Mark Waid and Alex Ross’ 1996 mini-series Kingdom Come is one of the greatest and most influential comics from DC. The painstakingly crafted tale about an elder Superman and the Justice League facing a new generation of amoral heroes became a massive hit. Comics fans still feel its influence today, including in James Gunn’s new DCU. So the timing is right for a new documentary on the making of this classic comic, The Legend of Kingdom Come, which we’ve learned about via The Wrap. You can check out the first teaser trailer for director Remsy Atassi’s film, right here:

DC Comics expanded on many of the themes and visuals of Kingdom Come in other media over the years. First in the comics, then later in things like the CW Arrowverse. In fact, the Superman ‘S’ shield designed by Alex Ross for Kingdom Come? It’s now the same one we see in James Gunn’s Superman. In a statement, director Remsy Atassi said, “The Legend of Kingdom Come documentary will be an exploration of the mad, relentless dedication that goes into producing this stunning art form – and what it takes for an artist to achieve greatness.”

Both Kingdom Come writer Mark Waid and artist Alex Ross will be interviewed extensively about their seminal creation in this documentary. Among the other creators interviewed are Spawn creator Todd McFarlane and Batman: The Animated Series writer Paul Dini. This series came at just the right time in the comics industry. In the mid-90s, violent antiheroes ruled superhero comics. DC’s Kingdom Come asked the question, “Is the world just too dark now for old-fashioned heroes like Superman? It’s a question that James Gunn’s new Superman film will likely pose as well.

The pre-Kickstarter launch page for The Legend of Kingdom Come documentary is online here. Fans can sign up now for alerts on the film and details about when the crowdfunding campaign goes live later in 2024. A Legend of Kingdom Come panel is also taking place at Comic-Con in San Diego this year.

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DC Comics films are in a state of transition. Despite announcing just a few months ago that he was back, Henry Cavill is not returning as Superman. New DC Studios co-head James Gunn confirmed the news, saying in a tweet that his new Superman will be a young hero just starting out, played by another actor. All pretty much confirming that his DCU will be a reboot. Many fans, including us, think a full-scale reboot is the best way forward. Continuing to put bandages on the existing DCEU doesn’t seem to work. It’s time to start fresh.

Among those on the slate is Superman. In the initial stages, our story will be focusing on an earlier part of Superman’s life, so the character will not be played by Henry Cavill.

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) December 15, 2022

However, we believe that since a full-scale reboot is likely on the horizon, the versions of these iconic heroes we’ve seen on film this past decade deserve a fitting ending. Especially Henry Cavill, who they had only just announced as returning as Kal-El. Shouldn’t he get at least one more great film for his version of the iconic hero? Especially after so many fans cheered his long-awaited return. It would just be a sad ending if his last time in the role is a walk-on cameo in Black Adam.

And then, there’s the issue of Wonder Woman. After becoming a global icon thanks to her solo film, doesn’t Gal Gadot’s Diana deserve a proper final act too? Especially as WB canceled whatever Patty Jenkins had planned for a third film. Before any possible reboot happens, we think the Princess of Themyscira deserves a glorious sendoff as well. And that sendoff should be an adaptation of one of DC Comics’ most beloved stories, Kingdom Come (spoilers for the original comics).

Kingdom Come: A rebuttal of ’90s comic book nihilism

Originally published in 1996, Kingdom Come was creators Mark Waid and Alex Ross’ statement on the state of superheroes at the time. Ever since Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns in 1986, comics saw “grim ‘n gritty” anti-heroes surpassing traditional ones. The late ‘80s, and especially the early ‘90s was an explosion in popularity with these kinds of characters. Chief among them the Punisher, Wolverine, and gun-toting Cable. When the Image Comics boom happened, new characters like Spawn and others leaned heavily into the dark antihero vibe. It became a cliché, and eventually, a joke. Waid and Ross told a story about where a continued obsession with these kinds of “heroes” might lead us.

“They chose the man who would kill over the man who wouldn’t. And now they’re dead.”

