Superman and The Defenders

Rumors are swirling about Namor's introduction into the MCU.  The latest speculation has him being introduced as a child in The Eternals, and then as an adult in Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness. It will be interesting to see how the underwater kingdoms of Lemuria and Atlantis are depicted after James Wan's Aquaman.  Once Namor is established, bring on The Silver Surfer and lets get a big screen Defenders underway!

Mister Terrific and Wolverine

This might be a fun combo to see.  Wolverine is known to take the direct approach, using brute force and claws to clear obstacles in his way.  Mr. Terrific will assess a situation first before using intellect and gadgetry to find a resolution.  It would be interesting to watch them have to find a way to work together.

Venom Vs. The Mask

I have to hand it to Sony Pictures.  While there had been lots of speculation about the Venom Sequel, and whether Tom Holland's Spider-Man would appear in it, they decided to throw fans a curve.  The Morbius trailer not only featured Spider-Man imagery (reflecting the hero's new status following Far From Home), Michael Keaton's Vulture actually showed up  in it, connecting the solo Sony film with the MCU Spidey.  I know it certainly got me more interested in a project that I hadn't been paying too much attention to.

Thank you to Mike Shirley, a patron of this blog, for suggesting this match up!

Thor Vs. Amazo

This biggest headline out of the upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder is the addition of Christian Bale to the cast in a mystery role.  Many have speculated that he will portraying Beta Ray Bill, or at least his voice, which could be interesting.  Now the rumor is that he will be appearing as none other than Norman Osborne in a role that will span several movies.  Would Bale want to sign up for that, and would Marvel want to have to share him with Sony?  I'm not quite sold on the theory yet.  Heck, if it is true, and considering the fact that Michael Keaton is already on board as The Vulture, let's get Val Kilmer as Dock Ock, George Clooney as Electro and Ben Affleck as Kraven for an all Ex-Batman Sinister Six!

The Winter Soldier and James Bond

Production on The Falcon and The Winter Soldier for Disney+ seems to be well underway, with lots of set photos surfacing.  The streaming service set a high bar with The Mandalorian, so I hope the Marvel shows will be of similar quality.  I'm looking forward to seeing how USAgent is integrated as well as whether rumors of Baron Zemo setting up a team of Thunderbolts is true.

Green Lantern Vs. The Red Skull

In the trailer for the upcoming Stargirl series, I freeze framed on the shot with the photograph of the Justice Society to see what members were included.  It looks like that's Alan Scott in the back row.  I hope that image will not be his only appearance and we actually get to see the southpaw superhero in ring slinging action!

Dick Tracy and Wonder Woman

I was a little disappointed not to see any reference to Wonder Woman in the recent CW Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover.  They managed to get all of the other major DC Icons in there one way or another.  There was even a Green Lantern reference on the last episode.  Lynda Carter has worked for the Arrowverse before, it's too bad she didn't get a cameo here.

Judge Dredd and V

I had heard some rumors of a sequel movie or even a TV series for Karl Urban as Judge Dredd.  I don't know if anything is still in the planning stages, especially now that Urban has another his series, The Boys, underway.  I hope that he can find the time and a studio has interest, because it would be great to see another Dredd film.

A big thank you to Bob Sanders for suggesting this pairing!

Firehawk Vs. Iceman

I really liked the original design for Lorraine Reilly as Firehawk.  The flaming wings are a great visual and give the character a real sense of motion on the printed page.  She was later redesigned with a blue flame motif, and that looked cool as well - but I prefer her appearance above, as it went well with Firestorm's costume.

Deadman and Shaman

Shaman always felt like a character with a lot of untapped potential to me. I always got a kick out of that little pouch of his that contained just the right mystical artifact that he may need at any given moment.  His daughter, Talisman was later introduced, but Marvel never seemed to do much with her either.

Galactus Vs. Mogo & Ch'p

I've had a few requests for Galactus to face of against Mogo, and I do agree that it would make for an amazing battle.  Galactus undoing of course would not paying attention to a micro problem while he tackles the macro problem - and that's where Ch'p can come in to save the day.

Jor-El Vs. Kang

I can't imagine that Marvel Studios wants to go with another time travel plot line any time soon after that was such a major part of Avengers: Endgame. Still, they finally have the rights to use Kang, and he is just too good a villain to leave on the shelf.  Where would the best place be for him to show up? He'll definitely come in handy if Chris Evans or Robert Downey Jr. ever change their minds about returning to the MCU!

