Sasquatch and Captain Canuck

 

I remember during the comics boom of the 90's, all sorts of new superhero teams were popping up, most of which did not last very long.  One thing they all seemed to have in common was "the big guy in the back".  Every group shot seemed to have one member of giant proportions standing behind the rest of the teammates.  I don't know if it was because the writers all liked these oversized characters, or if the artists would just rather draw another hero than a background, but there were lots of examples of this.  Sasquatch was the big guy in the back for Alpha Flight, but he did it before it became a cliche!  look forward to Marvel Phase 8 or whenever he and Alpha Flight will make their MCU debut!

Vixen and Tigra

Tigra is overdue for a live action debut, though she might be a tough character to pull off on screen.  I imagine that her outfit is considered too skimpy for Disney's standards, and her fur covered form will either require expensive CGI or a full-body makeup job to bring to life.  Still, I always liked her personality and time on the Avengers, so I hope she is introduced eventually.

Sub-Mariner and The Spectre

 

I can see this being a fiery confrontation.  I just don't imagine these two getting along very well.  Perhaps if Namor can explain that his attacks on the Surface World were acts of vengeance, he can connect with the Spectre on that level, and they might find some common ground?

Iceman Vs. Mr. Freeze

 

Like many, I rank "Heart of Ice" as one of the very best episodes of Batman: The Animated Series.  The new, tragic origin for Mister Freeze gave him a motivation and gravitas that the villain never had before.  He came off cool but somewhat goofy in the comics and the Batman TV show, but with this episode, he rose to the top tier of the Dark Knight's rogues gallery.  Fortunately, the comics followed suit and adapted his animated history for stories going forward.

Howard the Duck and The Flash

 

Speculation but possible SPOILERS for the FLASH movie follow:

From set footage and cryptic comments by actors, the villain for the upcoming Flash movie is becoming clear and it's kind of a surprising one.  I had assumed The Reverse Flash would be involved somehow, but it looks like they are going in a slightly different direction by having Barry Allen dealing with a duplicate of himself.  We have seen the stand-in sharing scenes, dressed to look identical to Ezra Miller (except with yellow lining on his sneaker rather than the Red that Miller is wearing, hmmm...).  I'm not sure how I feel about this - I am not a big fan of Miller in the title role, so two of him doesn't really help things in my eyes.  Still, this is all speculation, we probably won't get any concrete answers until the DC Fandome presentation in a few months.

Man-Bat Vs. The Vulture

 

The Spider-Man: No Way Home teaser has dropped, and in it we see subtle and not-so-subtle teases for Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, Electro, Sandman and The Lizard.  That still leaves one more space on the roster to complete a full Sinister Six team.  Will Michael Keaton's Vulture return?  We know he will show up in Morbius, but could he appear here as well?  I think that Mysterio is more likely - if anyone could fake his death, it's him, and something or someone definitely seems to be influencing Doctor Strange.  Hopefully some more light will be shed when a full trailer is released.

Jonny Quest and Green Lantern

 

Hal Jordan is an adventurer at heart, so I think that he would appreciate the fact that Jonny and Hadji share that spirit.  Stick the three of them in The Savage Land, with a mysterious MacGuffin, and you've got a story that writes itself!  Well, I would read it anyway!

Batman and Gargoyles

 

With Disney so into turning all of their animated properties into live action, I'm surprised that we have never heard anything about bringing Gargoyles back.  Even if they didn't want to go with a CGI-heavy live action version, the series is ripe for at least an animated revival.  Maybe they are watching to see how much viewership the original episodes get on Disney+.

Black Knight and Dr. Fate

 

The final Eternals trailer showed  more about the plot  - 7 days to stop Earth cracking like an egg to give birth to a new Celestial - but just a quick glimpse of Dane Whitman.  It looks like he will be very much a supporting character, and we will probably have to wait for another Marvel movie down the line for him to fully become the Black Knight we  know from the comics.  At least his story is being set up.  Maybe he'll come into possession of the Ebony Blade in a post credits sequence?

Wildcat and Iron Fist

 

They may have different fighting styles, but both of these guys have a real respect for training and keeping their skills sharp. I imagine that they would get along pretty well and it wouldn't be hard to think of a story where their paths would cross.