Kingdom Come was set in a relatively near future. Violent, often gun-wielding heroes spend more time fighting each other than fighting criminals or saving innocent lives. The old guard of Justice League heroes have mostly retired. The reason for this was thanks to Superman abandoning his post as Earth’s protector, after humanity deemed his brand of heroism outdated. When the Joker killed dozens of reporters at the Daily Planet, including Lois Lane, Superman apprehended him.

But a new vigilante named Magog, a not-so-subtle take on Marvel’s Cable, decided to kill the Joker in cold blood. Superman arrested him for murder, but the public wanted Magog’s style of punitive justice. The world picked Magog over Superman, who they now considered a relic. So he retreated to his Fortress of Solitude for a decade, leaving the Earth to a new breed of not-so-heroic heroes.

With Superman and many of his fellow old-school Leaguers following suit, either gone or operating in the shadows, the world falls apart. Things come to a head when a reckless incident from Magog results in millions of lost lives. Superman returns to the world, which welcomes him back. He seeks to see a return to a time of virtuous heroism. But his methods for returning to “the old ways” isn’t exactly right either, as he seeks to force this new generation to see things his way, or suffer the consequences. His old friend Batman realizes he’s in way over his head.

A truly apocalyptic generation gap

This upcoming battle between generations of superpowered people is witnessed by our POV character, a kindly old pastor named Norman McKay. He, with the help of the unearthly Spectre, try to prevent the upcoming Armageddon. One that will happen thanks to two generations of superpowered people clashing in battle. Without giving the whole story away (really, you should read it), Kingdom Come’s final act is a dark one. Although its ultimate ending denouement is one of hope. One that celebrates the pure heroism of DC’s Trinity, Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, and what they represent to pop culture. Oh, and Shazam too. He plays quite a role, but that one’s a bit spoilery. (Again, read Kingdom Come).

A rousing end for Cavill’s Superman and Gadot’s Wonder Woman

So, why attempt Kingdom Come as the finale for the old DCEU? For starters, Henry Cavill truly deserves a great Superman story, and Kingdom Come is that story. Clark has a full character arc, and the story ultimately explains why Superman is the greatest superhero of all time. It’s the Superman story Cavill deserves. It’s also a great Wonder Woman story. The Amazon goddess must reckon with whether her skills as an ambassador of peace or as warrior of righteousness are more effective in this world. It’s a much better conclusion to Gal Gadot’s version of Diana than Wonder Woman 1984.

In Kingdom Come, Batman must also reckon with the toll decades of crime fighting has had on his body. And how it hindered his ability to keep Gotham City safe. And he must also be the voice of reason when his old allies cannot see the flaw in their methods. Now, Ben Affleck could or could not return to play Bruce Wayne in this. In the original comic, Bruce is an old man. But thanks to their respective Kryptonian and Amazonian DNA, both Superman and Wonder Woman have aged very little. While it would be nice to see Affleck return to the role, we don’t see it as a deal breaker if they recast him with someone older.

The DCEU was perfect for Kingdom Come as a finale from the start

It also makes sense for the DCEU’s endgame (pardon the marvelous phrase) because it’s simply always been a darker version of these characters than the comics. In the original comic, it seemed almost a stretch to believe that world of the Justice League could cause such a violent new generation of heroes. It’s not much of a stretch to believe the world started in Man of Steel would result in this new breed of metahumans.

Although there are dozens of DC heroes in Kingdom Come, they are mainly background soldiers in Superman and Wonder Woman’s army. (They will all make for great action scenes, and even better toys). However, The focus of the story is entirely on Clark and Diana, along with Bruce Wayne and Billy Batson. Not to mention our human guide, Norman McKay. All versions of these characters exist in the DCEU as is, except for Norman, and deserve a proper conclusion.

