Batman Forever - Because Why Not?

So, since we've got the first two movies in the bag, let's keep this rolling into the Schumacher era. Batman Returns turned out to be so dark that the toy deal they had with McDonalds was cancelled and taken out of Happy Meals. Apparently a grim penguin man biting someone's nose into drawing blood and planning to kill children didn't go over well with parents. Tim Burton was immediately off the next movie and the studio decided that Joel Schumacher was a much safer bet. He set out to create a new Batman with the essence of Adam West in mind. Gotham was now colorful, brightly lit and more like a city of neon and jazz. 

Right from the start, we get a bank heist with Tommy Lee Jones acting as Two Face like he's both the Joker and a Dick Tracy villain. The dialogue took a massive hit. The civilians in this movie act so over the top and the action is so sporadically huge. Everything that was subtle and dark in the first movie are now brightly lit and Val Kilmer puts on a much more light-hearted Batman. Given better circumstances, Kilmer could have been a great lead. He even did well as Bruce Wayne. The problem was the script. He has an overly provocative therapist horning after him like she thought she was hired for an adult film and, at the same time, has two variations of the Joker as villains. 

Jim Carrey was a homerun when it came to casting. He took The Riddler to heart and he went big with it. The riddles are still lame, though, and everything doesn't seem to want to make sense throughout the runtime. Half of the stuff that happens, like how he edited a video to make it look like his boss committed suicide, or how there was already a Riddler type character with a game machine and a bobblehead, none of it made any sense. Logic went very much more aligned with the Silver Age of comic books. 

There came another addition to the cast that actually made it to the fourth film, and that is Robin. Chris O'Donnell's induction into the film was a bit sketchy. He was supposed to be Dick Grayson, who was far younger when he became Batman's sidekick. It is understandable that he would want to go after Two Face for killing his family, but the way he just shoved himself into the lore was jarring. Stealing the Batmobile, saving Batman from dying while wearing his acrobat outfit, and then the full suit he was given seemingly out of nowhere, Robin just didn't feel like a natural part of the story for several reasons, and it really doesn't get any better in the next movie.

One great thing that followed the films in all four of them was Pat Hingle and Michael Gogh and they were an anchor when we needed them. Commissioner Gordan and Alfred Pennyworth are two characters that they took by storm and God rest them both. Even when things got nonsensical, these two stayed themselves and rocked their roles like they always did. Beyond these two characters, the movie series is literally unrecognizable from this point on.

How they gave Two Face two of so many things was meant to be comical. It makes no sense for real life, but sure, go ahead and have Drew Barrymore as one of two of his wives and make everything dual colors. The Riddler's lair is not any better as the question marks are everywhere to an impractical degree. The movie is entertaining in its strange decore, and it could have been good as a stand-alone universe movie, but it branded itself as the third entry in a series that it bears no resemblance to. 

When you turn your brain off and activate your Batman fandom, you can enjoy this film as a silly Batman flick. Schumacher took what all of them said to heart and made it as safe and marketable as they possibly could. It worked. The toy sales were through the roof, the ticket sales were nice and plentiful, but the problem was that they changed everything. Parents came with the children they were with and they asked, along with the critics, what happened? This would be a massive precursor for what would come next, though. Schumacher seemingly won this round, but that inevitably led to him getting another film where he was given the keys to the kingdom. He took that control to the next level and I suppose that's the inescapable next review. I would like to escape, though. Robin, get the bat grapple! 

Batman or Spider-man? - Saturday Morning Beatings! (Pt. 3)

Very few characters have ever had so many iterations of animated TV shows. Both of them had their own live action and animated series back from Batman's start in the 1930 serials to super hip 60's and 70's shows for both of them with horrific special effects. To Batman's credit, his flew on for entire seasons while Spider-man's poorly received series not even going past 13 episodes. Adam West's TV series went on to be respected as the shark-spraying piece of cheese that it is, but it was hardly the peak of the Caped Crusader's most popular outing. Both of these superheroes have an entire plethora of TV history, but their true renaissance wouldn't come until their Saturday morning animated series in the 90's. 

Batman The Animated Series

Bruce Timm and Paul Dini are the two men credited with making this show the great entity that it was. After Tim Burton's 1989 movie took the fanbase by storm, they wanted to follow it up with a shadowy, more young adult oriented animated series that was also safe(ish) for kids. Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill brought about a Batman and Joker that would live on for generations as two of the greatest versions of each character. Each episode was so amazingly crafted with developing stories for both the Batman rogue's gallery and the batfamily, even going so far as to create its own ever-spanning characters like Harley Quinn. Joker's jester-like partner and underling came about with this series in the episode "Joker's Favor". 

