The era of the superheroes is here. As Marvel and DC try to take the superhero genre up a notch, the only winners in this game are the audience. If you love comic books and superhero movies, there would be no better time than the present to be a comic book nerd. Time and again, people flock to the theatres to see their favourite idols in action. It has been such a longstanding phenomenon that we have become completely oblivious to the fact that there are so many things that are wrong with the superhero movies when compared to the original comic book source material. Presenting – 11 Times superhero movies strangely deviated from Comics and nobody complained!!
11. Hela is not Loki’s Daughter
In the comics, Hela is the Queen of the Asgardian Underworld called Hel. She is also the daughter of Loki. The comic books have a different take on Ragnarok. It is not necessarily the end of days but the destruction of the old Asgard and the beginning of a new one. Hela is the daughter of Loki from a previous version of Asgard in the comic books. The movies not only changed the Hela’s backstory and gave her a completely new family line, it hugely deviated from the character’s original premise from the comic books.
10. Mar-Vell is a female Kree Scientist
Before Carol Danvers took on the role of Captain Marvel, the mantle of Captain Marvel actually belonged to a Kree Soldier who defected to Earth and protected it from the bad guys. Captain Mar-Vell was a Kree Spy sent to Earth after the Kree first encountered the human civilization on Earth and saw them as a threat. Mar-Vell has incredible energy absorption and manipulation powers, cosmic awareness, flight and wields the Nega-Bands – the Kree answer to Quasar’s Quantum Bands. The Captain Marvel movie introduced Mar-Vell as a female Kree scientist who did not have any superpowers except her genius intellect.
9. Spider-Man does not need web shooters
Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy could be truly credited to be the movie that opened the gates for the dying superhero genre to revitalize itself and become the giant it is known as today. Tobey Maguire will forever be the one true Spider-Man. But a particular facet to his Spider-Man powers will also be forever controversial. In Spider-Man of 2002, Peter Parker reveals that he does not need his iconic web shooters anymore since his body has mutated itself into developing web glands instead. That is just pure blasphemy.
8. The Abomination was born out of the Hulk’s blood
The Hulk has had many enemies in all these years but none of them could match the level of enmity the Hulk shares with the Abomination. Emil Blonksy was actually a KGB Agent in the comic books who became the Abomination after being exposed to gamma radiation just like Bruce Banner was. The only difference was that the amount of radiation the Abomination absorbed was several times higher than the Hulk. The movie showed that it was the Hulk’s gamma-irradiated blood that turned Emil Blonsky into the Abomination. That is not true. They did not even bother to show the Abomination even had gills and other aquatic features and could breathe underwater.
7. Batman’s ancestors were not Hunters
Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice gave us the most accurate portrayal of Batman after Michael Keaton in the form of Ben Affleck. An old, war-weary and battered soul, Batman is fed up with the world always turning to its evil ways and has thus forced him to adapt a life of violence to get back at his enemies. Batman, in one scene, is inside the destroyed ruins of Wayne Manor along with Alfred, where he claims that he gets his Godlike instincts from his forefathers, who were hunters. In the comic books, the Wayne Family did not start out as Hunter-Gatherers. They were ordinary Merchant traders who had the blessings of Lady Luck.
6. Ultron’s New Origin Story
Age of Ultron was supposed to be a roller coaster ride. It turned out to be a bummer and an abomination instead. Ultron is one of the Avengers’ greatest foes. He is an A.I with the ability to take down all the superheroes of Earth using just his analytical acumen. Ever wondered how he got that smart in the first place? It was Hank Pym who created Ultron. While making him, he mapped his own brain and copied it into his framework. Ultron is so smart because his mind is literally a copy of one of the smartest minds on the planet. He is not some straddle nihilist intelligence hiding underneath an Infinity Stone as the movies would have you believe.
5. There are only Three Mother Boxes
If you are familiar with Jack Kirby’s Fourth World, you will know what we are talking about. The Mother Box is a technology that is only accessible to the New Gods of Apokolips. It allows them to open boom tubes, provides them with life support and a host of other protective and offensive abilities when required. The Mother Box is not actually a rather unique object in comic books. Every New God has one. The Justice League movie showed us that there are only three Mother Boxes in existence and Steppenwolf has to have those three to create ‘Unity’ aka destroying the planet. That is not true.
4. Mr. Blue is not who you thought it would be
When the Hulk was being chased after by General Thunderbolt Ross and his forces, he was in regular contact with an anonymous online user who went by the name of Mr. Blue. Banner and Mr. Blue regularly exchanged information regarding the Hulk and how to contain and control it. The Incredible Hulk movie also showed us a similar dynamic between Bruce Banner and Mr. Blue. The sole difference it had from the comic book counterpart was that in the comics, Mr. Blue was actually Betty Ross but in the movies, it turned out to be the Leader. The movie actually missed a crucial opportunity of exploring the Hulk-Betty Ross relationship here, something the Hulk Comic book issues have always managed to achieve.
3. Professor X and Mystique are childhood buddies
There is no way the movies could justify this move in the movie. X-Men: First Class was a brilliant milestone in the Mutant-Verse but it had its fair share of flaws. One glaring hole was the movie portrayed Mystique and Charles Xavier as childhood friends. Mystique, in comic books, is hundreds of years old. She is definitely older than Charles. The movies failed to mention that. Maybe the first time we saw Mystique as a child, she was actually in disguise. Maybe she is way older than the age she claims to be of. We will never know.
2. Gotham’s mutated urban landscape
Tim Burton’s Batman is one of the very first truly admirable works within the superhero genre. Michael Keaton did a splendid job portraying Batman. The only person whose work in the movie topped both Keaton’s and Burton’s was probably production Designer Anton Furst. His portrayal of Gotham City as a mix of several convoluted architectural designs was unique and even won him an Oscar. But look at the comics and you will see that Gotham does not look the way it is portrayed in the movie. It is a sprawling metropolis and is not just a slum of dark alleys and dripping rain gutters. Furst’s work, even though commendable, was still inaccurate but it has influenced all further renditions of the Gotham City in the movies and the shows, one way or another.
1. The Fluid concept of Immortality according to Ra’s Al Ghul
One of the most powerful enemies Batman has ever encountered, Ra’s Al Ghul is an immortal warlord who uses the Lazarus Pit to stay young and kicking. The Lazarus Pit has kept him in the pink of health since centuries. In the Dark Knight trilogy, we learn that Ra’s Al Ghul is the leader of the League of Assassins since several centuries. In Batman Begins, Ra’s Al Ghul supposedly dies only to resurface again in The Dark Knight Rises. When Batman asks how is he still alive, Ra’s Al Ghul claims there are many different forms of immortality. Sorry DC, we are not idiots. We know how the Lazarus Pit works. You should have put up a more convincing argument.