Making plans. pic.twitter.com/cubPgga066

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) November 30, 2022

A certain breed of fandom will no doubt take issue with certain portrayals of the characters, chiefly Superman. His arc, where a tragic piece of his past forces him into self-imposed exile, before returning triumphantly when the world needs him, was hated by many when applied to characters like Luke Skywalker and Captain Picard. However, one thing those fans won’t be able to say is that it’s not true to the comics. It’s straight from one of DC’s most beloved comic book tales. Cavill, Gadot, and even Zachary Levi’s version of these heroes deserve some kind of closure, even if it’s years from now. Based on some of his recent posts, we know James Gunn is a Kingdom Come fan. Here’s hoping he loves it enough to allow for it to be the old DCEU’s swan song, after a new cinematic DC Universe is ushered in.

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Painter Alex Ross is one of the most legendary artists in modern comics history. Famous for series like Marvels and Kingdom Come, Marvel Comics recently contracted him to paint a giant mural featuring their most iconic heroes for their home offices. The final piece is actually a combination of several paintings.  In a behind the scenes video, Ross described the process for creating the epic piece of art, from the original concept to the final, expanded version.

All in all, it took Ross an entire year to complete the jaw-dropping piece. The final mural features the company’s most iconic figures. The final piece features 35 different Marvel heroes, with each character created in the first twenty years or so of Marvel Comics history. It’s the period Ross believes produced the company’s most recognizable and iconic heroes—and we concur.

Marvel Comics/Alex Ross

In the behind the scenes video, he revealed how he determined which characters made the mural. He also shared the surprise characters he included due to the larger mural space than originally expected. Ross said he was particularly happy to be able to include all the the original X-Men together, even if they are drawn in their later incarnations. He also managed to squeeze in additional characters that weren’t originally a part of the line-up for the mural, like Ghost Rider, the Inhumans, and the Punisher.

The only characters I’d consider to be Marvel icons who didn’t make the cut are Carol Danvers, either as Captain Marvel or Ms. Marvel, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist. Is it too late to add them in, Alex? Hopefully, Marvel will release this mural as a poster or collectable of some sort. We think there are many comics fans that would want this piece adorning their homes.

Featured Image: Marvel Comics/Alex Ross

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Shazam, the original Captain Marvel, hit popular culture like a bolt of lightning in 1940. He became a national icon. He inspired many imitators, and several other characters went on to use the name Captain Marvel. That includes the MCU’s current champion Carol Danvers.

And now, one of the comic book medium’s most renowned artists is paying tribute to the original Captain Marvel and everything he inspired. Alex Ross helped define the character in modern times in comics like Kingdom Come and Shazam! Power of Hope. We’re excited to exclusively share this stunning illustration (click to enlarge) titled “Echoes of Shazam!”:

In this illustration, Ross offers his definitive take on the cultural impact of the character. Ross’ painting goes beyond the comic book universe to trace the influence of Shazam! on a broader pop culture scale, depicting over 100 characters from comics, movies, and television:

Ross said in a statement, “In some ways, when you see superheroes brought to life, adapted through actors and costumes, you need to embrace a certain amount of fantasy — escaping the boundaries of our reality. You need some bright colors, you need some flight of fancy. So it’s always a tough challenge to try to interpret a character in a way that makes everyone happy.”

Not only does this piece feature every character to be named “Captain Marvel,” regardless of publisher, it also features characters heavily influenced by him, including Thor, He-Man, Ultraman, and even Elvis Presley’s jet! Elvis had a serious collection of Captain Marvel Jr. comics on display Graceland. Captain Marvel Jr. being a spin-off character from the original DC Universe Captain Marvel, who later became Shazam. Along with this painting, Ross shared this process sketch showing his initial pencil work for the piece:

Ross’ art shows how important Billy Batson was not only to comics, but to pop culture overall. His legacy culminated in both the original Captain Marvel and the most current one both having movies opening within a month of one another! What are the odds? You can check out more of Ross’ amazing illustrations at AlexRossArt.com.

Images: Alex Ross

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After years of waiting, and many ups and downs, the Justice League is finally making it to the big screen. Seeing the movie exploits Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and the rest of DC Comics’ #1 team might put you in the mood for more League adventures in the comics, but with sixty years of history, where should you start?

