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MCU's best and worst deviations from the source material?
- Thread starter Typhon
- Start date
Yeah, this change was undercooked. "This universe is finite, its resources finite." So when you get the magic wish glove, you wipe out half of life? Why not double the resources? Learn some basic math, asshole.
But all it needs to fix it is to clearly show that Thanos is insane, death-obsessed. I mean, he is, but they don't drive home that point. They touch on it here and there. But honestly, they do a much better job of showing Thanos' more human emotions, his enemies' constant failure to believe he has them, and his exasperation at them over that, than they do showing the root insanity that drives him.
But you know what's worse than that? Worse than everything mentioned so far?
Ultron's moving metal lips. What. the. fuck. On bodies that weren't even made of vibranium, no less. I'm grinding my teeth right now, just thinking about it. Ugh.
Yet, they felt it necessary to go out of their way to retcon it.
On topic
The Worst = The Ancient One because it was purely driven by politics.
best : captain marvel
worst : mandarin
Magic seems pretty shitty too, but I've never been deep enough into marvel to say that with certainty. The ancient one stuff is BS too, but that's more spinelessness then a creative direction
worst : mandarin
Magic seems pretty shitty too, but I've never been deep enough into marvel to say that with certainty. The ancient one stuff is BS too, but that's more spinelessness then a creative direction
Best: Thanos being motivated to save the universe as a self-believed martyr rather than being a pathetic middle school stalker
Runner Up: Jarvis as an AI rather than a real person
Worst: Wasp not being a founding Avenger
Runner Up: The general pissing away of Extremis as a concept
No way in hell. Incel Death-Friendzone Thanos is just creepy and pathetic. MCU Thanos may be wrong, but that's okay, because he's the villain. Villains don't have to be right, they just have to believe they're right and want to accomplish their misguided goal. It's strange that anyone even brings up this "That doesn't even make sense, what is he, stupid?" thing with Thanos considering there's a perfect example of "monster who wants to do terrible nonsensical things in the belief he's 100% correct in doing them" squatting in the White House at this moment.
Runner Up: Jarvis as an AI rather than a real person
Worst: Wasp not being a founding Avenger
Runner Up: The general pissing away of Extremis as a concept
No way in hell. Incel Death-Friendzone Thanos is just creepy and pathetic. MCU Thanos may be wrong, but that's okay, because he's the villain. Villains don't have to be right, they just have to believe they're right and want to accomplish their misguided goal. It's strange that anyone even brings up this "That doesn't even make sense, what is he, stupid?" thing with Thanos considering there's a perfect example of "monster who wants to do terrible nonsensical things in the belief he's 100% correct in doing them" squatting in the White House at this moment.
Top 3 Best Deviations:
*Civil War especially the revelation that it was Bucky who killed Tony's parents. What started as a dispute over government regulation morphed into a very personal feud that heightened the real climax of the movie. And it was all architected by a simple human with a grudge against the humans... though with some plot contrivances of course.
*Thanos, his backstory his motivations for wiping half of the universe. I also liked that he nuked the stones after doing his mission which was the whole premise for Endgame. To me all of this was more interesting than Thanos trying to court a skeleton lady.
*The Infinity Stone/gauntlet usage has physical limitations on usage. In comics anyone can slap on the gauntlet and do whatever they want. Using the gauntlet and stones in MCU is a big deal and whenever someone snaps it was always a "oh shit moment" because you knew that person wasn't coming out of it in the same state. I also liked that you had to close your first to activate the gauntlet and the stones glowed when used... It added a lot of dynamics to the fights involving the stones without making them absurdly strong.
Top 3 Worst Deviation:
*Malekith's adaptation was so poor and he has now become a joke in the MCU as that forgettable Thor 2 villain. Malekith in the comics is a sadistic, ruthless and power hungry dark elf who is also a powerful sorcerer and is good at scheming too. The one in the MCU is none of that and on top of it is just forgettable.
*Everything involving Mandarin... From the Bens Kingley fake out to the reveal that Guy Pierce is the real Mandarin. Thankfully this is getting changed in Shang Chi and we will have an actual Mandarin so we can finally put Iron Man 3 behind us.
*Age of Ultron. While it was on Avenger level threat that could wipe out the world... The comics AoU was wider and more catastrophic. Ultron actually manages to win and that's what made him such a threatening villain for the Avengers. In the movie it seemed like Vision could have solo'd with ease.
