Off YOUR Mind: What Comic Books Would Make a Great TV Show?

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gmanfromheck

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Edited By gmanfromheck

This week we all got very excited when it was announced that Joss Whedon would be working on a television pilot for a S.H.I.E.L.D. show. He (obviously) did a great job on The Avengers and his past experience in successful TV shows means he has a great idea what works and what would not. He understands the limitations of technology and budgets.

In a perfect world, we could get (great) TV shows based on all our favorite comic book characters. Realistically, that's not possible. Some characters just wouldn't translate as well as others in the live-action format. Then, of course, there would be the budget that could prevent the characters actually using their superpowers or abilities.

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The question this week is, what comic book series or characters would make a great TV show? Let's keep it realistic. We're not going to see an X-Men or Justice League TV show using the characters to their full potentials. There have been some decent attempts in the past. Technology has improved.

Share your thoughts below. Maybe some eager and conniving TV exec will read your response and make it happen. You won't get the credit for it, of course but the world would get an awesome show out of it.

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Tony Guerrero is the Editor-in-Chief of Comic Vine. You can follow him on Twitter@GManFromHeck. He hopes to someday see a TV show based on Doctor Guerrero.

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moywar700

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#1  Edited By moywar700

Smallville had a budget of 2-4 million per episode.A superhero show has to be character-driven because it's more cheaper.

If a superhero hero show were gonna happen, the people will have to have "invisible supers" like superhearing.An X-Factor is doable, many of the character's superpowers are invisible and people like detective shows.

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Mutie199

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#2  Edited By Mutie199

Detective comics with Batman where there would be different cases each ep but a bigger plot throughout the season.

Also an X-Factor Investigations would be totally awesome and i can really see it as a tv-show. There could be guest appearances of other X-men or heroes from the marvel universe too.

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Mega_spidey01

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#3  Edited By Mega_spidey01
cloak & dagger ! make it happend marvel.
cloak & dagger ! make it happend marvel.
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moywar700

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#4  Edited By moywar700

Sci-Fi or Action books are much better on comics or books better because the only limits are their imaginations.T.V shows are limited by budgets.

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4donkeyjohnson

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#5  Edited By 4donkeyjohnson

The Suicide Squad! Amanda Waller, Deadshot, Captain Boomerang in a Prison Break meets Alias type show with cameos by the DC big guns

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BoyWander

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#6  Edited By BoyWander

Red Hood and the Outlaws or Ultimate Spider-man (Miles Morales, not the Disney cartoon...). I love Redhood so much, but he usually couldn't show up in cartoons, however there is a niche for adult cartoons and he'd fit nicely in that spot. Miles Morales having a TV show would be very interesting. just cause.

Or maybe a show about Deadpool. But that may be a bit much to ask for.

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gunmetalgrey

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#7  Edited By gunmetalgrey

Deathstroke could work. A few cameos from the Titans and other powered characters shouldn't hurt the budget that much.

A show that focuses on Robin and his perspective of fighting crime with Bats could be fun, preferably with Tim so Dick can make a couple of appearances as Nightwing to give him advice about Bruce and such.

I can also see Amadeus Cho as an interesting, though slightly annoying lead character. People seem to eat up the "super smart kid" types these days.

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Aspirant

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#8  Edited By Aspirant

I think The Flash. we've seen superspeed work on TV before, there's a good range of antagonists and you could introduce Wally and Bart down the track when things get stale.

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redmanta

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#9  Edited By redmanta
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wonder man will be perfect for a tv show in the comics he was actually a tv star

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ArtisticNeedham

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#10  Edited By ArtisticNeedham
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Person of Interest is basically Batman without a costume. This guy John is like Batman. His friend from Lost is like Alfred. The cop who was after him and is now his friend, she is like Gordon. The crooked cop is like Bullock. The show is even co-made by Christopher Nolan's brother. So I think a dark, semi realistic, Batman show would work well on TV. Just limit the camp to none.

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Booster Gold and Blue Beetle would be a fun show, imagine it being like Dumb and Dumber or Chandler and Joey on friends but as superheroes. but I know Ted wont be used in anything any time soon. So I am happy with a Booster Gold tv show. a show about a time traveler who goes back in time for personal gain and is a goof but learns to be a better person. Plus, is SyFy still making this? I want to see them make it. His costars would include Rip Hunter, Skeets, Booster's sister, a young girl he saved from an alternate future who turns out to be his mother since he is from the future and she is now in the present. Also occasional guest spots by Blue Beetle. And alternate versions of other heroes like Sinestro and Batman. Booster lives outside of time and travels around the multiverse, past present and future to fix things and keeps things in check.