The Falcon and Green Arrow

Arrow only has a couple of episodes left.  I'm sure that one will be a send off for Stephen Amell and his character Oliver Queen.  The other is supposed to be a back door pilot of sorts for the spin off show, Green Arrow and the Canaries, which will feature Queen's time-displaced daughter as the new Emerald Archer alongside two Black Canaries.  This sound like it will be straying a bit far from the DC Comics roots, but I will give it a shot an hope it surprises me.

Firestorm and The Fantastic Four

I was reading the latest edition of Back Issue (the best comics-related magazine ever, in my opinion), and it had an article about Alex Ross' proposal for a Fantastic Four comic series that was ultimately turned down by Marvel.  It's a shame because it was a great look for the team - modernized while honoring the great Jack Kirby designs from the first 100 issues of the original title.  I hope Marvel Studios takes a look at this unused pitch when preparing their Fantastic Four movie.

Batman and The Phantom (The Movie!)

I remember watching The Phantom back in the day and being thoroughly entertained.  Billy Zane was perfect to me in the lead role, and I was hoping that the movie would only be the first in a series.  Alas, there was no sequel, but I still like to pop the movie in from time to time.  How cool would it have been to have seen him fighting side by side with Michael Keaton's Batman?

Batman and The Phantom previously met an a very early MS Paint three-parter for the blog, that began here, then continued here and finally concluded here.

Captain Britain and Sherlock Holmes

It looks like Robert Downey Jr.'s first big post-Iron Man project will be Dolittle.  It seems like something meant for younger viewers, so the trailers have not really interested me.  Downey has also mentioned the possibility of a third Sherlock Holmes film, which is a project I'd like to see.  He's no Jeremy Brett or even Benedict Cumberbatch in the role, but I still enjoyed his take and I always welcome more Sherlock Holmes mysteries.

Doctor Strange and Man-Bat

The new Batman movie will have plenty of villains, but most have had previous appearances on the big screen.  We've also seen other foes like Deadshot, Kiler Croc and Black Mask showing up in non-Batman films like Suicide Squad and the upcoming Birds of Prey. Even so, there are plenty of Batman foes that are still waiting for their debut.  The more fantastical characters like Man-Bat and Clayface are right at the top of my list.  Perhaps they could tie into experiments being performed by Professor Hugo Strange, who also has yet to appear on the big screen.

Adam Strange and The Herculoids in: "Invading Vader!"

Seriously, we need to see a Hanna-Barbera cinematic universe get going.  Not only would a Space Ghost film be epic, Herculoids would look amazing on the big screen.   We are finally at a point where the effects needed to do justice to all of the alien animal sidekicks are available.  And just think of the marketing!  Move over, Baby Yoda - plush Gleep and Gloop toys are on the way!

Adam previously met the Herculoids in STF #2670...

Moon Knight and Elongated Man in: "No Good Deed...!"

The boys are back!  I am preparing this post on January 12th, which is my birthday, so I hope you'll forgive me for once again indulging my urge to see this pairing!

I have been hearing lots of casting rumors regarding the Disney+ Moon Knight show, so I think we will be hearing some solid news on that soon (also for Kamala Khan and her Ms. Marvel show).  I hope that Marvel takes a cue from The Mandalorian, and creates their new shows with the budget and care that went into that series, I loved it.

This is the Fourth appearance of the MK/EM team - Psycho Pirate turned them against each other in STF #2732, Ralph came to the rescue in STF #2518, and they first started working together in STF #2169...

Alfred and Black Panther

Andy Serkis is playing Alfred Pennyworth in the new Batman movie.  Filming has just begun, so perhaps we will see a shot of him in character soon - will we finally get a movie Alfred with a mustache? I'd still like to see Serkis return as Klaw in a Black Panther sequel.  Yes, he was killed, but that just means that he can come back in energy from as a more comic accurate version of the villain.

Swamp Thing and Iron Man

It might be fun to see these heroes work together.  The characters have such different personalities and power sets that they would either clash or be able to accomplish through cooperation what they could not on their own. If I know my comic book meetings, it would probably be both!

