returns in Wanda/Vision), Aaron Stack could take on the role of a robot discovering humanity.

Daredevil and Green Lantern in: "Trial... and Horror!"

Daredevil teamed with the Hal Jordan Green Lantern in STF #1528 and later on in STF #1960...
I thought it might be interesting to discover just who it was that recommended Matt Murdock to Hal for membership in the GLC in those issues.  Who Better than Alan Scott?  DD's original costume always looked more Golden Age than Silver Age in design to me, anyway, so I think these guys look good together.

Snake Plissken and Indiana Jones

I can still remember going over to my friend's house right after he saw Raiders of the Lost Ark when it first came out.  He was raving about how good it was, and told me, "There's more action in the first 10 minutes than in most other complete movies!"  I was a giant Stephen Spielberg fan since seeing Jaws and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, so I was already interested, and this  reaction really made me want to see it.  I did soon after, and it did not disappoint. It still has better action than most other movies out there, not to mention the great performances, score, sets and locations.

Green Arrow and The Black Widow

At first I wasn't all that excited about a solo Black Widow film.  It sound like it might be pretty cool though.  Wth The Red Guardian, Taskmaster, and fellow Black Widow Yelena Belova in the mix, there should be plenty of drama and action.  Plus, the events of Avengers: Endgame will give all the proceedings a deeper significance.  Hopefully Hawkeye will make an appearance and we finally find out just what went down in Budapest.

Green Arrow first encountered Black Widow with Daredevil in STF #1935...

Doctor Strange and Doctor Mid-Nite

Doctor Mid-Nite has one of my favorite Golden Age costume designs.  It always kind of reminded me of a pirate for some reason.  It looks like something that someone would actually pull together with random items of clothing.  Even with five colors it all works well together.

Bob Greenwade, a Patron of This Blog, suggested this doctorly meeting, thanks Bob!

Doc Samson and Raven

The She-Hulk Disney+ series will be bringing us the adventures of a gamma-powered attorney soon.  What better place to also introduce a gamma powered therapist?  Ty Burrell appeared as Doctor Leonard Samson in The Incredible Hulk, so he's already technically in the MCU. I want to see the green haired muscled up version though, so there would have to be some re-casting.  I think a bodybuilder with acting chops could pull off the role, no need for CGI.

Agents of Atlas and Martian Manhunter

I quite liked The Agents of Atlas  when they were introduced.  It was an interesting team of offbeat characters that paid respect to Marvel's long publishing history.  I see that there is a new version of the group out now, but only Agent Jimmy Woo of the original line up is included in that, working with an all-Asian roster.  I've seen Gorilla Man appearing in some Avengers titles, hopefully the rest of the original team will find new homes as well.

Colossal Boy and Guardians of the Galaxy

The Legion of Super-Heroes seems to be making a return in the comics, this time under the pen of Brian Michael Bendis.  I haven't checked it out, but it seems like Jon Kent will be the Superboy of this incarnation.  I'll order it digitally in trade if reviews are good. My one concern is that while I like Bendis and he often comes up with cool concepts, I find that he tends to make most of his characters speak in the same "voice" - that could be a problem in with a team that has as large a cast as the LSH does.

The Joker and Madcap

Joker starring Joaquin Phoenix is getting a lot of critical praise.  I'm not sure how much it will reflect the villain we know from the comics, but I am definitely curious to see it as just a character study.  The influences from movies like Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy are evident in the trailers, and having Robert DeNiro in a supporting role invites the comparisons even more.  I'm just going to consider it an Elseworlds version of the Clown Prince of Crime and enjoy it for what it is.

Doc Savage and OMAC

There have been some mention about Doc Savage headed to the big screen over the years, but nothing ever really seems to pick up any steam.  I remember Arnold Schwarzenegger being mentioned for the role years ago, and more recently The Rock has been suggested to take it on.  Alas, Ron Ely remains the only live action Doc Savage that I know of.  If handled properly, it could be a great cross between superhero movies and Indiana Jones-style cliffhangers.

Power Man & Iron Fist and Doctor Who

The Netflix Marvel shows ended just when things were getting good.  All the pieces were in place for the Daughters of the Dragon to formally join forces.  Iron Fist and Power Man were both at crossroads, and I was ready for them to get together to form Heroes for Hire.  Alas, it will be a year or two before Marvel can start using them in the MCU.  Hopefully once that time passes, they will find a way to realize the still unfulfilled potential of these characters, either in the movies or on Disney+.

