D Marvel Cinematic Universe Marvel may bring characters from the comics to life in live-action, but not all characters in the franchise resemble their original comic book appearances. Since the franchise’s inception, the MCU’s movies have adapted Marvel Comics characters to the big screen. In many ways, the vast majority can be considered faithful to the source material, bringing a certain iteration of a prominent Marvel figure to live-action.
However, throughout the MCU’s movie timeline, there have been instances where this has not happened. Often, characters are introduced who have been radically redesigned for the MCU, from physical appearance to costume design and even, sometimes, complete overhauls. While doing so has hardly hurt the MCU’s massive success, it’s undeniable that the franchise is often guilty of introducing characters who look nothing like their original Marvel Comics counterparts.
10 The Grandmaster of the MCU is not blue
First Appearance: Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
The MCU introduced Marvel’s version of the Grandmaster as a secondary antagonist Thor: Ragnarok After the character makes a brief cameo in an MCU mid-credits scene Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Played by Jeff Goldblum, the MCU’s Grandmaster is the ruler of the planet Saka, where he hosts various games of skill and chance and keeps a wealth of captive animals as his subjects. The MCU’s Grandmaster was generally well-received, but looked different from the comics.
In the comics, the Grandmaster is most notably depicted with blue skin. The MCU decided not to do that, instead making his appearance more in line with his brother, the Collector. This was reportedly because director Taika Waititi didn’t want to obscure Jeff Goldblum’s performance or charisma with blue make-up or CGI, which was undoubtedly the right decision for his MCU portrayal.
9 Hank Pym is much older than his comic book counterpart
First Appearance: Ant-Man (2015)
When the hero was introduced to Ant-Man, the MCU took an alternative approach. Instead of directly adapting the character’s comic book origins, the franchise skips Hank Pym’s creation of Pym Particles and the Ant-Man suit, and instead casts Scott Lang as the MCU’s Ant-Man. As a result, Hank Pym serves more as a mentor and supporting character and is only shown using his suit through flashbacks.
In the comics, Hank Pym is usually much shorter Not as much as he is in the MCU. Michael Douglas also has dark hair in Hank Pym’s flashbacks, in contrast to the character’s usually blonde appearance in the comics. Finally, the MCU also made some changes to Ant-Man’s suit, toning down the insect inspiration in favor of a sleeker, more sci-fi look. As a result, Hank Pym is incredibly different in the MCU than in the comics.
8 Wong’s entire character was recreated for Benedict Wong
First Appearance: Doctor Strange (2016)
Wong was introduced to the MCU in 2016 The doctor is strangePlayed by Benedict Wong. Portrayed as a mentor and later close friend to Doctor Strange, the MCU’s Wang quickly became a fan-favorite character, thanks to his role as a provider of some of the franchise’s best deadpan comic relief. Benedict Wong went on to reprise the role multiple times in both movies and TV shows in the MCU.
In the comics, Wong is a relatively short, bald monk who serves as Doctor Strange’s servant and occasional sidekick. For the MCU, his entire character was reworked to facilitate the casting of Benedict Wong, with his live-action appearance being a slightly larger figure who served as the librarian of Kamar-Taz. Considering what the actor was able to do with the role, it seems like a special decision to give him a visual overhaul to include him in the MCU.
7 Bill Foster looks nothing like him in the comics
First Appearance: Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)
While Bill Foster is far from one of the best-known Marvel heroes, he has actually proven himself to be a long-running supporting character in the comics. His introduction to the MCU in 2018 Ant-Man and the Wasp Saw Laurence Fishburne playing Foster. In the movie, Bill Foster appears in a supporting role, playing the adoptive father of the film’s villain as well as Hank Pym’s former colleague.
Bill Foster’s original appearance in the comics was significantly different from his MCU counterpart. A much younger character, the Bill Foster hero from Marvel Comics better known as Goliath, used the same technology as Hank Pym to greatly increase his size. being Being young, muscular and dressed as a hero was the main visual element of the original characterAnd Laurence Fishburne’s MCU iteration certainly looks significantly different.
6 Yondu’s Ravager appearance is a complete re-imagining of his original design
First Appearance: Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
He was given the saddest parental death in the MCU Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2Yondu Udonta is launched first Guardians of the Galaxy In the movie Ravager Captain, Yondu’s role as a spacefaring rogue saw him dressed as a sort of sci-fi pirate. Michael Rooker’s performance as Yondu makes him seem particularly rough around the edges, with Ravager spending much of his MCU debut trying to track down Star-Lord, who he believes stole from him.