Aquaman Vs. Attuma

1989 is remembered fondly as being the summer of Batman, but there was another comics book event that I also remember well. Atlantis Attacks was a fun event that ran across the Marvel Annuals that year, and it was a pretty fun read.  Company-wide story lines were still relatively new for Marvel at that point, and it felt like a big deal. 

Captain Canuck and Uncle Sam

I'm always happy when I get to use a Murphy Anderson image on this blog.  Whether he was on full art chores, or inks only, Anderson's work always stood out to me, even as a kid.  He could elevate anyone's pencils, maintaining the integrity of their art while adding his own polished touch, resulting in a gorgeous final product.

Ghost Rider and Blue Beetle

Marvel's Agents of Shield has never really grabbed me, and I continue to watch it out of habit and my like of actress Ming Na Wen (glad to see her show up in The Mandalorian!)  One exception is when the Robbie Reyes Ghost Rider was added to the mix for half a season.  I really enjoyed the story line and the effects were impressive for TV.  It's too bad he didn't stay around, we'll see if he shows up again in the final season.  I heard that he would be getting his own Hulu series, but that deal may have gone away with all of the recent Marvel TV cancellations.

Thanks to Jeremy De Shetler for suggesting this pairing!

The Spectre and Kolchak: The Night Stalker

I really hope that once The Spectre assumes his ghostly form at some point in the final two episodes of the Crisis on Infinite Earths CW event, he looks close to his comic book counterpart. Stephen Lobo doesn't really resemble Jim Corrigan (another hero de-gingered!) but we have only seen him as a human thus far.  They had another actor playing Corrigan in the short-lived Constantine series, and they gave him a nice Spectre-like effect when foreshadowing  future developments that alas, never came to pass - that looked pretty cool even if it was brief.

7 Soldiers of Victory and The Invaders

The JLA/JSA crossovers that featured the heroes of two Earths coming together, often with a third Earth in the mix, introduced me into the concept of the multiverse.  I loved the idea, but DC must have thought it too complicated after a while, for it  lead to reboots in an attempt to streamline everything (which, of course, only made things more complicated).  These days, the multiverse is back, and is widely understood thanks to shows like Fringe and The Flash, plus movies like Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and news of the Upcoming Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. I'm glad the rest of the world has finally caught up to us comic fans!

Red Tornado and Spider-Man

Red Tornado has sported multiple looks over the years.  At times he looks very robotic (as in Primal Force and his animated appearances), while other times he looks like a red skinned human (as in the Brad Meltzer/Ed Benes  Justice League run), and somewhere in between at other points.  What do you think is his best look?  I'm partial to his appearance from his time in Young Justice - definitely robotic, but still with the ability to convey facial emotion.

Thank you to Marc Tyler Nobleman, comics' historian and Patron of this blog, for suggesting this team up!

Ultraman and The Iron Giant

While it was fun seeing The Iron Giant go up against a misguided military and protecting Hogarth, we never got to see him face any antagonists his own size.  Who better join him in such an endeavor than a kaiju-crusher Ultraman?  I've had a few requests for this pairing, and it does seem like it would make for a fun tale.

Power Man & Iron Fist and Amanda Waller

The upcoming comic book movie that I am most curious about is James Gunn's The Suicide Squad.  Set photos indicate a very different look than David Ayers' cinematic outing with the team.  With some returning cast members, how much of a reboot will it be?  I hope that Amanda Waller get's better treatment this time around - she seemed to cross the line into villainy the last time, which did not sit well with me.

Vigilante and Dazzler

In my younger years, I did lots of theater and musicals.  Acting was one of my passions right alongside comic collecting - so it's no wonder that I have a soft spot for characters that are performers as well as superheroes.  They may seem a little hokey to others, but I always got a kick out of them.

Captain America and The Atom In: "Murder By The Minute!"

The introduction of Ryan Choi in the CW's Crisis on Infinite Earths Crossover coupled with Brandon Routh's impending exit from DC's Legends of Tomorrow indicate that we will be seeing a passing of the Atom mantle sometime in the new year.  I'll miss Ray Palmer, but I hope that Choi makes more use of the Atom suit (or preferably, a more streamlined version of it) and it's size-changing capabilities.  Let's see an Atom that actually shrinks more than once a season!

Captain America teamed with the Golden Age Atom in STF #2597...