Here are our picks for the 11 greatest Justice League comic book storylines, spanning the last several decades and many incarnations of the team. Oh, and just so there is no confusion, this list is for comics with the words “Justice League” actually in the title — hence, no Kingdom Come or New Frontier, which are sort of/kind of  Justice League stories, but not actually labelled as such.

Justice League of America #183-85 (1980)

“Crisis on New Genesis,” “Crisis Between 2 Earths,” and “Crisis on Apokolips”Writer: Gerry Conway / Artists: Dick Dillin, George Perez

Ten years after Jack Kirby created him, Darkseid finally made his presence known to the Justice League. And it took the combined forces of the Justice League of America along with the Justice Society and the New Gods of New Genesis to stop him. In this three part story, Darkseid attempts to destroy the JSA’s home of Earth-2 and replace it with Apokolips. Issue #183 was the last issue of the series drawn by Dick Dillin, who had drawn 115 issues of JLA since 1968, due to his untimely death. The storyline was finished by new series artist George Perez.

Justice League of America #200 (1982)

“A League Divided” 

Writer: Gerry Conway / Artists: George Perez, various others

The super-sized JLA #200 honored two decades plus of stories by pitting the team up against the aliens from their 1960 origin story, and features a showdown between the original seven Leaguers and their teammates who joined later. The all star artist line-up featured chapters drawn by several comics legends, with the rest of the issue illustrated by George Pérez, who provided the amazing wrap around cover. This is as good as Bronze Age era JLA gets.

Justice League International 

Writers: Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis / Artist: Kevin Maguire

Justice League #1-7, Justice League International #8-24, Justice League America #25-30, Justice League Europe #1-6 (1987-89)

By focusing on comedy and hilarious and heartfelt team interactions, the Justice League under this creative team of writers Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis and artist Kevin Maguire became a huge hit, and spawned a spin-off book Justice League Europe. No other creative team has really been able to make a line up of the League mostly populated with C-list heroes ever really work, with this notable exception. I can’t think of one story arc here that encapsulates it all, so I suggest getting the recently released Justice League International Omnibus.

JLA: New World Order

originally run in JLA #1-4 (1997)

Writer: Grant Morrison / Artist: Howard Porter

After years of various spin off titles like Extreme Justice with C and D list heroes, DC hired writer Grant Morrison and artist Howard Porter to bring back the original “Big 7” of the League once again, for the first time in over a decade. In the first arc, alien heroes called the Hyperclan come to Earth offering to solve all of its problems, making the JLA seem like ineffective heroes. But these aliens have a secret, a secret tied to one of the JLA’s members, and which only Batman knows. A true return to glory for the team, this arc started the greatest run in the League’s nearly 60 year history.

JLA: Rock of Ages

Originally run in JLA #10-15 (1997-98)

Writer: Grant Morrison / Artist: Howard Porter

Look, Grant Morrison’s entire run on JLA is worth reading, but if you ask me, this story was the highlight, and encapsulates everything great about his Justice League. “Rock of Ages” has Lex Luthor come into possession of the the Worlogog, an incarnation of all space/time. These six issues feature the JLA fighting hard light versions of themselves, the Injustice Gang (including the Joker), the super-gods of Wonderworld, and the Leaguers time traveling to a future where Darkseid has uncovered the secrets of the anti-life equation, and rules the world from his throne in Las Vegas.

JLA Year One

Originally run as JLA: Year One #1-12, (1998-99)

Writer: Mark Waid / Artist: Barry Kitson

This 12 issue series was a modern re-telling of the early years of the League, by the creative team of Mark Waid and Barry Kitson. Focusing on the heroes who were not the Trinity of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, this series sees GL Hal Jordan, Flash/Barry Allen, Aquaman, Black Canary, and J’onn J’onzz form the world’s greatest super team while still learning to be heroes.

