Movie characters vs. their comic counterparts

[CConn]

Man, that's a bad title.

It's self explanatory though; what do you think of the various superhero movie characters and their comic versions? Are there some that actually are better then their comic counterparts? Are there some that are worse?

For me, I'd say the following..

Better Than the Comics

Michael Keaton as Batman: There's a bit of a caveat on this one, there's a few different characterizations of comic Batman, and there are some that I prefer more than Keaton's dark and brooding tortured soul (such as the 60s/70s comic caped crusader), but in terms of how the character is portrayed now in the comics, Keaton is leaps and bounds above that cold and angry recluse that Bruce Wayne has turned into. Keaton managed to maintain and convey all of the pain and obsession that makes Batman who he is while still remaining relatable and even likable. Which is something the comic version of the character doesn't always do.

Robert Downey Jr. As Iron Man: When I first got into comics, Iron Man was one of the first handful of heroes I checked out, and I was pretty instantly left cold by the rather prickish yet uneventful characterization of Tony Stark. But when the IM movie hit, I was blown away by Downey's performance as the super-intelligent, super-cocky billionaire. By now, I'm quite sure that Downey is more playing himself than bringing the comics' Tony Stark to life, but given the success and charisma of the movie version, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Chris Hemsworth as Thor: I've never been a Thor fan. Maybe just purely due to my disinterest in the mythology itself (I'm more into the Greek stuff, myself). Despite that, I can't help being a tremendous fan of Hemsworth's Thor. His overconfident, slightly naive and highly charming rendition of the character is light years better than any comic interpretation I've read thus far.

Chris Evans as Captain America: Now, comic Cap is actually my second favorite superhero, so it's a pretty tall order to actually improve upon the character as an actor. But Chris Evans has done it stunningly twice now. It's not so much that movie Cap is different and better than comic Cap, but rather movie Cap seems to consistently capsulize the most endearing and enjoying aspects of Cap's character and his 75 year history.


Worse Than the Comics

Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man: I really think Tobey Maguire and Sam Raimi may have been the most foolish pairing in recent comic movie memory. Raimi's enjoyment of comically camp moments and Maguire's latent awkwardness makes for a very whining, uncomfortable Peter Parker who is very effective as an oafish high school geek, but highly ineffective as a more mature and confident college student/married man.

Christian Bale as Batman: It's not really Bale's fault, but despite the great quality of Nolan's Batman movies, his interpretation of Batman himself is pretty lacking. While its not readily apparent, Bale's Batman is often characterized as a little stupid, very selfish, and as having a rather weak demeanor, requiring the constant encouragement and advice of allies and advisors. All of that is, of course, in stark contrast to the uber-intelligent, highly self-sufficient, and rather selfless Batman of the comics.

 

[Blitzkrieg Bop]

Agreed on Iron Man. When I saw the first movie, I wanted to be Tony Stark. Then I read the books and...totally not the same thing. RDJ has charisma that cannot be held on paper.

 

[The Batman]

Better than the comics:

Christopher Reeve as Superman: I like pre crisis Superman, but Reeve kicks the ass of any incarnation of Superman post 1985. Reeve is pretty much the perfect representation of what makes Superman awesome. Reeve's Superman can be charming and kind, but still willing to whoop someone if he has to.

RDJ as Iron Man: CConn pretty much summed it up.

Worse than the comics

James Marsden as Cyclops: I like Marsden...but Cyclops is not a 5'10 guy who plays second fiddle to Wolverine.

 

[Donnie Darko]

Deadpool: they start with Ryan Reynolds being a funny smartass guy, and you think this could be something special, but then they turn Deadpool into Weapon XI, one of the worst adaptations of a comic book character ever.

 

[CConn]

Worse than the comics

James Marsden as Cyclops: I like Marsden...but Cyclops is not a 5'10 guy who plays second fiddle to Wolverine.

I agree.

Which is a shame as Marsden, as an actor, could've been an awesome Cyclops, but the scripts for those movies horribly underused Cyke.

 

[Wesley Dodds]

Better than the comics:

Iron Man: Completely agree with you, CConn.

Hulk: Could never get into the comics but the Norton movie and especially Ruffalo's take in The Avengers really has me thinking about giving them a serious try.

Worse than the comics:

Green Lantern: Hal Jordan is actually my favourite superhero. I'm borderline obsessed with the GL mythology and, yeah, although I didn't loathe the movie the way most other fanboys did, Ryan Reynolds just wasn't Jordan. At all.
That film was a real opportunity to show the general audience how unbelievably awesome the world of GL is. They didn't.

Constantine: Always had a real special place in my heart for John Constantine. He's easily one of the most interesting, morally ambiguous characters in comics. A real complicated guy.
I don't want to be cruel or anything but... Keanu Reeves was not the actor to play him.

 

[The Morningstar]

Nice thread.

