Summary
Translating something from the printed page into live action is always a challenge. Comic book characters normally exist in a heightened reality, one where the laws of physics are different from the real world, and bringing them into live action requires filmmakers to adapt these characters in a particular way. Some of these transitions from page to screen are seamless, such as Iron Man, Batman, Captain America, and Loki. However, some comic book heroes require a few tweaks.
The fact that the characters that fans see on the screen are so different from those from the comic books doesn’t always mean that the original character was bad. All it means is that the director and writers have had to alter the characters to help them transition into live action. Most of the time, it works out surprisingly well.
7Vulture
An Aging Villain With A Real World Goal
It seems likely that there are very few people in the real world who canidentify with theSpider-Manvillain, The Vulture, as he appears in the comics. This version of Adrian Toomes is an elderly man who chooses to use his newfound superpowers to commit crime but is stopped by the teenage Peter Parker. His character rarely goes further than acting as a small-time crook who can fly, which is why the MCU decided to update his character inSpider-Man: Homecoming.
In this movie, Michael Keaton plays a version of Toomes, a working-class man who has his business shut down by Tony Stark. In response to this, he decides to use the technology he has found to start stealing in order to provide for his family. This change not only helps Vulture fit into this version of the Marvel universe, but it also makes him a relatable character to the audience. The translation into a man just trying to support his family is one that resonates with many people.
6Peter Quill / Star-Lord
Marvel’s Cosmic Goofball
One of the biggest advantages afforded to Marvel when adapting theGuardians of the Galaxyinto live-action, of course, was the fact that very few people knew who the Guardians were before the movie came out in 2014. Such a movie cost the studio brand recognition when promoting the movie, but it also allowed James Gunn and his creative team to translate the team from the comics in ways that they thought were best.
As everyone now knows, this risk paid off, and Marvel now has access to a team of lovable space goofs in their universe. However, the team is far more serious in the comics. Many of the characters in this movie were tweaked slightly to transition into live-action, but Peter Quill was changed completely. The face of the movie was transformed from a blank slate of a hero into a highly relatable human with many flaws.
5Malcolm Merlyn
A Dark Archer With A Personal Connection To Oliver Queen
CW’sArrowstarted out by giving DC’s Green Arrow a much more grounded TV show. This made sense given how Oliver Queen is avigilante with no superpowers,but the show would become more fantastical as it introduced spin-offs, includingThe FlashandLegends of Tomorrow. However, the villain the writers used for the first season had to be someone who could be grounded in reality.
The choice the showrunners made was to include Malcolm Merlyn as an evil business leader and the father of Oliver Queen’s best friend. However, Merlyn would don his dark archer costume in secret to battle the Green Arrow before revealing his evil plan. Anyone who goes on to read the comics after watching the show may be in for a surprise, as Merlyn the Dark Archer on the page is nothing more than a crazed member of The League of Assassins with no personal connection to the titular hero. As a result, the change the showrunners went with makes Merlyn a much more realistic and interesting character.
4Harley Quinn
The Joker’s Cartoon Girlfriend
One of the most difficult things about bringing Harley Quinn into live action is the fact that the character originally debuted as a cartoon character inBatman: The Animated Series.This means that the acrobatic jester girlfriend of The Joker was already existing in a heightened reality. Regardless, Harley Quinn still made her way into the live-actionSuicide Squadmovie in 2016, and she has been played by Margot Robbie ever since.
The Harley Quinn that appears in the DC Universe is still very much like the one from the comics and animated shows. Everything from her look, voice, and origins are perfectly recaptured, but this new version is depicted as far more tragic. Hertoxic relationship with the Jokeris highlighted in a very negative way, and she is able to move on and stand as a vigilante in her own right as a result.
3The Joker
Heath Ledger Provides A Definitive Performance
The Joker is Batman’s main nemesis, a character who has taken on many forms in various media since the 1940s. Sometimes, this villain will appear as a comical clown, and other times, he will be presented as a violent psychopath. However, the version that most people are familiar with is the one played by Heath Ledger inThe Dark Knight.
This version of Joker still keeps his psychopathic and violent tendencies; he isobsessed with breaking Batmanby making him kill. However, the creatives behind this movie decided to incorporate these traits with people’s fears at the time. The result was a version of The Joker who was a mysterious terrorist with no true plan or origin. The writing and Ledger’s performance as this character have helped this version transcend everything that came before.
2Peacemaker
A Character No One Knew
It is hard for anyone in the modern age to avoidPeacemaker. This highly patriotic DC character first appeared in live-action inThe Suicide Squadand also received a spin-off solo TV series. As a result, audiences are now familiar with the gun-toting and brutishversion of this anti-herowho only wants to do good. Both James Gunn’s vision for this character and John Cena’s performance have created something unique in the modern superhero landscape, but Peacemaker wasn’t always this likable.
Peacemaker was originally a comic book character that was created by Charlton Comics before the company was bought out by DC. Many of the characters from this publisher eventually faded away, Peacemaker included, and the man with the silver helmet rarely had anything of note to do in his comic appearances. Therefore, Warner Bros. was free to create a completely new version of Peacemaker in live-action when the time came.
1Wolverine
Hugh Jackman Is Synonymous With The Short Canadian
Wolverine has been a long-standing icon in both movies and comic books. Themutant with the clawsand healing capabilities originally debuted in the comics as a Hulk villain but was eventually folded into the X-Men in the 70s when that series was rebooted. On the page, Logan is short, aggressive, and hairy, with little time for the more heroic members of the mutant team. This portrayal was even brought over intoX-Men: The Animated Seriesin 1992. That is why many fans raised their eyebrows when Hugh Jackman was cast in the role for the movie.
Hugh Jackman originally had a musical background, and he is also over six feet tall. Such a look clashed with the source material, yet his performance made fans new and old love his take on the character. Jackman’s Wolverine is still a gruff mutant, but he is closer in tone to a more traditional action hero. All of this makes him perfect in the role, and one of the best reworkings of a character from page to screen.
