10 Video Game DLC Releases that Were Better than The Original

source// Rockstar

It’s hard to not be cynical about downloadable content in video games. Since the concept really started to gain popularity around 10 years ago, gamers have had to endure waves of DLC that either failed to contribute anything meaningful, or worse, exploited fans by overcharging them for something plain awful. 

While those that exploit this business model have been accused of ruining the game industry by creating a toxic consumer environment, the bigger sin of bad DLC is that it makes it easier to write off the very idea of downloadable content. 

Though they sometimes feel like the exceptions that prove the rule, there are actually DLC releases out there that provide an experience that is well worth the extra time and money. 

In fact, the very best of them often manage to exceed the quality of the game they are based on. 

10. The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles

As great as Oblivion is (it may be the best Elder Scrolls game ever) there were those fans that felt it sacrificed some of the depth and environmental creativity of its predecessor Morrowind in order to be more accessible and have shinier graphics. It’s all opinions, of course, but they were valid complaints. 

Shivering Isles did quite a lot to address such comments. Taking place in the realm of  Daedric Prince of Madness, Sheogorath, this expansion provides some of the franchise’s most creative environments and amusing quests. There is a sense of fun about this expansion that often felt missing in the more traditional sword and sorcery world of Oblivion. Absurdity is a way of life in Shivering Isles and the way the game presents the most outlandish aspects with a straight face lends it a presentation style unlike anything else. 

In many ways, Shivering Isles is The Elder Scrolls at its very best.

9. New Super Luigi U

New Super Mario Bros. U was a fun Wii U game that showed off the potential of the system’s controller and made for some entertaining multiplayer moments. However, it ultimately didn’t feel like anything that special. 

New Super Luigi U doesn’t have that problem. While Nintendo could have just thrown a Luigi theme onto the original  and called it a day, with this  they really took time to examine how playing as Luigi would fundamentally alter the experience. Using the character’s greater jump height and other unique characteristics to the game’s advantage, Nintendo was able to craft a Mario game that doesn’t quite feel like any other Mario game. These are some of the most creative 2D Mario levels they’ve ever given us, and there are almost as many of them as there are in the main game. 

While Nintendo’s “Year of Luigi” didn’t quite lead to a renaissance for the company’s most unappreciated hero, it did give us this DLC gem.

8. Civilization V: Brave New World

It’s one thing for DLC to improve upon a game that clearly had problems and quite another for it to vastly improve on something that not many people felt needed many in the first place. 

Such is the case with Brave New World. Civilization V gave us what many felt that was the best Civilization game ever when it released, but just a few years later, the debut of Brave New World showed us how much more the series could accomplish. Along with the fleshed out content that this expansion provided (more civilizations, more troops, more land, etc.) what Brave New World really contributed to the Civilization V experience was an expanded focus on diplomacy and government. Whereas the game had previously emphasized pursuing military dominance, now it was just as viable – and just as fun – to conquer the world without firing a single shot. 

While diplomacy was always an option in Civ, no other game in the series showed how incredible that pursuit could be quite like Brave New World.

7. Dark Souls II: The Lost Crowns

A bit of a cheat here since The Lost Crowns is actually three separate pieces of DLC, but combined they form perhaps the greatest Dark Souls adventure ever. 

While Dark Souls II wasn’t really a bad game, it was something of a disappointment in the way its gameplay and design changes compromised many of the best parts of the first title. The Lost Crowns worked to rectify many of those design mistakes by providing some of the most memorable levels and boss fights the series has ever produced. What’s truly incredible about these DLC releases, though, is the story they form. Without betraying the Dark Souls style of minimalist storytelling, the Crowns trilogy crafts a fascinating narrative that makes the world of Dark Souls feel more significant than ever before. 

Of course, the real reason that most  Souls fans remember this DLC so fondly is for how punishingly difficult it is. Getting a Dark Souls fan to admit that the game is genuinely hard isn’t easy, but none will deny this is – especially seeing as it features an invisible boss that’ll tear you in half.

6. Borderlands 2: Tiny Tina's Assault On Dragon Keep

In recent years, it’s become more and more common for game developers to use DLC as a chance to do things with the main game that otherwise wouldn’t quite fit. Like the previously mentioned Shivering Isles or Rockstar’s incredible Red Dead Redemption add-on Undead Nightmare, these DLC releases are all about lightening the mood and having fun. 

The very best example of this  style may be Tiny Tina’s Assault On Dragon’s Keep. In it, you use your characters to play a game of Dungeons and Dragons (referred to as Bunkers and Badasses) set in the Borderlands universe. This not only means a hefty amount of fantasy and pop culture references, but it allows the developers to dynamically alter the game at several points under the premise that the dungeon master is changing the game. 

You just never know what is going to happen next while playing Assault On Dragon Keep and you won’t be able to stop playing until you’ve seen everything this incredible game has to offer.

5. Dishonored: The Knife Of Dunwall

Dishonored may just well be the best stealth game made in the the last 10 years, but at the time of its release it encountered something of a lukewarm reception. Most agreed the game was good, but it wasn’t quite the blow-away blockbuster hit some expected it to be. There was just something missing. 

That missing piece would arrive in the form of The Knife of Dunwall. Running parallel to the main game’s story, Knife of Dunwall sees you playing the role of the assassin that triggers the events of the main game. This warped perspective on the Dishonored story not only adds to the original game in a meaningful way, but proves to be a more compelling adventure in its own right. The incredible gameplay of Dishonored is only improved upon , while the game’s story adds a level of motivation that the main campaign sometimes lacked. 

Dishonored was gifted with some of the best DLC any game has ever received; even among  incredible competition, The Knife of Dunwall is the biggest highlight.

4. Mass Effect 3: Citadel

While 90% of Mass Effect 3 was an incredible adventure worthy of being the final entry into one of gaming’s greatest trilogies, the game is largely remembered for its incredibly disappointing ending which essentially negated everything that came before. Many thought that developer Bioware may use the game’s DLC as a chance to redo the finale.

In some ways Citadel is that redo, but it’s not the one most were expecting, being based around the idea that the surviving main characters of Mass Effect 3 have a weekend of shore leave while their ship is being fixed. While this inevitably leads to an action-fuelled adventure, much of this DLC is actually focused on giving us one more chance to spend time with the characters. In many ways, Citadel is the closest we’re ever likely to come to a proper Firefly game, as the vast majority of the experience is watching beloved sci-fi shipmates trade hilarious dialogue with each other.

Citadel isn’t your typical game ending, but this incredibly funny and genuinely entertaining final journey in the Mass Effect universe is in many ways one of the best franchise endings ever.

3. Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad Of Gay Tony

Although many fell head over heels in love with GTA: IV when it was released (some even called it the greatest game of all-time) there was a vocal contingent that argued the game removed too much content from GTA: San Andreas and was a step down in terms of fun. 

That aspect most certainly returned in Ballad of Gay Tony. There are seven new weapons,  the characters are more lighthearted and the missions might be the best that GTA has ever produced. In fact, the quest line involving the spoiled Arab Prince Yusuf and his desire to find increasingly elaborate gifts for his Sheik father may just be the most entertaining series of missions in GTA history.

