Whether you love it or hate it, comic book films are big bucks these days. Nothing sinks a comic book film faster for fans than when they see a director or writer "re-interpret" a character for a modern audience, often ruining any good-will fanboys had for a project. Worse, it hurts the comic book character the film is based upon (just look the the tough time my No. 1 pick is having with the mainstream press now).



To be clear, a maligned comic book character in film is not simply one that is mis-cast or even poorly written. Maligned comic book characters happen when the core of the character is completely misunderstood, often missing what made that character great in the first place.



For an example of a comic book character who would not be maligned in film, think of "Constantine". In the comics, John Constantine is a manipulative chain-smoking magician living in London. In the movie, John Constantine is a manipulative chain-smoking exorcist living in LA. Despite the major changes and the controversial casting of Keanu Reeves in the title role, the cynical hard-bitten core of the character remains true, if conceptually altered.



Unfortunately, cases like "Constantine" are a rarity when it comes to comic book films. Like the studio asking "Hellboy" director Guillermo Del Toro if the main character has to be a demon "all of the time", it happens in Hollywood a lot. Here are the worst offenders when it comes to comic book characters in film.



5. Deadpool from "X-Men Origin: Wolverine"



In the comics: Deadpool is a disfigured mercenary unlucky enough to survive a Weapon X experiment. As a result, he has a powerful healing factor which keeps his mind in a constant state of flux - and gives him the hilarious ability to break the fourth wall and spew more pop culture references than an episode of "Psych".



He also never stops the talking.



In the movie: After said experiment, Deadpool is a disfigured assassin with the abilities of captured or killed mutants. This includes admantium blades coming out of his hands, teleportation and even frigging' laser beams shooting out of his eyes.



Unfortunately, he never talks.



Bottom line: It pains me to put Deadpool on the list, because Ryan Reynold's depiction of the pre-transformation character was the funniest (and arguably best) 15 minutes of "X-Men Origins: Wolverine". Unfortunately, while the producers took great pains to depict Deadpool's abilities (he has a teleportation device in the comics), they ultimately turned the fan-favorite anti-hero into a mute mindless robot, making what could have been a breakout villain a breakdown character in the process.



4. Agent Zero from "X-Men Origins: Wolverine"



In the comics: Also known as Maverick, Agent Zero is a member of the three-man Team X, which also included Wolverine and Sabertooth. He had the ability to redirect energy, and he is also the only person capable of stopping Wolverine and Sabertooth from killing each other.



In the movie: Now a super-fast gun man, Agent Zero is apparently Sabertooth-Lite, with the same perchance for collateral damage, and not enough intelligence to know you don't mess with Wolverine . . .



Bottom Line: This is a very minor character in the comics, but unfortunately, he also happens to be one of my favorites. In the comics, Agent Zero represents a pragmatic gray area between Wolverine's heroism and Sabertooth's blood-thirst. He's been a hero almost as much as he's been a villain, and most times he's somewhere in-between. Unfortunately, the movie's "Agent Zero" was only the character in-name only, with virtually no connection to the comic book character.



3. Phoenix from "X-Men: The Last Stand"



In the comics: Phoenix is an alien being which inhabits X-Man Jean Grey to save her life and help her topple an alien despot. Unfortunately, the Hellfire Club (the baddies seen in "X-Men: First Class) try to manipulate Phoenix, leading to the creation of the Dark Phoenix, which threatens to consume the entire galaxy. Jean Grey regains control long enough to land a kill-shot to both herself and the Phoenix. Both Jean Grey and Phoenix got better, but no subsequent appearance was as memorable as "Dark Phoenix Saga".



In the movie: It turns out Jean Grey is a schizophrenic thanks to blocks Professor Xavier put in Jean's mind at an early age, with Phoenix her re-emerged dark side. She kills Cyclops (rumor has it because James Marsden had signed with "Superman Returns") as well as Xavier before joining up with Magneto. While the dual personalities remain consistent, Jean Grey's sacrifice is not - and she winds up getting killed by Wolverine.



Bottom Line: Man, why are there so many X-Men on this list? Though the third X-Men movie was originally intended as the Dark Phoenix Saga, the departure of director Bryan Singer to the aforementioned "Superman Returns" and the inclusion of a completely different story maimed the third film. As a result, not only was Jean's memorable sacrifice removed, but the characterization in this film also undermined her character in the last two films - including her sacrifice in "X2" - since her goodness was the result of psychic meddling and a split personality instead of her true nature. The train wreck of "X-Men: The Last Stand" was a huge stumbling block the X-Men film franchise is only now starting to recover from.



2. Parallax from "Green Lantern".



In the comics: After a little bit ret-conning, Parallax is a yellow bug-like embodiment of fear capable of driving entire civilizations mad. Parallax once controlled Green Lantern Hal Jordan, and drove him to exterminate most of the the Green Lantern Corps Darth Vader-style (both Jordan and the Corps got better).



In the movie: A rogue Guardian, Parallax is a dust cloud shaped like a giant floating head in space. While exposure to Parallax does turn a scientist into a high-brow nightmare, Parallax usually kills people Shang Tsung-style by stealing their souls . . . errr . . . I think. I'm not really clear on it.



Bottom line: Parallax is a third movie villain handled in the first movie, and it shows all too well. Parallax should have been hinted at the first movie and built up as big bad in subsequent sequels. Unfortunately, like Deadpool, the producers tried to do much in one movie. As a result, they inadvertently tipped their head. Even with Sinestro hinted as a baddie for the next Green Lantern film, the defeat of Parallax makes the franchise as a whole a lot less compelling and a lot less grand. After all, how can "Green Lantern 2" top outsmarting the living embodiment of fear itself?



1. Bane in "Batman and Robin".



In the comics: Born and raised in prison, Bane is criminal mastermind who mixes brains and brawn thanks to a super-steroid called Venom, which he pumps directly into his spinal cord. Bane once pushed Batman to the edge of his limits when he orchestrated a huge prison breakout across Gotham - and after the Dark Knight was exhausted from damage control, he broke the Caped Crusader's back (though you guessed it, Batman got better).



In the movies: The product of one of Poison Ivy's experiments, Bane is a hulking henchman whose key phrases are "Batman!" and "Bomb!".



Bottom Line: There was a lot wrong with Joel Schumacher's take on the Batman franchise in "Batman and Robin", but not even the mighty Bane has recovered from the stench of camp. Even with the casting of Tom Hardy as the super-strong Machiavellian, mainstream critics are still quick to point out Bane was the big dumb guy in "Batman and Robin".



Bane's blunder goes beyond cramming too much development in one film, as seen in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" and "Green Lantern". While those films had at least some well-development elements, "Batman and Robin" had already horribly written versions of Mr. Freeze ("Ice to see you!") and Poison Ivy ("I'll help you grab your rocks"). With dialogue like that, it may have been mercy Bane could only say two words.



Hopefully Bane will get the respect he deserves with the casting of Tom Hardy in the upcoming "The Dark Knight Rises". Thanks to "Batman and Robin", Bane has received all the venom from the Hollywood movie machine to last him a lifetime!



(That's it for this rant. Check out a new Blue Yonder coming later this week!)