7 Great Sci-fi Comic Books That Still Need a Movie Adaptation

There are a lot of comic books that have been adapted into movies, from the MCU and DCU to indies from Image Comics and more. However, there are not as many sci-fi comics that have been turned into successful films. Easily, the most famous has to be the MCU’s Guardians of the Galaxy. The three movies and Disney+ special remain among the most popular MCU movies of the past decade. Supergirl is coming next, as it clearly has the feel of a Firefly/Serenity-style sci-fi Western series in space. Other than that, there have been some great sci-fi comic book movies, like V for Vendetta, and some that fell short, like Bloodshot.

Looking into the future, there are still some great sci-fi comics that deserve to be made into a movie or a possible streaming series.

7) Annihilation

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has hinted that there are more cosmic Marvel stories coming in the future. There have been strong rumors of a Nova Disney+ series, and there are a lot of great stories that the MCU could play out on the big screen if they build things up right. The one that needs to be made is Annihilation. There is a good start to this storyline since it is the Fantastic Four who accidentally revealed the existence of the universe to Annihilus when Reed Richards discovered the Negative Zone. The Annihilation Wave could be a great comic book war movie and could be a massive success for the MCU.

6) Ex Machina

Not to be confused with the sci-fi movie of the same name, Ex Machina is a Wildstorm comic book series for DC that ran from 2004 to 2010. The series was made by Brian K. Vaughan (Y: The Last Man) and Tony Harris, and it ran for 50 issues. The story followed Mitchell Hundred, the world’s only superhero, who became a national hero after his actions during 9/11, which led to him becoming the mayor of New York City. This is an interesting mix of sci-fi storytelling and political intrigue, and could make for a great movie. New Line Cinema optioned it in 2005, and in 2020, Oscar Isaac was brought in to work on the film, but it has still never been made.

5) Black Science

Black Science is a comic book series by Rick Remender and Matteo Scalera, released by Image Comics from 2013 to 2019. There was a total of 43 issues, with the story following Grant McKay, a former member of the Anarchist Order of Scientists, and his family, when they are thrown through dimensions and have to find a way to repair their illegally created dimensional device to get back home. The family is then time-hopped to different, dangerous dimensions, where they have to survive various threats. The Black Science comics became an instant masterpiece, and it could be a perfect movie or streaming series if given a chance.

4) Birthright

Birthright is an Image Comics series that everyone needs to read now that the story has finished. It is also a perfect story to be adapted into a film or streaming series. The story follows a family whose young son disappears one day, tearing them all apart. One year later, a man shows up, claiming to be their son, who was raised in another dimension where time runs differently, and he claims he has to stop a great evil that is threatening this world. The story has a lot of twists and turns, and it turns out the truth is much more horrifying than the son has admitted. This could be an epic fantasy franchise, flipping between he real world and the fantastical world of Terrenos, and it could also work perfectly as an animated series, following the footsteps of Invincible.

3) Transmetropolitan

Transmetropolitan is a cyberpunk sci-fi comic book series by DC Comics’ imprint Vertigo. The story follows a gonzo journalist named Spider Herusalem, a character clearly based on Hunter S. Thompson. In this story, he took place in a dystopian future where he was dedicated to fighting the corruption and abuse of power of two United States presidents. His goal was to keep the world from becoming more dystopian than it already has become. The story is as topical today as it was when Warren Ellis and Darick Robertson wrote it from 1997 to 2002. If any sci-fi comic book series could gain attention today, it is Transmetropolitan.

2) We3

We3 is a sci-fi comic book series by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely in 2004 for Vertigo Comics. The We3 were three prototype “animal weapons” that were part of a government project. These were Babdit (a dog), Tinker (a cat), and Pirate (a rabbit). They were given robot armor and the limited ability to speak, as well as weapons to fight with. They were then sent out to assassinate U.S. enemies. However, when the government decided to “decommission” them to create new animal weapons, their creator helped them escape to avoid death, and this is their story as the military tries to find and kill them. New Line optioned the comic, but the story has never been adapted, although there are hints of it in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

1) Saga

The most popular and successful sci-fi comic book series of the last decade is easily the Image Comics series, Saga. Created by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples, the series is a space opera sci-fi series about a husband and wife who are from warring races who escape with their baby, Hazel, and fight for their survival when no one wants to see their love survive. This could be a perfect movie franchise, but it would make an even better streaming series. However, out of all the sci-fi comics that could make a great movie or series, this one likely won’t be as Vaughan said he doesn’t want it adapted to anything outside of his comic book story.

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