The 25 Biggest Changes Hollywood's Made To Superhero Movies

Bringing a comic book universe to the big screen is a tricky process. For even the most second-rate superheroes, there exists a wealth of source material to mine. But once producers settle on a storyline, they've trapped themselves into adapting an arc previously told over dozens of issues in only two hours, give or take.

Then factor in the big studio's thirst to recoup that nine figure budget, and suddenly plots that original fans considered sacrosanct are altered in order to appeal to the widest audience possible. And then there's always this cold fact: Just because a character detail or plot was awesome on the page, doesn't guarantee it'll play well on the screen.

So yes, your favorite superhero movie and the five others that came out that year featured at least one major detail that detoured from the way things go down in the comics. Changes are par for the course, but that's not always a bad thing. With the right director at the helm, even the most (reasonably) diehard fanboy can enjoy a storyline that's been adapted and accept it as just that: an adaptation. But yes, over the years, plenty of directors and screenwriters alike have crushed a fragile comic book geek heart by mangling a hallmark storyline beyond recognition.

Complex has compiled the most notable alterations, good and bad, for your reading pleasure. Click through for The 25 Biggest Changes Hollywood's Made to Superhero Movies.

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Written by Frazier Tharpe (@The_SummerMan)

In the Comics: Anton Vanko is a Russian scientist who develops an Iron Man-esque exoskeleton and dons it to become Crimson Dynamo. His mission: taking out Tony Stark. Mark Scarlotti is an electrical technician at Stark International who uses his prowess to become the supervillain Whiplash.

But in the Movie: Anton Vanko is a disgraced Russian scientist who worked with Tony Stark's father to create the Arc Reactor. His son Ivan (Mickey Rourke) creates an electrical exo-skeleton, complete with whips, to avenge his father and defeat Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.).

Does the Change Work?: Yes, on paper. Iron Man doesn't boast as famous a rogues gallery as other superheroes. Merging the two lesser known villains is a solid plan to make a fully engaging threat for the big screen. It's just too bad that, after his initial race-track attack, Ivan Vanko doesn't make much of an impression before being easily dispatched in the rushed climax.

In the Comics: Fictionalized versions of literary characters band together to fight evil. The first series included Mina Murray, Allan Quatermain, Hawley Griffin, Dr. Jekyll/Edward Hyde, and Captain Nemo.

But in the Movie: Tom Sawyer, the clever kid from the Mark Twain novels, is added to the cast of characters.

Does the Change Work?: Of course it doesn't. Moore's working a distinctly British sensibility; this decisions screams stupid studio decision. "Thrown in a hot American, you know, for American kids!" And then the casting is fucked. How are you gonna use Shane West, the same anti-charismatic thespian from classics such as Once and Again and A Walk to Remember? No wonder why Alan Moore despises Hollywood and its adaptations of his works.

In the Comics: Batgirl is Commissioner Gordon's daughter, secretly fighting crime alongside Batman under her father's nose.

But in the Movie: She's Alfred Pennyworth's (Michael Gough) niece.

Does the Change Work: Sure, but only because it's hard to care about which family tree Batgirl (Alicia Silverstone) belongs to in a movie that also features the Caped Crusader (George Clooney) flashing Bat credit cards, flying on falling doors, and going pun for pun with Arnold Schwarzenegger's brain-numbing Mr. Freeze.

On top of that mess, this series' Commissioner Gordon (Pat Hingle) is a dottering old fool, featuring one-sixteenth of the characterization he'd later receive in the Nolan trilogy. Lumping Barbara with Alfred effectively brings her into the fold in the only conceivable manner.

In the Comics: Yuriko is the daughter of the criminal/scientist who perfected the process of bonding adamantium to bone. She eventually goes through the process herself, giving herself adamantium claws. She becomes the supervillain Lady Deathstrike, and naturally, one of Wolverine's biggest foes.

But in the Movie: Yuriko (Kelly Hu) is a mutant with certain similarities to Wolverine. She's also the brainwashed henchwoman to Colonel William Stryker (Brian Cox). She has no backstory (or dialogue, for that matter).