Even Mr. Freeze, a character that was never taken seriously before this cartoon, was expanded in his lore and treated as one of Batman's most dangerous opponents. With a wife in a coma with which he is finding a cure, he needs to resort to crime in order to gain the funding. This version of Freeze would become the real version that everyone turned to for reference. Killer Croc, The Mad Hatter, Clay Face, Catwoman, all of them were so done with astonishing quality in both writing and character progression throughout. 

The scripts were written with intelligence and even the worst episode, "I've got Batman in my Basement!", is still good enough to hold its own against scrutiny. Villains were given understanding motivations and some of them are genuinely heartfelt in their dispositions. Sometimes, they don't want to be this way and just succumb to mental illnesses. Most of them are just greedy, though, and with Batman's no-kill rule, it's not as if he's over punishing them. H.A.R.D.A.C. Batman was just confused as to who was the real Batman and actually thought he was the Dark Knight himself. He was a robot clone that was just trying to be Batman. These stories really can go to some dark places and make you think.

The animation and artwork became iconic for Bruce Timm's style and all the way to the Superman crossover and art change, they were very aesthetically pleasing. Once the art change happened, though, Joker, Scarecrow, Bane, Mad Hatter and some others took a bit of a nosedive in character design. It wasn't a dealbreaker and it didn't outright destroy the show, but it didn't do it any favors. The last season is seen as a bit of a weak point but the show was still great. Even when it added the Robins and Batwoman, this series never faltered in its quality. The series in its entirety is still seen as a milestone for the character and comic series of Batman.

Spider-man The Animate Series

Once Spider-man threw his hat into the ring, it took a lot of fans by surprise. You would think it would just copy off of Batman's homework, but it took the series in a whole other direction. The idea for a series was, in fact, directly connected to Batman's, but beyond that, it exists in its own style of art and storytelling. It is far more into progressive storytelling, where the Dark Knight was more episodic. This was a good and bad thing for both series for two different reasons. Sometimes, Spider-man just carried on its stories for a little too long. Sometimes, though, Spider-man pulled off a real banger of a season. 

The early episodes are far superior to the later, though. By season 3, the stories began running on for far too long and this came to a head in season 4 where it ends on a cliffhanger that would never be resolved. It went from episodic and 2 to 3 parters to just going on and on and on with the same story that just ends up getting old. To try and spice it up, they even bring in the X-men 92 characters, but it didn't have exactly the hyped effect that they were hoping for. 

When Spider-man started with fighting Vulture, Scorpion, Rhino and Doc Ock, many agree that the series was at its peak. When Venom and Kingpin had plots, they tended to last longer but kept up the quality writing. There were some fantastic stories being told with pacing that was willing to take its time and build up to the bigger battles. This was when the series was hitting them out of the park! Peter Parker struggled with his home life and his hero life while trying to get with Mary Jane and this had its ups and downs while only really getting annoying by the last season. Then there was the more complicated relationship Spidey had with Black Cat. With villains like the Green Goblin or Lizard being people he looked up to professionally, it held real weight because these were characters we've been introduced to before they went to the baddies. 

There were limitations, though. This was a time when bullet guns were seen as bad, so they switched to lasers. They also wanted to keep a hard Y7 rating for the younger audiences and Fox was on a no violence kick, so there could be no on-screen punches. So, you get more jump cuts away from hits and a whole lot of web shooting to debilitate villains. Spider-man had to use his brain and out smart a lot of his opponents and a lot of kids never even noticed the nonviolence. It didn't really suffer as a result. It was more the graphical aspect and the framerates that hurt the series. Sometimes the slow-motion would just make the screen bug out and the animation would get jumpy and it was weird, even for the younger audience. 

The voice work and the overall execution of the series had its very high points, but also had a few flops. A lot of people will point to the Black Spider-man calling after Shocker, and yeah that's when it was most noticeable. While Kingpin's voice became iconic for the character, there's more stock villain voices for a lot of the rogues. After a while, they started making up villains and pulling some of the more not great versions of well known characters. Blade was done pretty well, but Morbius wasn't. Instead of being a blood-sucking vampire, he absorbed plasma through weird growths on his palms. If they weren't going to go full on with him, then they shouldn't have brought him up in the first place. The did the same with Punisher. Obviously, he wasn't going to go on his normal blood baths like in the more adult themed comics, but the laser blasters just took something away from the more tough-guy persona. 

So, obviously, Batman wins this one by a longshot. Spider-man was not a bad series, it just didn't age as well and took a much deeper dive in the later seasons. It had its place in the vast amount of superhero cartoons, but Batman was seen as the prime example to follow. Many could make the case that Spectacular Spider-man was a better choice to face this challenge, but it was made in a different era, whether it was better than the 1994 series or not. The two of them did well in their own right, but this is definitely 5 points to the Caped Crusader himself! Give them a try and next time we'll examine some of the lesser animated series tries. So, be warned that we may be viewing Beware the Batman. That's right, a warning. You're Bat Warned. 

