A lot of what makes a comic book movie so great is the era in which it was created. Batman represents a time when The Dark Knight was being recreated, while Iron Man is now the beginning of something bigger than we ever could have guessed at the time. But what if those comics existed in a different era? New York artist Peter Stults asks what with his unique art print series "What If," where he takes movie posters and reimagines them for a different era. Not just designed to match a unique look and style, these hypothetical film posters recast the films with era-appropriate actors and create some unique and interesting concepts.

Though he doesn't just do comic movies, they're some of Stults' best work. What if Batman V Superman spun out of the original serials? What if the ‘89 Batman film went to a gritty crime director? What if Wonder Woman was a ‘50s film icon? These posters offer a taste of what could have been, of a potentially different universe, all realized with gorgeous artwork and an eye for design that is unlike anything we've seen before. Here are 15 of Stult's best comic book movie poster redesigns.

15 BATMAN V SUPERMAN

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was something of a fan casting dream scenario. Henry Cavill, who had almost been cast in Superman Returns, was someone fans had eyed for a while. Ben Affleck proved a dark horse favorite to play Batman after campaigning for much of the ‘90s to play the character. It was important for the long-anticipated silver screen meeting of these two heroes that the casting be just right.

That train of thought is clearly attached to this poster for a classic Batman v Superman film. The poster imagines a ‘40s clash between the two and appropriately casts them with their respective actors from the serials of the era. This cast would have almost certainly been an incredible story, and even makes mention of the other cast members of those films, such as Noell Neill as Lois Lane and Lyle Talbot as Jim Gordon.

14 CAPTAIN AMERICA

A Captain America film was made in a different era, and not far from when this poster puts it. But while 1990s' Captain America was a Direct to video stinker, this proposed film has all the hallmarks of a cult success. Sam J. Jones, best known for his role as Flash Gordon in the 1980 film, certainly wasn't a huge star at the time, but he definitely had the look to pull off Marvel's Star-Spangled Avenger.

The remainder of the cast is incredible, including Michael Biehn taking on the role of Bucky. Also, the poster's sensibility, with a style and flash that lean towards the classic films of an era that would have potentially pre-dated even Tim Burton's Batman film, make this one's status as purely hypothetical a real shame.

13 CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR

There's a lot of spectacle that went into the release of Captain America: Civil War in the far off year of 2016. With stellar effects and the long-anticipated Marvel Cinematic Universe debut of Spider-Man, the film was destined to be a notable hit. This poster posits it as taking place in an era that would have been the mid-to-early ‘90s, an era where Batman was faltering and Superman was nowhere to be seen.

With Sam J. Jones as Captain America and Tom Berenger as Iron Man, the film gets you excited. Adding in the likes of Michelle Pfeiffer and Lance Henrikson makes it even better. This proposed film has a clear take on the ‘90s style, and one can't help but wonder how it would mesh with the state of the comic book characters at the time.

12 A DAME TO KILL FOR

Making a Sin City movie in an older era fits. After all, it already draws a lot of inspiration from the noir-soaked films of a bygone time. So it only makes sense to recast it as a film created in the late ‘50s or early ‘60s, with big-name stars of the era like Kirk Douglas and Lauren Bacall.

It wouldn't have the same style that made the modern Sin City films notable, obviously. After all, they couldn't film it on a green screen and do the entire film with a digital black and white style. But something about the thought of seeing the movie with this cast, in this era, is truly appealing. Sin City has always felt like it came from a different era entirely. Wouldn't it make sense if it was made in one?

11 THE DARK KNIGHT

A lot of actors were under consideration for the lead role in Tim Burton's 1989 Batman film, and Alec Baldwin was chief among them. This carries over into this interpretation of an ‘80s era The Dark Knight, helmed by gritty crime director Michael Mann and pitting Baldwin as Batman against Brad Dourif's Joker in this amazing piece that perfectly nails the feel and tone of a gritty Batman crime drama.

We never got Baldwin as Batman, and that's something of a shame. He seemed to embody the character in that era of his career, something that he attempted to show off with his turn in The Shadow. This poster also features another subtle nod to the previous Batman series, as Dourif was very nearly cast as The Riddler for Batman Forever.

10 DEADPOOL

Bruce Campbell has always been on the cusp of getting to play a superhero. Ash Williams is pretty close, and arguably one in his own right depending on your perspective. He also almost scored the role of Darkman thanks to his friend Sam Raimi, but it wasn't meant to be. But in a different era, Campbell would have made an excellent Deadpool.

Admittedly, the era where this film proposes to exist in would have been a touch difficult to make, given Deadpool didn't exist yet. But the proposed cast is spectacular. Cynthia Rothrock taking on the role of Angel Dust, pitting Campbell's Deadpool against Michael Ironside and including a Nicolas Cage who would still be relatively new. But perhaps most genius, Dolph Lundgren as Colossus seems so obvious that it's a shame we never got it.

9 DOCTOR STRANGE

Attempts were made for a long time to make a Doctor Strange movie prior to the 2016 release. That movie is an interesting addition to the Marvel Universe in its own right. Benedict Cumberbatch's casting was spot on, but so spot on that it became almost too obvious. The film was largely lauded for visual effects and a trippy story, but how would you carry that over into a classic era?

The answer is just the right amount of mind-bending. This poster proposes a film by Chilean director Alejandro Jodorowsky, who directed strange films like The Holy Mountain and 2016's Endless Poetry. Strange would be played by none other than David Bowie, whose casting alone makes this an entrancing prospect. Combining his bizarre nature and otherworldly energy with the wild and weird world of Doctor Strange is a no-brainer.