Justice League of America: The Nail

Originally run as JLA: The Nail #1-3 (1999)

Writer/Artist: Alan Davis, with Mark Farmer

Imagine a world where a random nail on the road gave Ma and Pa Kent’s truck a flat tire on that fateful day when a Kryptonian ship landed in Kansas, preventing them from finding baby Kal-El and raising him to be Superman. What is the League on an Earth with no Man of Steel to inspire it? We find out in this excellent Elseworlds tale from writer/artist Alan Davis about a JLA in a world where there never was a Superman.

JLA: Tower of Babel

Originally run as JLA #42-45 (2000)

Writer: Mark Waid / Artist: Howard Porter

Grant Morrison was a tough act to follow on JLA, but Mark Waid came out of the gate swinging with this storyline, which found Ra’s al Ghul using Batman’s own emergency protocols to disable the League one by one. How will the team react when they find out the tools of their downfall came from one of their own? This was the inspiration for the animated film Justice League: Doom, but thw original comic is still better.

JLA: A League of One (2000)

Written and Illustrated by Christopher Moeller

Want to know why Wonder Woman is the greatest Leaguer ever? In this graphic novel, the Amazon princess finds out an ancient prophecy foretells that the League will fall at the hands of a powerful dragon. So instead of sacrificing her friends, she defeats and incapacitates each of them, and makes sure she is the only Justice League member left standing to fulfill the prophecy. This would make for a great Wonder Woman movie sequel.

JLA/Avengers #1-4 (2003-04)

Writer: Kurt Busiek / Artist: George Perez

The plot for this one is all over the place, but you won’t care. Writer Kurt Busiek knows the DC and Marvel Comics Universes intimately, and managed to create a story that is fun as hell to read for longtime fans. This series has spectacular art from George Perez, who was born to draw this comic (and actually started drawing it 20 years earlier, before it was paused.) Featuring every character who was ever a Leaguer and an Avenger, this books is amazing fanboy/fangirl fare. Sadly, the collection is out of print, but if you can find a copy on Ebay, get it.

Justice #1-12 (2005-07)

Writer: Alex Ross / Artists: Alex Ross and Dougie Braithwaite

If you were a kid who grew up on Saturday morning cartoons in the ’70s and ’80s, then your introduction to the team was actually the delightfully cheesy animated Super Friends cartoon. As an homage to the show, creator Alex Ross plotted, inked and provided covers for the 12-issue series, which had a Bronze Age JLA against the Legion of Doom. This is so Super Friends you may want to read it with a bowl of cereal.

—

What is your favorite JLA story? Let us know down below in the comments!

Images: DC Comics

More Justice League News!

• What to make of the initial Justice League reactions
• New Hot Toy’s Wonder Woman figure is rad
• Here’ what its like to train like Batman for a month

[brightcove video_id=”5639855427001″ brightcove_account_id=”3653334524001″ brightcove_player_id=”rJs2ZD8x”]

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We all know DC‘s most famous stories: the alien baby raised by kind farmers, the billionaire orphan driven to a life of fighting crime, the amazonian goddess raised by cool lesbians who has to save men from themselves. But now Warner Bros has announced (read about it here) a brand new Joker origin story which will take place outside of the already established DCEU and might even be inspired by a set of DC stories that fall under the banner Elseworlds. Though many of us might be asking “Who needs a Joker origin story?” the mention of Elseworlds is actually incredibly exciting.

Established in 1989 as an imprint of DC Comics, these books allowed creators to imagine a world outside of the ongoing continuity and archetypical backstory that fans already knew. This led to some of the most outrageously imaginative and often iconic stories that the company has ever released. Opening up the idea of an Elseworlds movie universe gives Warner Bros a huge advantage. It allows them to escape the restrictions of an MCU style shared universe and produce multiple separate movies at any one time, with almost three decades of wildly eclectic comics to take inspiration from. With the greater DCEU continuity now called into question, we thought it was time to put together a list of some of the best that DC’s imaginative imprint has to offer for your reading pleasure.

Batman: Vampire

What if Batman was a vampire? Haven’t we all asked ourselves this pressing question at least once in our lives? Well, luckily in 1991 Kelley Jones and Doug Moench answered our prayers with this trinity of miniseries that leaned into Batman’s gothic roots and took his bat connection to a whole other level. A sprawling horror epic that throws Batman into the greatest moral struggle of his now immortal life, this is a cult classic Bat-book.

