Prankster V Superman?
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00:00So, Superman is undeniably one of the most popular superheroes in the world, having starred in
00:05multiple films and headlined several comics every month for absolutely decades. And as you might
00:10expect, being as popular as that, there are numerous supervillains just lining up around
00:14the Bureau de Change who want to knock his bloody block off. But many of them, they're going to be
00:17waiting a fair while because, let's face it, they're not that great. And some of them are just
00:22way too crazy to ever appear in any mainline upcoming Superman film. So let's take a look
00:27at them as I'm Jules, this is WhatCulture.com, and these are 10 Superman villains way too crazy
00:31for Superman.
00:3210. Bloodsport
00:34Now, the first version of Bloodsport was Robert Dubois, a Vietnam draft dodger who went crazy
00:39and imagined himself to be a hardened war veteran. His role was succeeded by Alexander Trent,
00:44an angry white supremacist who wanted to wreak havoc on the world. Now, the common bond between
00:48them was an advanced teleporter in their armor which they used to bring futuristic weaponry
00:52to themselves at a moment's notice. Sounds cool, right? But you know what? Apart from
00:56that, he's pretty unremarkable in all of the important ways, and notable in all of the wrong
01:00ones. His modus operandi consists of having just some guns and kryptonite weapons. It's incredibly
01:06unoriginal, and there are hordes of Superman villains who have similar gimmicks. Conversely,
01:10on a personal level, he's completely unlikable and rather ridiculous. Both incarnations are crazy,
01:15with one being completely unstable and the other being, well, an unstable racist. As a character,
01:20he lacks any sort of compelling motive or characterization to go with his rather bizarre theme,
01:24so in a movie, he'd amount to little more than a disposable henchman.
01:289. Terror Man
01:29When Cowboy Toby Manning was a boy, he was abducted by aliens. They taught him how to use their weapons
01:35and sent him back to the present day with their own guns that were modified to look like Old West
01:39revolvers. To top off the ensemble, he would often ride around on a flying horse and try to lasso
01:43Superman. Now, the updated version of his origin was a little less ridiculous, but still not exactly
01:48memorable. Like a version of Poison Ivy, he fought to protect the Earth with the same futuristic
01:52revolvers and cowboy gimmick as before. Why a cowboy would want to save the Earth like that
01:57with high-tech weaponry? It's weird, isn't it? It's just odd. But good on you, mate. We need more
02:01eco-warriors, but maybe with less warrior parts. You know what I'm trying to say.
02:04Now, why he wouldn't work in a film is because Terror Man's identity is built around two concepts
02:09that haven't really played well on film in recent years, cowboys and aliens. And that's about the
02:14extent of his character. His personality is undefined and his exploits aren't very special. If Superman
02:19needed to fight some type of hired gun, using the one who completely reads like a useless and
02:23unmarketable gimmick would seem like a rather poor choice.
02:268. Encantadora
02:28Lord Lucero's father finally acquired the fantastic mists of Ibella, only for them to drive him
02:34utterly insane. His daughter would instead embrace their power and become Encantadora. Though she would
02:40occasionally help Superman, this femme fatale's most memorable enterprise was selling fake kryptonite
02:45to criminals. But here's the real problem. She feels like a ton of wasted potential. She was
02:50given an immense amount of power, but chose to use it for the most mundane and impractical
02:54purposes. But more than that, selling fake kryptonite in a city where the real thing seems
02:58to be pretty easily acquirable makes her out to be a fairly inept criminal.
03:02Beyond the failings of her character, magic has never really had much place in Superman's
03:06world. Sure, it can weaken him, but it doesn't really fit with who he is as a character.
03:10And this is all the more true for the movies, where the more comic book-style elements of his
03:13character seem to be tolerated rather than embraced.
03:177. Microwave Man
03:18One of Superman's first supervillains, Lewis Padgett, found his way to harness microwaves
03:23and use them for crime. Before his initial spree of robberies could continue, though,
03:28aliens took notice of his creations and invited him to travel the universe with him. Returning
03:32to Earth as an old man, he used the aliens' power to have one final fight with Superman
03:36before he died. Though he only appeared in two issues, the story of Microwave Man is so stupendous
03:42and memorable that his legacy still carries on. Because it's important to remember that even
03:46though Superman himself is an alien, it's still a fairly silly notion for the villain to gain his
03:50superpowers via alien abduction. Now, in fairness, Microwave Man is exactly why comics exist,
03:56that belongs in a more fantasy-orientated world. Unfortunately, though, he hasn't really aged all
04:01that well, because at the time of his creation, microwave technology was still a novelty. Now it's
04:05an old, familiar discovery that would seem so stupid to see highlighted in a film, especially if it
04:10required aliens to make it a serious threat. 6. Silver Banshee
04:14After a failed supernatural ritual, Gaelic clan leader Shabam McDougall was sucked into the
04:19netherworld and transformed into something inhuman. She's offered a chance to return to the world,
04:24but only if she can deliver an occult book to her demon captors. Naturally, that book in question
04:28now resides in Metropolis. Under the guise of the Silver Banshee and sporting an otherworldly shriek,
04:34she would repeatedly plague Metropolis while trying to retrieve the book and restore herself.
04:38But it wouldn't work in a film because, well, she's already appeared on TV and it didn't really
04:43work out that well. And the character looks simply unbelievable in real life, and her ancient Gaelic
04:48origins in no way fit with Superman's mythology or the types of films that he stars in. And when
04:53you think about it, Superman already has a huge roster of female villains which he could fight
04:57off against on the silver screen, so the Silver Banshee is probably going to be very far back in that queue.