8 LOGAN

Logan makes it no secret that it's inspired by 1953 western Shane, but what if it was more like Shane instead of just being inspired by it? With hypothetical director Jack Smight and starring film legend Robert Mitchum, this version of Logan would have been released in the mid-to-late ‘70s and looks to be a beast all its own.

The poster evokes a classic feeling of a time long gone. Mitchum, who in the ‘70s was still going strong, would have been one hell of a Logan in a film that drew more direct inspirations from westerns. The simple colors and vast landscape of this film poster really drive home the sensation of a movie that may have also cut back on the high-octane action to focus instead on the nature of the Wolverine character.

7 MAN OF STEEL

Charlton Heston almost seems like a no-brainer to play Superman. After turns in Ben-Hur and Planet of the Apes, he was a huge leading man in Hollywood. It would only make sense to cast him as Superman, which is what this poster does, proposing that Man of Steel would have been made, likely instead of Christopher Reeves' turn in Superman: The Movie.

The poster is a cornucopia of film easter eggs. Orson Welles cast as Jor-El is pure genius, and the addition of the Kingdom Come S-shield a fun touch. But perhaps most notable is the addition of future President Ronald Reagan in his acting prime as the evil General Zod, though that doesn't explain why he appears to be wearing Sinestro's costume on the poster.

6 SPIDER-MAN

Spider-Man: Homecoming already brilliantly played off like a teen comedy, which was a large part of the film's charm. Taking that script back to the ‘80s, tying it in with the Captain America and Captain America: Civil War posters and proposing iconic director Robert Zemeckis behind the camera creates another film that would have been a tremendous success in the mid-to-early ‘90s.

Everything about this screams ‘90s comic book blockbusters. The casting of Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd to hearken back to their Back to the Future days, the brilliant, dull blue shades and the action popping off the page. This is the Spider-Man movie that could have brought the Marvel Cinematic Universe into being a full decade earlier if it could have been made.

5 SUICIDE SQUAD

Andrei Konchalovsky made his share of thrillers, but could he make Suicide Squad good? The DC film entry did well enough at the box office, but critically it got panned and most fans turned their nose up at it. This reinterpretation looks like a more interesting film right off the bat, thanks to some great casting decisions.

For starters, everyone feels like they're on the same level instead of the casting skewing more towards one A-lister over the others. But the real treat is Willem Dafoe's Joker casting, one that it's a real shame we didn't get. The poster also hides a fun easter egg in the form of Oprah Winfrey and Christopher Reeves appearing as Waller and Superman. The posters dark, violent tone is communicated perfectly by the chaotic burning TVs far more than the Technicolor posters we got for the real Suicide Squad movie.

4 SUPERMAN

John Wayne as Superman feels like it should have almost happened. Sure, Wayne was primarily a star of westerns, but he branched out into other films from time to time. This film imagines a far out, high caliber cast that includes a potentially debuting Clint Eastwood in this alternative to the Superman movie we got with Christopher Reeves, but wildly, this isn't far off from what almost happened.

Wayne's son, Patrick, was almost Superman. He'd actually been cast in the film but had to drop out following his father's diagnosis of stomach cancer. The role eventually went to Christopher Reeves, whose turn in the role is considered definitive even today. John Wayne would die a year later in 1979. Patrick never found the mainstream success of his father but has enjoyed a healthy career as a film star and television presenter.

3 THOR

The original Thor movie was got was honestly pretty camp, but it works. The films come off as grounded character pieces, focused more on building the story than presenting action. This poster imagines something completely different, a Thor film with a huge cast and high octane action. And it's all in looking at who is included in the poster.

The film imagined here is a Mad Max tribute at it's finest. Not only is Road Warrior star taking on the role of Thor, it's noted to be directed by George Miller. Miller, who very nearly took the Justice League to the big screen before The Avengers, has been on everyone's mind since Mad Max: Fury Road blew everyone's mind. Add in big names like Gregory Peck and Julian Sands and you've got the high drama, action-fueled Thor movie the character deserves.

2 THOR: THE DARK WORLD

Thor: The Dark World followed the template of its predecessor, and told a small story set in the world after The Avengers. Bringing comic book villain Malekith onto the big screen for the first time and expanding on the concept of the Nine Realms, the film plays off like a fun albeit lesser sequel and continues the story as best it can.

But the hypothetical Dark World we have here is instantly more exciting. The proposed film brings in the same cast and director as the previous hypothetical one but also casts classic English actor David Warner as Malekith, a role which was played as best he could by Christopher Eccleston. The Thor films we got were definitely adequate until Ragnarok righted the ship, but the proposed ones here would have been something truly magical.

1 WONDER WOMAN

It took a long while for Wonder Woman to make it to the big screen. Despite the popularity of the 1970s' Wonder Woman television series, it just didn't seem like Diana could sell on her own. We finally got an excellent movie, but this hypothetical film is enough to get you excited for what could have been.

Jane Russell was one of Hollywood's first true sex symbols with her fair complexion and dark hair. With a number of notable roles such as appearances in Gentleman Prefer Blondes and The French Line, you could easily see her taking on the role of Wonder Woman if the film were made at the height of her life. The poster communicates it all, capturing the strength and beauty that made Jane Russell a star and almost making one sad that she couldn't actually have a chance at the role once upon a time.