Red Son

Easily the most iconic and beloved of the Elseworlds books, Mark Millar and Dave Johnson imagined a world where Supes crash landed in a Ukrainian collective farm rather than with the Kents in Kansas. Though we’re probably a long way from seeing communist Superman brought to the screen, this book does introduce some incredibly fun paradoxes and plot points that would be a great addition to any Elseworlds DC movie.

Gotham by Gaslight

A likely contender for (at least visual) inspiration in Matt Reeves’ The Batman, this is one of the few Big Two comics drawn by Hellboy auteur, Mike Mignola. That’s right, before raising hell with his iconic creator-owned comic, he drew this gorgeous Gothic vision of Gotham in the Victorian era. Here we find Bruce battling Jack the Ripper himself, struggling to prove his own innocence in the face of a spate of serial killings.

Castle of the Bat

In a world where the DCEU is making a Flashpoint movie, introducing the potential for Thomas Wayne’s Batman, this ’94 oddity now seems a little more likely to make it to the screen. In this Frankenstein-inspired tale by Bo Hampton and Jack C. Harris, a desolate and disturbed Bruce brings his father back from the dead, inadvertently creating the terrifying Bat-Man.

Batman: I, Joker

A dystopian future where a once revered hero has become a fascistic figure head? No, we’re not talking about Batman’s wild dream from Batman v Superman but rather this ’98 cyberpunk tale. In a world where “The Bruce” rules all and makes people fight to the death to take his place, we join an descendant of the Joker as he leads a rebel group of Batmen to take down the cult of The Bruce.

Superman: Secret Identity

This masterclass in meta storytelling introduces us to Clark Kent, a boy named after the fictional hero Superman. Our protagonist soon finds out that he has the powers of his namesake in this Stuart Immonen and Kurt Busiek book. It’s a perfect wish fulfillment fantasy that would make a gorgeous kids movie if DC/WB ever decide to stray from the grim and gritty light and go down that route.

Kingdom Come

Alex Ross’ iconic painted interiors make this book a fan favorite. It tells the story of a Watchmen-esque world where traditional superheroes battle with new radical vigilantes, some of whom are the children of the legacy heroes themselves. The gritty, emotionally resonant style would fit in with DC/WB’s aesthetic and would be a solid bit of fan service if they ever decide to adapt this contemporary classic, which even inspired the name of Jay-Z’s comeback album.

Which Elseworlds book would you love to see adapted? Which one of our picks can you not wait to read? Fly into the comments and let us know!

Images: DC Comics

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The Joker is easily the most iconic comic book villain of all time. Originally a minor character meant to die in his second appearance, he’s become as popular as his heroic foil, the Dark Knight. With the announcement that Warner Bros is making a Joker origin film, it looks like we’ll soon have another version of the Clown Prince of Crime causing chaos on our screens. And it’s anyone’s guess how this one will take form. Jared Leto is out as Batman‘s BFF (Best Foe Forever); the project is being handled by the unexpected creative team of Martin Scorsese and The Hangover’s Todd Phillips; and, perhaps most significantly, the new film will apparently take place outside of the established DCEU.

So what route will this curious new Joker movie take? Well, we’ve got you covered with a comprehensive list of the eclectic and ever-changing origins of Man Who Laughs. After all, in his own words: “Sometimes I remember it one way, sometimes another… if I’m going to have a past, I prefer it to be multiple choice!”

Detective Comics #168

It took 11 years after his first appearance in 1940’s Batman #1 for the Joker to get an origin story. In this inaugural version of his beginnings, it’s revealed that the Joker is none other than an old Batman foe known as the Red Hood. When escaping the Caped Crusaders, the crook dove into a vat of acid, both disfiguring and transforming himself into the iconic villain who’d become as important to Batman lore as Bruce Wayne himself.