Does the Change Work?: Yes, but it's still disappointing. On the surface, X2 does right enough by Yuriko. She's badass and her face-off with Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) in the climax is a show-stopper. Sometimes it's worth it to just see a favored character on-screen; expecting every secondary character's backstory to be fleshed out is too much to ask of a single feature film.

But retrospectively, had the producers held off on Yuriko and saved her for one of Wolverine's spinoff films, especially the one due this summer that's set in Japan, they would've had the room to give the character the through femme fatale presentation she deserves.

In the Comics: Gotham gangster Sal Maroni throws acid on attorney Harvey Dent during his trial and his disfiguration brings latent schizophrenia and bipolar disorder bubbling to the surface, giving birth to the villain Two-Face

But in the Movie: Maroni (Eric Roberts) and fellow Gotham goons unleash the Joker (Heath Ledger) on Batman (Christian Bale), Dent (Aaron Eckhart), and Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman), and let him go to work on his own. Dent endures his defining deformation when an explosion meant to kill him ignites gasoline that he previously spilled on his face while trying to escape.

Does the Change Work?: Yes. Dent's still a victim of mob brutality, and the added involvement of the Joker his subsequent corruption of "Gotham's white knight" proves to be the lynchpin of the film's extremely satisfying narrative. Furthermore, upgrading him from Bruce's good friend to the personification of his goals gives Dent, and their relationship, much more weight. Plus, an early court scene serves as a nice wink and nod to the original circumstances of Harvey's assault.

In the Comics: The radioactive spider-bite blesses Peter Parker with a spider's agility, but the webbing is a man-made addition, constructed by the nerd himself.

In the Movies: Peter Parker's (Tobey Maguire) still a nerd, but he's even more spider-like, now able to generate his own webbing.

Does the Change Work?: Sure, but it's kind of gross.

In the Comics: Selina Kyle's nickname is a play on her chosen profession: cat burglary; Oswald Cobblepot is just a really short guy with an affinity for penguins, umbrellas, and high society.

But in the Movie: They earn their nicknames quite literally. Penguin (Danny DeVito) is a deformed, sewer-dwelling freak with flippers for hands; Selina (Michelle Pfeiffer) is revived after a murder attempt by a group of alley cats that grant her nine new lives.

Does the Change Work?: It's Tim Burton, so why the hell not? In Batman (1989), Burton applied his unique sensibilities to Gotham and its denizens, making for a film that was dark and weird, successful without being supercamp. With the sequel he upped the ante considerably. The twisted origins of both villains fit the atmosphere of the film, and while it gives the Bat-universe more of a supernatural bend than it probably needs, still—the characters are tragic and compelling. No complaints here.

In the Comics: Physicist Bruce Banner survives an explosion of gamma radiation in his lab, becomes an invincible green giant when he gets angry.

But in the Movie: Bruce's (Eric Bana) crazy father David (Nick Nolte), also a scientist, conducts human trials on himself, mutating his DNA and passing it on to his son. Later, adult Bruce's exposure to gamma radiation completes his transformation into the green beast.

Does the Change Work?: Yes. Ang Lee's introspective take on the Hulk isn't a slam dunk, but his intentions were strong. Making David Banner (who was established as abusive in the comics) a bigger factor in Bruce's origin gives the story more emotional complexity and trauma than you'd expect from a movie about a guy who turns green and smashes things. No, really.

In the Comics: Alex and Scott Summers are brothers separated by a plane crash. They grow up separately, with no knowledge of each other—until Alex meets the X-Men and is reintroduced to his brother, now Cyclops. He then assumes the codename Havok.

But in the Movie: Alex (Lucas Till) isn't mentioned at all in the trilogy, but appears in the prequel as a teenager...in the year 1962.

Does the Change Work?: Not really. He still has the surname Summers, and in an interview Singer said audiences should take him for a relative, but as with many continuity errors in First Class, it's all rather pointless. Did the producers just not want to do an X-Men movie without a guy that shoots beams on the starting line-up?

