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

[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.