Pryde of the X-men - The Franchise that Almost Was

There aren't many that have ever even heard of the X-men animated series before the 1992 iteration. As awesome as that series was, there was, indeed, another series right before it. It all began with, surprisingly enough, Robocop the animated series. They gave that series 12 episodes and the reason it didn't have the full 13 is because the final episode's funding was transfered over to what is now known as Pryde of the X-men. This series failed to take root, mostly because it wasn't all that great. The voice acting was a little off, especially with Wolverine's weird Australian accent and Magneto's cliche ridden villain voice. There was a lot wrong with this pilot episode, but it also grew a cult following because of everything it did right. 

We get a fairly decent, albeit long, introduction to each of the X-men. The roster is actually different from the one in 1992, but not really in a good way. Yes, Rogue was one of the greatest characters, but the exclusion of Colossus and Dazzler is a bit of a downer. I like Nightcrawler too and he was barely in the 92 series. Aside from that, we still get Wolverine and Storm, so even with his weird voice, he's still the character we know and love. 

The movie is based around Shadow Cat, who has a very annoying baby voice of Kath Soucie. They call her Kitty Pryde (hence the title) and honestly, she should have been the character they did rather than Jubilee. Her powers aren't exactly comparable or quite as useful in combat, but that gave her a bit more charm than what we ended up with. Professor X still remains basically the same, though his 92 voice is far better without sounding like Charlie from Charlie's Angels. He also gets an upgrade from his normal looking wheel chair. 

The animation is actually far better than what we normally get from old 80's cartoons of the time. They actually stepped up their game, probably because it was the pilot and/or finale of Robocop amount of effort. What could have come from the series may have been a massive downgrade, but I guess we'll never know. The best thing you can say about this show is that it is better than the average animated series. The real problem is that the story/plot is extremely basic and seemed to want to cram anything and everything in its runtime. 

For some reason, someone thought it would be a good idea to literally plop this into a story EXTREMELY similar to its videogame counterpart. All of the Brotherhood of Mutants in this show are treated like boss character underlings while Magneto literally stays in the back and gives commands. Then all of the time, Kitty Pryde is whimpering and whining like a little tiny baby with a rattler. Her dialogue is so cringeworthy, a bit more realism in her demeanor would have been nice, but we got what we got. 

The cool thing about treating every villain character like a VG mini-boss is that we got some pretty awesome dream battles. Juggernaut vs Colossus may have lasted 5 seconds, but it was still cool with the face off with "Me, Juggernaut!" Still, seeing the White Queen relegated to a minor obstacle was a big downer. With so many characters in the toy box, not all of them could get the needed attention, but really, why Kitty? 

Despite its flaws, though, it is still a nostalgic piece of art that many saw in their childhood and loved when they were kids. It may not have aged well with people, but it did become a staple in many collections. I saw this when I finished the 92 X-men's first season and was hungry for some more. This was weird, I'm not going to lie. It was a big difference between this and the far more serious show of the 90's. I had no idea that this was produced by the same lady, Margaret Loesch, who literally put her career on the line to create this entire franchise because she loved the idea so much. This was a fun show and it had all kinds of charm, including that wondrous 80's cartoon charm that so many love and will almost cry from such gorgeous nostalgia. It brought one of the best beat'em ups out of Konami and it was the precursor to one of the greatest cartoons ever made. We owe this random cartoon pilot a lot and it's fun to revisit from time to time. It may be a little hard to watch without crying, but that's just life. Comfort works in strange ways. Virtua Comfort.

Top 10 Favorite Outside Comic Book Superheroes

 There's more to comic book heroes than Marvel and DC. Sometimes, publishers will get lucky and they'll create something that hits the big time. This doesn't help some studios from closing but it does become a great bargaining chip before being bought up by a different studio. Dark Horse, IDW and Mirage have hit the big time by either creating a great comic book character, or creating comic books for big characters in other mediums. This is a look at comic book superheroes that exist with a little less fanfare but no shortage of charm and cool factor. 

The Mask

Obviously, I saw the movie first, but once I saw the comic book, it was a little much in some areas, especially gore. The Mask is far more violent, and his crazy antics are far more crazy here. The artwork isn't anything to write home about, but it has its own bit of charm to it. His jokes kill people and the story works out far different than the film. Let's be real here, this doesn't honestly belong on a superhero list, but at least Kelly uses the Bighead Mask persona to try and do good things like take down the mob and the crime bosses. The comic books only really were good in the first two, after that, they kind of just go from person to person with people who discover the mask. To its credit, at the very least, it didn't have a Son of the Mask followup. We can be thankful for that. 

