In the era of superhero movies dominating the box office, it's odd that they've mostly been relegated to live-action features. We've had the occasional animated superhero film here and there, mainly with original properties like The Incredibles or adaptations of lesser-known teams like Big Hero 6. Still, when it comes to the big characters, we haven't had much of anything.
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Outside of Spider-Man and Batman, both of which have received acclaimed animated features in theaters, there have been slim pickings for Marvel and DC fans who have a passion for the animated. And while animated versions of these characters have thrived on TV and in direct-to-video features, an untapped market is just waiting to be unleashed.
Animal Man
A lesser-known character to even most hardcore comics fans, Animal Man's whole schtick involves getting abilities from any nearby animal. It wasn't until the 80s that Grant Morrison and Chas Truog redefined the character with one of the most critically acclaimed runs of the era.
Animation would be the perfect place for this character on the big screen mainly due to the heavy use of metatextual ideas within its stories. Several times the author is a character himself, and some segments are similar to the famous Looney Tunes cartoon Duck Amuck. This would make for a fantastic animated feature aimed at older audiences that would deal both with the meta and the poignant.
Ant-Man
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While it took a while for Ant-Man to become a household name, the efforts of the Marvel Cinematic Universe have turned our resident insect-themed superhero into one of the more popular heroes in the world. But while the public knows the character as Scott Lang, comics readers are more familiar with Hank Pym, the original Ant-Man and the creator of Ultron.
While an animated story telling the history of Hank as the original Ant-Man would be a fun diversion from the normal MCU fare, it feels more interesting to tell a wholly original story with Ant-Man in animation. His shrinking abilities would make for some really fun scenarios in the medium, and you could play with multiple art styles instead of just one when characters shrink.
Deadpool
Deadpool was very close to receiving an animated adaptation of their own - Donald Glover was in charge of developing a version of the character for FX that unfortunately never made it to air. That said, the Merc with a Mouth feels like the kind of character who should have received an animated adaptation years ago.
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As his self-titled video game proved, putting him in other mediums is a sure-fire bet to do something new with the character. An animated film would go all in on the fourth-wall-breaking meta humor that makes Deadpool so iconic and likable. Plus, it would be the rare R-rated animated feature, which is a rarity nowadays and deserves more chances to be made.
Fantastic Four
After three attempts in live action, Marvel Studios will try again to create a version of Marvel's First Family on the big screen. While they are no stranger to reboots, this one feels extra important, not just for its stature as an important piece of Marvel history but also as a final chance to get the team right.
And while Marvel Studios will likely knock it out of the park if their track record says anything about it, animation might be a better fit for this team in general. Reed Richards' powers would look better in animation, and the story could easily lean in on the science fiction adventure aspects of the team as opposed to the standard superhero fare that many of their lesser adaptations fall into.
Green Lantern
Green Lantern appears to be a difficult character to get right. While the Ryan Reynolds 2011 film was a valiant attempt, it left a lot to be desired and failed to capitalize on the main conceit of the character - which is the idea that, through the Green Lantern ring, you can create anything your mind desires.
This premise alone means it's very likely that Green Lantern might be better suited for animation than live-action. His appearances on Justice League Unlimited are fun, but a full feature-length version of the character with a movie budget could be a superhero film for the ages.
Ms. Marvel
When the MCU brought in Kamala Khan, they made a change to her character that has remained controversial. Her powers, which are stretch based in the comics, were changed to that of constructs similar to Green Lantern, and while the final series ended up being acclaimed enough that most skeptics were won over, it's still a bitter taste for many comics fans.
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An animated feature with Kamala Khan in her original power set could help mitigate the damage. The public sees her powers for what they are in the comics, while animators can flex their skills and deliver some truly creative scenarios. It could even have a unique art style - a 2D/3D hybrid like Into the Spider-Verse would be a great fit for her.
Power Pack
While it seems like every character under the sun is getting the live-action treatment from Marvel Studios, some characters still haven't been touched. Power Pack, a team of younger characters in Marvel Comics, has likely not been done due to their young age and their stories tending to aim very young in demographics.
So why not bring them into animated form instead? Disney found great success with Big Hero 6, and Power Pack would be a great fit for a second animated feature from the studio based on the comics. Plus, as Big Hero 6 showed, they have the potential of taking these characters, reinventing them for a new audience, and appealing to both kids and adults.
Superman
For some reason, it seems near impossible for Warner Bros and DC to get another Superman movie off the ground. Numerous attempts have been made since Man of Steel was released in 2013. While it's very likely that with the recent announcements from WB Discovery that it will happen sooner than later, now would be a good time to do something unique with the character.
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While DC League of Super-Pets isn't exactly a huge hit at the box office, it has received strong enough reviews that it could justify more animated films from DC in theaters, and a Superman film seems to be the best way to go. A full-length feature version of the old-school Fleischer cartoons, still regarded as one of the best versions of the character, could be the key to making him popular again.
The Flash
Similar to Superman, The Flash has had difficulty getting to theaters. While a live-action Flash has been known to audiences for quite a while on the CW, an animated film could be the key to making sure audiences are interested again. After all, with the controversy surrounding the current upcoming film and the ninth season being the end for the Arrowverse, The Flash would need a full reinvention for audiences to care.
Several ways to go about this, but an animated film in the vein of something like The Incredibles - old school, pulpy 50s style - could be the key here. The Flash is a cheesy character with some cheesy villains, and leaning into that in animation could be the way to breathe new life into the genre.
Wolverine
It seems that Marvel is keen on leaving the character of Wolverine alone for a bit after Hugh Jackman hung up the claws in 2017. While this is understandable, another actor will have to play the role at some point. Until then, why not give him the full animated treatment and do something separate from the Marvel Cinematic Universe so he can breathe for a bit?
A Wolverine animated feature would be a risky endeavor - it would likely be R-rated, for one, and a serious one at that, making it a hard sell to audiences. Despite that, if we get somebody like Genndy Tartakovsky in charge, and it ends up being like Primal in terms of tone, it could be really special.
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