*Civil War especially the revelation that it was Bucky who killed Tony's parents. What started as a dispute over government regulation morphed into a very personal feud that heightened the real climax of the movie. And it was all architected by a simple human with a grudge against the humans... though with some plot contrivances of course.
*Thanos, his backstory his motivations for wiping half of the universe. I also liked that he nuked the stones after doing his mission which was the whole premise for Endgame. To me all of this was more interesting than Thanos trying to court a skeleton lady.
*The Infinity Stone/gauntlet usage has physical limitations on usage. In comics anyone can slap on the gauntlet and do whatever they want. Using the gauntlet and stones in MCU is a big deal and whenever someone snaps it was always a "oh shit moment" because you knew that person wasn't coming out of it in the same state. I also liked that you had to close your first to activate the gauntlet and the stones glowed when used... It added a lot of dynamics to the fights involving the stones without making them absurdly strong.
Top 3 Worst Deviation:
*Malekith's adaptation was so poor and he has now become a joke in the MCU as that forgettable Thor 2 villain. Malekith in the comics is a sadistic, ruthless and power hungry dark elf who is also a powerful sorcerer and is good at scheming too. The one in the MCU is none of that and on top of it is just forgettable.
*Everything involving Mandarin... From the Bens Kingley fake out to the reveal that Guy Pierce is the real Mandarin. Thankfully this is getting changed in Shang Chi and we will have an actual Mandarin so we can finally put Iron Man 3 behind us.
*Age of Ultron. While it was on Avenger level threat that could wipe out the world... The comics AoU was wider and more catastrophic. Ultron actually manages to win and that's what made him such a threatening villain for the Avengers. In the movie it seemed like Vision could have solo'd with ease.
You have to bring Trump into it? I would hope that the bar for writing a villain goes a little higher than Trump's infantile worldview. Just because hateful morons exist doesn't make them interesting characters.
Thanos is quite competent, intelligent, and often seems quite reasonable. He's willing to explain himself to those who will listen. I'm not stanning for "I love Death" Thanos; I agree that's too ephemeral for the MCU. And I certainly never said I wanted Thanos to be right, where did you get that? I want a little more attention on his flaw, that's all. He's not right. That's actually the problem: he's arguably too compelling, considering there's a "Thanos is right" crowd out there.
I'm gonna be straight with y'all. The best thing about the MCU is so far when someone dies. They fucking stay dead (except for Loki lol). Kinda excited to see where the MCU will go in a post End Game world.
Worst is that unless you are a big fan of Iron Man and Captain America. it kinda feels like everyone else in the MCU is just along for the ride up till now.
Worst is that unless you are a big fan of Iron Man and Captain America. it kinda feels like everyone else in the MCU is just along for the ride up till now.
Incel Thanos would've instantly been the most relevant comic book ever put on screen given the current climate lmao.
I also wish they would've made base MCU Thanos more powerful than he was. Not comic book tier mind you, but somewhere around MCU Hela-tier maybe? It's hard to imagine just a big purple strong dude amassing an Army strong enough to strike fear throughout the universe when someone like Captain Marvel is strong enough to cripple it and him on her lunch break.
The original Mandarin looks racist, though I can't say for the Shang Chi Ten Rings film.
Ultron wasn't perfect but I disagree with people who just wanted another cackling evil robot or Terminator. That would have been a lot worse.
The worst change is every property eventually becoming a comedy, Black Panther balanced out the drama and humour the best.
Ultron wasn't perfect but I disagree with people who just wanted another cackling evil robot or Terminator. That would have been a lot worse.
The worst change is every property eventually becoming a comedy, Black Panther balanced out the drama and humour the best.
Worst: Civil War basically having no repercussions whatsoever and the entire moral and ethical dilemma at its center being abandoned was disappointing. The original comic CW wasn't that great, but I loved the long-lasting effects it had on the universe. New Avengers was a great series.
All the Tony as Peter's mentor and father figure stuff completely whiffs for me, especially in FFH.
In general, Tony never really suffering any consequences for his behavior and complete lack of accountability sucks.
Carol Danvers. Big fat nothing. I know little about her comic book version though so I can't say if it's a bad change, but it's bad on the screen and the page.
