In 2017, Netflix acquired Millarworld, the comics company founded by Mark Millar. They retained the prolific writer to help them develop the numerous comedy IPs into movies and TV shows. The first offer was Jupiter’s Legacy, a show with a good premise, but one that succumbed to the early stages of superhero fatigue. Not much has been done with those rights since then. Netflix has a successful track record of bringing comic book adaptations to life, from Marvel’s Daredevil Unpleasant The Umbrella Academy. Given the current landscape of superhero productions, it’s surprising they’ve yet to try to adapt another Millarworld property.
There has been some modest development with certain IPs, such as American Jesus, but little else since then. Millarworld has an extensive catalog of characters to give superheroes a fresh coat of paint, but Nemesis is the most interesting feature in the lineup. The main character is an unpowered unrelenting villain who makes Batman look bad. Nemesis was created by Millar and superstar performers Steve McNiven (Marvel’s Civil War). The story was published in 2010 and although it only ran for four issues, the comic has undoubtedly made its mark.
Who is Nemesis?
Nemesis first appeared in the 2010 miniseries of the same name, published by Icon Comics, a division of Marvel at the time. Millar worked out a deal to retain all rights to the character. In his first story, Nemesis has no alter ego. He is known as Nemesis, the world’s only super villain. It is implied that the character is a billionaire or an identity bought by the ultra-rich to use their vast resources and intellect to carry out a plan to bring chaos to the world.
The character lives for his relentless pursuit of chaos. Unlike most villains who are driven by personal motives or vendettas against a particular hero, Nemesis is driven by his twisted philosophy of destroying order. He has no qualms about killing anyone who gets in his way, be it innocent civilians, his accomplices or law enforcement officers.
Why is Nemesis the anti-Batman?
As the world’s greatest detective, Batman is a hero who uses his intellect and wealth to fight crime and bring justice to Gotham City. On the other hand, Nemesis is a villain who uses the same resources to commit some of the most heinous crimes ever plastered on a page and spreads mayhem wherever he goes. Batman symbolizes hope for the weak and fear for the wicked. Nemesis, on the other hand, represents hopelessness and chaos for everyone.
Batman is an unpowered superhero trained to achieve physical perfection and who follows a strict moral code by refusing to kill his enemies. Nemesis is the epitome of human prowess and has no such scruples. He kills anyone who gets in his way and does it with a smile. Batman fights for justice, while Nemesis enjoys chaos.
It’s easy to spot superficial differences between the two, as Batman wears black to instill fear and Nemesis wears white to be seen.
The One Enemy Nemesis Can’t Defeat: Development Hell
As of 2021, an adaptation of Nemesis is in development. At the time, Netflix commissioned Oscar winner Emerald Fennell to write a script. She also seemed keen to direct, but the project date is yet to be given. The character has gone dormant after his last encounter with the law in the 2010 miniseries. Miller recently decided to reimagine the character with the help of artist Jorge Jiménez in a new miniseries titled Nemesis: Reloaded. A character with such a premise could easily translate to the screen.
The original book sold incredibly well, enough to catch the attention of 20th Century Fox, who bought the rights to produce a movie and added Tony Scott as director. Unfortunately, the project was scrapped after the director passed away in 2012. The rights went to Warner Bros, who eventually let them lapse. Netflix is the current holder, waiting for the movie to happen. Moving on, it looks like Netflix asked Millar to tweak the character a bit to remove some of the sharpest aspects of the story.
The original series was unforgivably gruesome in parts, with depictions of classism, incest and genocide taken to extremes. The new series goes into more detail about the character’s actual origins giving him an established background with an alter ego to explain the drive behind the character and what makes him tick.
What can we expect from a Nemesis adaptation?
Other than the fact that he’s resourceful, we don’t know much about Nemesis. A movie can build on this while offering an incredible opportunity for world-building. Millar has stated that he intends to have all of his Millarworld properties share a common universe. The writer plans to pull it off with established artist Pepe Larraz of X-Men fame. It would be a shame if Netflix didn’t take this opportunity to create its cinematic universe with a diverse offering beyond the reach of superheroes. The film adaptation of Nemesis would also provide a great opportunity to explore his motivations and ingenuity. He has been shown to be capable of gathering intelligence similar to DC’s Batman and even going a step further by infiltrating both government agencies and the underworld.
The visual aspect can also explore new ways to enhance the tired tropes of CGI imagery. Nemesis moves like Batman, but does so with a sense of flamboyance. The character wants to be seen doing what he does. Nemesis is also a great way to explore how a world without superheroes handles someone so crazy and resourceful. When Nemesis debuts, he does so in a world where only police and governments do their best to protect the innocent. Nemesis targets anyone who makes law and order their banner, wherever they are. This angle has yet to be explored by most Marvel and DC productions.
The last question
Nemesis is a character with untapped potential and one of the best superhero movies we can’t wait to see. The film could be a mix of psychological thriller and comedy that will leave the audience asking for more. It’s also a plus to see a supervillain battle against real-world heroes, as we usually see first responders as helpless as the audience they’re trying to protect in most superhero movies. It doesn’t hurt that the character already has an established fan base waiting for his film debut.
With all this said, all that remains is a poignant question: Can you hurry up and make it happen, Netflix?