The Killing Joke

The best known and most frequently cited Joker origin comes from Alan Moore and Brian Bolland’s controversial classic from 1988. The pair expanded on Bill Finger’s original Joker story, adding an empathetic backstory that imagined the character as a failed stand-up comedian, forced by circumstance into donning the Red Hood to support his pregnant wife. It’s highly likely the new cinematic adaptation could take from this most popular rendition.

Case Study

In this 1996 story from Paul Dini and Alex Ross, we find the Joker as a crazed gangster who, bored with power, creates the Red Hood persona to commit petty crimes. Straying wildly from all other representations, this version of the Joker is a sane man who only feigns insanity to avoid the death penalty.

Batman Confidential #7-12

This 2006 story arc introduced “Jack” as a career criminal who, after growing bored with his life of crime, becomes obsessed with Batman and sets off on a spree of bank robberies to gain his attention. One of the most interesting parts of this origin is that Batman himself disfigures Jack, slicing his face with a Batarang and giving the Joker his iconic grin.

Brave and The Bold #31

In this 2010 comic, The Atom goes into the Joker’s mind and witnesses a memory of the villain burning his own parents alive after being caught killing animals. A dark and intimate moment that gives a rare look at the formative years of Gotham’s most famous psychopath, this is a story beat which could easily be added to any live action version of the Crown Prince of Crime’s early years.

Batman #38

Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo took great pleasure in introducing huge swathes of new Joker lore, perhaps none more intriguing than the idea of the Joker as an immortal being. In this 2015 story, Joker is depicted as an ancient who found Lazarus pits before even Ra’s al Ghul, he’s been keeping himself alive and laughing ever since. Later in their run they also uncovered that there are in fact three Jokers, though their individual identities are still yet to be revealed.

Batman (1989)

Tim Burton’s seminal blockbuster imagined the Joker as Jack Napier, a Gotham gangster who murdered Bruce’s parents in his prime but has now been set up by his scheming boss. After falling in a vat of acid during a Batman battle, Napier returns as the Dark Knight’s fiendish foe. The new flick is allegedly set in the ’80s with a Taxi Driver influence, so including the Wayne murders would fit the tone and timeline.

The Dark Knight

In what’s arguably the most canonically accepted representation of the Joker’s mysterious origin, Heath Ledger’s Joker tells multiple versions of the story behind his terrifying grin. The enigma of his backstory has always been a large part of his charm, so it’ll be interesting to see if these new filmmakers can tackle a solid origin story that manages to maintain the mystique of the character comic book fans love so much.

Mask of The Phantasm

This Oscar-nominated animated flick from 1993 is a fan favorite, and Mark Hamill’s Joker is a huge part of the reason why. Phantasm presents an entirely new Joker origin where he’s a mob enforcer and hitman for a famous Gotham crime family. Todd Phillips has said his film will be a dark and gritty crime movie, so it wouldn’t be a huge reach for the team to take notes from this iteration of the Joker.

What direction do you think the Joker movie will take? Did we miss an important origin story? Are you just happy that Jared Leto’s gangster Joker is no more? Let us know in the comments!

Images: DC Comics, Warner Bros

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For nearly 80 years, Batman has given Gotham’s criminals a reason to fear the night while offering a beacon of hope to the citizens of his city. Bill Finger and Bob Kane’s comic book creation has proven to be a timeless hero across all media, even though Batman himself is ultimately human. He can be hurt and he can be killed.[brightcove video_id=”4814604108001″ brightcove_account_id=”3653334524001″ brightcove_player_id=”2bfa565b-5412-4cfd-9211-6269880b8a5e”]One of the most famous illustrations by comic book painter Alex Ross is a striking black and white image of Batman’s alter ego, Bruce Wayne, with his shirt off and several scars running down his body. It’s the cost of being a superhero, as explained by Ross in a recently released video.

