In 2016, every studio that had a stake in Marvel or DC properties attempted to broaden the scope of their universe in order to set up future installments: The year saw a clash of heroes in both Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice and Captain America: Civil War, there was also the introduction of Marvel's mystical side in Doctor Strange, the expansion of the DCEU with Suicide Squad, and Fox's most ambitious X-Men blockbuster with Apocalypse.
The buried Roger Corman production was the stuff of pop culture lore for decades before anyone saw it. Tim Story's two titles from the 2000s were critical disappointments and poor representations of some of the comics' most iconic arcs.
The two films embody a retreat from the dark, gritty, real-world templates that ran amok once the genre really took off over the last couple of decades. They offer a vision of heroism that includes self-sacrifice and protection of the innocent.
