Guardian Vs. Sandman

 

Cadmus is the kind of place that I can see a reformed Flint Marko working at.  There would definitely be friction with the regular staff though, and that could make for a fun tale.

Dick Tracy Vs. The Sinister Six

 

As cool as Dick Tracy's rogues gallery was, most of his villains did not live past their first adventure with the classic cop hero.  It's only natural that he would need to seek out new challenges once he worked through his personal roster of adversaries.  But how would he fare against the enhanced abilities of a half-dozen of Spider-Man's biggest foes?

Batgirl & Robin Vs. The Sinister Six

 

With Kraven about to make his cinematic debut, we will finally have seen live action versions of all of the Sinister Six.  Spider-Man: No Way Home came kind of close, but it's too bad we never got a proper Spidey Vs. The Sinister Six Movie.

Dick Grayson will face off against a slightly different Six lineup once he transitions into Nightwing, as seen in STF #3738...

Spider-Man and The Flash in: "The Heinous Half-Dozen!"

 

I've paired Spider-Man together with Barry Allen a couple of times, first in STF #695 and then later in STF #4091, but I thought that it was time that the wall-crawler met the original speedster, Jay Garrick. Even with three on one odds, I don't know how much luck the villains will have here, let's hope they have an ace up their sleeve!

Nightwing Vs. Sandman in: "Beach Brawl!"

 

Sure, The Sandman has taken steps to become a reformed criminal - but nobody told Nightwing that!  This is a rematch between these two.  They first clashed back in STF #3447, and Dick Grayson also faced Flint Marko along with the rest of the Sinister Six in STF #3738...

Spider-Man and The Flash in: "Sand and Mirrors!"

 

I went to see The Flash and while it's not a bad movie, I can understand why it is not performing well.  I have never liked Ezra Miller in the role of Barry Allen and that was before the bizarre crime spree.  Having two versions here (while done quite effectively with special effects) didn't help things.  I mainly went to see Michael Keaton as Batman again and his parts were definitely the highlight of the movie fore me.  Sasha Calle was fine as an alternate Supergirl I guess, but all she was given to do was pout and punch so she didn't leave much of an impression.  The CGI definitely looked unfinished in many parts.  I didn't mind it so much in the Speed Force scenes, but the CGI babies in the opening rescue scene were so fake looking it eliminated any sense of peril.  Yes, there are some fun cameos - though they could have been removed and the movie would not have really been affected.  I did laugh out loud at the very final moment of the film, I couldn't believe they went there.  It's worth a watch on streaming - although I'll probably start it at the halfway mark for future viewings.

Spidey and The Flash previously shared an adventure in STF #695...

Sandman Vs. Sandman in: "This Town Ain't Big Enough!"

 

Ever since I paired these two way back in STF #59, I have received requests for a follow up tale. Well, consider your wish fulfilled... 11 years later!  Sorry about the long wait, you might say I slept on this one for a while...

The Sinister Six Vs. Nightwing

 

There was talk of a Nightwing movie in the works for a while, but I don't know if that project is alive anymore.  Perhaps if Batgirl is a hit with audiences, Warner Bros will take another look at the property.  Will there be a mention of Dick Grayson in that movie?  With Michael Keaton's Batman due to show up there, we might get a clue as to what the boy wonder's cinematic future holds.

Green Lantern & Green Arrow Vs. The Frightful Four

Warner Bros is taking their sweet time bringing Hal Jordan back to the movies.  There's the long ago announced and slow moving Green Lantern Corps series for HBO Max, but he wont be part of that.  By the time he hits the big screen again, we'll be ready for a new Oliver Queen as well - so why not bring them back together?  I'd be up for a Hard Travelling Heroes movie!