Yet the biggest improvement Gay Tony made to GTA IV is how much it gives the player to do after the campaign is over. From managing night clubs to base jumping, Ballad of Gay Tony actually gave you a reason to come back to GTA IV and still does after all these years.

2. Destiny: The Taken King

Upon a wave of hype, Destiny entered the gaming world to a decidedly mixed reaction. Many were quick to point out the game’s numerous design flaws and yet those same people admitted that they couldn’t stop playing it. It was apparent that if Bungie could fix the growing pains of their new pseudo-MMO concept, they would have something special on their hands. 

While The Taken King didn’t quite bring the game to that level, it did attempt to address nearly every flaw that held back Destiny at launch. Through a combination of quality of life fixes (such as better quest management) as well as more missions that provided players with something to do beyond “Clear the area, rinse, repeat” The Taken King finally allowed players to experience the potential of Destiny as opposed to just imagining it.

Had The Taken King been released in place of the original vanilla game, Destiny’s reputation would be decidedly different today.

1. BioShock 2: Minerva's Den

In an earlier article, I lamented the fact that so few people gave Bioshock 2 a chance. To be honest, a big part of the reason why that’s such a shame is that it means few people ever played its DLC add-on, Minerva’s Den. 

Just as in BioShock 2, Minerva’s Den has you step into the role of a Big Daddy. This time, you are tasked with entering the titular area of Rapture and stealing code from a man called The Thinker. What follows is quite simply one of the greatest stories in gaming history. Much like the original BioShock, Minerva’s Den speaks deeply on subject matter like religious idealism and human value. Unlike BioShock, Minerva’s Den doesn’t fall apart at the end and actually delivers a finale worthy of the ideas it poses along the way. 

The BioShock series has long been about atmosphere and story above action, and so far as those elements go, Minveva’s Den may just be the franchise’s greatest outing. 

7 Things WWE Have Promised for WrestleMania 32 (And Must Deliver)

source// wwe.com

When the stadium has emptied and after venue staff have cleaned up plastic cups and garbage aplenty, literally millions of people will go to bed thinking about WWE’s WrestleMania. The annual pay-per-view draws in more affection for pro wrestling than any other event, it’s the one show each year that has such an incredible atmosphere surrounding it.

Credit where credit is due, WWE have managed to foster incredible excitement for ‘Mania. Yet, it will all wash away should people go away from the event feeling it was lacking even slightly. WrestleMania simply must be a proverbial home run for the company, the rest of the year perhaps depends on it. That’s something the promotion must be wary of, because they have booked themselves into a corner slightly with the show.

It’s expected that Roman Reigns will once again headline ‘Mania, this time opposite Triple H. There’s also the not-so-small matter of Shane McMahon getting control of Monday Night Raw should he defeat The Undertaker inside Hell In A Cell. Adding to that, ‘Taker himself will apparently never work another ‘Mania should he lose. As if that wasn’t enough, Dean Ambrose and Brock Lesnar will then tear one another limb from limb in a ‘No Holds Barred Street Fight’.

These are all looking like likely scenarios come WrestleMania 32, and fans will be less-than-satisfied should they walk away from the AT&T Stadium without them being delivered upon.

7. Biggest WrestleMania Ever

Back in 1987, it doesn’t seem like the then-WWF were telling the whole truth when they disclosed the attendance for WrestleMania III. Shouting from the rooftops about a supposed 93,000 fans, it’s been said that the number was actually closer to the 78,000 mark. That’s still impressive, and it’s not exactly uncommon for promotions to exaggerate attendances.

Still, it is something the company are looking to top in 2016. For WrestleMania 32, WWE are aiming to cram 100,000 people into the AT&T Stadium. At the very least, officials dearly want ‘Mania 32 to be the biggest in history, at the very least outdoing the number pulled at ‘Mania III. That would be highly impressive, but the pressure is on to make it a reality.

On commentary, it’s hardly unheard of for announcers like Michael Cole and JBL to talk the forthcoming WrestleMania event up as the biggest ever. WWE have placed some stress on themselves to ensure that this year’s show most certainly lives up to that billing. It’s not impossible, but it is now expected by wrestling fans that ‘Mania will play in front of around 100,000, only because WWE themselves have spent so much time talking about it.

6. Absolute Mayhem In The Ladder Match

At WrestleMania 31, Daniel Bryan, Wade Barrett, Dean Ambrose, Stardust, R-Truth, Dolph Ziggler and Luke Harper set the bar pretty high in the opening match. That particular bout was a Ladder Match contested for the WWE Intercontinental Title. It seems WWE officials enjoyed what they witnessed, because they’ve booked a similar affair at this year’s WrestleMania.

Kevin Owens will defend the belt against Sami Zayn, Dolph Ziggler, Stardust, Zack Ryder, The Miz and Sin Cara. There had been hopes that Zayn vs. Owens would transpire, but by scheduling another multi-man Ladder Match, WWE are pretty much guaranteeing the same kind of carnage. Last year, Ambrose was Powerbombed from the ring through a prone ladder at ringside, just as one example.

That’s the kind of fare fans will be expecting come ‘Mania 32, there can be no other way. If the forthcoming Ladder battle doesn’t include crazy spots and bell-to-bell action, it will feel like a broken promise from WWE. Much like the ‘Money In The Bank’ bouts once promised so much at WrestleMania, the Intercontinental Title Ladder Match now takes on that mantle.

5. A Meaningful Role For The Rock

WrestleMania 32 is mere days away and it’s still guesswork to try and establish what Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson will be doing on the show. Will he interfere in the bout between Roman Reigns and Triple H? Perhaps ‘The Great One’ has a role to play in what’s sure to be a crazy Hell In A Cell encounter between The Undertaker and Shane McMahon?

Whatever WWE do have planned, they’re keeping their cards close to their chests when it comes to Johnson. One thing’s for sure, it better be something good, because the promotion have dedicated a lot of valuable TV minutes to hyping the fact that he’ll be there at the pay-per-view. If it’s a letdown, people will point to all those video packages and social media messages from the man himself, discussing his appearance like it’s the second coming of Jesus Christ.

Any appearance has to deliver now, such has been the hyperbole in the lead up to ‘Mania. It’s questionable where The Rock fits best on the WrestleMania card, but there is always going to be excitement over him showing up. WWE’s hype train has been working overtime when it comes to Johnson, and it must provide a satisfying payoff.

4. Real Focus On Allowing The Women's Match To Shine

If WWE allow Charlotte, Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks to do their thing, there’s a good case to be made that the trio will have the best women’s match in WrestleMania history. All the elements are there; the threesome know one another extremely well, and they’ve all had great bouts in various combinations over the past few years. In other words, it’s looking good that they will rock the house.

The actual wrestlers don’t represent the worry here, it’s up to WWE’s management to live up to their end of the bargain too. By simply booking this Triple Threat, the company seem to be telling fans that they are entirely serious about positively promoting women’s wrestling under their umbrella. At WrestleMania, that simply must ring true when it comes to the amount of time given to the WWE Divas Title situation.