However, Yondu in the comics was originally very different from the MCU. When he was first introduced, Yondu’s character had prominent Native American inspiration, wielding a bow and arrow and wearing animal skins. Yondu’s major redesign in the MCU made him a much better fit within the franchise, as his role as a Ravager captain called for a bit more toughness.
5 Hawkeye’s costume was heavily toned down for the MCU
First Appearance: Thor (2011)
Despite first being introduced in the comics as a villain, Hawkeye became a core part of the iconic team The Avengers. As a result, it’s not surprising that he was introduced early in the MCU, making a brief appearance in 2011. thor Before becoming a founding Avenger in 2012 The Avengers. Jeremy Renner’s MCU Hawkeye is an agent of SHIELD, and usually wears a dark leather outfit with a bow and an arrow on his back.
Hawkeye’s original comic book appearance was not carried over to the MCU. Originally, Hawkeye wore an eye-catching purple and blue outfitA large mask with a giant letter H on his head. Surprisingly, the somewhat dated design didn’t survive his live-action debut, and the MCU has yet to embrace the more substantial elements of Hawkeye’s original comic book appearance.
4 Marisa Tomei looks nothing like Marvel’s original Aunt May
First Appearance: Captain America: Civil War (2016)
In one of the MCU’s most obvious pieces of artistic license, the franchise chose to cast Marisa Tomei as Aunt May. Since the character has long been a key part of Spider-Man’s own hero story, his inclusion in the MCU was vital. Tomei’s May Parker is Peter Parker’s young and attractive guardian, with whom the other characters are almost constantly flirting with as one of the franchise’s running gags.
Given the conventional image of the character, Marisa Tomei would not have been an obvious choice to play Aunt May. In the comics, Aunt May is usually an old and frail womanand is usually depicted looking like a traditional grandmother. The MCU took the character in a completely different direction, and not only cast an A-list actor to play May, but turned her alternate appearance into a running gag.
3 Ulysses Klaue has little in common with the comics
First Appearance: Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
From both a design and narrative standpoint, the MCU’s Ulysses Claw only vaguely resembles the comic book source material. The MCU’s version of the character is a South African arms dealer whose stolen cache of vibranium puts him at odds with the people of Wakanda as well as the franchise’s heroes. During his MCU storyline, he loses an arm, only to have it replaced with a high-tech prosthetic that allows him to fire sonic blasts.
In the comics, Klaue is better known as Klaw, and was originally a human physicist transformed into a living sound being. The most common form of the character shows her dressed head to toe in a skin-tight red and purple outfit.. Andy Serkis’ MCU version of the character has no such costume, and is instead written as a rougher, more human type of villain.
2 Ego Is More Kurt Russell Than Living Planet
First appearance: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
In terms of strict characterization, the MCU’s take on Ego the Living Planet has a reasonable amount of comic accuracy. However, in the franchise’s presentation of the villain, there was a disconnect between the movies and the comics. In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2Kurt Russell plays the incredibly powerful being, who is also written to be Star-Lord’s father. However, that casting decision ultimately led to comic accuracy.
in comics, The ego is almost always depicted as a living planet: a huge being with a huge face in a celestial body.. However, given the casting of an actor of Kurt Russell’s character, and his MCU story revolving around tricking Star-Lord, it only follows that Ego will spend most of the movie apparently in human form. Even so, it makes the MCU’s version of Ego look completely different from the comics.
1 The Ancient One’s live-action redesign was widely controversial
First Appearance: Doctor Strange (2016)
Given the character’s original comic book appearance, the Ancient One is considered problematic by some. However, it’s 2016 The doctor is strange tried to subvert expectations by casting Tilda Swinton in the role. In the comics, the character was traditionally an older Asian male, and so changing these key aspects proved incredibly controversial. Although it worked on some level, there was no trace of comic accuracy in the changes.
Swinton’s performance was admirable, but the actor doesn’t look like the archetypal one from the comics. Ultimately, the change had no real impact on the overall story The doctor is strange or the wider MCU, but it stands out as one of the most obvious changes in the design of a Marvel character. In it, Tilda is one of Swinton’s earliest notable characters Marvel Cinematic Universe They look nothing like their original Marvel Comics appearance.
Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a multimedia superhero franchise that began in 2008 with Paramount’s Iron Man starring Robert Downey Jr. The franchise quickly gained popularity, with Disney eventually buying Marvel Entertainment in 2009. The MCU includes dozens of movies and TV shows, most notably Avengers: Endgame, WandaVision, and Loki.