The two big comic powerhouses Marvel and DC both have a range of bizarre villains that they can choose from to adapt to live-action. While some of them could actually work on the big and small screen, others are perhaps better left on the pages of the comic books.
Surprisingly, some of these characters have actually made it, when they really shouldn't have done. Although a couple have turned out to be a success, others were probably a poor judgment. Here are 10 villains that probably shouldn't have been adapted to live-action, but were!
10 BATROC THE LEAPER
Batroc the Leaper is one of Marvel's weirdest villains. He's often defeated fairly easily and has quite a strange costume and facial hair. His power is to leap really high, although he is a very skilled martial artist.
He has actually appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, fighting against Captain America, in one of the MCU's more memorable fight sequences. Batroc is definitely changed slightly to rely on his martial arts but it's actually quite a cool cameo for an odd character.
9 POLKA-DOT MAN
The Polka-Dot Man will be making his debut in the newest version of the DCEU's Suicide Squad and we assume he will be a member of the team that will meet his maker pretty quickly. Polka-Dot Man in name alone is a strange character.
The odd thing about this villain is that the dots on his suit can be turned into lots of different weapons. It's a design choice that we certainly have to question and we have no idea how James Gunn is going to pull it off in live-action.
8 EGO THE LIVING PLANET
Ego has always been quite an odd character. The fact is, he is a whole planet. Very rarely are characters of this scale actually added to a live-action film or TV show. When he was first announced for the MCU fans were confused about how he would be adapted.
Although the character does take a human form for quite some time, there is also a brief look at Ego in his traditional form, as a full planet. It turns out it was a brilliant character to choose for the film even though most people would have written him off!
7 CAPTAIN BOOMERANG
Whether it's in the Arrowverse or the DCEU, Captain Boomerang has somehow been made to work even though he really shouldn't. He's a villain that throws trick boomerangs and has a dodgy Australian accent, yet he's one of the best members of the Suicide Squad.
He's so popular that he's one of the few villains who will be returning for a second film and has been brought into the Arrowverse numerous times. It turns out that even though on paper this character is ridiculous, there's enough substance for him to work.
6 EGGHEAD
Egghead is one of those characters that you wonder if he could ever be accurately represented. A long time villain of Ant-Man, he is literally named egghead because of the shape of his peculiar head.
Asides from this he is a super genius and scientist and has been briefly seen in the MCU, even becoming the father of the Ghost. There's potential for him to return in the future as his so-called death could have given him his iconic head.
5 SLIPKNOT
The Suicide Squad of the DCEU has a lot to answer for and Slipknot is another character that we're scratching our heads about. For starters, he doesn't have any notable powers and is simply really good with rope.
The name isn't great either and his abilities aren't exactly cinematic. He was introduced just to be killed off but even then there could have been a slightly better villain to add, rather than this odd yet forgettable baddie.
4 THE OWL
Netflix has managed to bring a variety of Marvel villains to the small screen and one we were surprised to see was the Owl. Whereas a character like the Vulture has a lot of room to be creative, it was clear the Owl wouldn't really work on screen.
The character has been completely changed therefore and turned into more of a businessman. Although he does have a son that could don the wings and costume, it's more likely that we'll never see the true Owl, which might be for the best.
3 RAINBOW RAIDER
The Rainbow Raider is such a crazy character that when the Arrowverse introduced him we weren't sure what to expect. It turns out that the version we got on TV was only the character in name.
The powers were completely different and the personality was nowhere near what we're used to. The over the top nature of the character had been stripped away, so what was really the point?
2 DIAMONDBACK
Diamondback is a character that could work in theory but would need a lot more development and a much better costume. The snake theme is a little odd but it has been done before. Unfortunately, the way Netflix introduced him made us want to leave him in the comics.
The acting wasn't consistent and the dialogue made him feel too cheesy. On top of that, the bodysuit wasn't exactly scary, nor did it have any particularly interesting design choices. We're still quite surprised this managed to get the approval for a live-action appearance.
1 MISTER MXYZPTLK
An Imp with magical abilities and a name that just about no one can pronounce, wouldn't be the first choice for the villain of the week. However, the Arrowverse has shown us this character in two different forms.
Although neither is quite as over the top as the version in the comics, this fifth-dimensional being still has the personality and backstory that is worthy of the source material. Whoever managed to get this past the executives deserves a raise.