Charlotte, Lynch and Banks deserve longer than the usual 6-10 minutes handed to most female matches in the company on pay-per-view. Let them tell a story, and it’ll be one few fans will be able to forget. This Triple Threat encounter is the most encouraging women’s match WWE have booked at ‘Mania in years, and they must do right by it.

3. Some Serious Violence In The Street Fight

The very build-up to Brock Lesnar vs. Dean Ambrose is begging for a blood-soaked affair come April 3. Given the kid-friendly limitations WWE performers are expected to work under nowadays however, that remains very unlikely to occur. In the past, both guys would have been bleeding within just a few moments of their ‘No Holds Barred Street Fight’, but they may have to find other means with which to build drama.

One way is to actually use the weapons WWE themselves have not-so-quietly woven into the fabric of the story. In recent weeks, Mick Foley has handed Ambrose his own personal barbed wire bat. Meanwhile, that ‘Middle Aged And Crazy’ Terry Funk even offered his lunatic contemporary a chainsaw to wield upon during battle with Lesnar.

This will all be for nought if the eventual match ends up being a relatively tame affair light on brutality and some serious violence. Fans may not be expecting blood, but they have been promised violence in abundance. The stipulation, the men involved, and that wacky build all combine to tempt those with some serious bloodlust into ordering WrestleMania. 

Nobody is expecting Ambrose to attack Brock with a buzzing chainsaw, but at least incorporate the visual tease into the bout.

2. Definitive Winner Between Shane McMahon And The Undertaker

The stipulations are thus; should Shane McMahon defeat The Undertaker, he will seize control of Monday Night Raw. Further to that, Vince McMahon has stated that Undertaker will never wrestle again on the grand stage of ‘Mania should he fail to defeat the McMahon son. Conversely, it makes sense to imagine that Shane would be canned if he were to lose, at least temporarily for the purpose of logical storytelling.

Should WWE back out of providing a definite winner, an awful lot of people would leave WrestleMania severely peeved. The Hell In A Cell encounter must end with a definitive result, because the story underpinning the match depends on that happening. Some kind of lame draw decision would completely negate the purpose of holding the match in the first place.

Wrestling fans have effectively been told by WWE – through the way they have written the rivalry – that someone is going to win and the other man is going to lose. To then not deliver on that idea would be horrendous, and could feasibly anger a fair few enthusiasts excited by the Hell In A Cell stipulation to begin with.

1. Roman Reigns Won't Tank In The Main Event

There’s an argument to be made that WWE are putting too much faith in their hand-picked top babyface. Roman Reigns has definite qualities, but he’s not quite the rip-roaring good guy smash hit that officials would badly like him to be. Fans just don’t see Roman that way, and many people have been left uninspired by the way WWE have booked the man over the past few years.

At WrestleMania 31, he certainly held his own in the main event opposite Brock Lesnar. The WWE Title bout between both men was solid, but there are real concerns from fans over his upcoming match against Triple H at ‘Mania 32. Should the encounter headline the pay-per-view, WWE better hope that Reigns is able to deal with the almost inevitable torrent of boos and jeers coming his way.

Many feel Reigns has been shoved down the throats of fans, and they don’t like it one bit. That could have an adverse effect on Reigns vs. Triple H, to say the least, and it could make things a tad depressing if ‘Mania limps rather than roars towards a conclusion. 

By booking him in the WWE Title hunt for a second consecutive year, those in charge are showing full faith in the man’s abilities to convert the crowd. Even if that fails, they must hope that he doesn’t buckle under intense scrutiny from those who have already made their minds up over his top babyface prospects. 

What else must WWE deliver on come WrestleMania 32? Let us know what you think down in the comments section below!

15 Greatest Marvel Comic Book Villains of All Time

slource// Marvel

As fun as it is to follow the adventures of comic book superheroes, they would be nothing without their villains. However, inevitably, only a select handful of them have become as iconic as the good guys they frequently try to kill, and that’s a testament to how great they are.

When looking at Marvel’s selection of bad guys, there are quite literally thousands of names to pick from, but only a small percentage of those stand out as being the most impressive, evil, and sadistic.

Of course, it’s easy enough to select and rank the villains who square off with specific heroes or teams, but what happens when you throw all of those together and attempt to pick the best? Plucking villains from every corner of the Marvel Universe and singling out the best of a very evil bunch is no easy feat, but that’s exactly what you’ll find here!

Some of these baddies have attempted to conquer the Earth, while others have made things much more personal by taking aim at the loved ones of the heroes they despise, but the one thing they all obviously have in common is that they’re truly the greatest bad guys ever put inside the pages of your favourite Marvel comic books…

15. Kang The Conqueror

Time travel is a headache inducing concept in any form of storytelling, but that’s particularly the case in comic books.

Kang the Conquerer however is someone who has made good use of his ability to travel through time to make The Avengers’ lives a living hell, and he’s actually succeeded in both conquering the Earth and at one point destroying it altogether (as you’ve probably already guessed, time travel was later used to undo both of those moments).

With a fascinating backstory which actually saw him serve as a heroic member of the Young Avengers as Iron Lad, Kang is one of Marvel’s most complex and delightfully evil bad guys, and the way he manipulates time for his own means makes him a threat not just to Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, but reality itself.

14. Bullseye

Before Frank Miller came along, Bullseye was very much a throwaway Daredevil villain who he would beat on a regular basis with relative ease. However, pitting the assassin against Elektra led to one of the most shocking moments in comic book history as he brutally murdered Matt Murdock’s former flame hours after figuring out the Man Without Fear’s secret identity.

That put him on that map, and he’d return many times over the years to plague The Man Without Fear. However, Bullseye hit the big time when his place in Norman Osborn’s Thunderbolts led to him being drafted into the Dark Avengers as a deadlier version of Hawkeye! Bullseye hasn’t had much luck since then (Daredevil killed him at one point), but even after being resurrected as a paraplegic, he’s still tried to take out the hero!

13. Phoenix

Jean Grey is one of the Marvel Universe’s greatest heroes, but when her immense psychic abilities led to her being bonded with the Phoenix Force, destruction followed. After obliterating an entire planet, the out of control Jean was ultimately forced to take her own life to stop this cosmic power, but it’s come back to haunt the X-Men many times since.

For example, when the Phoenix Force recently returned to Earth, it led to a massive conflict between the Avengers and X-Men which left the latter superhero team fractured for good after Cyclops, Emma Frost, Namor, Colossus, and Magik were imbued with its power and attempted to take over the planet. The point is, regardless of the host, the Phoenix is one of the most deadly entities in the Marvel Universe!

12. Doctor Octopus

He’s always been one of Spider-Man’s most iconic villains, but it wasn’t until Doctor Octopus discovered he was dying as a result from all the blows to the head he’s received at the hands of the wall-crawler that he truly become one of the hero’s greatest foes. It was then that he enacted a plan to steal Spider-Man’s body, and he succeeded too in one of the most shocking Marvel moments in recent memory.

Despite attempting to become a hero, Doc Ock caused a significant amount of damage to the life of Peter Parker and ultimately gave him back his body when he realised he couldn’t protect New York anywhere near as well as his enemy. However, his conciousness is still out there and plotting against Spidey, and it remains to be see whether he’ll return as Doctor Octopus or attempt to once again steal Spider-Man’s body.