As noted by Ross, the original illustration appeared in the Batman: Black and White anthology. Here’s a better look at the image.The story that Ross cites as his primary inspiration was from The Brave and the Bold #197; which featured a story by writer Alan Brennert and artist Joe Stanton. In that tale, Batman enlisted the help of Catwoman to find his missing friends and loved ones after an encounter with the Scarecrow. After Batman was burned, Catwoman helped him treat his wounds when she finally saw the scars for herself.Note that readers never actually saw the scars that shocked Catwoman. However, variations on this scene have played out in other Batman comics over the years. More recently, Batman actually lost most of his scar tissue during Bruce Wayne’s most recent return to the cape and cowl. This means that Batman will just have to get more “reminders” of his never-ending battle against evil.What did you think about Ross’ new video? Let us know in the comment section below!

Images: DC Comics

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It wasn’t too long ago that Marvel Comics revealed plans for an event series called Generations, something we knew would likely bring back the classic versions of iconic characters while having them team up with their current, younger namesakes. We originally speculated that alternate dimensions or time travel might be involved, but according to Marvel’s official announcement today, they are bringing back all of the original characters seen in the Alex Ross teaser image back to the Marvel Universe — including dead ones, like Wolverine, the Hulk, and even Phoenix/Jean Grey. Wolverine and Hulk haven’t been gone very long, but the adult version of Jean Grey has been dead for 13 years now.

Generations will be a 10-part series running between July and September that teams up a current legacy hero with the hero who inspired them (or for whom they are named after). A lot of these won’t be tough to pull off, like Hawkeyes Clint Barton and Kate Bishop, or Spider-Men Peter Parker and Miles Morales, who all co-exist and have teamed up before.

Others, like current Captain Marvels Carol Danvers and original (and long dead) Captain Marvel, a.k.a. Mar-Vell,  now that is going to be interesting to see how they pull it off without time travel shenanigans. But according to Marvel’s EIC Axel Alonso, these are legit returns for some of these long gone characters. Here’s the list of pairings and writers for each story in Generation’s 10-issue run (no artists have been revealed yet):

• Iron Man (Tony Stark and Riri Williams): written by Brian Michael Bendis
• Spider-Man (Peter Parker and Miles Morales): Brian Michael Bendis
• Ms. Marvel (Carol Danvers and Kamala Khan): G. Willow Wilson
• Thor (Odinson and Jane Foster): Jason Aaron
• Hawkeye (Clint Barton and Kate Bishop): Kelly Thompson
• Hulk (Bruce Banner and Amadeus Cho): Greg Pak
• Jean Grey (young and older): Dennis Hopeless
• Wolverine (Logan and X23): Tom Taylor
• Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell and Carol Danvers): Margie Stohl
• Captain America (Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson): Nick Spencer

Announced via an appearance on ABC News, Marvel’s Axel Alonso said this “very much indicates where we are going in the future with all of these characters and what we’ve been planning for some time for the universe.”

“There’s that old cliche,’absence makes the heart grow fonder.’ You don’t take these characters off the board with the intention to keep them off the board forever. One of the tropes of our medium is characters get a second wind. They die and come back. That’s part of the beauty of what we do.” He added “How did we do this is part of the fun. Right now, (Captain America) Steve Rogers isn’t much of a good guy. Why would Sam want to team up with him? Banner’s dead! Logan’s dead! These are questions that demand to be seen. What I will tell you is we have an ingenious device [to bring them back]. These stories do happen, they really count. They really matter. This isn’t some alternate reality story or some time-travel story.”

Marvel has made great strides in creating new, multicultural heroes in the past few years like Ms. Marvel/Kamala Khan, Miles Morales/Spider-Man, and Amadeus Cho/The Hulk, as well as creating new female heroes using familiar names. By bringing back the originals—almost all of whom are white men—does this diminish the legacy heroes, even if the newer versions stick around? Can you have your cake and eat it too? Or will one version always be the “official” version, while the newer ones are the perceived as the wannabes? Marvel faces quite a pickle in how to proceed while giving both versions of these heroes room to shine. It remains to be seen if they can pull it off.

Generations begins this July.

What do you think of the return of some of these long gone Marvel heroes? Should some of them have stayed gone? Let us know what you think down below in the comments.

Images: Marvel Comics

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