Before you go ahead and say it; yes, we are fully aware The Expendables franchise exists, and that a fourth installment is on the way. However, this particular argument revolves around iconic characters and not the actors who play them, which opens up the playing field to all kinds of awesomeness.
Cinema has blessed us with countless top-tier action heroes over the years, who’ve gone down in the annals of history for dropping just as many bodies as they do one-liners, gaining iconic status in the process. It’s a long list to whittle down to a select few, but genre junkies on Reddit are giving it their best shot.
Imagine a dream scenario that’s a cross between The Expendables and the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s epic Avengers crossovers, and that’s the pitch being put forward. It’s tantalizing to think about, the only disappointing thing so far is that more Redditors haven’t gotten in on the act as of yet.
Jason Bourne, John Wick, Rambo, Bryan Mills, and Ethan Hunt are solid starters, but is there no love for Hard Boiled‘s Inspector Tequila, the man who was set on fire, only to have it extinguished by a urinating baby before he jumped out of a hospital window right as the building exploded in a ball of flame behind him? For shame.
You can even apply the argument to the fantasy, animated, horror, or even comedy genres if you’ve got a mind for arguing with your nearest and dearest long into the night, while one of the best suggestions simply states that every name in the lineup should be played by Jason Statham characters from his long and illustrious history of snapping necks and cracking heads.