11. Thanos

Thanos’ quest for the Infinity Gauntlet has factored into pretty much every single one of his appearances, and the heroes of the Marvel Universe live in constant fear about what could happen when he finally gets his hands on that ancient weapon (the one time he did, he tampered with reality and killed pretty much every single Avenger, so that gives you an idea of just how dangerous he would be if it came into his possession for more than a few minutes).

With The Mad Titan expected to play a key role in the upcoming Civil War II comic and the Avengers: Infinity War movies, his profile looks set to increase in a major way over the next few years, and that means he’ll no doubt have yet another event story based solely around his evil schemes before too long.

10. Venom

While being transferred to hosts like Mac Gargan and Flash Thompson has watered down the Venom symbiote somewhat in recent years, this alien bonding with Eddie Brock to create a twisted version of Spider-Man made for some truly terrifying tales in the 1980s.

Unable to detect his presence via spider-sense, Peter Parker was at his most vulnerable against this vengeful reporter/shunned alien suit, and Venom has very nearly killed him a number of times.

However, one of Venom’s most shocking moments came when he invaded the hero’s home, threatening Mary Jane and leaving her utterly terrified of the monster she had just seen. As a “Lethal Protector” a few years later, Eddie may have flirted with the idea of being a hero of sorts, but he always returned to his villainous ways because his hatred for Spider-Man was far too great to ever let him leave the wall-crawler alone!

9. Apocalypse

The ancient En Sabah Nur is the world’s first mutant and his belief that humanity must be wiped out to make way for the superior mutant race has inevitably led to the X-Men stepping in to try and stop him many times.

They’ve not once emerged unscathed though, especially as he’s left transformed many of them into members of his Four Horsemen (Angel was unable to recover from his time spent as Death and ultimately died as the insane Archangel). Apocalypse’s role in the Marvel Universe is in fact so significant that it led to the creation of a bleak alternative future known as the Age of Apocalypse. and visits there are always terrifying.

Apocalypse may have so far failed to take over the world in the regular timeline, but with Oscar Isaac set to bring him to life on the big screen, the villain will be making a lot more comic book appearances in 2016…

8. Ultron

Created by Hank Pym, Ultron is an android who hates humanity and is made even more dangerous by the fact that he has some serious daddy issues. He’s pretty much immortal too thanks to his conciousness surviving even after his body is destroyed, and so Ultron has reared his ugly head in many different forms over the years.

He’s even succeeded in conquering Earth and wiping out most of The Avengers, and that was only put right by some time travel shenanigans which left the Marvel Universe with some long lasting damage. The villain has even set his sights on outer space, wiping out entire planets in his quest for domination! Regardless of where Ultron returns though, his plans for domination are always significant.

7. The Kingpin

After being introduced as a Spider-Man villain, Wilson Fisk found much more success when Frank Miller decided to pit him against Daredevil. Since then, this hulking crime lord has attempted to bring down the Man Without Fear by any means possible, and their hatred for each other has only increased as the years have passed.

While he’s often been on the receiving end of many a beating at the hands of Daredevil, The Kingpin outsmarted his foe at one point by learning his secret identity and breaking Matt Murdock’s mind. That would lead to years of Daredevil battling depression, meaning Fisk has had a real lasting impact on his life.

If feels like these two are locked in a never ending battle, and their rivalry is definitely one of the most memorable and interesting in the superhero comics genre.

6. Galactus

When it comes to sheer power, it’s pretty tough to beat a villain who spends most of his time eating worlds! In fact, the only reason he doesn’t place higher here is because he’s failed to gobble up Earth on so many occasions (usually thanks to the timely intervention of the Fantastic Four), but that doesn’t mean Galactus isn’t a formidable and very frightening threat.

A glimpse at a possible future where Thor is the last living being left on the planet showed that he’s still causing problems thousands of years from now, but don’t go thinking old age has slowed him down, because Galactus actually punched the God of Thunder through the Moon! His hunger is never satisfied, and that makes Galactus a threat to every planet in the universe.

5. Red Skull

The Red Skull isn’t immortal, but he may as well be. Whether it’s in the bodies of clones or with time travel, the Nazi villain always finds a way to come back and make Steve Rogers’ life as difficult as possible. He’s the man responsible for orchestrating the patriotic hero’s death after the events of Civil War, and very nearly ended up stealing Captain America’s body as a result.

Recently, the Red Skull has found a new enemy in the form of the X-Men after he dug up Professor X’s remains and grafted part of the hero’s brain to his own, gaining psychic powers in the process. Oh, and in the Old Man Logan timeline, he’s managed to become the United States President (and, after murdering Captain America years earlier, he takes great delight in dressing up in his old foe’s costume…weirdo).

4. Loki

The God of Mischief’s feelings towards his brother Thor have inevitably led to him clashing with The Avengers on multiple occasions, and it was actually one of his earliest schemes which led to the heroic team forming for the first time.

While that may have backfired on Loki, he’s got revenge many times in the decades which have followed, often working behind the scenes in an attempt to bring down Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.

While he’s had something of a change of heart in recent years after serving as a member of the Young Avengers, Loki will no doubt soon find himself once again drawing the ire of The Avengers as he plots to destroy Thor! After all, he’s always working on some sort of dastardly plan, and while his motivations are forever changing, the jealousy Loki feels towards his brother is unlikely to disappear any time soon.

3. Magneto

Magneto may be a hero of sorts these days as he fights alongside the X-Men he once tried to destroy, but that doesn’t wipe away the fact that the Master of Magnetism spent decades on the dark side with his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.

Responsible for almost countless deaths, Magneto has also torn the Adamantium from Wolverine’s skeleton and put Charles Xavier in that wheelchair, all while lashing out at the humans he so despises for the crimes they’ve committed against his people.

While he may have earned forgiveness for those acts, you just know that a return to his evil ways is inevitable for Magneto somewhere down the line.

2. Doctor Doom

This Latverian dictator has been plaguing the Fantastic Four since before they even became a team, and Doctor Doom has committed some truly horrific acts in his quest to bring down Reed Richards.

The villain’s desire for power has seen him become an enemy of the entire Marvel Universe (just look at the recently released Secret Wars for proof of that), but it’s when he takes aim at the Fantastic Four that Victor is at his most hateful. That ultimately stems from the fact that he blames Reed for his horribly scarred face, and that makes this rivalry particularly personal.

Perhaps his greatest “achievement” was forcing Mr. Fantastic to shoot The Thing dead when he took over the hero’s body and threatened to snap the Human Torch’s neck if Reed didn’t pull the trigger…

1. Green Goblin

I’m sure some of you may object to the Green Goblin placing so highly, but stop a minute and think back to what Norman Osborn has done to Spider-Man over the years.

This is the man who murdered Peter Parker’s teenage girlfriend, faked the death of his beloved Aunt May to try and drive him insane, and even made the hero doubt his very existence when he tricked Spidey into believing he was a clone (and when Peter formed a brotherly bond with Ben Reilly, the Goblin killed him too).

