8 Superhero Teams We Still Need To See On The Big Screen

2016 is surely a golden year for superhero team movies, with the likes of Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, Captain America: Civil War and X-Men: Apocalypse bringing three of the most well known comic book groups to the big screen. Sure, two of those see the heroes fighting each other rather than teaming up against the bad guys, but we’ve still never had it so good before. And yet, these three are just the tip of the iceberg, as comicdom contains a near countless amount of superhero teams. Some of these more obscure bands have even begun to break into the mainstream, with the likes of Guardians of the Galaxy, Disney’s Big Hero 6 and the upcoming Suicide Squad (well, they’re supervillains, but they still count). So, which of these lesser-known superteams deserve their shot in the limelight next? Join us as we count down eight comic book superhero groups that we want to see get assembled on the big screen in the very near future. 8) Justice League Dark Let’s start with one that previously almost made it to cinemas. Thanks to the DC Extended Universe, we are finally about to see the Justice League form on the big screen. So, wouldn’t it be great to have their supernatural sister team join them? Featuring DC’s more occult-based characters like John Constantine, Deadman, Shade, Zatanna and Swamp Thing, Justice League Dark deal with those threats to humanity too otherworldy for the ordinary Justice League. It’s a premise that would surely make for an awesome movie – and one that nearly happened with Guillermo del Toro writing and directing. However, when the DCEU was dreamt up, the project found itself being retooled and eventually canned. We can only hope that the movie execs change their minds and that del Toro is lured back sometime soon. Are you listening, Warner Bros.? 7) Excalibur Thanks to Deadpool’s massive success, Fox are pressing ahead with other X-Men spinoff movies like X-Force and New Mutants. One that we hope they will add to their upcoming slate of films is Excalibur, featuring the British-based team of mutants. Seeing as the X-Men films take place in a parallel world where mutants exist, it would be nice to actually have a group of characters based somewhere else in this world other than the US. Excalibur neatly fits into the existing team, as well, as the comics’ version has featured many X-Men members over the years, such as Kitty Pryde, Nightcrawler and Psylocke. The rights for the team’s leader, Captain Britain, rest with Marvel, however. Still, in the light of the Marvel/Sony Spider-Man pact and the fact that the studio don’t seem to be doing anything with him, Fox can surely get a deal going. 6) The Boys Not all comic book team-up movies have to feature spandex-clad superheroes. For those feeling a little superhero fatigue, a film based on The Boys would be the perfect antidote. A comic series originally published by DC imprint Wildstorm (before hopping over to Dynamite) and written by Preacher’s Garth Ennis, The Boys follows a group of highly-trained CIA agents as they take down rogue superheroes. Unlike the ones we usually see, the super-humans in The Boys are reckless glory hounds; ticking time bombs waiting to go off. The team consists of such no-nonsense characters as cockney Billy Butcher, an ex-Mafia assassin known as The Female (of the Species) and Mother’s Milk, a huge, intimidating fella who is apparently the nicest of the bunch. While there have been rumblings about the property being adapted for television, we think it'd be a better fit for the big screen. After all, movie studios looking for another ultra-violent, R-rated comic book film after Deadpool could do a lot worse than The Boys. 5) Spider-Women If you are only familiar with Spider-Man from the films, you might not know that Peter Parker is far from the only individual with spider-powers. In fact, many of those who share his talents are women. However, even with the Marvel homecoming, it doesn’t look like these heroines will be introduced into the Spidey movies. So instead, they should be given their own big screen vehicle. In a brand-new comic series, Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew, born with her powers), Silk (Cindy Moon, bitten by the same spider as Peter) and Spider-Gwen (Gwen Stacy from another universe where she received the spider-bite) team up to hop between dimensions and protect the world from various threats. Now tell me that wouldn't make for a killer film. Furthermore, a Spider-Women movie would be fantastic in terms of introducing not only the idea of multiple worlds to the MCU, but also some other great characters who sport the ‘Spider’ prefix. 4) Stormwatch Recent comic book movies have become quite obsessed with the public image of superheroes, as Batman V Superman had Superman’s existence being discussed at length by the senate and Civil War will see the Avengers put under surveillance by the government. It would be refreshing, then, to have a superhero film about a team of powered people who manage to keep to the shadows. Created by Jim Lee for Wildstorm, Stormwatch followed a unit of covert superheroes who are more like secret agents than conventional caped crusaders, as they save the world without humanity ever knowing they exist. When Warren Ellis took over, he introduced Apollo and Midnighter, a Superman/Batman-like pair who eventually got married. If the series ever gets adapted, hopefully the duo would make it in, as a superhero partnership who also happened to be a gay couple would make for a fresh and interesting dynamic. 3) Thunderbolts With DC bound to have a hit on their hands with Suicide Squad, Marvel should introduce their own team of reformed supervillains: the Thunderbolts. The Thunderbolts team was initially introduced into the comics with a fantastic bit of misdirection; they at first seemed to be just your average bunch of heroes before it was revealed they were actually Baron Zemo and his Masters of Evil in disguise. Seeing as Zemo will be introduced in Civil War, perhaps something like this could be pulled off in the films. Alternatively, another incarnation of the team (which included Ghost Rider, Agent Venom and Red Hulk) were a group of anti-heroes, aiming to make up for their past sins. If Marvel went with this option, it would be a nice counterpart to Suicide Squad, which will feature villains made to do good against their will. 2) Doom Patrol Often seen as DC’s answer to the X-Men (although they are actually slightly older), Doom Patrol similarly consists of a misfit bunch of heroes who consider their abilities more of a curse than a gift. For instance, one of the longest-running members of the team is Robotman. Once a professional daredevil, he had his brain removed and placed in a mechanical body after he was caught in a racing car accident. The result leaves him invulnerable and super strong... but also prone to depression and existential angst. Despite the title, Doom Patrol wouldn’t be as grim as something like Batman V Superman, as the series also embraces the wackiness of the superhero genre. Instead, there is the potential to make a really interesting and original movie out of the team, as it could look at the emotional turmoil that suddenly getting superpowers could bring to a person. 1) Runaways Now that Spider-Man is being brought into the fold, Marvel might be looking to introduce more teenaged heroes (it would make sense – they could surely get more films out of them than older actors like Robert Downey Jr.). So, if they're hoping to go that route, then they need look no further than hit series Runaways. Initially created by Brian K. Vaughan and then continued by Joss Whedon, the series focussed on a group of kids who discover that their parents are supervillains. Using the powers they have inherited, the teens pledge to become heroes to stop what their mothers and fathers are planning. Runaways features a diverse bunch of characters – from an alien to a girl who can telepathically control a dinosaur – who are also know for their intelligence and wit. Sounds like it's just begging to become another jewel in the crown for the MCU, doesn't it?