Best: M'Baku. No Man-Ape, thank christ.
The Skrulls in Captain Marvel.
Steve Rogers. He's not changed per se, but I think he's the biggest winner of the adaptation process. Would've been so easy for this character to come across as a holier-than-thou annoying boy scout, but thanks to good writing and Chris Evans just being Chris Evans, the character 100% works.
All the Tony as Peter's mentor and father figure stuff completely whiffs for me, especially in FFH.
In general, Tony never really suffering any consequences for his behavior and complete lack of accountability sucks.
Carol Danvers. Big fat nothing. I know little about her comic book version though so I can't say if it's a bad change, but it's bad on the screen and the page.
Best: M'Baku. No Man-Ape, thank christ.
The Skrulls in Captain Marvel.
Steve Rogers. He's not changed per se, but I think he's the biggest winner of the adaptation process. Would've been so easy for this character to come across as a holier-than-thou annoying boy scout, but thanks to good writing and Chris Evans just being Chris Evans, the character 100% works.
Best was making Peter Parker a teen from Queens again.
Also best was Miles Morales in the Spider-Verse film.
Worse was every Sony film prior. I mean really, those Fantastic 4 movies are so bad.
Also best was Miles Morales in the Spider-Verse film.
Worse was every Sony film prior. I mean really, those Fantastic 4 movies are so bad.
I'm pretty sure Feige came out and said that The Avengers being divided and going their separate ways after Civil War was the reason that Thanos won in Infinity War, so there was definitely repercussions there.
(Although I've got plenty of other gripes with CW.)
Worst: Nerfed Black Panther in his own movie. He comes off incredibly weak power level wise in most of the film, and they parted out some of his best attributes to the supporting cast. You'd never know he is one of the smartest in the MCU, or how he has a character flaw of being a complete asshole almost every chance he gets. He also is very brutal in combat, with the comic books having you believe he wouldn't be too out place in a Mortal Kombat game without all of the gore.
His brand of nationalism and isolationism would probably give alt-circles a boner, but they softened that up a lot for the MCU.
Best: I thought The Winter Solider's Snoden vibes was pitch perfect for it's time and was a point where the MCU's storytelling seemed to be taking a more mature and nuanced turn.
His brand of nationalism and isolationism would probably give alt-circles a boner, but they softened that up a lot for the MCU.
Best: I thought The Winter Solider's Snoden vibes was pitch perfect for it's time and was a point where the MCU's storytelling seemed to be taking a more mature and nuanced turn.
If we can include Spider-Verse in this then I LOVE what they did with Doc Ock.
616 Shuri is not like her MCU counterpart.
She is older and wiser, with a very different personality. Currently she is Black Panther while T'challa is lost in space, and she has some supernatural powers like talking with the dead, and changing into animals. The only thing she and MCU Shuri have in common is that both build stuff, but that's it.
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On the topic:
Best - Vulture, M'Baku, Nebula. All more interesting than their original selves.
Worst - Malekith (War of the Realms ended recently and it wasn't good, but that Malekith was still better than the movie's), Ultron and Gamora for the same reasons others have mentioned.
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Best Deviation was the combination of Iron Man and Captain America new characterisation as a whole. Both are so different from the comics and yet so unique and influential.
Worst will be when we find out in the upcoming X-Men movies that Tony Stark funded Xavier's school and Magneto really just hates Tony legacy and Tony created the Sentinels before he died and Tony is responsible for Project X and Tony... Etc...
Worst will be when we find out in the upcoming X-Men movies that Tony Stark funded Xavier's school and Magneto really just hates Tony legacy and Tony created the Sentinels before he died and Tony is responsible for Project X and Tony... Etc...
I'm gonna have to go with this one as my worst deviation. There are plenty of others, but I REALLY liked comic Gamora...
"Deadliest Woman in the Galaxy" and proves it over and over. She's one of those "I'm SO glad she's on OUR side" kind of characters.
In the movies... she's been toned down 6000%.
She has her moments, and her relationship with Nebula is a HUGE improvement...
But she's a pale shadow of her former comic glory that even "I can go toe-to-toe with Thanos" comic Drax's power-down feels less significant.
That's another one that still bugs me. Not the dance-off part (I'm fine with that), but reducing a very complicated, complex, and even at-times sympathetic and heroic antagonist into just a dumb power-mad villain.