Batman and Groot

I am hoping that we hear some more news about who will be joining Robert Pattinson in the cast when he takes over as Batman.  With Commissioner Gordon, Alfred and at least five villains in the mix, there are plenty of roles to be filled.  One rumor I have heard is John David Washington for Two-Face, but nothing concrete yet.  Ralph Fiennes has expressed interest in playing Alfred, but I am not sure if anything has come of that either.

The Question Vs. The Answer

This is a match up that I have gotten a few different requests for.  I have to admit that I had forgotten about The Answer, he never really rose to the top of Spider-Man's rogues gallery.  Get a kick out of that costume, it just screams the 80's.  I have to believe that metallic thigh high boots would be tough to move around in.

Ghost Rider Vs. The Atomic Skull

The Atomic Skull may have never made it past C-Level Superman Villain status, but personally I have always really liked the character.  His original costume is full of Silver-Age cheese in all the right ways.  In later years, he got an updated look, more closely resembling Ghost Rider.  Even if he had a more derivative appearance, I still quite enjoyed the stories he appeared in.  I enjoyed the idea that he wasn't all there, and perceived his life to be part of a cliffhanger movie serial.

X-Men Vs. Vigilante

There is much speculation about when the concept of mutants will be introduced into the MCU.  It will probably be some time before we see a fully formed team of X-Men appear, but there's no reason we can't see individual mutants show up here and there.  I think the best place to start might be with a character we already know.  Perhaps in the course of her upcoming series Wanda/Vision, The Scarlet Witch will discover her and her brother's true origin as mutants.  Maybe that revelation will cause her to seek out more like her... or maybe even create them.

The Fatal Five go Back to the Future

With all of the reboots and sequels lately, I suppose it's a minor miracle that Back To The Future has not been targeted for a return to the big screen.  I'm sure a lot of it has to do with how well Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd performed their roles in the trilogy - it would be a tall order to try and replace them and the chemistry they brought to their scenes together.  Let's hope that Hollywood can resist trying to reinvent the property and let the original films continue to stand on their own.

Jack of Hearts and Mister Miracle

It's going to be interesting to see how The New Gods and Eternals come to life on the big screen.  Both properties are chock full of Jack Kirby designs, in the costumes and architecture of the worlds they present.  Thor: Ragnarok showed that Kirby's designs can be used effectively and I would like to see them even more prominently displayed in these upcoming films.  Eternals seems to be rolling along nicely, lets hope we hear about some New Gods Casting soon.

Green Goblin Vs. Man-Bat In "Termination at 20,000 Feet!"

There were some rumblings that Norman Osborne would be introduced into the MCU, and that he would begin putting together his team of Dark Avengers.  With the breakdown of talks between Sony and Disney leading to the departure of Spider-Man and his related characters, that will clearly no longer be the case,  Marvel can still do a similar story line with Baron Zemo and The Thunderbolts though (which I'd prefer anyway). There's also always a chance that the two studios will iron out a deal and work together again.

These two first squared off in STF #2297...

Firestorm and The Thing in: "Throwdown on Three-Mile Island!"

Ben Grimm for me has always been the heart and soul of the Marvel Universe, so I am thrilled that he will finally be part of the MCU.  There's so much I want to see from him once the character is established.  In addition to his adventures with the Fantastic Four, I'd love an adaptation of Marvel Two-In-One Annual #7 (my favorite Ben Grimm story ever).  A poker night with some of the other MCU stars would be a hoot. Most of all, a big screen Thing/Hulk battle - I've been waiting my whole life for that!

These two heroes first shared a cover way back in 2010, during my MTIO MS Paint days...

Black Lightning and Moon Knight

Moon Knight coming to Disney+ has me very excited and more than anything else will convince me to get a subscription.  There are still a lot of questions though.  With so many comics to choose from, which version of the character will we see?  Will he have the classic superhero suit or the more modern take with the white three piece suit?  And what of casting?  I've heard that they want a Jewish actor in the role and names like Shie LeBoeuf  and Andrew Garfield have been mentioned.  Hmmm, I'm not to sure about either of those choices.  Whoever they go with, it will be a very meaty role, considering the multiple personality angle.

