Screen Sirens: Comic-Con Casting, Part 1

We’re resurrecting an old beloved feature: Screen Sirens! If you’re not familiar with it, what we do is take a female role in any field of entertainment, be it a television show, film, or even a book, and cast a Diva or Knockout in the role based on her personality, looks, and some good old-fashioned imagination. Oscars may not be in their future but the women of wrestling, in all their shapes, sizes, colors, and creeds are surely diverse and interesting enough to make the speculation nearly as fun as seeing them on the big screen.

This edition conveniently coincides with the week of Comic-Con, the massive convention that brings together fans of genre television, movies, and literature. It has become the place to be for casts and crews of major movies and television shows to build hype for their upcoming projects and reveal exclusive clips and news to fans from around the world. It’s no longer merely a haven for so-called “geeks” – it’s become a pop culture phenomenon. Click here to learn more about Comic-Con.

To celebrate this weekend’s event, I’ve decided to take some of the more popular and interesting women from comic book history and profile them, assigning one Knockout or Diva to each. I’ll give my reasoning, and provide a poll at the end for you to vote for your favorite. This will take place in two parts, as it’s a pretty massive list. This, of course, is part one. Got it ? Good. All that’s left is to open your minds and use your imagination. Let’s begin!

Character: Catwoman, AKA Selina Kyle, a supervillian of Batman who is often portrayed as an antihero. She is a whip-carrying burglar with a taste for high-stake thefts and dresses in a costume resembling a cat. She is one of the most famous supervillians in comic book history.
Trademark: Dark mask and catsuit, whip, catlike agility.
Played Previously By: Michelle Pfeiffer in 1992′s Batman Returns and Halle Berry in 2005′s Catwoman.
Diva: Melina
Why?: Melina’s always been agile, moving and posing gracefully and showboating in a manner that calls to mind the slinky movements of Catwoman. As a heel, the fans love to hate her, much like Catwoman’s antihero status. Melina’s move-set is calculated and sleek, using fast-paced moves and deadly submissions to defeat her opponents – one could say she has the grace and cunning of a feline. She had wit and out schemed the competition while managing MNM, stealing wins for her team much like Selina would steal precious jewels and other expensive goods. Melina would fool men and women alike, outsmarting people to meet her own goals. To Melina, championship gold might as well be a precious diamond in the grasp of Batman’s feared cat burglar.
Alternatives: Sable, Candice Michelle, Maryse.

Character: Jean Grey, AKA the Phoenix, an X-Men member and mutant born with telepathic and telekinetic powers. She is a caring, nurturing figure, but she also must deal with being an Omega-level mutant and the physical manifestation of the cosmic Phoenix Force, which grants her god-like powers. As the Phoenix, she has seemingly limitless powers, having complete control over matter, energy, thought, and unlimited psionic energies. As Jean Grey, she has one of the world’s most powerful telepathic minds.
Trademark: Fire-red hair, telepathic mind, massively powerful demeanor.
Played Previously By: Famke Janssen in 2000′s X-Men, 2003′s X2, and 2006′s X3: The Last Stand
Diva: Beth Phoenix
Why?: Well, her name for one. You think it’s a coincidence that Beth chose to name herself Phoenix? The power and might that the name instills has a lot to do with the character of Jean Grey, and there’s little chance that Beth didn’t intend to connect herself with the X-Men character in naming herself. Beth is undoubtedly the WWE’s most powerful Diva, as Jean is the most powerful mutant. Both are intimidating, strong, and beautiful – a deadly combination. At their best, they can charm and allure you. At their worst, well, let’s just say no one’s going home in one piece.
Alternatives: Natalya, Katie Lea, or Victoria.

Character: Elektra, ninja assassin and mercenary who is a major love interest of Daredevil. She has a very violent nature and wields two bladed sai as her trademark weapons.
Trademark: Violent temper, highly skilled at martial arts and weaponry, extremely agile and self-disciplined.
Played Previously By: Daredevil (Ben Affleck)’s real-life wife Jennifer Garner in 2003′s Daredevil and 2005′s Elektra.
Diva: Katie Lea Burchill
Why?: Katie Lea always seems to have some darker side to her – her eyes look sinister, and even though she may not have the skills of an assassin, she’s intimidating enough on her own. Elektra has a dark past, and has been resurrected from the dead numerous times. Katie Lea, with her spooky looks and attitude, seems otherworldly at times. Her demeanor is cool and composed, which Elektra can be when not on the attack. Elektra has no problem killing people, and does her job as an assassin often without remorse. Katie Lea has always been a heel, and seems to have no problem playing the bad girl. Neither need sympathy or adoration to do their jobs. And ever heard the phrase “if looks could kill?” Yeah.. if that were true, Katie Lea would be a full-on assassin.
Alternatives: Melina, Gail Kim, or Lita.

