Firestorm Vs. Marvel Villains

There was a bit of background removal and replacement required before I could and Ronnie Raymond and Professor Stein to this cover.  Here's a look at the behind the scenes progress:

 

Green Arrow Vs. The Kingpin

 

I'm looking forward to Vincent D'Onofrio's return as Wilson Fisk in the upcoming Daredevil: Born Again Disney+ series. That series has undergone a lot of ups and downs, with lots of rewrites and major reshoots - let's hope the final product is on par with the first couple of seasons of the Netflix series.

The Creeper Vs. The Kingpin in: "Thank You, Sir, May I Have Another?"

 

Wilson Fisk is referring here to his first battle with Jack Ryder, back in STF #2368.  Let's hope that The Creeper can escape his grip long enough to get a chance to fight back!

The Wasp and The Flash

 

There were many factors that went into the underperformance of The Flash, but the character itself was not one of them.  Let's hope that we don't have a situation like with Hal Jordan, who was taken out of all movie plans for over a decade due to his movie not hitting the mark.  I'm guessing it will take until Justice League: New Frontier is released before we see a new Barry Allen (or Wally West?).

The Atom Vs. The Kingpin

 

An oddball match up this time around to be sure, but I don't think that Wilson Fisk is the type to back down from any hero.  Ray Palmer's may have incredible abilities, but the Kingpin's resources are vast, there might be a fun battle to witness here.

Vigilante Vs. Kingpin

 

I have to admit that Freddie Stroma won me over Peacemaker.  At first, I felt his portrayal was a bit too broad, but he leaned into it with such conviction that I had to laugh.  Still, the supporting hero is so far in personality and back story from the Adrian Chase/Vigilante of the comics that I really wish they had just created a whole new character.  That way we could have still had Stroma's amusing antics without having to radically alter a pretty dark and serious ant-hero from the comics.

Spider-Woman and Black Canary

 

Sony really wants to explore its roster of Spider-Man related characters.  We've seen two Venom movies plus Morbius, and now Kraven the Hunter and Madame Web are in production.  The obvious question that comes to mind is - where is word of a Spider-Woman movie?  I'd think she would get the nod before more solo villain stories.

Kingpin Vs. Lex Luthor (With Daredevil!)

 

I realized that I had yet to present a meeting between the baddest bald businessmen in comics on this blog, so it is time to rectify that oversight. (Correction! they did meet before - in STF #2556!) I don't see any way that these two would ever get along - whatever truce they strike is certain to be broken by one of them.  One town is certainly not big enough to have them both operating in it at the same time. Who do you think wins this battle?

Deadman and Iron Fist

 

The extra high collar is an interesting fashion choice.  Doctor Strange has one, but that's understandable, as it is part of his magical cloak.  Then you have characters like Deadman, Iron Fist and Karate Kid who do not wear capes but still have the high collars.  Sure, it's unpractical for combatants to wear something that blocks their peripheral vision, but who cares when they look so cool?

Kingpin Vs. Deathstroke

Bad guys killing of their own henchmen is a staple of heroic fiction, and The Kingpin is no exception to that rule.  It might be interesting to see him try and pull that move on an assassin for hire that doesn't go down that easily.  Deathstroke's skill set against The Kingpin's vast resources could make for an exciting battle.

Dick Tracy Vs. The Kingpin

Much has been said about the hope that Marvel will keep the Charlie Cox / Netflix version of Daredevil around for inclusion in the MCU.  I'm not sure what Marvel plans for the hero, but if they do go that route, I hope that Vincent D'Onofrio's Kingpin can also make the transition.  His performance as Wilson Fisk was probably my favorite element of all the Netflix / Marvel shows, and I'd love to see him continue on in the role.