05:015. Typtano
05:03Now, the DC Universe is no stranger to super-powered apes, but thanks to his special
05:08powers, Typtano stands apart. Once a normal chimpanzee, he was experimented on and became
05:13supersized, as well as gaining the power to shoot kryptonite beams out of his eyes.
05:17Now, his exact origins have been altered somewhat over the years, but he's regularly portrayed as
05:21a mindless ape that's been granted super-strength and other various powers. In every incarnation,
05:26his immediate reaction always seems to just go around just mindlessly destroying the city.
05:30And as much as Superman fighting King Kong could be a sight to behold, it's not exactly something
05:35that fans are clamouring to see. Somehow, a giant, super-powered gorilla just doesn't seem to fit in
05:39with Superman's story in any realistic or meaningful way. On top of that, because the DCEU is already
05:45struggling as it is, introducing a super-powered gorilla might set things back just a little bit.
05:504. Composite Superman
05:52After being saved by Superman and given a job in his museum, Joseph Meech quickly became resentful of
05:57the caped crusader. One night, while cleaning up, he was struck by a bolt of lightning and given
06:02superpowers. Choosing to shapeshift into a green monster, he came up with a costume that was half
06:06Superman and half Batman, with the goal of seeking out and humiliating both heroes. Over the years,
06:11his identity has been inhabited by other entities, but each one remains as unbelievable as the next,
06:16all the while sporting that same over-the-top costume. And I mean, the reason why he just wouldn't
06:21work on film is just look at him. There's no possible way something as far-fetched as this
06:25could ever exist in the rather hyper-serious world that Superman now finds himself in.
06:29There's so many villains based on variants of Superman that if they really wanted to use his
06:33opposite, they could easily turn to the likes of Bizarro or Cyborg Superman before they had to
06:37stoop as low as possible to use composite Superman.
06:413. Cancer
06:42When Superman became poisoned with kryptonite, a team led by Dr. Emil Hamilton was quick to save him by
06:48removing the main malignant tumor inside of him. Some time later, General Zod, then a Russian despot,
06:53acquired the tumor, and brought it to life. The creature he created was massive, gifted all
06:57sorts of superpowers, and hated his former father, Superman, for rejecting him. Cancer would then
07:03use his toxic touch to seek revenge on Superman and all of his allies. And the reason why this
07:07wouldn't work on film is because Cancer isn't exactly super marketable, is it? I mean, just listen
07:12to that origin story and tell me that that would work as a film. No, it would not. It's incredibly,
07:17incredibly insensitive.
07:182. Prankster
07:19So when his children's show was cancelled, Oswald Loomis sought out revenge of the executive who
07:24pulled the plug. Eventually, his plots of vengeance would expand, as he took to all of
07:28Metropolis to stage pranks and acts of chaos and crime. Now, over the years, his enterprises have
07:33evolved, operating as a distraction for other criminals, as well as a cybercriminal. Nevertheless,
07:37he always read like a kind of non-threatening knockoff of the Joker. Now, to his credit,
07:42the character has been steadily improving over the years, but he's still never really been a real
07:46match for Superman. I mean, acid pies and electronic buzzers against the Man of Steel? Really?
07:51Prankster's more of an annoyance that acts like a light breather for Superman, while he's going
07:54between stopping aliens from destroying planets. Now, this function is important in a monthly comic,
07:59but films need to go all out each time. There's no desire for Superman to have some downtime during
08:04a movie, and thus Prankster feels just useless.
08:071. Mr. Mixelplik
08:08So if the Prankster is a thorn in Superman's side, then Mr. Mixelplik is the ultimate nuisance.
08:14Everyone's favourite imp from the fifth dimension, he shows up on a whim to challenge
08:18Superman with his world-bending, albeit light-hearted, games from time to time.
08:22Despite his preposterous nature, he's been one of Superman's most recurring foes and is beloved
08:26by many fans for his fun-loving attitude when compared to Superman's usual foes. But it wouldn't
08:31work on film because realistically, there seems to be very few ways to portray this character in a
08:35successful way that wouldn't involve completely overhauling who he actually is. His appeal is how
08:40unbelievable and over-the-top both his personality and his powers are, and that just doesn't work
08:45on multiple fronts. It would be very tricky to convey his vast powers in live-action, and his
08:49bombastic attitude isn't really suited for a more serious film. Despite all of this, though,
08:54the character was very nearly included in Superman 3, so I guess anything is possible,
08:58but you know what? We're not holding our breath here.
09:00And there we go, my friends. Those were 10 Superman villains way too crazy for Superman
09:04on film. I hope that you enjoyed that, and please let me know what you thought about it
09:07down in the comments section below. As always, I've been Jules, so you can go follow me over
09:10on Twitter at RetroJWithAZero, or you can swing by LiveAndLet'sDice, where I do all of my streaming
09:15outside of work, and it'd be great to see you over there, my friends. But before I go, I just want
09:19to say one thing. Hope you're treating yourself well with love and respect, my friends, because you
09:22deserve all of the best things in life, and do not let anything or anyone else tell you otherwise,
09:26alright? You are the hero of your own story. Now go out there and absolutely smash it today.
09:31As always, I've been Jules, you have been awesome, never forget that, and I'll speak to you soon. Bye.