Character: Rogue, a member of the mutant supergroup X-Men. She’s the group’s self-described southern belle, possessing powers that are more like a curse. She involuntarily absorbs the memories, physical strength, and (in the case of superpowered persons) the abilities of anyone she touches.
Trademark: White streak of hair, thick southern accent, unwanted mutant powers.
Played Previously By: Anna Paquin in 2000′s X-Men, 2003′s X2, and 2006′s X3: The Last Stand
Diva: Angelina Love
Why?: Angelina’s not known as a move-stealer (though, don’t the Beautiful People remind you a bit of Vince’s Devils?), but she doesn’t have the cleanest reputation. She plays dirty, and does whatever it takes for her, Velvet, or Madison to get the win. She’s one of TNA’s top heel Knockouts, like Rogue, who started out as a baddie in the comics. But with rumors of a Beautiful People bust-up on the horizon, Angelina may very well turn babyface, going from bad to good much like Rogue did herself. She’s got the take-charge, kind of bitchy attitude that Rogue tends to be known for, and as much as she struts around in skimpy clothing, she’s hardly just a pretty face. Angelina hails from Canada, so a southern accent isn’t going to come naturally from her. Still, you can’t do much worse than Anna Paquin’s faux drawl.
Alternatives: Michelle McCool, Lita, or Christy Hemme.

Character: Typhoid Mary, an enemy and former lover of Daredevil with low level psionic powers, including telekinesis and pyrokinesis. She has been a professional criminal employed by organized crime syndicates as an assassin in the past. She is also truly and gravely mentally ill, suffering from dissociative identity disorder, Mary Walker has three other abnormal personalities in addition to her seemingly healthy one. Her “Mary” personality is a timid, quiet, pacifist; her “Typhoid” personality is adventurous, lustful, and violent; and her “Bloody Mary” persona is brutal, sadistic, and hates all men.
Trademark: Multiple personality disorder, gothic appearance, distrusting attitude.
Played Previously By: Natassia Malthe in 2005′s Elektra, though the character bears little resemblance to the Typhoid Mary of the comics.
Diva: Daffney
Why?: Daffney’s always had a “gothic” persona – dark hair, pale skin, bad attitude. At times, she’s been described as “crazy”, her trademark scream hardly helping convince people of her mental stability. In WCW, she constantly changed her hair color, which I suppose could be construed as having multiple personalities, akin to Typhoid Mary’s most recognizable trait. Daffney may not be known as a “man-hater”, as Mary is, but her bust-up with David Flair undoubtedly left a foul taste in her mouth when it came to the male population. Typhoid Mary is unnervingly resilient, and if Daffney surviving two consecutive thumbtack matches doesn’t qualify her as tough, I don’t know what does.
Alternatives: MsChif (of SHIMMER fame), Victoria, or Mickie James (remember crazy Mickie?).

Character: Poison Ivy, a Batman villain and one of the world’s most prominent eco-terrorists. She is obsessed with plants, botany, and environmentalism. She uses toxins from plants and her own bloodstream for her criminal activities, which are usually aimed at protecting the natural environment.
Trademark: Wild red hair, plant-themed attire, accomplished botanist.
Played Previously By: Uma Thurman in 1997′s Batman and Robin.
Diva: Maria
Why?: I can’t shake the resemblance I see between Maria and the comic book illustration above. It’s uncanny, no? Aside from that, Maria has always been a bit different than her fellow Divas, dressing in her own way and in general doing her own thing. Ivy, like her, is decidedly different in her obsession with botany and using extreme methods to protect the environment. I can easily picture Maria slinking around in leaves fashioned into a bodice (have you seen her ring attire lately?) and spouting cheesy one-liners in the fashion of Uma Thurman’s take on the character. Though that may not be the way to go (that movie is hated by pretty much everyone), Maria can still take the sexiness from that movie, the smarts from the comic book and make the character come to life without damaging George Clooney’s career in the process.
Alternatives: Christy Hemme, Katie Lea, or Daffney.

