What Comic Book Adaptations of Characterizations Are Better than the Comics?

What movies, tv show, video game, radio version of characters are better than the comics?

Blade is the first that comes to mind.

What do you guys think? Doesn't have to just be superheroes!

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Deadpool! Hands down!

I love his movies. To me they are perfect in terms of comedy and action. However I hate him in the comics. I tried reading some, where he became king of the monsters, and it was awful. The jokes were bad, and at some point crossing the line of vulgarity. I found nothing pleasing about it. Maybe it's because Movies were meant for a broader audience and had to hold back on what Deadpool was in the comics, but whatever it was I thank them, for I will always love the movies.

Batroc the Leaper. His characterization in the MCU as a fearsome, acrobatic mercenary was incredibly creative.

Nice.

I never cared nearly as much about Hawkgirl in any story or universe as I did DCAU Hawkgirl. But maybe Gunn's Hawkgirl in Superman will surprise me.

And IDK... Burgess Meredith and Tom Kenny's ninja Penguin in The Batman (2004) are still the most he's ever resonated with me as a character.

Some of Mark Millar's work during his edgelord years (Wanted, Kingsman and Kick-Ass)

Zach Snyder gave Hollis Mason (first Nite Owl) an awesome death scene. It's a damn shame it wasn't in the theatrical cut.

MCU Captain America. He might not have the feats comparable to the comic book version, but his characterization/portrayal tips the scales for me.

DCAU Amazo. I don't need to explain why.

MCU Shuri. Between her and her brother, she was the genius. She designed her Vibranium suit, Killmonger's, and T'Challa's. She successfully replicated the Heart Shaped Herb. She's made a lot of technological contributions to Wakanda. Writers at Marvel only recently did a "soft retcon" of her character in the comic book universe, making her more like the MCU version. She had gone thru numerous changes before that.

MCU Scarlet Witch

MCU Tony Stark and Thanos, DCEU Zod, Fox Deadpool, Nolanverse Joker, literally all the characters in Amazon The Boys.

Sweet for such a short appearance! Did you like him in the comics?

Could you explain why? Thanks!

No, you do not! Neat character. What did you think of DCAU Lex Luthor?

Iron Man is miles better in the MCU than he ever was in the comics. Unbelievable how they crushed iron man as a character when the comics never really had

I like MCU Ancient One way more than the comic counterpart.

Hal Jordan from green lantern the animated series

@zaied: those are actually both fantastic examples. I’d also say DCAU John Stewart was crazy good, though I’ve never actually seen much of him in the comics so I can’t compare them. 2004 The Batman did so much cool stuff with the villains. Ninja Penguin and his Kabuki Twins were such a weird but welcome addition.

@infinitehope: he's a much older character from Cap's mythos so the campiness of his comic counterpart is understandable. I only knew of him from the Marvel Comic Character Compendium I devoured as a kid.

I think X-Men 97 handles Madelyne Pryor better than the comics do.

In the comics, Madelyne was what the animated series did. A symbol of a person. She was Jean Grey if she had gone down a darker path, which was why Claremont and Simonson had no issue with completely villainizing her. Ready to sacrifice her son to demons because she felt she was not a real person. Therefore, she was not bound by the rules of normal people and Nathan was the last piece that represented her connection to her humanity and her love with Cyclops. Very understandable choices and interesting……but it also makes her pretty unapologetic and hard to sympathize with, even when taking into account her trauma.

X-Men ‘97 takes the representation of a person angle very literally, simplifying it by taking away the demonic connection and just staying with mere aesthetic. Focusing purely on how Madelyne and Jean Grey were wholly violated by a twisted man and the tragedy that Madelyne lost her son because of a man’s manipulation. It keeps the same beats, makes them easily digestible, and saves Madelyne’s character. She does essentially stay as “another Jean Grey”, but there is a certain genius to it because she can’t live Jean’s life anymore. The X-Mansion is no longer her home and she no longer has a husband or son. She is lost with memories that are not hers. She was completely genuine in everything she did for the X-Men and she can no longer claim a place among them. Lucky that she was aching to leave anyways because the angst would have been worse if she had wanted to stay.

Perfection in my book.

DCAU with John Stewart and Shayera Hol

@infinitehope: DCAU Luthor is probably the best protrayal of the character outside of comic books.

Just to name a few:

• MCU Iron Man
• MCU Thanos
• FOX/CBM Deadpool
• Blade
• DCAU Hawkgirl
• DCAU John Stewart

Its interesting people say MCU Thanos, I think he couldve been but they killed him off before he could do anything interesting

Better than David Micheline?

Thanks! It's my favorite!

Thanks. Can you explain why?

Are any for the Turtles being that you have Mikey as an avatar?

@infinitehope: Maybe the turtles from the original movie, but I still prefer the comics just a little.

I preferred comic Thanos.

I definitely prefer Amazo in the DCAU more then I do in the comics

Mr Freeze in Batman: The Animated Series is a classic example of a character getting utterly transformed by an adaptation in other media. Not only has this depiction become standard for the character, but I'd also argue that nothing else has really matched it since.

Homelander (Amazon), Iron Man(Mcu), Peacemaker(dceu), Oliver queen(cw), Zod(dceu), thanos(Mcu), James gordon(Gotham) off the top of my head.

@pyrofn: Thank you for your thoughtful post and visuals as always!

Agreed! And I think it's even influential on adapting other characters.

Amazing adaptation!

Same.

Cyborg from the Teen Titans animated series. I don't care for him in the comics tbh.