 

Nightwing Vs. Sandman

 

I'm not sure what Flint Marko's status is these days, but I hope he has not reverted to his evil ways.  I always liked him as a reformed villain.  The issue of Marvel Two-In-One where this is dealt with as he shares a beer with Ben Grimm is a favorite of mine.  I am always happy to use the amazing artwork of Mike Zeck on this blog.  Here's a sketch I picked up years ago that he did for  the Batman: Ten Nights of The Beast TPB cover: 

Sandman and Killer Frost

 

Rumors have it that Thomas Haden Church may indeed be returning to play Sandman again in the next Spider-Man movie.  He is just another in a long list of characters from the first two Spidey franchises that has been rumored to return.  The only thing is, the more returning actors that get added to the list, the less I think they will actually get to do.  Maybe they will all just have one brief cameo or they'll be a part of a Mysterio illusion sequence.  I hope they aren't going through all of the trouble to bring people back just to have them quickly walk through the scenery.

Metamorpho Vs. Sandman

I think this would be an interesting pairing.  Rex Mason and Flint Marko both seem like regular hard working blue collar guys who have undergone amazing alterations to their bodies' chemistry.  Rex chose to be a hero, although he has had temptations to go over to the wrong side of the law.  Flint engaged in a life of crime, but his heroic aspirations still come through from time to time.  They really aren't that different from one another.

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...

Sandman Vs. The Shadow Thief

The Shadow Thief fascinated me as a kid and remains one of my all-time favorite villains.  He's just so unique - his creepy appearance set him apart as well as his power set.  he even has one of the coolest names around.  I first encountered him in the pages of Justice League of America as part of the Injustice Gang and I always wished he would make more appearances, but he's pretty much been confined to Hawkman stories since then. 

Green Arrow Vs. Sandman

Flint Marko's redemption was something I really liked, and I wish more had been done to establish him as a true hero afterwards.  Instead he seemed to cross back and forth over the line between hero and villain in the decades that followed.  I confess that I have lost track - I'm not sure what his status is these days.

Blue Beetle Vs. Sandman

I was very saddened to hear of the passing of Steve Ditko, a giant in the history of comic book artwork.  His mastery of body language and inventive layouts plus the ability to depict a diverse supporting cast played a huge part in making Spider-Man a massive hit. If all he ever gave us was his work on Spidey he would have been a legend, but he gave us so much more, from Doctor Strange to The Creeper and Hawk and Dove, to Mr. A and The Question and beyond.  I know he was very reclusive, but I hope he knew how important he was to the industry and how many fans he made happy over the years.

Plastic Man Vs. Sandman

This is another match up I would love to see.  Both characters have been on two sides of the law at different times in her careers, so they share that unique perspective.  Plus, it would be a visually inventive battle for an artist to depict, given the malleable nature of their abilities. 

Blue Beetle Vs.The Sinister Six

Even though five movies have been made there is still a lot of untapped potential for Spider-Man now that he is joining the Marvel cinematic universe.  Mysterio, Kraven and The Vulture  have yet to be used, and the Sinister Six as a whole was talked about but never realized onscreen.  It will be interesting to see which nemesis will be the first to face of with Tom Holland's web-slinger.

Clayface Vs. Sandman

While a very flawed film, Spider-Man 3 did one thing perfectly - the realization of Flint Marko's look and powers (well, until he became the giant Sandman at the end, they kind of lost me there).  I'd love to see a movie version of Clayface one of these days.  We know the technology is there to make it happen, the question is whether the studio finally starts letting Batman's more outlandish villains appear.

OMAC and The Fantastic Four

I'm a little surprised at how little we have actually seen of the upcoming Fantastic Four reboot.  I know that principal filming wrapped a while ago and they are in the process of creating the special effects, but I figured we would has seen some kind of footage by now.  Perhaps they are waiting until everything is perfect before they present it and silence the naysayers.  Or maybe it's the turkey many hardcore fans fear it will be and they will quietly release it without previews from the critics.  I must admit that I haven't read much that gives me a lot of hope for the film, but I still have to see a trailer or teaser before I can make a truly informed judgment.