Iron Man and Aquaman in: "Trouble with the Double!"

Rumors persist that Robert Downey Jr. is not quite done with the role of Iron Man after all.  There has been speculation that he will either appear as an AI character or at least a voice inside of a suit of armor, mentoring Riri Williams or whoever the next Iron Man will be.  I realize that the impermanence of death is a staple of comics, but I think it is too soon for this, and I'd think that RDJ wouldn't want to dilute the character's sacrifice that way.  At this point, the one place I wouldn't mind his return is to voice Tony Stark in the What If? animated series.

Aquaman and Iron Man first met in STF #471... and met again in STF #2525...

The Punisher and Predator

When either of these guys set their mind on a target, they simply will not stop until the mission is completed.  Seeing them working together to take down a bigger threat might be interesting, as both prefer to be solo operatives.  Plus, how long would it be before one turned on the other?

Green Arrow and Hawkeye (The Movie!)

I can't wait for the final season of Arrow.  The series has had its ups and downs, but I really want to see how it all ends, and how the Crisis features into events.

Thank you to Bob Greenwade, a Patron of this blog, for suggesting this live action team up!

Green Arrow and Hawkeye have met a bunch of times on the blog - They first met in one of my very earliest STF covers... then they were at odds with a few fellow Avengers along for the tale... Next up they faced off against The Hulk and Solomon Grundy... then it was time to hone their skills... and next they shared an adventure with Black Canary and Mockingbird, then there was a classic adventure from early in their careers... then they battled some robots together... and finally, Green Arrow tried to steal Hawkeye's ride...

The Avengers meet Phantom Stranger & Swamp Thing

It still seems crazy to me that the new Swamp Thing series was cancelled before a single episode aired.  Even if that was the case you would think a cancellation announcement would have been held until it had its complete run.  It's too bad other accommodations could not be made for filming, from the little I have seen it looked like a pretty cool show. One of these day's I'll have to binge watch the whole thing.

Swamp Thing met the New Avengers in STF #1241...

Power Pack and The Legion of Super-Pets

There's just something so fun about a team of heroic animals.  I am an animal lover so the concept appeals to me as goofy as it is.  Of course, when I was a kid, it didn't seem goofy to me at all, I took their adventures just as seriously as I did their human counterparts.  My current cat Ace has no extra-feline powers, but I know within him beats the heart of a champion.

The Defenders Vs. The JLA (100 Page Giant!)

I thought for this Anniversary Issue that I would present one big story.  I always liked the old JLA/JSA crossovers where the two teams would meet, then break off into smaller teams for separate adventures, and finally all gather together again for the big conclusion.  I can see a comic featuring these two powerhouse groups going down the same way.

The JLA first met The Defenders in STF #1600...

The Flash and Quicksilver in "World's Fastest Fakeout!"

Word is that a Flash movie is still in production with Ezra Miller still set to star.  I hope there are some major changes made to his costume and performance if that is the case.  While I have liked him on other roles, Miller's Flash was easily my least favorite part of the ill-fated Justice League movie.

These speedsters have crossed paths in the past:

Quicksilver needed The Reverse Flash's help in taking down a possessed Barry Allen in STF #727...  Flash and Quicksilver  fought each other along with the JLA and Marvel Universe in STF #1900... they battled over getting into the movies in STF #678... and they first met way back in STF #15...

Coming Tomorrow: STF #2700!

Supergirl and Cloak and Dagger

I'm looking forward to the returns of both Cloak & Dagger and Supergirl in the upcoming TV season.   Supergirl will I am sure be a pivotal part of the Crisis Crossover story line - we all remember what happened to the character in the original comic series.  Cloak and Dagger really seemed to be embracing their heroic roles at the end of their second season, so it will be cool to see what comes next.

Katana Vs. Silver Samurai

The Silver Samurai always struck me as an imposing figure, I really liked the design of his armor.  It was cool to see him in live action in The Wolverine, even if it was a somewhat altered version.  Heck, he even retained his coolness when he faced off against John Belushi when Spider-Man met the original cast of Saturday Night Live in that classic issue of Marvel Team-Up.