Comic book moviesoften make some pretty dramatic changes to the characters they depict, and while these alterations can often negatively impact the story they’re trying to tell, in many cases, the character in question is actually improved by a movie change. Thebest comic book movieswalk the fine line between respecting their source material and making meaningful changes befitting the translation to the silver screen. On occasion,superhero films can go in dramatically different directions with their charactersthat actually turn out far better than if they had just stuck to a basic adaptation.
Thefilms of the Marvel Cinematic Universetend to be particularly good at making prescient changes to their characters, in many cases influencing thecomicsfollowing the release of a film to align better with the new interpretation. DC isn’t to be left out, however, making some fascinating changes of their own that still present a starkly different take on a classic hero or villain.From personality changes to entirely revised backstories, both aisles have taken some alarming liberties with well-known characters to the sound of high critical praise.
10The Penguin
The Batman
Previously, Christopher Nolan’sThe Dark Knighttrilogy was the most grounded, realistic take on the cinematic Batman mythos. However, in recent years, that title has been taken by Matt Reeves’The Batman,whicharguablybrings the character closer to reality than ever before.
In doing so, heavy changes had to be made to each member of Batman’s rouge’s gallery that appears in the film, with Collin Ferrell’s Penguin seeing the most overt of them. Not named Oswald Cobblepott, Matt Reeves' Oz Cobb seemingly has similar origins as the last member of a disgraced wealthy family attempting to reclaim the former glory of his name through criminal means.
It’s no wonder The Penguin got his own spin-off show.
The implementation of a club foot compared to the sometimesgrotesque physical mutations The Penguin enduresat the hands of comic artists works wonders in making him an instantly recognizable figure. Oz’s New Jersey Italian immigrant mannerisms and bombastic personality also works far better than The Penguin’s traditional antiquated supervillain persona.It’s no wonder The Penguin got his own spin-off show.
9Namor
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Namor the Submariner has always rode a fine line between hero and villain in the comics, butBlack Panther: Wakanda Foreverexpands upon his backstory in an intriguing way. In reality,Namor began his comic career as Altantean royalty, similarly to the more famous nautical DC hero, Aquaman.
Frequently coming into conflict with the surface world, Namor simultaneously battled and teamed up with everyone from The Human Torch (The original android, not Johnny Storm) to the X-Men and the Avengers.Black Panther: Wakanda Forevermade Namor more unique as a savior figure who helped found the empire of Atlantis, a secretive superpower just like Wakanda.
10 Best Marvel Movie Character Introduction Scenes, Ranked
Marvel movies often need a strong introductory scene for their most important characters, and the movies have delivered on this time and time again.
In the movie, Atlantis and Namor are expanded to be an off-shoot of the Maya, giving them both a brilliant visual redesign to reflect this.Though Namor plays an antagonistic role, his motivations are very sympathetic, especially to Shuri, making his character arc all the stronger. Even Namor’s name is cooler in the MCU, being explained as a shortened version of “El Niño sin Amor”, meaning “the child without love” in Spanish.
8The Vulture
Spider-Man: Homecoming
As far ascinematic Spider-Man villainsgo, The Vulture’s appearance inSpider-Man: Homecomingis quite high-ranking. In the comics, the villain known as The Vulture, a.k.a. Adrian Toomes, is a business person and genius inventor who designs an advanced flight harness that grants him the ability to soar through the air, as well as a degree of super-strength and durability.
When he’s betrayed by his business partner, Toomes takes up a life of professional crime, officially becoming The Vulture by using his invention for evil. InSpider-Man: Homecoming,The Vulture’s origins are re-arrangedin a way that not only better ties in to the MCU’s overarching story, but feels more thematically appropriate.
Here, Adrian Toomes takes the name quite literally, making a living scavenging for alien tech that fuels his deadly arsenal, including an intimidating personal flight suit. From his intimidating costume update to his more fleshed-out backstory and Micheal Keaton’s underrated performance,the movie version of The Vulture is better in just about every aspect.
7Iron Man
Iron Man
Even the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s flagship character didn’t survive the translation to the screen without some severe changes. Originally, Iron Man was created as a challenge by Stan Lee to get audiences to love a hero with a very loathsome personality.In the comics, Tony Stark is indeed far easier to hate, making some alarmingly questionable moral decisions, especially in the originalCivil Warstoryline.
Iron Man’s heel turn in the movies was so successful that even today, his personality is written in the comics to be much closer to Robert Downey Jr.’s excellent performance than his dark first persona.
When it came time for the character to star in the MCU’s flagshp film, this moral bankruptcy was lessened, making Tony Stark’s personality eccentric and erratic, but not outwardly malicious. It also helps that his armor was given an iconic redesign, feeling far more like a mechanized flying suit than the original skin-tight comic look.Iron Man’s heel turn in the movies was so successfulthateven today, his personality is written in the comics to be much closer to Robert Downey Jr.’s excellent performance than his dark first persona.
6The Winter Soldier
Captain America: The First Avenger
Indeed,Captain America: The Winter Soldierwas the most important film for the MCU’s Bucky Barnes, bringing him back as a remorseless killing machine just as had been done in the comics. However, Bucky’s first appearance inCaptain America: The First Avengermade the most pressing and effective changes to his character arc, something that would later be reflected in his time as The Winter Soldier.
