While some would have you believe that the end is nigh for superhero movies, not even a few disappointing box office results and a handful of bad reviews can overshadow the success movies like Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 have found this year.
Yes, some changes need to be made if this genre is going to survive, but with Marvel Studios looking to make some much-needed improvements and DC Studios’ DCU reboot on the horizon, things are already looking up.
However, we’ve been thinking back to other times these comic book adaptations have struggled and the same names keep coming up. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of filmmakers who we believe should never be allowed near this genre again simply for the sheer amount of damage they’ve already inflicted upon it.
Find out who we’ve singled out by clicking on the “Next” button below.
6. Walter Hamada
Walter Hamada was named DC Films President in 2018 and remained in the role until last October. Before that, he had executive produced several DC movies, including Aquaman, Shazam!, and The Suicide Squad.
However, he also oversaw many of the DCEU’s worst releases, including Wonder Woman 1984, Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey, Black Adam, and this year’s flops, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, The Flash, and Blue Beetle.
While he was cleared of any wrongdoing after Justice League star Ray Fisher laid some extremely damaging accusations at the executive’s feet, there’s simply no getting around the fact that his tenure as DC Films President was a failure. Yes, his Crisis on Infinite Earths plans sound ambitious (as did the idea for a Batman Beyond project) but it all came too little, too late.
Hamada is far from the worst offender on this list, but it was ultimately on his watch that the DCEU died.
5. Simon Kinberg
Simon Kinberg wrote X-Men: The Last Stand, a movie that botched two popular comic book storylines, “The Dark Phoenix Saga” and “The Cure.” Despite that, he was somehow enlisted to pen X-Men: Days of Future Past and X-Men: Apocalypse.
In fairness, the former received a largely positive response (we’re assuming it was the novelty of seeing the new and original casts share the screen), but after the latter movie, it was obvious that he wasn’t the right person to be developing these characters. Along the way, he even got hands-on with Josh Trank’s Fantastic Four, delivering a Frankenstein’s monster of a movie after allegedly taking charge of reshoots.
Still, 20th Century Fox entrusted him with both writing and directing Dark Phoenix, the worst-reviewed X-Men outing to date. Ironically, the odds were stacked against him this time after the studio forced the director to turn a two-part movie into a single adventure.
With no real understanding of these characters or any noticeable respect for the source material, Kinberg needs to be kept away from all future comic book movies.
4. Jeph Loeb
We know many of you love Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and we’re not here to attack the show. Honest! Despite sometimes feeling a tad low-budget, it was the best of a bad bunch of forgettable offerings from Marvel Television. Yes, yes, we know there were some wins like Daredevil and Jessica Jones‘ first season, but overall, what we got from the studio wasn’t good.
Independent from Marvel Studios and run by acclaimed comic book scribe Jeph Loeb (who had previously delivered some of Smallville‘s best episodes as a writer), Marvel Television made bad decision after bad decision.
From making Luke Cage a gangster to everything about Iron Fist and even the shockingly inaccurate portrayal of characters like the Inhumans and Runaways, these TV shows were produced as if they were all comic book movies released in the mid-2000s. Even the best ones haven’t aged well and it’s no wonder they’re in no way, shape, or form considered canon in the MCU (even if some actors have been given the chance to return).
Just like his comic book work eventually fell of a cliff, Loeb lost his touch somewhere along the line and it shows when looking back at his tenure as Marvel Television President.
3. Bryan Singer
Bryan Singer ever working in Hollywood again is likely off the table following a series of incredibly serious sexual misconduct allegations. When he was announced as Red Sonja‘s director, for example, the backlash was swift and vocal enough for him to be quickly fired.
Honestly, his career ending is arguably for the best. Superman Returns was a forgettable love letter to a bygone era of comic book movies, but it’s the X-Men franchise where Singer committed his most heinous filmmaking crimes.
It’s no secret that his disdain for the source material saw him make comic books a contraband item on X-Men‘s set and, honestly, it shows. Some moments and characters work well, but for the most part, his movies fail to capture the essence of what makes mutants so great.
The one time Singer did embrace the comics in a bid to match the MCU’s success, it was a disaster. Why? Because he just didn’t get it.
2. Joss Whedon
For some reason, there now appears to be a consensus online that neither The Avengers nor Avengers: Age of Ultron were good movies.
It’s a take we struggle to make sense of because, while they may not have been as ambitious as Infinity War and Endgame, they successfully brought Earth’s Mightiest Heroes together on screen for two memorable, and undeniably epic, adventures (even if there were a few creative misfires along the way).
Joss Whedon was responsible for writing and directing them, so if we were such a fan of the 2012 and 2015 blockbusters, why is he named here? Well, it all goes back to Justice League and what sounds like some pretty reprehensible behaviour on the filmmaker’s part.
From bullying cast and crew to letting his ego get the best of him, Whedon arguably ruined his reputation, though a series of damaging claims about his conduct while making Buffy the Vampire Slayer did little to help matters either.
1. Avi Arad
Honestly, we could have written an entire feature about Avi Arad’s shortcomings as a producer. We’d strongly recommend picking up MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios for further insights into why he was a detriment to that company, but we’re focusing on what he’s inflicted on poor old Spider-Man.
Arad bullied Sam Raimi into including Venom in Spider-Man 3, effectively ruining the movie. He also spearheaded The Amazing Spider-Man movies, attempting to rush into a Sinister Six project full of so many dumb ideas that it makes The Amazing Spider-Man 3 – featuring dead characters resurrected by a magic potion – sound half-sane.
Since then, he’s pushed to create a Spider-Verse without the wall-crawler, hence why we’ve had to suffer through stinkers like Venom and Morbius. Something tells us the worst is yet to come with Madame Web and Kraven the Hunter on the horizon.
Arad also hates the fact that Spider-Man is in the MCU, despite those movies being thousands of times better than anything he’s ever taken charge of. Are we being too harsh? Go watch Morbius‘ post-credits scene again and then tell us this guy isn’t a total goofball…
With so much talk of superhero fatigue, you’d be forgiven for thinking superhero movies are on their way out. Well, they’re not, but to help matters, this lot should never be allowed near them again… Read More