Eternity and Kid Eternity

 

The final Eternals trailer was released this week, and we got a couple more glimpses of The Celestials.  They look pretty impressive, we will see how much they actually do in the movie, or if they are just featured in flashback and expository scenes. If this movie deals with Celestials and Eternals, is there a chance that Eternity will be introduced?  They have a bunch of other characters to debut, so that's probably a long shot - even if it would be a good place to do so.

The Hulk and The Demon

It was pointed out in a recent comment section that I had not yet paired Etrigan up with The Hulk.  I was surprised that I never  had put them together, and agreed that they were overdue for a meeting.  Something tells me that they would actually get along pretty well, as they both truly enjoy letting loose against hordes of enemies.  Pity whoever got in their way!

Spider-Man and Dirty Harry

 

I was pleasantly surprised to see a trailer for Cry Macho the other day, an upcoming movie starring and directed by Clint Eastwood.  I thought that Eastwood had retired from acting after The Mule, but here he is pulling double duty again.  Even in his 90's Eastwood does amazing work, and now I can look forward to watching at least one more performance.

Judge Dredd and The Atom

With his long comics history and large following, I am surprised there has never been an animated movie or series featuring Judge Dredd.  I think there may be some animated fan efforts out there, but I haven't seen anything official.  It is definitely a property that would lend itself well to the form.

Iron Man is Batman

 

I'm very to eager to see Michael Keaton return as Bruce Wayne/Batman in the currently filming Flash movie. He apparently will have a sizeable role (Ben Affleck will be there too in a smaller appearance).  One thing that puzzles me is the shots of the Batmobile we have seen in promotional images.  I'm kind of torn on it - while it's cool to have the 1989 Batmobile back, it doesn't make sense to me that Batman would not have upgraded his ride in 33 years.  Hopefully it can turn corners a little better now!

Batman and Iron Man last met battling The Mad Hatter in STF #3049... they first met back in my B&B: The Lost Issues days, first on a Bronze Age cover, and then on a Golden Age cover.... Plus, Batman also met Iron Man 2020...

Wolverine and Black Lightning

 

the Black Lightning show on the CW my be over, but hopefully we haven't seen the last of Cress Williams in the role. I remember in the comics that Jefferson Pierce lived in Metropolis for a while. So maybe he can look in on the city while Superman and Lois are taking care of business in Smallville on their show, that might be a fun crossover.

Galactus Vs. Jor-El

 

Jor-El could really rock that headband.  He's had a lot of looks over the years from John Byrne's futuristic reimagining to Marlon Brando's shiny pajamas, but I still prefer the classic colorful outfit.  Plus, it explains why Superman eventually dresses the way he does.

Road Warriors!

I saw the suggestion of an all sentient car team in the comments and at first I thought I wouldn't be able to fit many of them on one cover.  The idea stuck with me though, so I gave it a shot.  It's been well over four decades since I watched Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, so I forget whether that car has a mind of its own, like the others.  If not, this is the Earth-STF Chitty, a sentient variant!

Xena and Shanna The She-Devil

 

The Savage Land is an untapped locale so far for the MCU.  I hope they get there eventually, though.  In addition to residents Shanna and Ka-Zar, some really cool Marvel Comics storylines have taken place there.  I'd love to see it and it's inhabitants brought to the big screen.

Green Lantern and the Hulk / Hourman Vs. Giant-Man

 

I've always liked a good back up story in comics.  They were usually as good as the lead feature (unlike many of the "B" sides to record singles that I would pick up).  Some of my favorites were Elongated man solo adventures in Detective Comics, Whatever happened to...? in DC Comics Presents, and Green Lantern or Firestorm in The Flash.  

Justice Society of America and Squadron Supreme

 

Since the Squadron Supreme is inspired by the Justice League of America, it would be interesting to see them interact with the heroes responsible for inspiring that team.  You have to wonder how long it will be before Kevin Feige decides to introduce the Squadron in the MCU.  I can imagine Warner Bros wincing if they get their own feature before another JLA movie is put together!