In the Comics: Robin's (Dick Grayson) family, a group of performing acrobats known as The Flying Graysons, are murdered during a trapeze act by mobster Boss Zucco, in a show of force in order to extort money from their circus.

But in the Movie: Two-Face (Tommy Lee Jones) and his goons storm the circus in an attempt to draw Batman out, and cruelly body the whole Grayson family—sans Dick (Chris O'Donnell)—for the whole tent to see.

Does the Change Work?: Sure. Putting the murder on one of the film's villains is economical, the kind of change any reasonable fan would expect from a film adaptation. It also keeps Robin's vendetta in the forefront, while doing as much as humanly possible to legitimize Two-Face as an actual threat. We say that because this version of Two-Face, along with The Riddler (Jim Carrey), are quite possibly the goofiest big-screen Batman villains to date.

In the Comics: Billionaire Bruce Wayne's most prized coupe is the sleek crime-fighting drop-top he patrols the streets in, which comes fully loaded with an assortment of Bond-esque gadgets.

But in the Movie: The Batmobile trades glamour for efficiency, as it's essentially a two-seater Humvee. It's never referred to as the Batmobile, but rather "The Tumbler."

Does the Change Work?: Yes. Christopher Nolan's take on the character and the universe aimed to be as realistic as possible, especially in the first two films. As such, Batman driving around in a re-fitted Army vehicle makes much more sense than him whipping something straight out of Q branch.

Also, as easy on the eyes as other iterations of the Batmobile were, most of them defied basic laws of physics—in one of the Burton films, Keaton-as-Batman has to shoot a grappling hook just to make a sharp turn. The Tumbler simply makes more sense as an efficient crime-fighting vehicle, not to mention it's given the best film showcase a Batmobile's ever received on the big-screen during the highly entertaining chase scene in Batman Begins.

In the Comics: Sandman is a regular Spider-Man rogue, and later ally. He and Uncle Ben never cross paths.

But in the Movie: It's revealed that the carjacker from the first film had an accomplice in Sandman (Thomas Haden Church), and together they were complicit in Ben's (Cliff Robertson) death.

Does the Change Work?: Not in the least. This is less reveal, more blatant retcon, and a stupid one at that. Why change the most poignant moment in Peter Parker's origin two films later? And then make it as lame as the gun going off in Sandman's hand accidentally? It's a lazy move to give the Sandman some temporary edge and Peter something else to do besides cry over Mary Jane. Just plain bad writing, in a film full of mishaps and fails.

In the Comics: Peter Parker uses his newfound abilities to cake up as a television star. He's apathetic and self-absorbed, letting a thief escape the studio. He pays the ultimate price when the thief kills his Uncle Ben.

But in the Movie: There's no TV stunting nor wrestling. Peter (Andrew Garfield) and Uncle Ben (Martin Sheen) have a fight, he storms out and Ben goes looking for him. In a corner store, Peter lets a mugger stick up a douchey cashier. After sticking up the joint, he kills Ben.

Does the Change Work?: Yes. Spider-Man's story is far more lighthearted than the average comic book hero, and needs a little touch of gloom and seriousness. As such, in 2012, Peter Parker flaunting for the cameras or getting into cage fights would come off as silly and unnecessary. The deli mugger let loose in the streets is a solid, Nolan-esque approach to the defining moment in Pete's life.

In the Comics: Juggernaut isn't a mutant—he's a human who gains enhanced strength and invincibility from a mystical ruby. His first appearance features him destroying the X-mansion, the home he used to share with his stepbrother, Charles Xavier.

But in the Movie: Juggernaut (Vinnie Jones) is a mutant with the same abilities from his comic iteration, and a henchman of Magneto's (Ian McKellen). He and Professor X (Patrick Stewart) never interact.

Does the Change Work?: No. On the one hand, it's cool to see the fan-favorite villain get some screen time, but the Unstoppable Juggernaut is an antagonist worthy of more than just mean-mugging in the background.