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And I REALLY want to see a ClanDestine tv show or movie. A family of mystical beings who have lived forever, some are over 200 years old. Who keep to themselves and private and hidden but get bored easily, and being costumed adventurers is just the latest distraction. Sounds like a fun show. The SFX budget wouldn't need to be more than Smallville or Angel really.

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And I have always wanted a LIVE ACTION Buffy/Angel/Smallville/Heroes styled X-Men tv show. Starting out with Xavier who puts together a school for Gifted Students (Mutants not a term yet) with no intention of being superheroes or combat and they get sucked into heroics. Season One starts with the original 5 and season two Xavier expands and the cast grows and changes with the addition of Colossus, Nightcrawler, Storm, Wolverine and others. By this time Xavier starts to see that the school must be a safe place for mutants and his X-Men must protect them... sorry, got into rambling off my idea. But I have a lot of stuff for it. But one idea for the show was like with Smallville, not costumes. Wolverine wears a yellow tank top with black slash marks and jeans. Cyclops wears an official Xavier Institute T-Shirt. Thunderbird wears a blue shirt with a red bird symbol, etc. And the Sentinels would be like Cybermen, man sized robots (men in robot costumes). Sort of what Alphas is doing now on their show. The show wouldn't need costumes because the idea is how humans are evolving, not superheroes. I talk in more detail about this idea here:

http://forums.superherohype.com/showthread.php?t=312192

and

http://lax.forums.superherohype.com/showthread.php?p=23730325

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And I ALWAYS wanted to see a Madman cartoon show, with his cast of the Atomics, Joe, Dr. Flem, Mott, etc.

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Arkhamc1tizen

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#11  Edited By Arkhamc1tizen
Uncanny Avengers #1
Uncanny Avengers #1 "Call Me Maybe" Varient

he would be a perfect for an TV show maybe have cameos from wolverine in a weapon X episiodie

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coolguyr99

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#12  Edited By coolguyr99

Y: The Last Man or Chew.

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MyraMyraMyra

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#13  Edited By MyraMyraMyra

Actually, I do think that X-Men would make the most awesome comic book TV-show. It would just have to be easy on the action and focus on characters developement and drama instead. I would love to see a character-oriented live-action X-Men series with a strong focus on the social allegories of the mutant struggle & the problems and conflicts of individual characters. The kind of show that would be less about flashy action sequences and more about human drama.

I think Lost did a great job of combining mystery, fantasy, and science fiction with drama. It supernatural/scifi elements to it, but at its core it was an ensemble drama that focused on the inner conflicts and relationships of the characters. I don't see why X-Men couldn't work as a TV-series with a similar approach. I think it would be perfectly doable if they just kept the tone a little more realistic than in the comics - i.e. no adventures in space, no visits to alternate demon dimensions, less giant robots. Of course, some characters would be impossible to pull off from week to week with a TV-show budget (bye, Beast!), but otherwise I don't tthink that the depiction of mutant powers would be a huge problem.

I don't think that any movie adaptation of X-Men can ever be entirely satisfying because you can only do so much with such a large ensemble of characters within the time limits of a single movie, or even a trilogy. No character (except maybe Wolverine) is ever going to get enough attention in the movie adaptations. A TV-series, however, could include multiple interesting character arcs for a whole bunch of characters. That's why I think live-action X-Men would work so much better in TV than it does on the big screen.

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Eyz

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#14  Edited By Eyz

Well, Batman is always an obvious pick.

But I'd love to see another team based series - not more Avengers/Justice League.

I dunno, the possibilities are endless, really. From the Outsiders, to the Outlaws, Heroes for Hire, Avengers Academy, etc.

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lorex

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#15  Edited By lorex

Personally I would like to see Invincible or Fables be made into an HBO series.

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Veitha

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#16  Edited By Veitha
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Alias or Spider Woman - Agent of S.W.O.R.D.

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Teerack

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#17  Edited By Teerack

If they made a Flash cartoon that took place in the same universe as Batman/Superman the animated series, and Justice league/JL unlimited and had the same art it could of been great.

/Sigh. Oh to remember the days before the new 52 where Wally West was the Flash.

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Miss_Garrick

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#18  Edited By Miss_Garrick

I know you said let's be realistic, but my inner geek said 'heck with that!'

1: I REALLY REALLY want a tv series of Geoff Johns' JSA series. It is one of the coolest comic series I've ever read!

2: James Robinson's Starman series. Back me up here people!

3: Power Man and Iron Fist. I love these guys!

