The superhero film genre, while sometimes lucrative, fun, and immensely popular, can be an unforgiving thing for those who fail to achieve greatness. While successful films like The Avengers or The Dark Knight trilogy are lauded for their achievements behind and in front of the camera, the genre’s various flops and disappointments have left an undeniable mark.
Yet, occasionally, those who’ve fallen victim to superhero failure are given the chance of redemption. Nicolas Cage was a pretty terrible Ghost Rider, but received much praise for his role as Big Daddy in Kick-Ass. Ben Affleck made audiences cringe when he donned the red leather suit of Daredevil in 2003, but has been given another chance at comic book success with the mack daddy of them all, Batman.
Then, of course, there’s Ryan Reynolds, who starred in not one, not two, but three terrible superhero movies (Blade: Trinity, X-Men Origins: Wolverine and Green Lantern), but has been given one more shot at the big time. He’ll even have the unprecedented chance of doing so as one of the characters that once caused his exile: Deadpool.
So, who else in the expansive pantheon of comic book adaptations deserves another shot at donning a cape or cowl? Here are ten suggestions…