Savage Dragon

Far more violent and adult oriented than the animated TV show. While it didn't gain any mainstream success like the X-men, it still had a decently healthy run. The comic book series has that beautiful 90's gleam to it and just stands as an example of 90's nostalgic art. This was a sign of the times, especially with the huge imaginative roster of monsters like Arachnid and Barbaric. Savage Dragon is just a smart mouth cop who takes his job very seriously and takes down monsters in order to protect the public. 

Scott Pilgrim

Just a guy who wants to date a girl. However, if he wants to get with Ramona, he has to fight through her Seven Deadly Exes. This was a very creative way to depict a story of jealousy in a bright light while also having some great fight scenes. No two battles are the same, and Scott learns a lot through the whole thing. Now, is he a superhero? Well, he certainly has skills like a superhero and is able to fight at a superior level to normal humans. Like some of these others, this was a bit of a bending of the rules. Scott Pilgrim is pretty awesome. The ending could have been better but the story itself is quite satisfying anyway.

V

This is another bending of the rules, much like the Watchmen segment in the DC list. Yes, DC published this, but they were not the first publishers of the British version. The story and characters are quite different from the brilliant 2005 film. V is different, but he's still pretty brilliant when it comes to fighting for an idea to protect the people's rights. The way he did it was a little hard to believe, but it was awesome to see one man bring a corrupt government to their knees. His mask has become iconic, as is his theme about the 5th of November. Call him an anti-hero all you want, he's a hero in these books.

The Tick

Let's be honest here, this is primarily the TV Show. The comics are good, but the TV show is brilliantly hilarious. The comedic timing and the insanity of all of the characters is just so fun to watch. The villains are very imaginative and have their own funny gimmicks. Some of them follow this gimmick to an almost religious degree while some of them just shrug their gimmicks off and only use them when they think about them. The Tick is just so dedicated to justice and fighting evil doers that he takes this to an annoying degree, especially to his sidekick, Arthur. Arthur is the straight man throughout the whole thing. While the Tick just accepts things as weird, Arthur is there to point out the logic in the whole situation and how there is none. While the comics are fun and have their own charm, for some reason, the TV series was angled more toward children and they actually used that restraint. Somehow, this made the comedy a bit more funny. This is an arguable standpoint but try them both for yourself.

Hellboy

The comics are dark, grim, and sometimes just hilarious. This is a monster hunter who fights Hitler while going down to fight monsters from Hell itself. Hellboy was brought to my attention by the Ron Pearlman movie and that is probably still my favorite iteration of the character. For some reason, the sequel didn't come off quite as good as the first one, and the movies just went straight down hill from there. The comics, however, remain very entertaining, and even the cartoon movies had a good bit of charm to them. If you'd like to explore this character, just be careful with the live actions. Otherwise, he's a dark taste and he may surprise you. 

Miyamoto Usagi 

The tales of Usagi are long, and he is a major badass. He is no nonsense, his fighting style rivals even that of the Ninja Turtles, as he has proven that he exceeds their skill level to some small degree. This is not reflected in his appearance in the 1987 series. There, he is mistakenly called Usagi Yojimbo as his name, but Yojimbo is just his title as bodyguard. He is much better depicted in the 2012 series, in their fifth season. Miyamoto Usagi and his sword are amazing, and you'll find yourself getting very interested in his many exploits.

Judge Dredd

The darkness of the world needs order, and Judge Dredd is dedicated to doing his part in making that happen. He is deadly with his multifunction pistol and his knowledge of fighting. Judge Dredd often uses strategic advantage to win the battle and even luck when his partner helps him. The comic series is parted into two collections. There's the 1977 original series that is very crude and written for a British magazine. Then there is the new releases that started in 2012. Either way, the battle between Judge Dredd and Judge Death are some of the most captivating of the series, and his battle against the villainous judges is a milestone in the series. Karl Urban's movie is probably the best example of bringing him to the big screen. Drokk it...