And unlike the countless number of X-Men characters who had their bios drastically altered in the film franchise, Juggernaut doesn't even get an especially cool fight scene as consolation. He tussles with Wolverine briefly, and his only real showcase is chasing Kitty Pryde (who can walk through walls) through a building, which just involves him...smashing through wall after wall. Points for slipping in a reference to this classic Internet gem, though.

In the Comics: Odin banishes Thor to Earth with no memory, into the body and consciousness of a med student named Donald Blake. When Thor-nald comes across Thor's hammer in Norway, he transforms back into his god-like state. Thor and Donald develop into an alter-ego/double life pattern, with Donald continuing as a doctor, and transforming into Thor whenever shit gets real.

But in the Movie: Odin (Anthony Hopkins) banishes Thor (Chris Hemsworth) to Earth with no powers, just memories intact. There's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it sly nod to Donald Blake when Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) helps Thor make a fake with her ex-boyfriend's ID.

Does the Change Work?: For the most part. Thor's a solid entry in the Marvel film series, and while we suppose life lessons in humility would be harder to learn with amnesia, we can't help but wonder if the film could've been even more interesting had they gone the Donald route.

Instead we get some witty stranger in a strangeland interactions, but his romance with Jane and appreciation for Earth and life and love and all that comes rather quickly. And in a small-ass town in New Mexico, at that.

In the Comics: The Mandarin is a Chinese megalomaniac hellbent on world domination, with powers derived from 10 magic rings that contain alien powers.

But in the Movie: He's just a terrorist with supreme jewelry game.

Does the Change Work?: Yeah, it's cool. You know, it's hard to fuck things up when you cast Sir Ben Kingsley. Still, the taming of the Mandarin character is strange only because Thor and The Avengers already took the Marvel series to space and beyond. With Iron Man 3 picking up after Avengers, there's no real need to de-mystify the Mandarin in an attempt to reach a wider audience. One need only to look at the Avengers box office returns to conclude that audiences have more than accepted otherworldly superhero plots at this point.

In the Comics: In the Batman universe, mugger named Joe Chill kills Thomas and Martha Wayne during a botched robbery. In the Daredevil universe, a gangster named The Fixer kills Matt Murdock's father Jack after he refuses to throw a boxing match.

But in the Movies: Both Batman and Daredevil's (Ben Affleck) parents are murdered by their respective archenemies, the Joker (Jack Nicholson) and Kingpin (Michael Clarke Duncan).

Does the Change Work?: Yes. Pinning the impetus for both heroes' journeys into crime-fighting on the bad guys reinforces the central conflict of the film. In Batman's case with the Joker, it creates a nifty loop of hero and nemesis "creating" each other.

In the Comics: Professor X and Mystique are perennial enemies. They share no backstory, nor any especially notable personal interactions, besides Mystique resenting Xavier for "stealing" Rogue away from her.

But in the Movie: Professor Charles Xavier and Raven "Mystique" Darkholme cross paths as children, with Baldy taking her in as a sort of surrogate sister. Mystique develops an attraction to Magneto (Michael Fassbender), and eventually comes to share his militant ideologies, ultimately leaving Charles and the X-Men to join Magneto's brotherhood.

Does the Change Work?: Not really. As Charles and Raven, James McAvoy and Jennifer Lawrence sell the relationship and its emotional arc, but the fact that it even exists in this prequel is just an example of how fast and loose the X-franchise producers played with relationships established in the comics.

That aside, this doesn't even make sense within the film series itself. First Class is a prequel to the original trilogy, yet none of those three films even so much as imply a past friendship between the two, with Mystique especially exhibiting wanton disregard for Charles' well being multiple times even though here, they part on relatively decent terms. This doesn't add up, making the change unnecessary.

In the Comics: Both Agent J, wise-cracking Men in Black rookie, and crime syndicate overlord Kingpin are Caucasian.

