Superhero cinema has gotten so big that your grandma probably knows who Groot is.
We have multiverses, Spider-People from eight dimensions, and more Batmen than you can fit in a Batcave.
Yet somehow, a whole roster of incredible comic book characters are still waiting on the bench,
watching everyone else get solo movies while they show up in animated series, team books, or the background of ensemble films.
This isn’t just about fan wish lists. Giving the right comic book characters their own movie can refresh the superhero genre,
bring new tones and themes to the big screen, and pull in audiences who are tired of the “same hero, different costume” formula.
From former sidekicks stepping into leadership roles to mystical magicians and cosmic space cops,
there are plenty of heroes who are absolutely ready for the spotlight.
Why Some Heroes Still Don’t Have a Solo Movie
If you look at the last decade of comic book movies, studios tend to gravitate toward “safe” bets:
characters with name recognition and existing box-office proof. That’s why Batman, Spider-Man, and the Avengers
get endless reboots and sequels while other heroes with decades of rich storytelling still wait their turn.
There are a few reasons these characters get sidelined:
- Brand confusion: Spin-offs and legacy heroes can be tricky to market if audiences only know the original big name.
- Genre risk: Magical horror, street-level crime, or cosmic sci-fi may feel like bigger gambles than straightforward superhero origin stories.
- Rights and planning: Some characters are tied up in long-term cinematic universe plans, stuck in development limbo, or waiting for the “right” director.
But the current audience is savvy, streaming has educated everyone on niche heroes,
and superhero fatigue is real. The solution isn’t fewer heroesit’s better chosen heroes.
Let’s look at some comic book characters who are screaming for their own movie.
Nightwing: The Graduate of the Bat-Family
Dick Grayson isn’t just “the first Robin.” He’s the blueprint for how a sidekick grows up.
In the comics, Dick eventually steps out from under Batman’s cape and becomes Nightwing,
a solo hero protecting the corrupt city of Blüdhaven while still being a central pillar of the larger DC universe.
Nightwing brings something unique to the big screen:
- A coming-of-age superhero story: Not a teenager learning to be a hero, but a young adult figuring out who he is without his mentor.
- Grounded action: Nightwing’s acrobatics, escrima-stick combat, and parkour-heavy fights would make for stunning, practical stunt work.
- Emotional stakes: His complicated relationship with Bruce Wayne, his history with the Titans, and his role as the “heart” of the DC universe give him real depth.
A Nightwing movie could be part neo-noir thriller, part emotional drama, and part high-flying action film.
Imagine something with the energy of a modern martial-arts movie, the emotional weight of a family drama,
and the slick urban style of a crime thriller. That’s a very different flavor from a traditional Batman story
and exactly what the genre needs.
Static: The Teen Hero Who Deserves a Live-Action Breakout
Static, also known as Virgil Hawkins, comes from Milestone Media’s universe and has long been one of the most
beloved teen heroes in comics. Thanks to the early-2000s animated series Static Shock,
an entire generation grew up watching a witty Black teenager juggle school, friendship, and electromagnetic superpowers in a city plagued by social issues.
Static is tailor-made for a modern superhero film:
- Relatable lead: He’s a nerd, a gamer, a kid trying to navigate family life and systemic challenges while also having to save the city.
- Visually dynamic powers: Electromagnetic abilities make for killer action scenesflying on manhole covers, bending metal, weaponizing technology.
- Social commentary: Good Static stories tackle bullying, policing, racism, and community in a way that never feels preachy, just real.
A Static movie could hit the sweet spot between the humor of Spider-Man,
the grounded social themes of movies like Black Panther, and the aspirational tone of classic teen dramas.
In other words: it could absolutely crush with both young audiences and nostalgic older fans.
Zatanna: Magic, Mystery, and Prestige Cinema
Superhero magic is usually a side dishsomeone waves their hands, a portal opens, we move on.
Zatanna Zatara, however, is built to put magic at the center of the story.
She’s a world-famous stage magician who also happens to be one of the most powerful sorcerers in the DC universe,
casting spells by speaking backward and juggling a glamorous public persona with dangerous occult responsibilities.
A Zatanna film could do several exciting things at once:
- Blend genres: Think supernatural horror, psychological thriller, and stylish magic show all in one.
- Spotlight a complex heroine: She deals with legacy, guilt, and the cost of rewriting realityemotionally rich territory.
- Open the door to Justice League Dark–style stories: Zatanna is a perfect gateway to darker magical corners of comicsdemons, cursed books, and haunted cities.
Visually, a Zatanna movie could lean into surreal imageryreverse speech echoing across the screen,
reality folding like a stage illusion gone wrong, and stage sets transforming into battlegrounds.
Done well, it would stand out completely from the standard city-punching superhero template.
Nova (Richard Rider): Marvel’s Space Epic-in-Waiting
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has already given us the Guardians of the Galaxy and a taste of the Nova Corps,
but somehow Richard RiderMarvel’s classic Novastill doesn’t have his own movie. In the comics,
he’s an ordinary teen from New York who suddenly inherits the power of a dying Xandarian Centurion and is thrown into the role of cosmic peacekeeper.
Why Nova needs his own film:
- Reluctant hero angle: He starts out clumsy and overwhelmed, which makes his growth into a seasoned cosmic warrior incredibly satisfying.
- Big emotional stakes: Stories like Annihilation put Nova on the front lines of universe-ending wars, giving him a seriousness that balances his everyman charm.
- Visual spectacle: Light-speed flight, star-field battles, and alien civilizations would be tailor-made for large-format screens.
Nova could give Marvel a story that feels like a mashup of teen drama, war epic, and space opera.
It’s also a great chance to reset the tone of cosmic storiesless jokey road trip, more “kid from Earth carrying the weight of galaxies.”
