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The blame game - Hancock
The set-up: Hancock is everything a hero shouldn't be - selfish, arrogant, and more often than not, drunk. In trying to save people, he usually ends up making it worse.
When the public rightly pull him on it, Hancock replies with all the grace and politeness you'd expect. First he calls them all stupid. Then, this happens:
Tubby bystander: "She should sue you!"
Hancock: "Yeah, well you should sue McDonald's, 'cos they f*&!ed you up"
Stay classy, Hancock.
Pink elephant - Darkman
The set-up: If you've never seen Darkman , then you are in for a treat . Directed by Sam Raimi and starring Liam Neeson, it's just about the weirdest superhero flick you'll ever see, with a mentally unhinged lead constantly on the verge of going wibbly-wobbly nutso.
Doorman drama - Spider-Man 2
The set-up: Sam Raimi's traditionally on-point when he lends his quirky humour to the Spider-Man series (let's forget number 3's emo dancing haircut thing ever happened, shall we?). His predilection to including bezzie movie mate Bruce Campbell in minor roles is an almost guaranteed fanboy win.
"Remember me?" - Iron Man
The set-up: Casting Robert Downey Jnr as the philanthropist playboy turned superhero was a genius move, and while there was a lot to set-up to get through with such a colourful character, he nailed it with ease in the origin story. Case in point, Stark's womanising ways, summed up and played out in one blink and you'll miss it putdown.
No cuts, no buts - Super
The set-up: Rainn Wilson stars as a superhero as unhinged as the villains he's fighting. He's got, shall we say, a short temper.
"Could he be...?" - Superman Returns
The set-up: Years of pre-established, widespread stupidity has always been the rationale for quite why an entire building full of award-winning investigative journalists could never make the connection between Clark Kent looking EXACTLY like Superman, and - you know - actually BEING Superman. But one scene in Superman Returns confirms it.
Kryptonian redecorating - Superman II
The set-up: Lex Luthor's formed an alliance with a trio of very angry and super-powered Kryptonians. Knowing how much Lois Lane means to Superman, they target the Daily Planet on a mission to kidnap her, and thus ensues a mega-powered smackdown as Superman arrives to save the day.
"He's kinda hot" - Man Of Steel
The set-up: Man Of Steel got a lot of flack from critics and fans wanting a few more zingers with their superheroism. Yet while Clark Kent is never going to be as hilarious as Tony Stark, Snyder's franchise revamp still had its fair share of chuckles. After saving the world and outing himself to all and sundry, Supes destroys a government satellite intent on tracking his movements.
Bat banter - The Dark Knight
The set-up: The camaraderie between Bruce Wayne and his elderly man servan…. house butler Alfred gives Nolan's franchise its heart. So it's always appreciated when we see the two engaging in playful banter to break up the relentless death, destruction and nihilism going on around them.
Dragneto - X-Men: First Class
The set-up: A deleted scene from the moment in which Xavier and Magneto make first contact with Angel Salvadore offers up a side to Michael Fassbender you've never seen before.
Mentor madness - Mystery Men
The set-up: Late '90s superhero comedy Mystery Men was the mildly deranged, even more nerdy precursor to Kick-Ass you may never have known about. Equal parts spoof and homage, it toyed with a group of predominately inept, pathetically powered superheroes on a mission to save the world.
Bomb disposal amateur - Batman (1966)
The set-up: The Dark Knight's '60s TV show wasn't exactly the most po-faced of affairs, but Adam West's big screen Batman debut couldn't have been camper had Liberace taken the lead. It was always a more 'KAPOW-y', classically comic book affair, but some of the humour was glorious in its ridiculousness.
Scraping at the doooor - Ghost Rider
The set-up: First up, Nicolas Cage taking the lead in anything is always a free ticket to crazyland. Secondly, pairing him with one of the weirdest and most off-kilter superheroes - and then giving Cage free reign to inject his own character traits into the role - guarantees inadvertent LOL gold.
That sure looks like a.... - Man Of Steel
The set-up: Krypton is on the verge of implosion-y self-destruction. A militarised coup has been overturned, and General Zod and his rebels are about to be banished to an inter-dimensional prison in which they'll likely never return. It's all very, very serious.
LOOOOOAHAGGH - Dredd
The set-up: With Sylvester Stallone as lead, and a weird tendency to rip off his helmet at every opportunity, Judge Dredd's first blockbuster appearance was decried by fans and critics alike. Especially thanks to its tone, which was oddly grit-lite considering the comic inspiration.
"NO CAPES" - The Incredibles
The set-up: Mr. Incredible's getting back into the superhero game on the sly, and unfortunately they just don't make good super-suits like they used to. When his is damaged, he turns to the head fashionista in the super-styling world - Edna Mode.
"You're a dick" - X-Men
The set-up: The comics have had almost 40 years to cement the friendly rivalry between boy scout X-Man Cyclops, and his love rival bad boy Wolverine. While Bryan Singer's origin story established the friction, it was one line in particular that encapsulated their entire dynamic.
Hulk SMASH Loki - The Avengers
The set-up: The world is at stake, but the Avengers have battled back the tide of invading alien forces. Still, Norse God of Mischief Loki is willing to fight to the death. And considering he's already bested all of the non-Hulk Avengers in armed combat up until that point, audiences prepare themselves for a fisticuff smackdown to end all movie smackdowns.