I agree about Stark. In the comics he can be a bit of a stiff really. RDJ injected that much needed charisma into the character. He's a *****e bag, for sure. But he's likable with it. He's like one of those charming rogues.

I also agree about Keaton's Batman. He's much more sympathetic. The scene where he is trying to tell Vicki the truth about him in her apartment is just soooooo good. Batman as written in the comics is a lot of the time kinda, well, boring if i'm honest. It's his mythology, supporting characters and villains that make his books interesting imo.

Worse? Well yea i agree with Constantine. Reeves version of him as Constantine in name only. And it wasn't just his change of nationality, although that in itself bothered the **** out of me.

Also Deadpool. You get Ryan Reynolds, a self confessed fanatic of the character. A guy who could perfectly portray him. Then you go and sew his mouth closed? WTF?

 

[metaphysician]

Chris Hemsworth as Thor: I've never been a Thor fan. Maybe just purely due to my disinterest in the mythology itself (I'm more into the Greek stuff, myself). Despite that, I can't help being a tremendous fan of Hemsworth's Thor. His overconfident, slightly naive and highly charming rendition of the character is light years better than any comic interpretation I've read thus far.

Have you read any of the Simonson run?

Anyway, I'm going to throw out a somewhat controversial pick.

Better than the comic: Punisher ( Thomas Jane version ). Frank Castle has suffered under the Garth Ennis total psychopath interpretation for too long. Despite the elements from the Ennis run ( his neighbors, the Russian ), it was quite nice to see the older "tragic hero" version of the Punisher. That fact that he was portrayed as *smart*, dangerously so, was a bonus.

 

[Donnie Darko]

I can't really speak for anything that came out before the movie, but ever since Blade came out, Marvel has true to relaunch the coming a few times without ever capturing how great he was in the movies.

 

[Beikoku Taichou]

Chris Evans as Captain America: Now, comic Cap is actually my second favorite superhero, so it's a pretty tall order to actually improve upon the character as an actor. But Chris Evans has done it stunningly twice now. It's not so much that movie Cap is different and better than comic Cap, but rather movie Cap seems to consistently capsulize the most endearing and enjoying aspects of Cap's character and his 75 year history.

Totally Agree here. Also, due to some of the dialogue, Chris Evans as Steve brings out a bit more of his humble "guy from Brooklyn" beginnings. I would have liked him to have a bit more of a Brooklyn accent but still, he's great.

 

[CConn]

Have you read any of the Simonson run?

Admittedly, no. But I have read all of JMS' run and a few things from Oeming. All of which were supposed to by pretty good examples of the character, according to his fans. But, ultimately, I didn't like him in either.

That said, I do love Lil' Loki in the current JiM series.

 

[Optimus_Prime_]

Better

Gary Oldman as Gordon: Gordon is a good character in the comics in spurts, but otherwise can kind of drift into the background until someone decides they need him as an emotional plot point. For me Oldman's Gordon is much more nuanced. Despite the dropped storyline I rather liked the idea of him interacting with the young Bruce Wayne.

Robert Downey Jr as Iron Man: see other posts

Michael Grough as Alfred: He embodied the role so well I don't even begin to remember he didn't have a mustache. One of the single best scenes in any superhero movie is where he's embarassing Bruce with a childhood tale in front of Vicki Vale. One thing he got totally right is how Alfred remains this stately butler, who never backed away from his duty, and also how no matter what he still saw Bruce as a human being even though Bruce didn't see himself that way. Michael Caine really has not been the Alfred Grough is. I've never liked his sense of humor or how he constantly seems to regard Bale as Batman. Part of Alfred's role is being a link to Bruce's distant past. When Grough is present in a scene he always seems to remind us that Bruce was once just a normal, happy child.

Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime: The Optimus Prime of the comics just never has lived up to Peter Cullen's voiceover. Although essentially the same character, Cullen brought something with his voice that is simply irreplacible anywhere else.

Frank Gorshin as the Riddler: The sheer amount of obsession you feel every time Gorshin delivered a line is incredible. Make fun of 1960s Batman all you want, but Gorshin, in my opinion, would even work in a Nolan movie. His Riddler is positively incredible, and he is best villain that show produced.

Liev Schrieber as Sabertooth: Blasphemy! No, awful movie to be sure, but great Sabertooth. My biggest problem with Sabertooth is that often he's just muscle. Comes onto a panel, says some cool bloodthirsty line, then fights Wolverine. In the movie though he made the rivalry seem real, and really did a much better job establishing why they hated each other. Sabertooth was a much more cerebral character with Liev Schrieber playing him, and Schrieber had to do more than be a physical presence.

 

[CConn]

That was actually intelligently said.

 

[ShredderX]

Better

Gary Oldman as Gordon: Gordon is a good character in the comics in spurts, but otherwise can kind of drift into the background until someone decides they need him as an emotional plot point. For me Oldman's Gordon is much more nuanced. Despite the dropped storyline I rather liked the idea of him interacting with the young Bruce Wayne.

