Eileen's primary literary love is comic books, but she’s always on the lookout for her next literary adventure no matter what form it takes. She has a Bachelor's in media studies, a Master's in digital communication, a smattering of published short stories, and a seriously cute dog. Follow her on Bluesky.
I love superhero movies, despite their many flaws. But there are a few moments, regardless of the quality of the rest of the film, that make me want to put on a ridiculous costume and dangle a sidekick from a telephone pole. Here are three of them—spoiler-haters, beware—but first:
Dishonorable Mention: He Has No Mouth and I Must Scream
Yes, I threw a hissy fit when X-Men Origins: Wolverine took the famously mouthy mercenary Deadpool and literally erased his mouth. WHY, SONY.
But unlike most movie mistakes, this one was amply corrected when Ryan Reynolds returned as a more comic-faithful Deadpool for not one, not two, but three entire films. So, as infuriating as this moment was, I’m leaving it off the official list.
3. Some Days, You Just Can’t Get Rid of a Bomb
Of all my issues with The Dark Knight Rises, somehow the climax—when Batman carts a nuclear bomb out into the ocean to “save” Gotham from the fallout—is what had me wanting to throw things.
Detonating an atom bomb on the open ocean might save Gotham from a direct blast, but it is going to irradiate miles upon miles of water. At best, you are looking at the deaths of millions of marine animals, the decimation of the Eastern Seaboard’s fishing and other ocean-based industries, and the poisoning of any boaters unfortunate enough to be in the area (see: Daigo Fukuryū Maru). At worst, the wind is going to push radioactive material onto land, contaminating the soil and sickening countless people.
Rather than cleaning up this mess, Batman quits and hares off to Italy. Typical billionaire behavior.
Speaking of billionaires…
2. Saw That Cameo in Home Alone 2 and Said Hold My Beer
Iron Man 2 is the story of an arrogant billionaire who deals with his problems by destroying both property and personal relationships. On that level, I suppose it made sense to solicit cameos from actual arrogant and destructive billionaires.
The first cameo is by Trump buddy and possible election denier Larry Ellison, and the second is by none other than Elon “Let’s kill thousands of children for funsies” Musk. As a bonus, the movie throws in an appearance by Bill O’Reilly, who would get belatedly booted from Fox News over sexual harassment allegations seven years later.
In fairness, this was 2010, before any of these events happened. But Ellison and Musk were already billionaires, hence their cameos, and, as I’ve already discussed, there are no good billionaires. And O’Reilly was a well-established bigot and bully. The sight of these creeps is almost enough to ruin the glory of Don Cheadle’s debut as Rhodey and that suitcase armor.
1. No One Read the Source Material
Okay, I lied, this one is two moments, because X-Men: First Class gave us two infuriating scenes for the price of a single movie ticket. Generous!
First, we have the death of the mutant Darwin. In the comics, Darwin instantly evolves to survive whatever tries to kill him. The film version is easily dispatched by Shaw, even though the ENTIRE POINT of this character is that he cannot be killed. Darwin survived being hurled into space, yet now he can’t survive Kevin Bacon? Please.
And now, my biggest villain moment: at the film’s climax, Magneto stops American and Soviet missiles in midair, then hurls them back at the warships that launched them. Xavier’s brilliant plea to stop the slaughter? By telling Magneto, whose entire origin story is that he’s a Holocaust survivor, that the soldiers were “just following orders.” Woof.
Even if Xavier slept through the history class that mentioned the Nuremberg trials (where this defense was first used), he had a refresher with Eichmann’s trial (where it was used again) the year prior to the events of this movie. If he didn’t know what he was saying, he should have.
What superhero movie moments made you start designing death traps? Come share on BlueSky!
The following comes to you from the Editorial Desk.
This week, we’re highlighting a post discussing why it’s worth pursuing “underconsumption” in your reading life. In this era of amassing special and deluxe editions and crowding your shelves for the Tok, challenge yourself to consider a scaled-back approach to the bookish life. Read on for an excerpt and become an All Access member to unlock the full post.
One of the things that has provided some comfort for me during the recent horrors is underconsumption content on TikTok. Whether it’s Project Pan or the fact that, according to the Fashion Transparency Index, there is currently enough clothing on earth to clothe the next six generations, it’s a welcome break from being told what I should be buying. As a child, I used to adore watching TLC’s Clean Sweep. As an adult, I think I could probably stand to put all of my possessions out on a tarp on the lawn every so often. TikTok is an engine for consumerism, but somehow, it’s managed to plant a seed in my brain that goes against its own interests.
The why of underconsumption is a belief that we simply do not need all of the things that we have. It’s also a good way to build a practice of taking a breath before we chase that dopamine high of buying a new thing, of finding joy in the things that we create for ourselves. It’s made me look at how many of my hobbies don’t lead to the creation of anything new, not even ideas.
Of course, for some of us, underconsumption is an economic necessity. Most of us don’t live the lives we see reflected on our various feeds. With the will-they-or-won’t they of massive tariffs on many products coming in from other countries, the reality is that things are likely to get more expensive. This “trend” is really just showing how to make the most of what you have. Many books on shelves in the United States are printed in China, but are currently exempt from tariffs.
Why am I ruining a pure, good thing for you in these times, you ask? I’m going to try not to. I am simply here to offer suggestions that I myself will have trouble following. We strive for progress and not perfection. I am pretty sure that if I deleted the Libby app right now, heaven forbid, I would have enough unread books in my home to get me through an entire calendar year.
Sign up to become an All Access member for only $6/month and then click here to read the full, unlocked article. Level up your reading life with All Access membership and explore a full library of exclusive bonus content, including must-reads, deep dives, and reading challenge recommendations.
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