Character: Wasp, AKA Janet Pym, superhero member of the Avengers. She coined the team’s name herself, and was the first female member of the group. She was married to Dr. Hank Pym, AKA Ant-Man, and has the ability to shrink to microscopic size at will, as well as fly and fire energy blasts.
Trademark: Ability to shrink to the height of a few centimeters, resourceful, craves action.
Played Previously By: No one yet, but it has been rumored that Eva Longoria is in talks to play the character in 2012′s The Avengers.
Diva: Gail Kim
Why?: What Diva is quicker on her feet than Gail? She’s a tiny girl (not microscopic, but it’s a start) and can wrestle circles around many of the men. Clearly, she can hang with the boys, and with her fast-paced wrestling style, few can keep up with her. She flies around the ring as if she has wings – coincidence, then, that she’s fit to play the Wasp?
Alternatives: Taylor Wilde, Lita, or Melina.

Character: Gwen Stacy, the first love of Peter Parker, AKA Spider-Man. She was his college sweetheart up until her tragic death that Spider-Man himself inadvertently caused.
Trademark: Platinum blonde hair, sweet disposition, ever-present black headband.
Played Previously By: Bryce Dallas Howard in 2007′s Spider-Man 3.
Diva: Kelly Kelly
Why?: Kelly may not be as conservative or innocent as Gwen, but she’s always been a babyface, and the fans have never known her as anything but a good girl. She’s always smiling, is friendly, and doesn’t play dirty. In the comics, Gwen is decidedly more serious and grounded compared to the wild child Mary Jane, but in the WWE it’s tough for a babyface to be that, what with all the prancing around in bikinis and doing T&A matches. Still, as far as Divas go, Kelly is about as sweet and loveable as you can get. A bit naive? Maybe, but that just makes her an even better fit for do-gooder Gwen.
Alternatives: Stacy Keibler, Tiffany, or Molly Holly.

Character: Black Widow, AKA Natasha Romanoff, a Russian super-spy who works as a double-agent and is highly skilled in combat and firearms. She often seduces male heroes in order to complete her objective or meet her own ends.
Trademark: Thick Russian accent, red hair, svelte figure often clothed in catsuits.
Played Previously By: Scarlett Johansson in 2010′s Iron Man 2.
Diva: Maryse
Why?: I’m not saying French and Russian accents are one in the same, but trading one thick European accent for another isn’t too big of a leap, is it? Maryse is one of the WWE’s most confidently sexy Divas, always seeming “above it all” and in control. The way she treats Miz gives her shades of the “man eater” persona Widow’s adopted, and her ring skills show that she’s no slouch in defending herself. She may not be able to wield endless types of guns, but that can be learned, can’t it? I’m pretty sure Scarlett Johansson isn’t a firearm expert herself. Maryse has the looks of the old-school movie female super-spies – foreign, sexy, mysterious, slightly distrustful.. Besides, I think she could fill out the black catsuit pretty well, don’t you?
Alternatives: Trish Stratus, Candice Michelle, Eve Torres.

Character: Silk Spectre II, AKA Laurie Juspeczyk, a costumed hero that is part of the superhero team Watchmen. She is skilled at hand-to-hand combat, trained by her mother Sally Jupiter, the original Silk Spectre and member of the original superhero team, the Minutemen. She fights crime in the mid-1980s, recalling the political and social climate of the time. This all takes place in the groundbreaking graphic novel Watchmen.
Trademark: Extremely long and dark hair, black and yellow latex costume, 80′s-centric clothing and accessories
Played Previously By: Malin Akerman in 2009′s Watchmen.
Diva: Michelle McCool
Why?: Nepotism doesn’t have much to do with Michelle’s success, but people can’t seem to let go of the connection between her and the Undertaker. His influence likely helped her get were she is today, much like Laurie, who, against her wishes, was groomed into a crimefighter by her ambitious mother. She is somewhat resentful of that and the monitoring of her by the government as part of her association with the god-like Dr. Manhattan. Similarly, both are unfairly branded as “sluts” at times. Like Michelle, Laurie can be nice at times, and others, not so much. When someone gets in her way, she can be bitchy and ruthless, much like we’ve seen Michelle in recent months. Michelle, like Laurie, can handle herself in a fight, though Michelle probably can’t do it in sky high heels. Laurie seems a little lost, and Michelle, now without her sidekick Alicia, probably isn’t secure in what her place is either. Maybe she’ll find a clear character path, though hopefully without the apocalyptic situation that triggered Laurie’s self-realizations.
Alternatives: Layla, Alicia Fox, or Kelly Kelly.

Which casting did you most agree with? Vote below and sound off in the comments!

 Loading ...

That’s it for part one of our Comic-Con-themed feature. Check back later this weekend for part two!