The Green Goblin has also inspired a twisted legacy of pretenders to his throne (including his own son, Harry), and that ensures Spider-Man will forever be plagued by his greatest enemy. However, there’s only one true Goblin, and he cemented his position in the Marvel Universe as true big bad after taking over S.H.I.E.L.D. and forming the Dark Avengers, a team responsible for killing Ares and destroying Asgard!

Which Marvel villains do you think deserve to be on this list? Share your favourites below in the comments thread.

15 Greatest DC Comic Book Villains of All Time

source// DC Comics

Being bad is all the rage these days, and when it comes to great comic book villains, DC is the perfect place to turn (though Marvel obviously has their fair share too). This is after all the company who are looking to launch a new movie franchise based around the Suicide Squad, and the depth of their roster of evildoers is big enough that they can take a bunch of B-List baddies to effortlessly create an A-List team.

Going back to the comic books though, and while pretty much every superhero has their own respective rogues gallery which is easy enough to rank, what happens when you throw all of those together and attempt to pick the greatest?! That’s what you’ll find here, though with literally thousands to choose from, zeroing in on the villains who stand out as being the best at being bad is no easy feat.

All of those featured have very different motivations; some want to take over the world (or even the entire universe) and others just enjoy making the lives of the heroes they despise a living hell. There’s no denying that they’re all delightfully evil though, and regardless of their very different plans, these twisted men and women are definitely the most awesome bad guys you’ll find in the pages of DC’s comic books.

15. Harley Quinn

Harley Quinn was actually introduced in Batman: The Animated series, and later made the leap from screen to page due to her massive popularity. A few DC Comics characters have a similar origin story, but Harley stands out as having found the most success in the years which have followed.

Sure, she may have started out as the Clown Prince of Crime’s sidekick, but Harley now has her own series and a number of spinoffs to go with it, falling more into the anti-hero category rather than full on villain. Make no mistake about it though, this insane former psychiatrist is still just as twisted, and almost as sadistic, as her beloved puddin’, The Joker.

14. Captain Cold

Everyone always seems to point to the likes of Spider-Man and Batman as having the best villains, but The Flash’s Rogues are right up there with many of the baddies those heroes square off with on a regular basis.

Captain Cold is the leader of that team, and while The Fastest Man Alive has frequently found a way to outsmart him and his band of crooks, Leonard Snart is street smart enough to find ways of making The Flash’s life as difficult as possible, pulling off some daring heists in the process. He’s also one of only a handful of villains with the ability to slow Barry Allen down with his freeze gun, so Mr. Freeze has nothing on this guy.

13. Black Manta

For a very long time, Aquaman was considered a joke by many comic book fans despite numerous attempts by DC to get their readers to take him seriously. However, that all changed during The New 52 reboot, and one of his cheesier villains also got an awesome makeover when Geoff Johns pitted Aquaman against Black Manta.

Aquaman actually killed the his father by mistake years earlier, and desperate for revenge, Black Manta made it his aim to wipe out all of the hero’s friends and family.

Proving to be more than a match for Aquaman in battle, this unique and fearsome looking character has since established himself as one of his greatest foes and has taken on a much bigger role in the DC Universe after refusing to join the Suicide Squad, but taking on Earth-3’s Crime Syndicate alongside Lex Luthor and Bizarro.

12. General Zod

The way Man of Steel handled General Zod (and particularly his death) has made him infamous, but make no mistake about it, his comic book counterpart is every big as formidable and evil.

Obsessed with conquering Earth and turning it into a new Krypton, Zod has clashed with Superman many times over the years and is determined to make the hero kneel before him.

While his big screen appearances have arguably portrayed Zod as a much greater threat than the comics have, this Phantom Zone escapee is someone who Superman has no other choice than to take very seriously, especially as he’s vastly superior in terms of fighting ability.

11. Bizarro

The whole concept of Bizarro is admittedly pretty ridiculous, but that makes this backwards talking villain no less awesome.

Superman’s duplicate, he’ll wish you a “Bad Morning!” on a good afternoon and has freeze ray instead of heat vision! As I said, it’s pretty silly, but the character has a large fan following and has pushed the Man of Steel to his limit on many occasions.

While The New 52 reboot means we’ve seen a much more grounded take on Bizarro in recent years (he’s been transformed into an unfinished clone of Superman), he remains every bit as interesting, and has earned his icon status through his misadventures over the years.

10. Gorilla Grodd

A psychic gorilla taking on the Fastest Man Alive may sound ridiculous on paper, but Grodd has shown himself to be a very real threat to Central City on a number of occasions now.

Recently he’s invaded Barry Allen’s home with a whole army of gorillas, and he was a significant enough threat that The Rogues were willing to put their differences with The Flash aside in order to team up and attempt to stop the villain. Making him even more frightening is the fact that Grodd recently managed to tap into the Speed Force, and he’s now just as fast as the Scarlet Speedster.

Psychic, fast, and super strong? Grodd is truly a force to be reckoned with.

9. Bane

After Batman and Robin turned him into a cartoon and The Dark Knight Rises grounded him in reality, it’s the comic books where Bane truly gets to rule. Brought up in an underground prison where he was forced to serve his father’s life sentence, he ultimately managed to escape and found his way to Gotham City.

Utilising a substance known as Venom to make himself even stronger, Bane has the brains to go with his brute strength, and that makes him particularly dangerous.

Unfortunately, not much has been done with him since he “Broke the Bat”, but that remains one of the most iconic moments in the Caped Crusader’s history.

9. Doomsday

He’s been watered down a little in the years which have followed, but when Doomsday was first introduced in the pages of Superman, he was a truly terrifying beast. Even more powerful than the Man of Steel, their epic battle raged across the whole of Metropolis, and only ended when they both delivered a killing blow to the other.

As a result, Doomsday stands out as the only villain to have actually killed Superman, and that has cemented his place in comic book history as not necessarily the all-time greatest, but certainly the most memorable.

Now, he’s set to make his presence felt on the big screen in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

7. The Riddler

For years, The Riddler didn’t really pose much of a threat to Batman, but everything changed when he became one of the Caped Crusader’s only foes to figure out his secret identity. Using that information to try and destroy the hero’s life (during the famous “Hush” storyline), Edward Nygma found himself propelled to the big leagues, something which has carried over into the rebooted New 52 Universe.

There, he was revealed to be one of the first bad guys Batman ever faced, taking over Gotham City and plunging it into chaos until the Dark Knight finally managed to outwit him. Despite his silly appearance, he’s definitely not to be trifled with.

6. Brainiac

Brainiac has taken many forms over the years in the ever changing DC Universe, but regardless of his different origin stories, this Superman villain has always pushed the Man of Steel to his limits. Obsessed with shrinking and collecting parts of different worlds, the villain has set his sights on Metropolis on multiple occasions, and even has a piece of Superman’s home planet.

When that was restored to its full size, the hero finally found a home with his people on Earth, but rather than lose it from his collection, Brainiac didn’t hesitate in destroying it and every Kryptonian who lived there. As a alien villains go, he’s one of the worst.