Spawn

Todd McFarlane came into the comic scene hardcore through Spider-man and he used that leverage to get him into the comic book scene for himself. He created Spawn, and it changed the landscape of the entire industry. All the sudden, a warrior from Hell can be a knight of heroism and Spawn can take on the Violator with chains and hellfire! Spawn came to the Earth and started taking out villains of all kinds, even ones that parents don't want their kids to know about. The Klown can be covered in blood and Satan's generals can go after Spawn from all across the dimensions. This comic series is long and very, very dark. If you want a good media to watch besides the comics, check out the animated series from HBO. Do not bring the kids.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Yes, I'm including all of them, because I didn't want them to take up four whole spots on this list. The phenomenon that was the TMNT series was beyond any expectations. It seemed that no matter what they did, they made money with this series through toys, movies, many TV series, apparel, and video games of all kinds. The comic books for this series has passed from the original Mirage to IDW and the whole series is pretty awesome in its own right. Not all of it is stellar, but the comic books had a more adult orientation, where the 1987 TV series was geared much more toward kids, which it hit very hard. Even after originally killing the Shredder in the first issue, the Ninja Turtles got rebooted in IDW where the story kept its very mature theme and the violence was kept fairly graphic while also adding more and more villains and new mutant characters. The turtles have had a very stable range of characteristics. Michaelangelo has kept a more child-like persona, craving pizza and keeping a very humorous view on life. Donatello is smart, loves computers and creates a vast range of technical marvels to solve problems. Raphael uses his brute strength to deal with situations, is quick to anger and is one of the better fighters among them. Leonardo is their leader with a more duty oriented view of fighting their opponents while also protecting his friends and family. None of this was really evident in the first official run of the comic books. The characters evolved from their original comics and have garnered a following that still loves them to this day. Virtua Cowabunga! 

Batman or Spider-man? - The Webbed Batarang (Pt. 1)

Since the very early days, there have been two real power houses in the comic book world. Yes, there have been others and they have their own great titles, but DC and Marvel have been the two spotlight franchises. There have been two characters that are proven to be their most marketable names and those are the targets of today's article. Batman has been the outsider of the Justice League as a dark entity that excels in taking down mysterious and powerful criminals. Spider-man has been an every man since he was young and was bitten by a spider, joining forces with many heroes across the Marvel Universe. He has officially been considered an Avenger, an X-man, part of the Fantastic 4, and this isn't even going into the one-off teams he has formed. Spider-man guest starred in the one-off NFL character in his debut appearance! While Batman and Spider-man are polar opposites, they found their way at the top ranking of their respective sides of the comics. 

First off, I am not talking about who would win in a fight. There are all kinds of controversies with which would win the fight. Death Battle says that Spider-man would win a fight if Batman doesn't prepare but I'm going to be siding with Stan Lee on this front. Any fight between two characters is based on the writer. Whoever the writer wants to win will win and everyone can come up with every excuse. Batman could win against Spider-man and the webster can most certainly win against the Dark Knight. None of that matters and it is not being discussed. 

This is more on which one you would prefer as a character. The choice says a lot about you, but not really. Your choice is more prone one way or another based on personal bias and it may come from one medium or another. The way we're doing this is there will be a deep look across their franchises. These two properties represent their companies as flagships and they have been buried in toys, electronics, video games, TV shows, movies, posters, clothing, breakfast cereal, and bubble blowers. There is a lot to look at and let's make it interesting by giving it a subjective rating system. 

By the end of this series of articles, we can add up their scores and see which one comes out on top when all is said and done. I'm no expert on the comic books, nor have I kept up with current storylines as they've all come and gone in the blink of an eye. I have kept up with a lot of their TV shows, movies, and I can pick and choose among their best and worst storylines in the comic books. They've had some epic adventures in every medium and this seems like a good time to see how they add up together. We're not going to be looking at everything, but if you wish for me to consider some sort of game changing element in their favor or detriment, leave a comment or a message and let me know. I will take a look. 

Since this is primarily a video game blog, we may as well start with a comparison of their greatest video games. Both of these heroes have had successful runs on games, but both have also had some of the worst and blandest outings on both consoles and PC. If we kept going at each and every single video game, we'd be here all day. 

Batman Arkham City

Arguably the best video game outing Batman has ever had. While Arkham Knight wasn't a flop, it was far more devisive than the second installment. Arkham City was still fresh, it was coming off the success of Arkham Asylum with all new mechanics and far more room to move around. The best thing about this game is its boss battles. Fighting the likes of Penguin, Solomon Grundy and Clayface are awesome enough, but the star of the entire show was the fight with Mr. Freeze. I will admit, if I didn't have the info that shows you which parts of the level to use, it probably would have taken me far more than two tries. The game as a whole is rather long and beating it required several fights with multiple groups of gangsters. 

The Joker plot and the twist at the end is something to behold, and it's fun to take down the big baddies while also following along with a very well crafted plot. This was when Batman was seen at his best with a ticking time clock for an illness he needs to cure and several criminals coming after him because of what Hugo Strange did with an entire section of Gotham City. That is one unbelieveable element in this game. Who on Earth would possibly sign off on Arkham City? That sounds like political suicide to someone's approval rating. 

One of the best mechanics of this game is the gadgets, some returning from the original game. Some of them are brand new. One of Arkham's signature device is the explosive gel you spray in the form of the bat. Now you can put it in the way of an unsuspecting thug and knock them out with a controlled explosion. Even the puzzle-solving device known as the "hypnografter" is a fun little device to use with your PS3/PS4 controller. 