In his debut comic appearance, Bucky is like a Robin to Captain America’s Batman, a teen sidekick with far less experience. In the MCU, it’s explained that Bucky is actually Steve Rogers' childhood friend who managed to join the military, unlike the frail-bodied Steve.
In a sense, Bucky is actually more experienced as a soldier than Captain America, having entered military service far earlier and acted as The Winter Soldier during Steve’s time in the ice.These changes work wellin service toBucky and Steve’s friendship, making their camaraderie more believable than if Bucky was simply some random kid who Captain America took under his wing.
5Star-Lord
Guardians of the Galaxy
The Guardians of the Galaxy were quite an obscure superhero team at the time of their induction into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. With so few fans having hardset expectations on the characters, directorJames Gunn was able to make some pressing alterationsto the various members' backstories.
While Drax may be the most different from his comic counterpart, it’s hard to say that Star-Lord’s changes weren’t strictly for the better. In the comics, Peter Quill is also a half-alien human who leaves Earth to become a spacefaring adventurer. But rather than the living planet Ego, Star-Lord’s father is a generic human-looking alien named J’son.
10 Best Marvel Movie Trilogies Ranked
With Deadpool & Wolverine concluding one of the best Marvel trilogies, the list includes some impressive live-action entries both in the MCU and not.
Star-Lord also leaves Earth of his own volition in the comics as an adult after becoming an astronaut, rather than being abducted as a child. From his 70s' music taste to his poignant character arc in the movies,every change the MCU made to Star-Lord only improved the character,leaving the comics to follow suit.
4The Mandarin
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Few Marvel characters have as troubled a history as The Mandarin. Originally, The Mandarin was the Marvel Comics version of the well-known character Fu Manchu, a racist Chinese caricature who existed to demonize Eastern cultures in pulp stories. His rings of power were worn on his fingers, with each granting a different specific superpower, and he was primarily an Iron Man villain.
After the rug-pull that wasThe Mandarin’s fake identity inIron Man 3,the MCU introduced The Mandarin in earnest as Xu Wenwu.This version of the warlord and supervillain has a rich backstory featuring tragic loss and a desperate hunger for power, making for a far more three-dimensional character than the poorly-aged original. The rings of power being updated into a distinct energy chain weapon that could also be worn on the forearms was also a nice touch.
3M’Baku
Black Panther
Similarly to The Mandarin,M’Baku’s comic book history would have presented a problematic image to present modern audienceswith in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In the comics, M’Baku is better known as Man-Ape, a more straightforward villain of Black Panther’s that covets the Wakandan throne.
Similar to the Black Panther’s consumption of the heart-shaped herb, Man-Ape enjoys a similar powerset thanks to his consumption of a special white-haired gorilla native to Wakanda. Doing away with the bizarre mysticism and questionable implications of Man-Ape, the MCU elected to instead present M’Baku as the leader of an isolationist, but ultimately loyal fringe tribe in Wakanda.
Though he does initially challenge T’Challa for the throne, M’Baku abides by Wakanda’s traditions and ultimately becomes a staunch ally of Black Panther. Ther levity thatWinston Duke’s amazing performanceintroduced to the character took Man-Ape from a basic villain to a memorable supporting hero.
2Lucius Fox
The Dark Knight
The Dark Knightis often lauded for its interpretations of famous villains like The Joker and Two-Face, but the crowning achievement of Christopher Nolan also deserves some credit for how it changed an undersung side-character.In the comics, Lucius Fox is the business partner of Bruce Wayne, who essentially runs Wayne Enterprises while Bruce is busy with his war on crime as Batman.
It’s never directly stated that he knows Bruce Wayne’s secret, but it is heavily implied Fox is aware that Bruce is indeed the Caped Crusader. In Christopher Nolan’sThe Dark Knight,it’s revealed thatLucius Fox takes a far more active role in aiding Batman’s mission.
In the Nolanverse, Lucius is a brilliant inventor responsible for manufacturingBatman’sDark Knighttrilogy gadgets, essentially acting as the Q to Batman’s James Bond. This set-up is far more believable, as it’s difficult to imagine Batman could have the time to engineer and maintain his own gear. Morgan Freeman’s performance as Lucius Fox also gives the character some welcome warmth and sarcasm.
1Steppenwolf
Zack Snyder’s Justice League
Steppenwolf may have been a strange choice for the Justice League’s first cinematic villain, considering his relative obscurity as a comic character. However,Zack Snyder’s re-imagining of himinZack Snyder’s Justice Leaguedeserves more creditas a captivating alien antagonist. In the comics, Steppenwolf is a generic human-looking warrior in Darkseid’s employ, serving as a minor player in the supervillain’s schemes that presents little more than a roadbump for the Justice League.
Snyder’s version of Steppenwolf deserves more credit as a great update of a comic book movie villain.
Not only doesZack Snyder’s Justice Leaguere-imagine Steppenwolf to be an intimidating reptilian alien that looks more at-home in Darkseid’s army, but it also gives him a far more interesting motivation.Steppenwolf is revealed to have failed Darkseid in the past, leading to his exile. The tyrant hopes to atone for his past by presenting his master with Earth and the Motherboxes, giving him a very personal stake in the action. Snyder’s version of Steppenwolf deserves more credit as a great update of acomic book movievillain.