5. Reverse-Flash

The Reverse-Flash has made one hell of an impact on the small screen in The Flash’s TV series, but his comic book counterpart is every bit as impressive. Eobard Thawne may not have posed as a mentor to Barry Allen in the source material, but he did manipulate the Scarlet Speedster into travelling back in time where his actions – saving his mother’s life – broke the timeline and ultimately led to the controversial New 52 reboot.

When he’s not basically destroying entire realities, the Reverse-Flash makes it his mission to torture The Flash and prove that he’s the real Fastest Man Alive. Oh, and it goes without saying that he’s totally insane!

4. Sinestro

Originally a member of the Green Lantern Corps, everything changed for Sinestro when Hal Jordan became Green Lantern and exposed the brutal way his mentor was keeping his home planet in check. That led to his dismissal from the Corps, and so began a rivalry which has spanned decades.

Sinestro’s hatred for Hal would ultimately lead to the formation of the Sinestro Corps, and the war which followed remains one of the most epic and far reaching DC Comics events to date. In recent years, Sinestro has acted a little more heroically, but his feelings toward Green Lantern haven’t altered all that much and likely never will in all honesty!

3. Lex Luthor

Lex Luthor’s hatred for Superman is so great that he will do anything to bring down the Man of Steel, but other members of the Justice League also aren’t immune from his schemes. In fact, the villain has recently blackmailed his way into the ranks of the Justice League after figuring out Batman’s secret identity and using that information against the Caped Crusader.

Luthor is such a master manipulator that he even managed to become the President of the United States for a short time, and as soon as he steps into that iconic green and purple power suit of his, Lex becomes powerful enough to go toe to toe with Superman in battle.

2. Darkseid

The villain who Marvel basically ripped off to create Thanos, Darkseid could take The Mad Titan out in a heartbeat.

This is after all an alien dictator who rules over his own planet (rather ominously known as Apokolips) and spends his free time travelling between alternative Earths and brutally murdering the different versions of Superman he comes across until he can get his hands on the real deal.

Darkseid is also responsible for killing Batman, and even when a team of Godlike beings such as the Justice League come together to face him, they only ever really seem to succeed if luck is on their side. He’s a true force to be reckoned with!

1. The Joker

He may not have taken over the world and it’s true that he couldn’t hack it in a battle against someone like Superman, but when it comes to sheer villainy, who better personifies that than The Joker?

Whether it’s Death in the Family, The Killing Joke, or even his recent appearances in The New 52, the Clown Prince of Crime has committed a long list of twisted and despicable acts, singling himself out as Batman’s greatest enemy and a bad guy who is perhaps more evil than every other character listed here combined.

The Joker may be insane, but when it comes to making the Dark Knight’s life a living hell, he knows exactly what he’s doing.

Which other DC villains deserve to be on this list? Share your favourites below in the comments thread.

10 Best Joker Stories You’ve Never Read

source// DC Comics

The Joker has a truly rich history in comics, popping up countless times to ruin lives around the DC universe. Over the past 75 years, writers and artists have spun hundreds of stories around this troubling and intoxicating character. So why do people talk about only a handful of discussed-to-death storylines, just a single square’s worth in the massive crazy quilt of Joker’s existence?

Comics like “The Killing Joke,” “Mad Love,” “Arkham Asylum,” and “The Dark Knight Returns” are all rewarding, but surely there’s a bigger world out there for fans that want to soak up all things Clown Prince. Let’s go beyond his iconic appearances from recent years, like the fork-tongued butcher served up in “R.I.P.,” the degenerate punk of “Joker,” or the jilted court jester of the New 52. Let’s also bypass the foundation-laying classics— his first appearance in 1940, his origin reveal in 1951’s “The Man Behind the Red Hood,” or the dark 1970s tales “The Joker’s Five-Way Revenge” and “The Laughing Fish.”

The following are amazing but overlooked gems, well worth the digging required to find them. By the nature of this list, I’ve surely left out a lot of comics, so make sure to leave what I missed in the comments.

Now join me, would you, and plunge into the bubbling green depths…

10. Return Of The Joker (Batman 450-451)

In 1988, Joker shot Batgirl. In 1989, Joker killed Robin. In 1990, Joker stayed in his apartment and yelled at the television. This while a yuppie wannabe committed crimes in his name.

“Return of the Joker” is a story that totally lives in the shadows of “The Killing Joke” and “A Death in the Family,” but in a weirdly good way. Essentially it’s a twisted take on a “road to recovery” narrative, including a scene where Joker puts on his old Red Hood getup in an attempt to “find the joke again.” Plus, he thinks about how much his stomach hurts in thought bubbles, which is pretty strange.

9. Two-Timer (Batman & Robin Adventures 1)

Here’s Joker screwing up somebody’s life again for no good reason. This time it’s Two-Face. Harvey Dent has been making great strides in his rehabilitation at Arkham, until Joker makes up his mind to undo all his hard work.

All it takes is a whispered suggestion as Harvey passes Joker’s cell— that out in the free world, Harvey’s pal Bruce Wayne is getting it on with Grace Dent. Joker takes great pleasure in the results of his rumor, like some reality TV housewife, as Harvey spirals back into a vengeful Two-Face. Joker really sucks in this one.

8. Images (Legends Of The Dark Knight 50)

It’s not every Batman comic that opens with an F. Scott Fitzgerald quote. This particular passage about boats being “borne back ceaselessly into the past” sets up a tragic reimagining of Joker’s first attacks on Gotham. His ruthlessness is highlighted as he manipulates his chemistry savant (?) cousin into creating and supplying him with Joker venom.

Jerk that he is, he tests the venom on his cousin’s cat. And the cat’s name was Muffin, for pity’s sake. This is an ugly story that shows Joker at his most unlikable (if he can ever be likable) as he betrays his vulnerable cousin, a story that ends on a note of cruel irony that I won’t risk spoiling.

7. The Sound Of One Hand Clapping (Adventures Of Superman 14)

Another story set in the early days, this comic finds the Joker threatening to blow up the Daily Planet just so he can meet Superman. This is truly a Joker story unlike any other, because Superman is such a different audience for Joker’s ravings.

Unlike Batman, Superman actually takes time to listen and engage with what the villain says, pointing out faults of logic and laughing at jokes in equal measure. And Joker actually squirms under the even-handed scrutiny. It’s weird coming away from a Superman comic feeling like Joker is the more boring character of the two, but this well-written story might convince you.

6. The Reason For Hyenas (Streets Of Gotham 19)

When Paul Dini writes Joker for “Batman: The Animated Series,” he’s a ridiculous force of kid-friendly mayhem. When Dini writes him for comics, the experience is shockingly dark.

With yet another flashback to Joker’s early career (Who knew there was so much material there?), we witness him graduate from flakey performance artist to terrifying threat. His way of making a name for himself? Kidnapping a mobster and urging hyenas to feast on his body, starting with his fingertips. Ha?

5. World’s Finest (Superman/Batman: World’s Finest 1-3)

They don’t make comics like this anymore. Though published in 1990, this miniseries is a thoroughly committed throwback to the 1940s Golden Age. The story involves Batman and Superman switching cities as Lex Luthor expands his shady developments into Gotham and Joker creates mischief in the streets of Metropolis.