Still, there are a lot of things to see with this game, both in its DLC sidestories featuring Harley Quinn and Red Hood and in its collectibles. Going to be honest, I never really cared much for the Riddler's question marks. The extra content is appreciated, though, and some of them actually were good in their own right.

Spider-man PS4

Spider-man has never looked and felt so good as he did when they released his game for the Playstation 4. Yes, they basically reused the fighting mechanics from the Arkham Series while changing a couple of the buttons, but they fully put the Spider-man spin on it, while adding a very different array of gadgets to help. You're taking down small-time thugs and big baddies all over again, only they're a rogue gallery that is arguably equal to Batman's. Going against the likes of the Sinister Six was just so well pulled off with this game. You don't have to outright fight them yourself, outside of a cutscene, but you also have to go through an entire plotline with Aunt May, trying to find Harry Osborn, and all of the things with Peter's relationship to Mary Jane is just a wonderful part of the story. 

The thing this game has up on Arkham City is the controls. All of the greatness in a sandbox superhero game are seen through this game's mechanics and its very sunny disposition. It really is the best webswinging mechanics in any game. You can get used to it within moments of giving it a try, there is a lot of room to practice. New York is gigantic and exploring it is a joy with the collectibles and the extra stuff that even out does the Arkham Series, which had much of its own. For some reason, though, for Spider-man, I wanted to find the backpacks for the Spider Suits and I wanted to collect all of the throwback items as well, because I recognized a lot of them. 

The thing Arkham City has over Spider-man, the stealth sections. That's right, I'm saying it. I did not like the stealth sections when you're Miles and Mary Jane. Of course I would rather be Batman! Spider-man is great with stealth, as seen with his own stealth sections when he's taking down snipers or large groups of thugs all at once. However, Spider-man just feels the need to make us powerless and the side character sections seem to last forever. 

For me, the one that takes it is Spider-man for the PS4. It was a close call, but the design of New York City is just flat out better than Arkham City. Both games have a lot to offer, but it's the boss battles in Spider-man have more main villains to contend with. This is even true when being compared to Arkham Asylum. The Sinister Six wins Spider-man a lot of points. It's not often you see a video game actually pull that off with a sufficient storyline to go with it. Arkham City is no slouch, but we're comparing gold and silver at this point. At the end of the day, it's all just more of a good thing. 

When you look at the video game library as a whole, it all adds up to apples and oranges. The Arkham Series won Batman a ridiculous amount of points with fans, and even had some decent exploits in the 8-bit scene with the Batman movie tie-in Nintendo game and Batman: Return of the Joker. While Spider-man's NES outing with Sinister Six didn't pan out so well, his really good games didn't start coming out until his PS1/N64 excursion. This is nothing to say about Spider-man 2 for the Gamecube and PS2, but then we were treated with Spider-man 3 and Spider-man: Web of Shadow, both for the PS3 and Xbox 360. That's kind of what I mean, they'd had such a huge spectrum of good and bad games that it's very difficult to determine who would win outside of their greatest titles. 

Spider-man gets 5 points for being awesome! Next, we'll take a look at something else in their vast library of media. We'll be looking at the good and the bad, the Batty and the Spidery. Keep an eye out for that and make your own choice.

Top 10 Best Marvel Villains

The rogue gallery that Marvel possesses has some very recognizable faces. This is thanks, in part, to the MCU, which brought several villains to light that may have been formerly overlooked. Loki has always been a favorite among people thanks to Tom Hiddleston's iconic performance, and he's pretty awesome. This list sides a bit more with the comics. It has many influences but the comics represent a lot of the better aspects for several of these villains. Thanos may be more the exception rather than the rule in this claim, his comic counterpart made some questionable decisions. Either way, feel free to express your own favorites from Marvel's baddies and check these out.

Magneto

In a way, Magneto has been pretty spot on about human nature and how they panic at the mere sight of something different. He began the Brotherhood of Mutants and you really can't blame him when all is said and done. He saw that mutants were being hunted by humans simply for being different and he went the opposite direction as Charles Xavier. The real genius is that both of them are right and that there really is no easy answer to their feud over the rights of humans and mutants. Magneto's power is very immense, being able to lift gigantic metal structures with seemingly little effort. He's used this ability in some very controversial ways, and he's also been the subject of many fan theories on how what his magnetic powers can truly do. 

Dark Phoenix

Phoenix is not a villain, and Dark Phoenix is more her rendition when she takes over Jean Grey and starts action scenes full of pure power! The storyline behind this series of comics is very moving, because we've come to grow closer to Jean and seeing her like this weighs heavily on the characters and the audience. The Hellfire Club is a highlight in this series and their strange powers bring an edge to the battles with the X-men as they fight for a loved one they may lose.