Comic Ronan is legit amazing and even considered a hero at the time the movie hit. He's a devout Kree loyalist who came to realize the government he served blindly was inept and corrupt, taking the steps to atone for his blind zealotry, reshape the Kree order from the inside-out, and become one of its most positive and inspiring leaders.
Reading him in Annihilation and seeing him grow to respect his former enemies and view them as allies and even friends is one of the greatest comic turns I've ever seen. "Were you Kree... I would call you BROTHER."
And his political marriage to Crystal was SO DAMN GOOD. I miss it.
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This. Not only did they do Ronins characterisation a disservice, they turned him into a joke with that.
Best: The Mandarin
Worst: Hulks ark in Infinity War and Endgame. (Or in general the disinterest of the Russo's in the Hulk)
Runner up is Captain Marvels lack of personality. She's just so so bland. Brie's a waste in this role so far. And I love comic Carol.
Worst: Hulks ark in Infinity War and Endgame. (Or in general the disinterest of the Russo's in the Hulk)
Runner up is Captain Marvels lack of personality. She's just so so bland. Brie's a waste in this role so far. And I love comic Carol.
616 Shuri is not like her MCU counterpart.
She is older and wiser, with a very different personality. Currently she is Black Panther while T'challa is lost in space, and she has some supernatural powers like talking with the dead, and changing into animals. The only thing she and MCU Shuri have in common is that both build stuff, but that's it.
Shuri seems like she may be getting hit with the MCU retcon bat in 616:
Worst: Giving Hawkeye a family, nerfing Gamora and Drax so hard, turning Gamora into "the team chick who is responsible and annoyed", what GOTG1 did to Ronan, making Tony's tendency to create fascistic superweapons of oppression in the name of security a good thing (looking at you, Spiderman Far From Home).
Best: Captain Marvel, Civil War making the conflict about Cap and Tony personally, Nebula (who kind of is where Gamora should have been in GOTG1)
Best: Captain Marvel, Civil War making the conflict about Cap and Tony personally, Nebula (who kind of is where Gamora should have been in GOTG1)
Best: No spiderman origin story and ESPECIALLY not having to go through an over-wrought demonstration of Uncle Ben's death again. Especially after how stupid the Amazing Spider-man one was.
Also whoever mentioned Aunt May not looking like a survivor of the Great Depression gets a star.
Also whoever mentioned Aunt May not looking like a survivor of the Great Depression gets a star.
I like original Nick Fury, so that.
Tony replacing uncle Ben sucks.
Rocket not having a cockney accent.
Tony replacing uncle Ben sucks.
Rocket not having a cockney accent.
Best changes I can think of... I really like tweaking the OG GotG into Yondu's old pirate buddies was a brilliant way to incorporate them. Carol Danvers spending time as a brainwashed Kree soldier was a cool idea. Vulture was a huge change for the better.
For the worst, Ronan being toned down into a regular old zealot is a shame. Gamora as well - I'm fine with Drax being goofier, but Gamora traded away "badass" for "team mom" and that's a disgrace.
The biggest shame is Thanos having his motivation changed to a run-of-the-mill well-intentioned extremist. His original motivation, which is fascinatingly mythic and cosmic and beautifully weird in the way that makes superhero comics so interesting, is the most attractive thing about the character. He's obsessed with death on every level - practically, religiously, philosophically, romantically, sexually. It's the thematic equivalent of "yellow spandex is stupid, the X-Men need black leather."
For the worst, Ronan being toned down into a regular old zealot is a shame. Gamora as well - I'm fine with Drax being goofier, but Gamora traded away "badass" for "team mom" and that's a disgrace.
The biggest shame is Thanos having his motivation changed to a run-of-the-mill well-intentioned extremist. His original motivation, which is fascinatingly mythic and cosmic and beautifully weird in the way that makes superhero comics so interesting, is the most attractive thing about the character. He's obsessed with death on every level - practically, religiously, philosophically, romantically, sexually. It's the thematic equivalent of "yellow spandex is stupid, the X-Men need black leather."
I would be okay with Thor but as it turns out he just holds the hammer for other people now. loser
On the one hand I get the outage over the ancient one change, but Tilda Swanton is so damn perfect in the role it's hard to not like her as the Ancient One.