67. Darkman

Every comic book aficionado knows the key to a great character is in his or her origin. It’s not the costume or the persona that makes you a fan (although those things can add value later on); it’s how the character was formed that makes you want to follow them obsessively. Director Sam Raimi demonstrated an understanding of this when he beautifully adapted Spider-Man for the big screen. But he also demonstrated it a decade earlier, with his great overlooked comic book-style thriller Darkman.

What an origin this character had! Darkman possessed the unwitting transformation of the Hulk, the vigilantism of Batman, and the dark intensity of Wolverine all rolled into one. A pre-stardom Liam Neeson played Dr. Payton Westlake, a researcher trying to develop synthetic skin for burn victims. When a group of thugs, headed by the evil Durant (Larry Drake), blow up his lab and leave him for dead, a charred Westlake uses his work to create a series of disguises for himself. He then sets out on a mission of revenge. The only hitch is that the synthetic skin decomposes after 99 minutes if exposed to light (hence the name Darkman). Making this scenario even tastier is the fact that Westlake’s injuries have left him impervious to pain and possessing uncontrollable rushes of adrenaline. Director Raimi gives the movie a beautiful look, full of the dutch angles and surreal images that comic books are known for. It’s the character who really pulls us in, however.

Darkman didn’t begin on the pages of a comic book, although it feels like he did. Watching the movie allows audiences to witness the birth of an exciting new superhero with an endless potential for story material. Regrettably, Darkman inspired only two sub-par sequels and a series of mediocre novels. It is a testament to the character’s strength that his failure to thrive in no way detracts from the pleasure of watching him be born in glorious style. (Mike McGranaghan)