Rocket Raccoon & Groot Vs. Woody Woodpecker

James Gunn has a way with inhuman characters with limited vocabularies.  Just as he did with Groot in Guardians of the Galaxy, he managed to make King Shark a fan favorite character in The Suicide Squad.  He managed to make a creature that eats men whole kind of sympathetic! The rest of the cast is as well envisioned and the movie is certainly worth a watch, even if (like me) you aren't a big fan of the more violent moments and not all of the comedy lands.  The visuals, great character work and performances (including the best Harley Quinn scene to date) make it a fun, crazy romp.

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

 

Wonder Man and Martian Manhunter

Oh, that's gonna leave a mark. I'd be up for a Wonder Man Disney+ show starring Nathan Fillion - what say you?  He was fun in The Suicide Squad but deserves a bigger spotlight.

Wonder man here is by the legendary Gene Colan and Scorch is by the amazing Ed McGuiness - I was fortunate enough to be able to pick up a sketch by each of them several years back:

Human Torch and The Unknown Soldier

 

DC's Unknown Soldier is a character so ripe for adaptation that I am surprised that I have never seen him show up in other media.  I think his exploits would be perfect for a straight up war movie without any other comic book trappings, or one that included other DC war stars like Sgt. Rock, The haunted Tank, Gravedigger, Mademoiselle Marie and so on.  He never even made an animated appearance in Batman: The Brave and the Bold or Justice League Unlimited.  Hopefully some use will be found for him, it's too good of a character and concept to leave on the shelf.

Metamorpho and Ant-Man

 

The High Evolutionary seems like another Marvel villain that is ripe for the MCU treatment.  Stories featuring him always took some twisted turns.  I can see him being fascinated by a specimen like Metamorpho.

Ant-Man also helped Animal Man out of a High Evolutionary experiment way back in STF #283...

Gladiator Vs. Green Lantern

 

Well, John Diggle has been making the rounds on the remaining CW superhero shows, but he doesn't appear to be any closer to donning a power ring.  It feels like kind of a tease, the way they were building up the Arrow supporting character to become Green Lantern John Stewart.  I guess it's because DC has other plans for Stewart, whether in the movies or on HBO Max.  If that's the case, hopefully we will hear about some casting soon.

Dick Tracy and Elektra

 

Elektra was brought to life perfectly with Elodie Yung on Netflix' Daredevil.  Now that Charlie Cox is bringing DD over to the MCU, I hope that she will join him eventually.

I still say that Dick Tracy is ripe for a streaming show, with his amazing rogues gallery.  The correct profile with prominent nose is a must for the title role - I used to think Adrien Brody would be a good choice, now I'm thinking that Adam Driver  would be a decent option as well.

Legion Subs and Star Trek (& Much More!)

 

I was a big fan of anthology comics, whether they included new material, reprints, or a mix of both.  They were always a great value, and would sometimes even introduce me to a new character or two.  Sadly, they seem to have fallen by the wayside.  DC tried a new line of 100-Page Giants for sale in Walmart, but those seem to have been discontinued.  I do not know how well they sold, but apparently they have been replaced with comic book 4-packs.

Captain America and The Rocketeer in: "Taking Doom!"

 

The Rocketeer seems like a good candidate to get a Disney+ series.  The movie may not have been an initial financial success, but it gained quite a following  on home video in the years since and is very well regarded - I've always been surprised they never revisited the property in live action.  Does Disney still have the rights to the character?

Cap previously met The Rocketeer in STF #3082, and also with The Invaders in STF #2206...

Coming tomorrow: STF #3400!

Thor and Red Tornado

 

The Red Tornado's face has been presented many different ways over the years, from an unmoving robotic face, to robotic features that can make expressions (sometimes with a nose, sometimes without), to almost fully human looking.  I prefer somewhere in the middle, like he was depicted in the Justice League Unlimited cartoon.  What's your favorite look? 

The Spectre and Tintin

 

These two may not quite match up in terms of power levels, but they both are determined mystery solvers, so I can envision a story where they might cross paths.  I can only imagine what  Captain Haddock's response would be when he realizes that Tintin's back up on this case is The Ghostly Guardan!