Spider-Gwen (Ghost-Spider): A Fresh Spin on the Spider-Mythos
Thanks to animation and comics, Spider-Gwen (often called Ghost-Spider) has already become a fan favorite.
In her universe, it’s Gwen Stacynot Peter Parkerwho gets bitten by the radioactive spider.
Peter dies trying to become a hero, and Gwen carries the guilt while dealing with fame, music, and masked vigilantism.
A solo Spider-Gwen movieespecially in live actionwould bring several new ideas:
- Alternate-universe focus: Earth-65 has its own strange versions of familiar characters, instantly making the world feel fresh.
- Music and style: Gwen is a drummer for a band, and her costume and world lean heavily into punk and neon aesthetics.
- Different emotional arc: Instead of Peter’s “great power, great responsibility,” we get “great power, deep guilt, and the fear of hurting people again.”
You could shoot a Spider-Gwen film like a stylish coming-of-age rock drama fused with a superhero story,
where band rehearsals, strained friendships, and rooftop fights all hit with equal intensity.
Batgirl: A Heroine Who Deserves Better Than a Canceled Project
Barbara Gordon’s Batgirl has been a core part of DC lore for decadesas a costumed vigilante, as a survivor,
and as the brilliant tech mastermind Oracle. Her character has gone through enormous evolution,
and that gives filmmakers multiple angles to explore: energetic young hero, grounded detective, or cyber-intelligence expert.
A proper Batgirl movie could:
- Explore Gotham from a new viewpoint: Not the billionaire in the mansion, but a young woman navigating danger, career, and family.
- Dig into trauma and resilience: Depending on the era, Barbara’s journey involves recovering from life-changing violence and redefining what heroism looks like.
- Highlight mentorship and friendship: Relationships with characters like Jim Gordon, Nightwing, and the Birds of Prey give her a strong supporting cast.
Instead of just being a side character in someone else’s story, Batgirl could carry a film that balances detective work, emotional stakes, and agile, gadget-heavy action sequences.
Moon Knight–Style Risk for Other Cult Favorites
One of the lessons from recent superhero projects is that audiences are open to risk:
morally complicated heroes, darker themes, and experimental storytelling.
Characters like Moon Knight proved you can take a lesser-known hero and still build a passionate fanbase
if the story is bold and personal enough.
The same logic applies to many cult-favorite comic characters who haven’t had their chance:
street-level vigilantes with messy lives, supernatural detectives, or morally gray anti-heroes.
A theatrical movie or even a hybrid streaming-first film could turn an “obscure” character into the next mainstream obsession.
What It’s Like Waiting for Your Favorite Hero’s Movie
If you’ve ever had a favorite comic book character who never seems to get their own movie,
you know the oddly specific emotional roller coaster that comes with it.
First, there’s the hopeful phase: you hear a vague rumor, maybe a casting wishlist,
or a comment in an interviewsuddenly you’re deep in speculation threads, imagining trailers that don’t exist yet.
Then comes the “development limbo” era. You see headlines like “Studio considering a Nightwing project”
or “Zatanna film in the works,” and you start mentally storyboarding the entire movie in your head.
You picture the opening shot, the tone of the score, the way the costume might look in live action.
You send those articles to your friends like, “SEE? I TOLD YOU THEY’RE COOL.”
After that, reality sets in. Studio priorities change, cinematic universes get rebooted,
and schedules rearrange. Suddenly the project is “paused,” “shelved,” or just never mentioned again.
You’re left explaining to non-comic-reading friends why you’re disproportionately upset about a movie that technically never existed.
But there’s also a fun side to this waiting game. You start curating your ideal version of the movie in your head:
which run of the comics you’d adapt, which director has the right style, which actor has the right mix of charisma and vulnerability.
Fans turn into unpaid development executivesdrawing fan posters, cutting fan trailers, and writing long threads
about how a Static film could perfectly balance humor and heavy themes.
Over time, this weird, patient anticipation actually deepens your connection to the character.
You appreciate the comics and animated adaptations more, because they’re all you have.
You re-read key arcs, dig into older issues, and hunt down guest appearances.
Each new rumor feels like a little electric jolt: maybe this time it’ll really happen.
And if the movie finally does get announcedcasting confirmed, release date setit’s a payoff years in the making.
For casual viewers, it’s just another superhero film on the calendar.
For long-time fans, it feels like seeing an old friend finally get the job, promotion, or recognition they’ve always deserved.
That emotional investment is exactly why studios should take more chances on these “underused” characters.
There’s a passionate audience already waiting, tickets metaphorically in hand.
Until then, fans will keep doing what they’ve always done: imagining the perfect Nightwing rooftop chase,
the ideal Zatanna stage-illusion-turned-boss-fight, the first time Static lights up a city skyline in live action,
or Nova rocketing from Earth into a star-filled war zone. The movies may not exist yetbut in the minds of fans,
they’re already playing on repeat.
Conclusion: Time to Share the Spotlight
Superhero cinema isn’t going anywhere, but it does need to evolve.
The next big step isn’t a bigger crossover or a multiverse with extra multiverse on topit’s elevating characters
who bring new perspectives, tones, and genres into the mix. Nightwing brings growth and independence,
Static brings relatability and social depth, Zatanna introduces stylish occult stories,
Nova offers cosmic gravitas, Spider-Gwen adds music-and-multiverse flair, and Batgirl gives Gotham a grounded, human center.
Letting these characters lead their own movies won’t just please long-time comic readers.
It will also give casual audiences fresh stories that don’t feel like the same hero in a slightly different mask.
The material is there. The fan demand is there. All that’s missing is a studio ready to roll the cameras.