4: The entire Usagi Yojimbo series. Stan Sakai is not a comic writer, he writes sagas!

5: James Robinson's Shade miniseries. I would so love to see Shade on my screen.

6: Akiko by Mark Crilley. Spuckler Boach is so hysterical.

7: ClanDestine by Alan Davis

8: Sister reminded me of Bone by Jeff Smith.

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ARMIV2

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#19  Edited By ARMIV2

@Miss_Garrick said:

I know you said let's be realistic, but my inner geek said 'heck with that!'

1: I REALLY REALLY want a tv series of Geoff Johns' JSA series. It is one of the coolest comic series I've ever read!

2: James Robinson's Starman series. Back me up here people!

3:Power Man and Iron Fist. I love these guys!

4: The entire Usagi Yojimbo series. Stan Sakai is not a comic writer, he writes sagas!

5: James Robinson's Shade miniseries. I would so love to see Shade on my screen.

6: Akiko by Mark Crilley. Spuckler Boach is so hysterical.

7: ClanDestine by Alan Davis

8: Sister reminded me of Bone by Jeff Smith.

All cool ideas, but I really dig number three.

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lifeboy

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#20  Edited By lifeboy

they had a good show called birds of prey.

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archtirus

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#21  Edited By archtirus

StarBrand would make a great tv show.

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lifeboy

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#22  Edited By lifeboy

duh, everybody and there mom knows all heros have had their movie except ww.

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wowylied

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#23  Edited By wowylied

A great tv show ?

Sadly none if it is about super hero or guy with power. It would ruin or puke on the original creation. And you don't have gigallions of dollars then it will be a boring "super-hero" tv show. Look at smallville if you want an exemple of how horrible a comic tv show can be. They literrally destroyed all the superman mythos to create a teenage show. I can already tell you that the new serie "arrow" will have 30 sec of bow action each episode maximum and that the other time will be useless relationship thing.

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sinestro_GL

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#24  Edited By sinestro_GL

The Flash v2.0

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MadOmegaMan

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#25  Edited By MadOmegaMan

I always thought Captain Marvel would be a perfect character and show to introduce kids to a wider range of heroes.

I mean he is a kid, who at the shout of a magic word turns into a superhero. The villains i.e. Black Adam, Doctor Sivana are stereotypically villanous.

And it wouldn't have to just be for the kids, I think we can all remember how suprised we were to liking Batman The Brave and The Bold, but we still did!

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ForeverMan

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#26  Edited By ForeverMan

The Question could definitely make for a cool tv show I think.

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Mega_spidey01

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#27  Edited By Mega_spidey01

the dark avengers/thunderbolts.

heroes for hire

static

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DarqKnight

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#28  Edited By DarqKnight

Gotham Central, hopefully it would be successful enough to warrant a new comic book series.

*please please please*

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DarqKnight

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#29  Edited By DarqKnight

Alan Moore's "Top 10" would also be pretty sweet.

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Strafe Prower

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#30  Edited By Strafe Prower
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Dark_Vengeance_

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#31  Edited By Dark_Vengeance_

The Question, and as for as how much I would love a Batman tv show I think it would fail, assuming this is live tv we are talking about.

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theRedhood24

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#32  Edited By theRedhood24

Wonder Girl aka Cassie

But I don't want her old life or old look. I want THIS one below. She's a lot tougher, less cheerful , better costume and most of all her armor is KILLING her! Literally! I wonder how she would deal with that if she was in a TV series?

PS. I also like Super-boy. His view on life is rather... fascinating and he learns pretty quick. I HATED his old costume which was an S on a Black shirt and jeans. It would be a great addition if they added him on this show. But I also want his own show.

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feebadger

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#33  Edited By feebadger

Captain Carrot And His Amazing Zoo Crew. 'Nuff Said.

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Meteorite

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#34  Edited By Meteorite

I remember rumours going around ages ago about a live-action Moon Knight TV series. With the right writing (which would be damn hard, I'm not going to deny it), it would be awesome.

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DarthShap

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#35  Edited By DarthShap

-Gotham Central.

-Hellblazer.

-SECRET SIX!!!

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That60sGuy

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#36  Edited By That60sGuy

A super sexy Red Sonja show ... like Spartacus: Blood and Sand - but with an actually good story.

A Firefly type show based on StarJammers

A Captain Marvel show focusing more on his fight against the racism in his homeland - so more drama less action (not that I don't like action!)

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RedX9

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#37  Edited By RedX9

Nightwing in Bludhaven...I know, people will say it won't work but it can. Just do it like it takes palce after he leaves Batman and tries to create a new name for himself outside of Gotham. Its doable.

