Will Smith’s First Comic Book Movie Not Only Broke Blockbusters, But Nearly Made the Comics Obsolete

August 17, 2026, 12:00pm

Will Smith is one of the biggest movie stars working today, and while he has been in multiple major comic book adaptations, his first one is definitely his best. Smith’s most recent comic book outing was 2016’s Suicide Squad, in which he plays Deadshot. The reception of the notorious film meant that he didn’t return in any further DCEU or DCU projects, which is a shame, as he had a great comic book movie track record before this.

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After gaining prominence in the early 1990s with his music and starring role in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Smith quickly made the transition to movies, appearing in films like Bad Boys and Independence Day. Those two films went a long way in making Smith a movie star, but it was his next film that really cemented him as one of Hollywood’s most popular leading men.

Men in Black is One of the Best Comic Book Movies Ever

Will Smith’s first comic book movie was Barry Sonnenfeld’s 1997 hit Men in Black, and despite the film’s popularity, many fans don’t know that it was based on a comic book. The film tells the story of an NYPD detective who is recruited by a top-secret government organization known as the MIB, where he takes on the title Agent J and begins investigating extraterrestrial incidents on Earth. Smith stars in the film alongside Tommy Lee Jones, who plays Agent J’s recruiter and mentor, Agent K.

Upon its release, Men in Black was a massive hit, with it making $589.4 million against a budget of $90 million. The film currently has 91% on Rotten Tomatoes, proving that the positive critical reception that it received upon its release hasn’t waned at all. The film was hilarious, creative, and a ton of fun, plus it featured state-of-the-art special effects and incredible performances from Smith, Jones, and Vincent D’Onofrio.

The movie was loosely based on the Marvel Comics series The Men in Black, which ran for six issues from 1990-1991. The film was tonally different, with the comic series being far darker; plus, it only focused on aliens, whereas the comic book MIB organization also deals with supernatural threats like ghosts, monsters, and demons. You would think that the success of the Men in Black movie would affect the comic series in some way, but it hasn’t at all. The series never came back for more issues, and the value and scarcity of the books have seemingly not been affected at all by the movies. Outside of the basic premise and name, very few things link the Men in Black movies with the comics, explaining why many fans don’t know about them.

Nothing Ever Recaptured the Magic of the First MIB Movie

The first Men in Black movie is fantastic, something that can’t be said for the many, many Men in Black projects that have been released since. An animated series based on the movie aired on Kids’ WB from 1997-2001, and while it was fun to get more Men in Black stories so soon after the movies, it wasn’t much better than the average kids’ cartoon spun off from a live-action movie.

Fortunately, a proper sequel came in 2002, and Men in Black II had the perfect opportunity to recapture the magic of the original. Unfortunately, it didn’t. Despite Sonnenfeld and most of the main cast returning, Men in Black II was a massive disappointment, with it being way too derivative of the original film. It has only 38% on Rotten Tomatoes, which is far worse than its own sequel, Men in Black III. The third film has 67% on Rotten Tomatoes, which is an improvement, but still not nearly as good as the original. Agent K is replaced by a young version played by Josh Brolin for most of the film, and the film suffers without Jones’ presence for a majority of the movie. Plus, the time travel story and a much lamer villain make the third film not hold up to the first.

Men in Black finally returned with something fresh in 2019 with the release of Men in Black: International. This time, Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson play the film’s MIB duo, and fresh off the success of 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok, it was exciting to see these actors together again. Unfortunately, International turned out to be the worst film in the franchise, with it earning 23% on Rotten Tomatoes. The Men in Black franchise hasn’t returned since, leaving Will Smith’s original movie as not only the best Men in Black movie, but also the actor’s best comic book movie.