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When it comes to adapting Marvel Comics to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, some changes are inevitable. More often than not, these adaptational changes are just adjustments or updates. Others, however, are more extreme.
For different reasons, certain Marvel heroes and villains were essentially remade from the ground up. Thanks to new backstories, powers, personalities, and more, these characters are practically new ones despite being based on decades-old material.
WARNING: Spoilers ahead.
10 The Flag-Smasher Became A Political Movement
The original Flag-Smasher wasn’t just one of Captain America’s forgotten villains, but a legacy one as well. Two men donned the Flag-Smasher name, and they were anarchists who hated nations and patriotism so much that they used terrorism to get their points across. Both died, with the second Flag-Smasher even dying as a punchline to Deadpool.
The Flag-Smasher himself never appeared in The Falcon And The Winter Soldier, but his ideals lived through the Flag Smashers. Led by Karli Morgenthau, the Flag Smashers were refugees who resorted to extremist guerilla tactics to restore the world to its pre-Blip state, when borders were effectively erased after Thanos’ universal genocide.
9 The Skrulls Became Victims Of The Kree Empire
For the longest time, the Skrulls were known as one of the most dreaded villainous alien races in Marvel Comics. Not only could the Skrulls shapeshift and infiltrate their opponents’ teams or planets, but stronger ones could even imitate a target’s superpowers. In fact, the Skrulls were so powerful that they fought the mighty Kree Empire to a standstill.
When they appeared in Captain Marvel, however, the Skrulls were nowhere near as evil as the comics or Kree claimed they were. These Skrulls were the victims of the Krees’ ruthless imperialism, and they’ve fled to different corners of the galaxy. After Captain Marvel saved them, the Skrulls relocated to Earth and have been covertly helping mankind since.
8 The Eternals Became The Celestials’ Pawns
The big twist of The Eternals was that the immortals weren’t sent to Earth to protect it as the Celestials told them, but to unknowingly ready it for slaughter. This greatly contrasts their comic counterparts, where they’re the heroic results of the Celestials’ experiments on sentient life, not mass-produced pawns used to perpetuate a world-ending cycle.
The divergences also extended to the individual Eternals, so much so that all they retained from the comics was their name. Some big changes include: Ajak was now a woman, Ikaris was now the antagonist, Sersi was stoic instead of excitable, Makkari was now a deaf woman, and more. That being said, the Eternals’ most significant changes were their races, as the predominantly white team was reimagined to be more diverse.
7 The Grandmaster Became An Eccentric Hedonist
Thor: Ragnarok played loose not just with Asgard, but with Marvel’s cosmic side too. The comedic adventure through space didn’t take anything seriously, including The Grandmaster. Originally, The Grandmaster was one of reality’s oldest villains who found entertainment in manipulating Marvel’s heroes and villains while playing both sides for fun.
The Grandmaster that Thor and Loki met on Sakaar, meanwhile, was a dangerously immature manchild. Unlike his comic counterpart, this Grandmaster only wanted to be entertained at all costs. Besides being more human than ancient celestial, this Grandmaster’s power rested in his political dominion over Sakaar, not godlike cosmic abilities.
6 Nakia Became One Of Wakanda’s Greatest Heroes
The moniker “Malice” has been used by a total of six different Marvel Comics villains, though the first two are arguably the most famous. Malice’s first two alter egos were femme fatales working under Erik Killmonger, one of whom was Nakia. What made Nakia dangerous wasn’t her Dora Milaje training, but her deadly obsession for King T’Challa.
In Black Panther, Nakia got a heroic makeover. Here, Nakia was a War Dog (Wakandan spy) who was an old flame of T’Challa’s. Nakia had none of Malice’s villainy, and everything about her was genuine and just. By the movie’s end, she and T’Challa reignited their relationship after putting it on hold for quite some time.
5 Thanos Became A Delusional Despot
Simply put, the original Thanos was a lovelorn megalomaniac. Instead of conquest or power, Thanos used the Infinity Stones to kill billions to impress Mistress Death, the manifestation of death and the woman of his dreams. After The Infinity Saga, Thanos was given more complex motives, but his love for Mistress Death always remained.
Since the MCU has yet to introduce Mistress Death, Thanos’ backstory and motivation were rewritten. This time, Thanos was a madman with delusions of grandeur. To him, universal genocide was the only way to solve overpopulation and resource scarcity. Thanos collected the Infinity Stones to wipe out half of all life, which he accomplished in Infinity War.
4 Nebula Became One Of The MCU’s Most Tragic Anti-Heroes
Of the MCU’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Nebula changed the most. In the movies, Nebula was one of Thanos’ two adopted daughters, who he abused into becoming his loyal fighters. After starting as a sympathetic antagonist, Nebula warmed up to the heroes and even became an Avenger in the time between Infinity War and Endgame.
In the comics, however, Nebula was plain evil. Here, Nebula was a merciless space mercenary who lied about being Thanos’ granddaughter to bolster her reputation. Nebula was originally an Avengers foe, and she rarely, if ever, met the Guardians. Nebula’s most iconic moment was stealing the Infinity Gauntlet and becoming The Infinity Gauntlet‘s final villain.
3 Yondu Udonta Became Star-Lord’s Adoptive Father
Arguably, the Guardians of the Galaxy were the Marvel team that changed the most. In fact, the original 1969 line-up only showed up in the second movie as mid-credit cameos. The most drastically altered was Yondu, who went from a noble warrior to a space pirate. Besides his blue skin, the only things this Yondu retained were his guided arrow and fin/mohawk.
The biggest change was Yondu being Peter Quill’s second father, as the two never met before in the comics. Their newfound past was so popular that it became canon after Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol.1‘s success. Yondu’s original incarnation was then retroactively explained to be his generations-displaced grandson, who lived in the distant future of Earth-691.
2 The Mandarin Was Revealed To Be Three Different People
To this day, The Mandarin is the MCU’s most polarizing adaptational change. In Iron Man 3, The Mandarin wasn’t just revealed to be a washout actor named Trevor Slattery, but a faux terror threat financed by the billionaire Aldrich Killian. AIM’s boss claimed that there was never a Mandarin to begin with, but this was retconned following fans’ backlash.
The real Mandarin debuted in Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings, but he was still different. In the comics, The Mandarin was an unrepentant villain who only cared for immortality and power. What’s more, he had no familial connection to Shang-Chi. Xu Wenwu, conversely, was Shang-Chi’s father and a reformed villain who was manipulated back into becoming evil.
1 The Ancient One Was Gender-Flipped & Caused Controversy
In both comics and movies, Doctor Strange was trained in the mystic arts by The Ancient One, a nigh-immortal sorcerer who had been protecting the Earth from evil for centuries. The Ancient One was turned from an elderly Tibetan man in the comics into a Celtic woman in live-action.
However, this wasn’t done for purely creative reasons, but geopolitical ones as well. Disney wanted to show Doctor Strange in China, which has a hostile relationship with Tibet. To avoid a ban, The Ancient One was completely overhauled. Though Tilda Swinton was praised for her stellar performance, accusations of whitewashing and pandering to China remained. Kevin Feige has since regretted this change.
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