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RedX9

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#38  Edited By RedX9

@wowylied: I couldn't agree more about Smallville. It was just a bad show that used the relationships to tell the story but it was never really character driven. Its for this reason that they show suffered. It was far far far from being good.

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Scott757

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#39  Edited By Scott757

@coolguyr99: I thought Chew was making its way to television, last I heard Showtime had picked it up.

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I would love a pre-Batman "Bruce Wayne" tv show, similar to Smallville.

Show Bruce Wayne in his teenage years training to become Batman eventually. He'll not only have time in Gotham, but also overseas while training. Arkham Asylum and its range of characters could be included (Jeremiah Arkham). Alfred would be his butler and guide (as he already is) with Leslie Thompkins, and introduce other characters that will become supporting characters. Selina Kyle, troubled teen thief that becomes a love interest that owns a dozen cats; Harleen Quinzel, new intern at Arkham and another possible love interest that helps sometimes with her connections in the Asylum and her knowledge in psychology; aspiring journalist Vicki Vale as another potential love interest; police officer Jim Gordon and a possible cameo of his very young and intelligent daughter Barbara; Haley's Circus could be mentioned or even featured in an episode where Bruce unknowingly meets the parents of Dick Grayson; and dozens other characters can can be utilised (pre-Two Face district attorney Harvey Dent maybe?).

Bruce Wayne could have a villain of the week like the first few seasons of Smallville, and while most could be original for the show, some could lead to a post-Batman future: Jonathan Crane could be a doctor at Arkham or teacher at Gotham University (that Bruce attends) and be creating the beginning of what will eventually be his Scarecrow fear gas; Pamela Isley could be a professor in plant biology at Bruce's University and imply her future as a ecological terrorist when she creates her first plant hybrids that Bruce has to fight (or even both Pamela Isley and her mentor Jason Woodrue); Victor Fries might help Bruce with an ice related situation one episode, and in that same episode meet his future wife, Nora before she gets sick; a mysterious man who dons a red cape and hood could feature at some point, even as something to do with supporting character Harleen Quinzel.

There is an endless supply of potential, especially with Batman's colourful and iconic rouges gallery that everyone is already familiar with, and the budget of superpowers would be practically nil with Bruce Wayne and many of his characters not having any superpowers, so the budget could go to other needs on this drama based series.

(Sorry, but the more I thought about it, the more the ideas kept flowing. You can't tell me they couldn't make ten seasons of awesomeness out of this in a tv show that would far outdo Smallville. The only downside is the people in charge would pick another rebooted Batman movie franchise over a tv show like this, which is why they haven't already done it and chose Smallville and Arrow instead.)

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Jonny_Anonymous

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#41  Edited By Jonny_Anonymous

The Spider/The Shadow/Green Hornet & Kato/The Phantom/Doc Savage

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Superguy0009e

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#42  Edited By Superguy0009e
Moon Knight
Moon Knight
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thespideyguy

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#43  Edited By thespideyguy

I really liked X-men evolution, but where is my phantom stranger. Also Batman the brave and the Bold was a good idea batman teaming up with lesser known heroes. And Iron fist plus red hood and the outlaws, plus ultimate spidey with miles morales. Maybe an american vampire on HBO.

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deadpoolrules

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#44  Edited By deadpoolrules

Deadpool would be awesome in a TV show

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Novemberx2

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#45  Edited By Novemberx2

Ultimate Spiderman.... As in the comic. not the pile of S*** we got given by Jepb Loeb and disney

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Rixec

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#46  Edited By Rixec

Blue Beetle (Jaime Reyes) would make a great tv show!

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Mbecks14

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#47  Edited By Mbecks14

Are we talking live action? I'd love a new Batman or Superman show if the budget was big.

THE FLASH!

live action or animated series a Flash show would be awesome and is desperately needed

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AWeekInGeekdom

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#48  Edited By AWeekInGeekdom

I'd love to see a Heroes for Hire series that was also set in the MCU :)

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deactivated-5d921c81bd12c

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  • Heroes For Hire
  • Punisher
  • Daredevil

All in the MCU (I'm assuming the film rights don't extend to television)

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zackattack529

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#50  Edited By zackattack529

hmm...i think with a good writer/director that Grifter might make a good show.

also a Punisher Tv show could be good if it could remain consistent and interesting. The mvoei failed to do that for me but im sure the show has the oppurtunity to excust his character and story better.

Also a Specter Show could work, make it a detective crime story then when he catches the bad guys he exacts Vengeance on them. every story would be different, and once in while in the season he'd fight something of the occult that could actually challenge him.