The Joker here is unlike any you’ve seen, his conceptualization offbeat and old-fashioned— he owns rundown apartment buildings rented out to hookers and junkies. Instead of threatening innocents, he engages in property warfare with fellow slumlord Luthor. It’s different. Also Steve Rude draws one of the most distinctive Jokers around, very impish and with a slight potbelly.

4. Knight Of Vengeance (Flashpoint: Batman 1-3)

Part of the fun with the Joker is the ambiguity of his true identity. Sometimes he was Jack Napier, sometimes Joe Kerr (goodness gracious), sometimes a mafioso, or a comedian, or a heist man, etc. The multiple choices for Joker’s past self increase when you take in alternate reality stories like “Knight of Vengeance,” which contains maybe the most dramatic recasting of his identity yet.

In a reality where the Wayne family was mugged but only young Bruce was killed, Thomas and Martha Wayne were destroyed by their grief. As their marriage splintered, Thomas tracked down and murdered the mugger and became Batman. Martha carved a permanent smile in her face and became the Joker. The plot kicks off as Joker kidnaps two kids and holds them at Wayne Manor. There, Batman and Joker, husband and wife, have their brutal final showdown.

3. Slayride (Detective Comics 826)

Think of the last place on Earth you’d ever want to be. Okay. I submit that your nightmare situation cannot match the terror of this comic’s setting— alone with Joker in his car. Robin finds himself in said predicament, tied down to the passenger seat, and can’t do anything but serve as Joker’s captive audience.

This is another unsettlingly cruel story by Paul Dini of “Batman: The Animated Series.” Joker runs over five pedestrians and shoots a drive thru attendant before Robin manages to free himself (distracting Joker with an argument over a Marx Brothers quote) and put an end to his spree. It’s sick but riveting stuff, as if all the self-censoring Dini had to do for the cartoon created a buildup of downright unpleasant Joker material.

2. The Killing Book (The Batman Adventures 16)

From the same series that spawned the definitive Harley/Joker story “Mad Love” comes this oddball treat. Joker is frustrated with his portrayal as “the guy Batman always beats” in the popular kid’s comic book “Gotham Adventures.” The proceedings are awesomely meta as Joker kidnaps the series’ artist and forces him to churn out comics glorifying his crimes.

Reading this story feels like being around a bunch of comic creators cutting loose. It’s fun, it’s quick, and it’s witty. It also features one of Joker’s best death traps yet— chaining Batman to a rocket triggered by a mini golf course. Because that’s comics.

1. Soft Targets (Gotham Central 12-15)

“Gotham Central” was to superhero comics as “The Wire” was to crime television, with its sprawling yet fleshed-out cast of police, its unflashy visuals, and its unfortunate lack of a large audience. This Joker-focused arc may be the series’ finest hour.

It opens on a startling note as a sniper kills the mayor during a meeting with Commissioner Akins. For much of the story Joker remains an unseen but lingering force, sniping public figures at random and spurring (as he has done so often) a panicked exodus from the city. This is Gotham’s Finest going up against the very personification of urban chaos, and when they finally get him in the interrogation room, things only get worse for everybody.

Netflix’s The Punisher: 10 Insanely Dark Moments That Won’t Be Used

source// Marvel

After two disappointing The Punisher movies in 2004 and 2008 (one the 1989 Dolph Lundgren version), the property is now firmly in the hands of Marvel Studios and the good news is they’re doing something with it. Kevin Feige and his cohorts have cast The Walking Dead’s John Bernthal as the man himself – the brutal vigilante Frank Castle – for Daredevil season 2 on Netflix.

But here’s the rub: The Punisher’s comic book stories are generally incredibly dark, even when compared to the narratives of Marvel’s previous Netflix output from Daredevil and Jessica Jones. It seems likely them, that the Marvel Cinematic Universe will need to smooth over Frank’s rough edges to make him work within their continuity. And Frank’s got a lot of rough edges.

With that in mind, here are ten Punisher stories that are probably too dark for consideration for The Punisher’s appearances in the MCU…

10. The Widows Of His Victims Band Together To Kill Him

The Widowmaker was the eighth volume of Preacher-creator Garth Ennis’s ultra-dark The Punisher Max collection. Instead of glamourising the gritty street level vigilantism that Frank Castle is known for, The Widowmaker zeroed in on an oft-overlooked side of his brutal war on crime – the collateral damage.

The crux of this story was the widows that The Punisher creates by killing pretty much every criminal he comes across. In The Widowmaker, a collection of these left-behind lovers banded together under a common goal – to kill the man that took their husbands away. Of course, Frank survived, but not before being forced to think about the families-torn-apart ramifications of his actions.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe would surely be scared to go anywhere near a story like this. Marvel heroes are likeable and charismatic and mostly squeaky-clean, but all of them could be seen to have blood on their hands if we start talking about collateral damage. Instead of running the risk of making all their heroes look less likeable, then, Marvel will surely just ignore the widows that The Punisher leaves behind.

9. The Kingpin Lets His Own Son Die

Garth Ennis’s aforementioned Punisher Max run later inspired Jason Aaron to write the similarly-tilted PunisherMAX. Within this series, The Punisher is compared and contrasted to Wilson Fisk’s Kingpin Of Crime. Aaron seeks to show us that they’re not so dissimilar after all – both are willing to kill in order to bend the city to their will, for instance. The only difference is that one wants justice while the other seeks criminal control.

The series eventually makes one important distinction, though – The Punisher is only willing to kill crooks, whereas Fisk will happily let anyone die. The prime example of this comes when another criminal threatens Fisk’s son at knifepoint. Rather than give in to his rival’s demands, Fisk nonchalantly states that he can just have another son. The boy dies.

The MCU wouldn’t touch this story with a bargepole. Although the idea of comparing Frank to Fisk is an interesting one, Feige would surely never allow a Marvel property to show an innocent child killed, just so his father can advance his criminal career. This is Hell’s Kitchen, yes, but it’s still the Marvel Cinematic Universe – it can’t go that dark, surely.

8. Frank’s Miscarried Brother And Childhood Traumas

In 2006, Punisher: The Tyger one-shot took readers back to the 1960s to tell a very dark story from Frank Castle’s childhood. The story picks up with Frank as a ten year old boy – before the military, before the death of his family, before the vigilantism.

A school classmate of Frank’s commits suicide, and that’s only the beginning of the story. Young Frank also finds out that his mother miscarried, and that he would have had a brother if she hadn’t. The story is framed in flashback, with the fully-grown Frank pondering how these tragedies affected his younger self.

He remembers hearing about the idea of the ‘Tyger’ a powerful creature from a William Blake poem that lives outside of society and wasn’t created by God, but is necessary in order for every other species to survive. It wasn’t until he was older that Frank would realise that he was the Tyger: that he wasn’t destined for happiness, but to rid the world of filth so that everyone else can sleep soundly at night.

This seems a little bit too dark for Marvel Studios to adapt directly. Children suicides and stillborn siblings might work as comic book backstory, but showing his on screen would make for a depressing viewing experience that would jar with the rest of the MCU. It seems far more likely that The Punisher will arrived fully formed, with only a few flashbacks to explain his origins.

