Earlier this week, we learned that Marvel Comics would be introducing a new 20th Century Studios imprint with their upcoming “Planet of the Apes #1″ in April. This new imprint opens a lot of doors and means we could see several of our favorite film (and television) franchises joining the likes of Planet of the Apes, Alien and Predator very soon.
So what franchises could we see turned into Marvel Comics soon? Here’s a list of seven that would be a whole lot of fun.
Avatar
This is the most obvious choice. Avatar is one of the biggest film franchises in the world and it lends itself perfectly to comics. The magical world of Pandora provides some incredible visuals on the big screen so there’s no reason to think one of the incredible comic book artists out there couldn’t do it justice on the page. It is interesting because we have already seen Avatar stories told in comic books from Dark Horse Comics, so it may be some time before we see them come from Marvel. However, it seems likely Avatar was in mind when this new imprint was created.
Free Guy
There aren’t enough comedy comics out there. Free Guy is one of the more recent 20th Century Studios films, and in my opinion, one of the best. The Ryan Reynolds-led comedy sees a video game character begin to understand the reality in which he lives. The film leaves us with a whole lot of possibilities for future adventures so perhaps they could take place in comics.
Ice Age
Another no-brainer. One of the biggest animated film franchises of all time, Ice Age is loaded with lovable characters and a fun setting. There are certainly a lot of different stories that can still be told within the realm of this popular franchise, as is evident from the recent Ice Age: Scrat Tales series of shorts on Disney+. A dialogue-free series of comics following Scrat could be very entertaining.
The X-Files
This is another interesting one because the beloved series had already seen several comic adaptations, including one created by a DC Comics imprint. Still, if The X-Files is, in fact, clear for Marvel to use, this is another easy choice. The iconic sci-fi franchise has just enough action and mystery to work perfectly in the comic format. The only downside is we cant get that incredible theme song in a comic.
Family Guy
It seems today that all you see is violence in comics and… wait, that’s not right. You can go with any one of 20th Televisions popular animated series, but to me, Family Guy is the one that would work best as a comic. Particularly Stewie and Brian and their crazy adventures could be a lot of fun in comic form. Perhaps a new time-traveling adventure that even crosses over with the Marvel Universe at times.
American Horror Story
Just like comedy, there aren’t enough horror comics out there. There are few horror franchises out there these days bigger than American Horror Story. With 11 season, each one telling a different story, there are a lot of opportunities here for comics. Whether its true adaptations of each season, or different looks at the stories, there are certainly a lot of fans who would be excited to see this.
Die Hard
Next to Avatar, this is probably the easiest franchise to adapt. I mean, John McClane is pretty much already a Marvel superhero. Die Hard is one of the most iconic action films of all time and it could very easily be adapted into a gritty and, dare I say explosive, comic. Plus, there are four sequels out there, each one riddled with characters who could further explored. This is a franchise that truly deserves an adaptation like this.
Marvel Comics’ new 20th Century Studios imprint will kick off on April 5 with “Planet of the Apes #1.”