Superheroes Have Birthdays, Too
Friday, March 28, 2014 at 10:19AM 
Batman
Did you know that May marks Batman's 75th birthday? The billionaire in the cowl was introduced in Detective Comics #27 May 1939 edition (a comic that sold a few years ago for over a million dollars). He's aged well but trust funds will help that way. And Bruce Wayne had more money than God even before Batman was a cultural icon and DC and Warner Bros figured out how to make billions from trotting him out consistently. Warner Bros is planning a year-long celebration as well they should since their ownership of DC's superheroes on screen probably accounts for a nice sliver percentage of their profits.
I'd suggest a theme week here but after the past 25 years of movie blockbusters featuring the caped crusader, maybe I need a break. What say ye? Celebrate or Ignore? Or somewhere inbetween?
Quicksilver
One of the sexiest of superheroes (saith I), Magneto's son, the sometimes evil sometimes good super speed silver haired young fox turns 50 this very month. He's never been visualized onscreen but due to complicated rights issues we'll get him twice over in the fourteen months with Fox's X-Men Days of Future Past (played by Evan Peters in a terrible wig in 2014) and Marvel Studio's Avengers: Age of Ultron (Aaron Johnson with silver hair despite earlier awful suggestions he'd stay brunette in 2015). [Long story short: Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver as spawn of Magneto are connected to The X-Men mythology but more often connected to The Avengers in terms of regular appearances so both studios can use them provided they never mention their other heroic connections.]
Next month Daredevil and The Black Widow both turn 50. They were once lovers in the comics but due to rights issues they aren't really in each other's orbits onscreen.
The Black Widow is back very very quickly in Captain America: Winter Soldier and the latest incarnation of Daredevil will arrive whenever Netflix gets around to their planned series. That one is certain to be the most satisfying simply because it can't be worse than the movie version. I only pray they make him a redhead this time like he's supposed to be. Male gingers deserve their proxy heroes, too.
Namor turns 75 in April, the Green Goblin turns 50 in Julym, Scott Pilgrim (not really a superhero I know) turns 10 in 2004, and Hawkeye turns 50 in September
Reader Comments (8)
I'm sorry to go off-topic but I'm just confused as to why the last seven posts haven't been entirely about Uma Thurman in Nymphomaniac.
Eh, I kind of like that TFE isn't comic book stuff all the time, but I'm also sure you'd find an interesting take on the various anniversaries, and I'll read it either way, so... How's that for a ringing endorsement?
Batman is 75. Robin is 74. I really wish Warner Bros had the bravery to kick Nolan out in 2009 so they could get Max Records on that horse quickly and possibly, then, justify a Teen Titans film after a second film under Batman's tutelage, but...(sigh)...no use crying over spilled milk now.
Meh. There are loads of other sites that talk about superheroes, etc. so I don't usually pay much attention to posts about that genre here, but there are NO sites that move from Kate Hepburn's filmography to RuPaul to Lars von Trier to Meryl Streep as effortlessly as you do here! Which is why I show up. Plus, I think the overall congeniality of most of the commenters on this site is refreshing.
Well I'm happy to report that Black Widow is no damsel in distress in Capt America 2.. she held off just fine on her own..
Pam, you have a point about our range :) I'll probably do something Batmany but not a whole week. We'll see.
Oh, man. A 2012 or 2013 Teen Titans film DREAM just popped in my head
Robin: Already cast. Max Records.
Raven: If we're talking characterizations more in line with the 03-06 cartoon than the New Teen Titans comics? Abigail Breslin had already shown a bit more talent/range than just her Little Miss Sunshiney prop. (Most notably for me, actually, Zombieland.) I think it could have been cool.
Cyborg: Unknown.
Starfire: Unknown.
Beast Boy: Unknown. (If you're casting an action movie around the idea of teenagers, I'm generally going to endorse a few appropriately aged unknowns instead of the entire cast having prior footholds.)
Killer Moth: Kyle Chandler (On the cartoon show, he actually used moths in his crimes and wasn't just trying to be an early, stupidly laboured, "criminal equivalent of Batman". He has played egotistical characters before (King Kong), so it could be fun without being wholly unfitting like him as any flavour of Deathstroke would be.)
So, if anyone has commentary on how that could have worked or if it even WOULD have worked, say so.
Count me in anytime you post something related to comic books characters (The Avengers, especially), Nat. I'm a proud geek at heart. And I agree with the comments about the range of this site. Keep up the good work!