Robert Downey Jr as Iron Man: see other posts

Michael Grough as Alfred: He embodied the role so well I don't even begin to remember he didn't have a mustache. One of the single best scenes in any superhero movie is where he's embarassing Bruce with a childhood tale in front of Vicki Vale. One thing he got totally right is how Alfred remains this stately butler, who never backed away from his duty, and also how no matter what he still saw Bruce as a human being even though Bruce didn't see himself that way. Michael Caine really has not been the Alfred Grough is. I've never liked his sense of humor or how he constantly seems to regard Bale as Batman. Part of Alfred's role is being a link to Bruce's distant past. When Grough is present in a scene he always seems to remind us that Bruce was once just a normal, happy child.

Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime: The Optimus Prime of the comics just never has lived up to Peter Cullen's voiceover. Although essentially the same character, Cullen brought something with his voice that is simply irreplacible anywhere else.

Frank Gorshin as the Riddler: The sheer amount of obsession you feel every time Gorshin delivered a line is incredible. Make fun of 1960s Batman all you want, but Gorshin, in my opinion, would even work in a Nolan movie. His Riddler is positively incredible, and he is best villain that show produced.

Liev Schrieber as Sabertooth: Blasphemy! No, awful movie to be sure, but great Sabertooth. My biggest problem with Sabertooth is that often he's just muscle. Comes onto a panel, says some cool bloodthirsty line, then fights Wolverine. In the movie though he made the rivalry seem real, and really did a much better job establishing why they hated each other. Sabertooth was a much more cerebral character with Liev Schrieber playing him, and Schrieber had to do more than be a physical presence.

I totally Agree with you on Liev's Sabretooth.

I also liked Terrence Stamp's General Zod, Wesley Snipes Blade, and Jame Mcavoy's Proff. X.

worst

Julian Mcmahons Dr. Doom from the Fantastic 4.

 

[chiefchirpa]

Also Deadpool. You get Ryan Reynolds, a self confessed fanatic of the character. A guy who could perfectly portray him. Then you go and sew his mouth closed? WTF?

Pre-Barakapool Wade Wilson was fine though. Ryan Reynolds actually steals the show on that stage of the movie.

 

[The Joker]

Better:

Eddie Brock/Venom - Venom in the comics is a one dimensional bore, who hates Spider-Man for the stupidest reasons I've ever heard of. Brock and Spider-Man never even met until he became Venom. In Spider-Man 3 Raimi gave Brock actual reasons for hating Peter, and established a real connection between them.

 

[Optimus_Prime_]

Better:

Eddie Brock/Venom - Venom in the comics is a one dimensional bore, who hates Spider-Man for the stupidest reasons I've ever heard of. Brock and Spider-Man never even met until he became Venom. In Spider-Man 3 Raimi gave Brock actual reasons for hating Peter, and established a real connection between them.

As I recall wasn't the Spider-Man 3 origin basically what they did in the animated series in the 1990s? I'm almost positive it was. Even the idea of it coming from space is from that show (although they could never do the Secret Wars origin).

 

[Lunar_Wolf]

Better:

Iron Man: We all know why.

Kick-Ass: The comic was good, but I enjoyed the take on the film characters more. I found the characters in the comic world not too likable and the gore is way over done. The film was hilarious and presented everything in a much better package.

Worse:

Deadpool: I liked Ryan's little bit as Wade, but when became s***pool...well, it was s***. Also, who ****ing decided that casting Will.I.Am was a good idea?

Green Lantern: Hal was portrayed as boring and whiny.

Scott Pilgrim V The World: I LOVE the film, but the comic books were way better. The comics expanded on the relationship between Scott and Ramona including Scott's past with Kim and Lisa. The movie, I felt, needed two parts as the fights did get too cluttered.

 

[co2]

Better in the movies
Superman (could never read a Supes comic, but Reeve will always be the man)
Ironman (boring in the comics, but RDJ is...well RDJ)
Blade (who ever cared about Blade comics?!)

Better in the comics
Spider-man (I liked the Raimi films...2 may be my fav superhero film...but I still haven't seen Peter Parker on screen. My fingers are crossed)
Daredevil (need I say more?)
Punisher (kind of like the Jane movie, but not even close)

Equal, but different
Wolverine (Jackman is good but the comic Wolvie is a completely different animal.
Batman (Burton and Nolan made great characters, but comic Batman is mythic

 

[Blitzkrieg Bop]

Worse: January Jones as Emma Frost

I place the blame in three directions. January Jones for giving a bland performance and the writers and director not knowing who Emma Frost is as a character. She was just a basic femme fatale.

 

[CConn]

Yeah, I agree.

Emma Frost is a stone cold *****, and Jones didn't portray any of that in her performance.

Nice ****, though. That's probably why no one noticed her bad performance.

 

[Blitzkrieg Bop]

She looks so damn good doing nothing.

 

[Lunar_Wolf]

****!