7. The Punisher Vs. The Sex Slave Industry

The Slavers is another dark Garth Ennis comic from the Punisher Max range. In this one, Ennis took on a hugely taboo topic that Marvel Studios may never have the guts to film a story about: the sex trade.

The story opens with The Punisher staking out the known location of an Eastern European drug lord he’s planning to take down. He’s surprised when he sees a woman – Viorica -opening fire on the dealer and his lackeys. Frank helps her kill the bad guys, and then learns her life story.

In her youth she was abducted, raped, beaten, and forced to become a prostitute. She later fell pregnant and gave birth to a daughter. Eventually, the slavers that own her killed the baby and sent her photo evidence. This was the final straw that led to her gun-toting rampage.

The Punisher is shocked, and agrees to help her out by killing the entire mob. It’s a big, important story in comic book lore, but it would take some serious bravery for Marvel Studios to adapt it onto the screen. It seems more likely that they’ll stick to safer topics.

6. The Punisher Revenge-Kills Every Marvel Hero, And Himself

In 1995, Garth Ennis wrote The Punisher Kills The Marvel Universe. Therein, Ennis imagined a ‘what if?’ world where Frank Castle’s family were killed due to getting caught in superhero crossfire rather than gangland mobster warfare. When Cyclops of the X-Men offered a half-arsed apology, Castle snapped and shot him in the head from point-blank range.

This sent Castle on a revenge spiral, as he committed himself to hunting down and killing every superhero in existence. Spider-Man is next to take a bullet, with The Punisher explaining that ‘someone had to go first’ just after blowing his brains out. He gathered a load of mutants on the moon before nuking them all. He kills all the supervillains, too.

Franks saves Daredevil for last. He peeks under the mask after the fact and realises that the red-suited superhero was none other than his good friend, Matt Murdock. Realising that there’s just one more person that deserves to die, Frank turns his gun on himself and commits suicide.

You don’t need me to tell you why the MCU won’t adapt this storyline. For starters, there wouldn’t be an MCU left afterwards.

5. All Frank’s Friends Die And He Has A Mental Breakdown

How Netflix will handle Frank Castle’s The Punisher origin story remains to be seen. He could just show up fully formed, and leave a few quick dialogue scenes and/or flashbacks to vaguely fill in the details of his history and motivations. A huge part of this, in the comics, was his traumatic and life-changing tour of Vietnam.

Woefully outnumbered the Vietcong, Frank’s troop were in dire straits. Frank watched as all his friends got gunned down, before breaking down mentally himself. He hears a voice in his head, telling him that he can survive this, but that it’ll come at a cost. Frank accepts the deal and manages to kill all the adversaries. He’s decorated with many awards by the military, but the cost he warned himself about comes later when mobsters kill his family.

I can’t see Daredevil season 2 going into a detailed depiction of Frank’s wartime traumas. Perhaps they’ll be hinted at, but showing so many men dying in battle and Frank suffering from a mental breakdown could be deemed too dark for the series to recover from. It’s Daredevil’s story of heroism, not The Punisher’s tragic biography, after all.

4. The Punisher Dies And Turns Ordinary People Into Killers

Jason Aaron’s aforementioned PunisherMAX series was separate from the main Marvel Comics continuity and therefore had free rein to do drastic things with Frank Castle. Chief of all these was the decision to kill off The Punisher in the final issues of the series.

After finally defeating and killing the Kingpin, Frank bled out from his injuries and died in the penultimate issue. In the final chapter, he was buried. The death of this ruthless protector sparked a public uprising, which saw ordinary folk turning against the criminals of New York.

This was meant to show that, although he hadn’t completed his mission to eradicate crime, The Punisher had left behind a legacy that would continue his work indefinitely. Many more crooks would die in his name, which is – in a twisted, comic book sort of way – a good thing.

Again, this is just too dark for the MCU. Major characters rarely die in Marvel Studios properties, and when they do they don’t inspire other people to go out and become killers. Even though he’s an antihero, it’s doubtful that the MCU’s Punisher will be so brutal as to encourage others to become heartless killers as well.

3. A Mobster Urinates On The Corpses Of His Deceased Family

If anyone at Marvel Studios brought up the idea of adapting Garth Ennis’ Up Is Down, Black Is White storyline from 2006 into live-action form, they’d quickly be laughed at. This is the story where deranged mobster Nicky Cavella dug up the corpses of Frank Castle’s dead family, pissed on them, and sent video evidence to the man himself. Cavella was really keen to wind him up.

The story that follows is simple, with The Punisher gunning his way through the entire mob to get to Cavella, in a similar way to The Raid (but with bullets instead of martial arts skills). This kind of revenge rampage might one day be adapted to the screen, but there’s no chance in hell that Marvel would have the guts to enable it with a man urinating on corpses.

Even for their grittier Netflix branch, this kind of lewd shock-inducing fare would be too much. Glamourising the gunning-down of bad guys is one thing, but showcasing the desecration of a grave as a fun opening scene is far, far worse. There’s no chance they’ll ever adapt that.

2. The Punisher Dooms The Human Race

Garth Ennis once again wowed readers with his incredibly dark arc The End, which placed an elderly Frank Castle in a world ravage by a nuclear apocalypse. The Punisher was imprisoned at the time, and survived in a bunker at New York’s Sing-Sing correctional facility.

After a year, he decided to brave the fallout and wandered into the wasteland. He finds the Coven, a collection of warmongers, senators and oil tycoons. They urge Frank not to kill them, stating that they’re the only survivors left in the world. Regardless, Frank shoots them dead because he knows that they’d just ruin the planet again if they did manage to repopulate.

Frank has doomed the human race. As the last man standing on the planet, he walks out into the wasteland once more. Fire burns his flesh. Hair falls from his head. The radiation is killing him, and the world is ending. Frank’s final thought is about the family he lost back in 1976.

Of course, there’s no way that Marvel Studios will ever adapt this story. They want the MCU to keep churning out movies and TV shows forever, so an endgame story like this would be totally illogical as well as massively miserable.

1. The Punisher Kills An Innocent Child

1986’s Circle Of Blood was the miniseries that convinced Marvel Comics to heavily invest in solo stories for The Punisher. It was gruesome, deadly, and is probably far too dark for the Marvel Cinematic Universe to adapt to the screen.

The story saw Frank sprung from prison by an organisation called the Trust. They encouraged him to kill any criminals he wanted, which sent The Punisher down a dark path (which included falling for and subsequently being betrayed by a film noir-esque femme fatale). The worst part came when Frank, opting to shoot everything in his path at this stage, accidentally gunned down and killed an innocent child.

This forced Frank to reconsider his crime-fighting techniques, as well as triggering dark flashbacks and prompting him to say things like ‘It has to stop… The poor children.’ Of course, this set back was only momentary and The Punisher soon returned to punishing.

You can bet that the MCU won’t adapt this. They’d be making a rod for their own backs if they showed one of their heroes screwing up as catastrophically as this. The Punisher will surely kill a lot of people in Daredevil season 2 and beyond, but probably not any innocent children.

Which The Punisher comics do you reckon Marvel will adapt for the MCU? Put your best guesses in the comments…