Before Spider-Man, Sam Raimi Tried (And Failed) To Make Two Superhero Movies

Sam Raimi is back in the horror game with his survival thriller "Send Help," but the filmmaker's love for superheroes hasn't abated. Asked in a Reddit AMA about his biggest problem with superhero movies, Raimi only said: "That they don't offer me more of them!"

Now, Raimi has gotten to adapt not one but two of his favorite characters. He famously brought Spider-Man to the big screen, and in 2022, he stepped up to take over "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," delivering a Marvel Studios picture that still felt like a Sam Raimi movie with horror-comedy flourishes. But Raimi wants to do more.

Raimi's first superhero movie was one of his own creations: 1990's "Darkman," an ahead-of-its-time movie starring scarred scientist Dr. Peyton Westlake/Darkman (Liam Neeson). The bandaged Darkman uses synthetic flesh to disguise himself and battle gangsters. But Raimi only made "Darkman" because he couldn't secure the rights to the Shadow, the 1930s pulp hero. Raimi made another attempt at a Shadow movie in the 2010s, but it went nowhere.

The Shadow, a star of pulp novels and radio dramas, disguises himself with a black fedora, red scarf, and long coat as he stalks criminals; he is said to know the "evil [that] lurks in men's hearts" and stalks the night to snuff it out. The Shadow is basically the original Batman (they've even crossed over) — no surprise the Caped Crusader is another character on Raimi's wishlist.

In an interview with MovieWeb, he said, "I love Batman. I tried to make a Batman film. I couldn't get the rights." That bad fortune is a loss not just for Raimi, but for Batman fans everywhere.

Both "Darkman" and the "Spider-Man" trilogy both present how Sam Raimi might make a Batman movie. His love for the Shadow could suggest a pulpy but gothic Batman. I could see Raimi taking the same approach as the Tim Burton "Batman" films or "Batman: The Animated Series" and crafting a Gotham City where the 1930s never ended.

What Batman bad guy would Raimi use? His "Spider-Man" films typically reinvented the villains as tragic monsters, so perhaps Two-Face or Mister Freeze? At the same time, though, Willem Dafoe's superlative Green Goblin (so good he returned for "Spider-Man: No Way Home") shows Raimi could easily nail bringing the Joker to life.

Both "Darkman" and the "Spider-Man" films center romance; the "Spider-Man" trilogy can even be called a melodrama with tights and web slinging. Darkman decides he and his girlfriend Julie (Frances McDormand) can't be together, while Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) spends most of "Spider-Man 2" yearning for Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst) but is cautious about letting her get too close. A Sam Raimi Batman movie could be the most heartfelt (and heartbreaking) one since the 1993 animated movie "Batman: Mask of the Phantasm."

Now, there are currently two Batman films in production: Matt Reeves' "The Batman Part 2" starring Robert Pattinson, but also "The Brave and the Bold," set to introduce Batman & Robin to James Gunn's DC Universe. Andy Muschietti ("IT," "The Flash") is currently set to direct "Brave and the Bold," but the movie does not even have a completed script yet or a leading (bat) man yet. If Batman is off the table, then maybe Raimi should focus on finally making The Shadow and reintroducing the original Dark Knight to superhero movie fans.