Why did old school superhero/comic book movies use made-up villains?

[toddly6666]

Is there a reason why superhero movies from the 1980s-1990s used newly-created villains rather than classic villains? Did producers think that they themselves could create some new iconic characters? Was there some trend to create something "new and different rather than stick to the source" during this time period?

Supergirl - Selena?
Superman 3 - Webster, Vera, Ambrosia?
Superman 4 - Nuclear Man?
Batman Returns - Max Shreck?
The Punisher (1989) - mafia characters not from the comics?
Dick Tracy - Big Boy Caprice?
Steel - Nathaniel Burke?
Catwoman - Laurel Hedare?

[Al_The_Strange]

I remember "Batman Returns" marketed the two main villains, Penguin and Catwoman, very heavily. I barely ever considered Max to be anything more than a side character. It wouldn't surprise me if they made him up just to give Christopher Walken something to do.

I seem to remember "Dick Tracey" having a whole mess of classic villains on screen, just with limited screen time.

Otherwise, most of these other movies are pretty weak to begin with (at least the ones I've seen are). Having weak villains strikes me as just another symptom of bad filmmaking.

[Foggy]

For most of those it was just lack of care towards the films, and just banking in on a name instead of actually using the source material. For others it's just an attempt to add something original and try and split away from the comics continuity.

[Omen2002]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

Otherwise, most of these other movies are pretty weak to begin with (at least the ones I've seen are).

You didn't just call Catwoman weak did you?

[Show spoiler]That might be a compliment.

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by toddly6666

Is there a reason why superhero movies from the 1980s-1990s used newly-created villains rather than classic villains? Did producers think that they themselves could create some new iconic characters? Was there some trend to create something "new and different rather than stick to the source" during this time period?

Superman 3 - Webster, Vera, Ambrosia?

Because Gene Hackman didn't want to return. Can't imagine why.

Steel - Nathaniel Burke?
Catwoman - Laurel Hedare?

Wait, you're saying Steel and Catwoman WEREN'T accurate representations of their DC comics?

[toddly6666]

Originally Posted by EricJ

Because Gene Hackman didn't want to return. Can't imagine why.



Wait, you're saying Steel and Catwoman WEREN'T accurate representations of their DC comics?

The only good Steel film/tv version I've seen was in the Justice League cartoon...

[RocShemp]

Originally Posted by toddly6666

Dick Tracy - Big Boy Caprice?

You sure about that one?

Big Boy made his first published (though apparently not chronological) appearance in Dick Tracy's second Sunday strip (October 11, 1931). In that self-contained story, Tracy, already a member of the police department's detective bureau, leads a raid on Big Boy's nightclub in order to arrest the mobster, and is able to thwart Big Boy's escape.

On October 12, 1931, the daily strip began its run. Big Boy was the main villain in the first published daily serial of the strip. His minions rob and murder Emil Trueheart right in front of his family and Tracy, and kidnap Tess Trueheart, Tracy's girlfriend. In response, Tracy joins the Detective Bureau and becomes the thorn in the gangster's side. The events in this daily story apparently predate the events depicted in the Sunday strip of the previous day. The Sunday strips and daily strips continued to run separately for the first few months of the feature.

Big Boy was featured in several different daily continuities and Sunday stories during the early years of the strip, becoming Gould's most frequently recurring villain, and during those early years was a sort of "gray eminence" behind virtually all the criminal activity Tracy was constantly thwarting, even in stories in which he wasn't the featured villain.

Although you are technically right:

In the 1990 film adaptation of the comic strip, Big Boy is played by Al Pacino in an Academy Award-nominated performance. It is in this film that Big Boy is first referred to as "Al 'Big Boy' Caprice." The movie character is physically very different from the comic strip character.

In the film, Big Boy Caprice is the former protégé of crime lord Lips Manlis (Paul Sorvino), whom he eventually murders after rising to power. His criminal empire spreads through the city like cancer, prompting Tracy (Warren Beatty) to make the diminutive gangster's destruction his own personal mission. Caprice's moll, Breathless Mahoney (Madonna), takes a sexual interest in Tracy; for his part, Tracy is tempted by the smoldering femme fatale, even though he is faithful to longtime girlfriend Tess Trueheart.

By the end of the film, Tracy has unraveled Caprice's empire, with help from a mysterious, faceless vigilante called "The Blank". Caprice kidnaps Tess, and holds her hostage in a tower containing the operating machinery of a drawbridge. The Blank, who is Breathless, tries to kill Caprice, however Caprice fatally shoots her. Tracy's punch knocks Caprice over a ledge and into the gears of the bridge. He then rescues Tess, whom Caprice had tied to other gears.

[toddly6666]

Originally Posted by RocShemp

You sure about that one?

oh cool, that's good to know now! I remember being disappointed that he was the main villain, but now it's cool that he was - I'm all for obscure, lesser-known villains being the main villains in comic book movies.

[Moviefan2k4]

Originally Posted by toddly6666

Is there a reason why superhero movies from the 1980s-1990s used newly-created villains rather than classic villains? Did producers think that they themselves could create some new iconic characters? Was there some trend to create something "new and different rather than stick to the source" during this time period?

I think its just the case of idiotic (and often greedy) producers thinking they can do better than the creators of the characters did. It's the same viewpoint a lot of "professionals" have towards screenwriters; they just rewrite the whole thing after buying it, and if the author gets any credit, its minimal.

On a related note, I'd never heard of Two-Face until "Batman Forever" came out, and I later realized why: he was created in 1942, but made only brief appearances for several decades. I didn't even connect Tommy Lee Jones' portrayal with Billy Dee Williams, from the 1989 movie.

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by Moviefan2k4

I think its just the case of idiotic (and often greedy) producers thinking they can do better than the creators of the characters did. It's the same viewpoint a lot of "professionals" have towards screenwriters; they just rewrite the whole thing after buying it, and if the author gets any credit, its minimal.

On a related note, I'd never heard of Two-Face until "Batman Forever" came out, and I later realized why: he was created in 1942, but made only brief appearances for several decades. I didn't even connect Tommy Lee Jones' portrayal with Billy Dee Williams, from the 1989 movie.

I never made that connection either, until "The Dark Knight" came out, and then understood that Harvey Dent and Two-Face were one and the same (...well, two halves of a whole ).

[Hawkguy]

Originally Posted by Omen2002

You didn't just call Catwoman weak did you?

[Show spoiler]That might be a compliment.

I think it's hilarious to watch...

If you look up the quotes on imdb, some of it honestly sounds like it's from a different movie that's a parody of the real movie (like "get your paws off me!")....yet sadly, not the case..

[chip75]

Some times it's a rights issue and studios don't want to pay another person. But there did seem to be a lot of fictional baddies in those movies. Max Schreck was named after the German Nosferatu actor.

[ROTTENLUNGZ206]

I think they still should of used Beebop and Rocksteady instead of Tokka and Rahzar for TMNTII:SOTO.