Sabretooth

When you have a great hero, or anti-hero, you need to give him an awesome villain. Wolverine's arch nemesis has always been Sabretooth. Their battles are hardcore and their storylines reach way back because of their near immortality and longevity of life. The two of them really hate each other and there is usually a lot of blood when the two of them get together. They are both victims of the Weapon X program, but Sabretooth was much more apt to kill than Logan. Now, Sabretooth just wants to get rid of anyone in his way, especially when he gets the scent of his friendly neighborhood Wolverine.

Carnage

When Venom just isn't enough of a villain for Spider-man, now there needs to be an enemy of Spider-man and Venom. Carnage is exactly what his name implies. He will kill his victims without a care, and his storyline through Maximum Carnage is probably one of the best in Spider-man's history. While some of his teamups have worked for a while, it's really only a matter of time before he decides he's going to go his own way, and just kill his way out of any situation. The symbiote that covers Cassidy is an offspring of Venom's. When Venom found out that he didn't care who he killed, the two of them met in battle and it did not end well for Eddie Brock.

Doctor Doom

The most recognizable villain of the Fantastic Four, mostly because he is also a villain for Spider-man and Hulk. Doom is very powerful, both in energy projection and the fact that he rules an entire country. Ladveria looks up to him like a King, and he has used this power to make a play for more power over the world. He can use outlandish technology, magic, military might, and experimental science in order to gain what he wants, though it is often that he is thwarted by the many enemies he has made along the way. 

Omega Red

One of the craziest weapons in the Russian arsenal. He uses his tentacles to absorb the life essence from any of his victims, and he was used during the Cold War against Russia's enemies until he was no longer of use. Omega Red also has ties to the Weapon X project, and Wolverine is even hesitant to face this opponent, knowing that his abilities and strength are not to be underestimated. His weakness is extremely cold temperatures, and this has often forced him into ice encasements.

Juggernaut 

One of the most foul mouthed strong men in Marvel, throwing out quips as he knocks down walls and buildings as he wishes. Juggernaut is nigh invulnerable, gaining his strength from a magical stone, which encased him in armor, his helmet also invulnerable to psychic attack. He is often locked in combat with Colossus, though he has also fought the Incredible Hulk. The Hulk was one of the most fierce opponents he ever faced. Even though no living force can stop the Juggernaut when he gains up forward momentum, the Hulk has proven to be able to twist him into redirecting his charge. 

Venom

Spider-man's arch nemesis is Eddie Brock, failed photographer for the Daily Bugle. JJ Jameson charged him with getting guilty pictures of Spidey, and he was fired when Eddie failed. He grew a bitter hatred for him and Eddie suddenly found that hatred amplified as an alien symbiote covered his entire body. The suit gave him power and the ability to mimic Spider-man's abilities. His battles with Spider-man are legendary and his storylines are always so personal because he knows Peter Parker's secret identity. What I really like about Venom is that he will not harm the innocent, he will only use his powers for personal spite or what he believes is the greater good.

Thanos

Thanos is the most dangerous opponent the Avengers and the heroes of the Earth have ever faced. He is ruthless in his agenda and he has the power to back up his authority. He has galactic amounts of strength, and a fighting ability from years of combat and conquest. Thanos's thirst for the Infinity Stones was one of the best storylines in Marvel Comics, and the fight was on a universal scale. Both movie version and comic version are amazing to witness for yourself. While his power is dulled down a little bit for the movies, they are no less awesome to watch on the screen. Thanos remains a deadly force to reckon with in Marvel, and whoever survives a run-in with him should feel very fortunate.

Apocalypse

The ultimate villain in the X-men storylines. His strength is otherworldly, and his powers make him seemingly invulnerable, along with his vast longevity of life. He is one of the first mutants in history, and once he woke up from his sleeping lazerus pit, he decided he wanted to gather his four horsemen, and then rule the Earth, both mutants and humans. He and his horsemen are often seen as a force to take on an army, as Angel (or Archangel), Storm and Rogue have found themselves among the four. Apocalypse is often opposed by Cable, who stops at nothing in order to finally kill Apocalypse and bring an end to his reign.

Top 10 Favorite Marvel Superheroes

 Stan Lee left behind a legacy that no other comic book creators can boast, outside of maybe Akira Toriyama. Not only did he bring about some of the most iconic superheroes, he also aided their comic book franchise by becoming the face of Marvel. He was like an old friend or a grandfather that was extremely enthusiastic about comic book heroes. Calling us all True Believers and telling us to believe in something more incredible than ourselves, he was there to make sure we made it a real experience where we lived the story along with the characters. These were the characters I truly grew up with and collected their merchandise by the truckload. 