The Badger and Spider-Man

The Spider-Man: Far From Home trailer got fans buzzing with Mysterio claiming that he was a hero from another dimension, introducing the multiverse to the MCU.  This is Mysterio, though, so I am not taking anything I saw in that trailer at face value. Who knows if that's even the real Nick Fury in there - could be just an illusion or maybe even The Chameleon in disguise.  I'm expecting a lot of misdirects in the story and I am looking forward to Jake Gyllenhaal's portrayal of the central villain.

Lex Luthor Vs. The Kingpin

I have been surprised by Jon Cryer's performance as Lex Luthor on Supergirl.  Despite the actor's comedy roots, he plays the malevolent mogul deadly serious.  Plus, the battle armor suit looks pretty cool on him as well (even though it's one of those magic Iron Man/Black Panther  armors that seem to magically appear out of nowhere).  I'm not crazy the he kept his goatee for the role, but otherwise he is a huge improvement over Jesse Eisenberg.

Superman Vs. The Kingpin

Marvel can't use any of the characters that were on the Netflix shows for 2 years following their cancellation, so it will be a while before we hear anything about them joining the MCU.  It will be tough to top Vincent D'Onofrio as The Kingpin, but I would still like to see yhe character on the big screen again.  As a kid, I always saw him equally as a villain for Spider-Man as he was with Daredevil, so a movie featuring all three would seem like a natural way to go.

Regular blog followers will know that Superman has been at odds with The Kingpin since he was Superboy...

The Kingpin Vs. The Creeper

The Creeper is a character that I think would be a good candidate for an animated show on DC's streaming service.  Let's face it, his look would be very tough to pull off in live action, but I really liked his appearance on Batman: The Animated Series.  That show gave his origin a connection to The Joker, so maybe they could stick with that idea and have him appear on Harley Quinn to test the waters.  I think a tabloid TV show host by day / superhero by night could have a lot of potential for fun story lines.

Superboy Vs. The Kingpin

Marvel has resisted having any characters cross over from the Netflix show to the movies so far, but I hope that won't always be the case.  I think a good place to start with would be Vincent D'onofrio's Kingpin.  he's been one of the best parts of Daredevil, and in the comics I always saw him as as being a pretty big villain for Spider-Man as well as DD.  I'd love to see him inthe mix in a future Spidey film.

Black Canary Vs. The Punisher

I was Glad to see Jon Bernthal's Punisher make an appearance at the end of the trailer for Netflix' upcoming Defenders series.  I can't wait to see all of the characters they have introduced on their shows meet and interact - having Frank Castle involved in some way will ensure that there will be plenty of conflict, even if they all have a common enemy.

This is only Part One of a Two-Part Epic, so make sure you come back tomorrow for the thrilling conclusion!

The Green Hornet and The Kingpin

I was sorry to hear of the passing of TV's Green Hornet, Van Williams this week.  It's been a tough few years with the loss of a lot of our childhood heroes, saying goodby to Yvonne Craig and Leonard Nimoy among others. At least through their iconic performances, their memories will live on for a long long time to come.

Make sure to come back tomorrow for the thrilling conclusion!

Nightwing Vs. The Kingpin

The Matt Murdock face off with Wilson Fisk in the second season of Netflix' Daredevil was one of my favorite scenes of the series.  Not only was it a nice place to showcase Charlie Cox and Vincent D'Onofrio's acting chops, it offered a hint at a potential direction for Season 3... will we be seeing a Born Again-inspired storyline?

The Joker Vs. The Kingpin

I, like many I am sure, absolutely devoured Netflix' Daredevil series last weekend.  It's easily the best live action superhero TV show that I have seen, and I hope that Marvel can keep up this level of quality with their other upcoming shows and future seasons of DD.  A high point for me was the casting.  Everyone embodies their roles perfectly.  Vincent D'Onofrio as Wilson Fisk was amazing, it was as if the character stepped right out of the comics.  I loved that they were able to really delve into his character through childhood flashbacks and his courtship with Vanessa.  Hopefully he will show up in some of the other series that Netflix is preparing.