Deadpool

Generally overhyped, but striking up some good storylines, Deadpool is probably one of the best examples of perfection through parody. He is wacky, fun to watch, and actually had a very good run of comic books. He is far from the best and can may belong on some anti-hero list, but he qualifies well enough. He can be very funny, but he can also go a little overboard and sour the punchline. He may have started out as a parody villain, but he has devolved well enough to become one of the more memorable of the Marvel heroes.

Cable

Whether he be with the X-men or the X-Force, Cable has proven to be one of the most interesting characters with motives that sometimes borders along obsession. The best work with him is when he is out to defeat Apocalypse. He exploits every weakness and goes to ridiculous heights with which to destroy a nigh invulnerable villain. He has some of the best high tech gear and he is resourceful to no end. He kind of had a lame period when they gave him god-like powers and he teamed up with Deadpool, but he has always created a badass foil to his wacky antics.

Colossus 

It sometimes happens that the strong man of a team comes out on top. Colossus is just an all around nice guy and comes from a different culture back in old Russia. His battles with Juggernaut are legendary and unfortunately he joins the Brotherhood of Mutants for a little while after his team up with the X-men. It's really a shame they didn't feature him more in the live action X-men movies, though it is understandable since his power is quite the CGI undertaking. They made up for it in the Deadpool movies thankfully.

Rogue

One of the most versatile characters in the Marvel roster. She also started out as a villain with the Brotherhood of Mutants, but ended up being one of the most valued X-men characters. Rogue absorbing Miss Marvel's powers and growing powerful like Supergirl made her confident and also looking awesome when beating a Sentinel's metallic brains in. Misrepresented by the movies, but given true love with Gambit in the comics, Rogue has had some ups and downs. The best iteration will always be from X-men the 1992 animated series.

She-Hulk

One of the best characters to come out of the Incredible Hulk and get her own series. Jennifer knows she's in a comic and she knows how ridiculous the concept is, so she just goes with it. She is smart mouthed, brilliant as a lawyer, and is among the best looking superheroes of the bunch. While she is not as strong as her cousin, Bruce Banner, in his green form, she has become a great hero in her own right. The best version is through the late 80's and through the 90's. You know, the one that was actually funny and cool.

Spider-Gwen

A character that came at the right time and had a great nostalgic flare to mix with spider powers. Gwen Stacy becoming Spider-Woman and then Ghost Spider was one of the best examples of bringing a character back the right way. She is one of the best things to come out of the Spider-verse, along with the initial storyline itself. Since then, she's teamed up with the Spider-verse team in something called the Web Warriors. While her recent exploits haven't been all that enthralling and they kind of ruined her story for a while by taking away her powers. Gwenom is still one of her best iterations. This character is awesome and she's even a drummer!

Hulk

The story of Bruce Banner getting nuked by gamma radiation is one that will live in the strong man tropes forever. The Incredible Hulk's battles with Abomination are classic, along with several of his other battles with giants and brutal beasts. This series has shown just how dangerous the Hulk really is, all through his comics. Nevermind those storylines where he's just Bruce Banner, it's all about transforming and bashing things! He's even beaten The Thing easily. His movies have had some ups and downs, but he also had a great TV series with Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno. This is one of the front runners for great superheroes and he will continue to be.

Wolverine

Once the frontrunner for the X-men as their best and most resourceful fighter, Wolverine has been all over and had his own very successful run of comic series. Introduced in the Incredible Hulk series, Wolverine went on to team up with pretty much everyone in the Marvel universe. His best comics come from his fights with Sabertooth, team ups with Spider-man and his origin story in the super violent Weapon X series. He is best when he is slicing and dicing. He's had so many parts in movies, animations and TV series like the multiple X-men series.

Thunderstrike

That's right, you read that correctly. Thunderstrike turned into a hidden gem of the Marvel series with a compelling and interesting series. His battles with Blood Axe and even Juggernaut are awesome. He was meant as a stand-in for Thor, and eventually joined him in Thor Corps for a brief stint. Eric Masterson had a lot of very good storylines dealing with new villains while also trying to discover who is behind the red skull mask of his arch nemesis wielding a magical double bladed axe. The conclusion is quite the twist and sadly, Thunderstrike has never had a real revival beyond someone else taking up his mantle for a small role. If there was ever a story to put in a graphic novel form, it's this series! Will it happen? Probably not.

Spider-man

You really can't beat the traditional sometimes. Spidey barely needs any introduction. The trope of being bit by a radioactive spider is etched into comic book history and Spider-man is literally the most profitable toy seller on the market. His storylines like Spider-verse, Spider Island, Maximum Carnage and his stint with the X-men are among the greatest in the industry. Spider-man is universally loved and Peter Parker has been through the ringer when it comes to tragic backstories and tragic stories in general. Battling the Sinister Six and the symbiotes have to be some of the best times with the web head, and he remains a hero with one of the best rogue galleries! He's often immitated, but never duplicated, Spider-man remains the best of the best.