But in the Movie: Michael Clarke Duncan was cast as Kingpin for Daredevil, while Will Smith was approached to play J in Men in Black after Chris O'Donnell and David Schwimmer turned it down.

Does the Change Work?: Yes, and why shouldn't it? Daredevil was chock full of flaws, but Duncan's performance was not one of them. And can you imagine Men in Black going for the trilogy hat trick with Chris O'Donnell or Ross Geller instead of the Fresh Prince? Perhaps these two successes will free Hollywood up to cast against race more often.

In the Comics: Superhero-turned-psycho Adrian Veidt/Ozymandias plots to annihilate half of Manhattan under the guise of an alien attack, thus providing the warring United States and Soviet Union with a common enemy to unite against. End result? Peace.

But in the Movie: Superhero-turned-psycho Adrian Veidt/Ozymandias (Matthew Goode) plots to annihilate half of Manhattan by framing fellow Watchman Dr. Manhattan (Billy Crudup) for the nuclear attacks, thus providing the warring United States and Soviet Union with a common enemy to unite against. End result? Peace.

Does the Change Work?: Yes, sorta. The Dr. Manhattan frame-up keeps all the major story beats and character consequences intact, but it's not as inventive. The imagery isn't as shocking and strange. It feels pedestrian.

In the Comics: Bane is a mercenary, an expert tactician whose strength is amplified by an addictive serum called venom. Ra's al Ghul chooses him to marry his daughter Talia and become his heir, but later rescinds that offer when Batman defeats Bane in combat.

But in the Movie: Bane (Tom Hardy) and Talia (Marion Cotillard) meet when the latter is just a child, both imprisoned in an inescapable pit. When Talia does the impossible, she enlists Ra's al Ghul (Liam Neeson) to liberate the prison, but he refuses to let Bane officially join The League of Shadows. After his death Bane and Talia unite to take over the League of Shadows and torment Bruce Wayne and Gotham before ultimately destroying the city. There is no Venom serum.

Does the Change Work?: Yes. While Bane largely worked alone in the comics, expanding his comic arc with Ra's and Talia into the backstory laid out in the film is an effective way to bring new villains into the fold while bringing the trilogy full circle. Doing away with the Venom pump and making Bane just a super-ripped, hulking presence fits with Nolan's realistic approach to the universe, and actually makes his fights against Batman more thrilling.

The mask that eases his pain is less so, but the visual design creates a monstrous visage similar enough to his comic appearance. Finally, his undefined devotion to Talia adds dimension to a character that was formerly just a one-man wrecking machine.

Also: the Prison Pit is a nice nod to Ra's al Ghul's Lazarus Pit from the comics, which he descended into regularly to maintain immortality.

In the Comics: Shape-shifting supervillain Mystique is Nightcrawler's absentee mother; she abandoned him as a baby. She later becomes an adoptive mother to Rogue, initiating her into the Brotherhood of Mutants and pitting her against the good guys, most notably Ms. Marvel.

But in the Movie: All three are perfect strangers and they barely have any personal interactions with each other.

Does the Change Work?: Yes, but it's disappointing that Bryan Singer and co. didn't at least try to tackle this in the films. Both films are packed enough and play just fine as is, but it's not hard to envision a screenplay that could've found room for this family tree. Choosing to not develop Nightcrawler (Alan Cumming), one of the most visually arresting characters in the film, stands out as serious missed opportunity.

The removal of the Mystique portion of Rogue's (Anna Paquin) backstory in turn necessitates another detour from her comic counterpart. No face-off against Ms. Marvel means Rogue doesn't permanently take her super strength and flight abilities, thus all movie Rogue can do is absorb and drain. Overall, Mystique is one of the X-franchise's great successes—awesome make-up and a solid performance from Rebecca Romijn—but this could've fleshed her, Rogue and Nightcrawler out even more, had it been handled correctly.

In the Comics: The Phoenix is an alien entity that bonds with Jean Grey, enhancing her abilities to great effect before ultimately corrupting her with ultimate power.

But in the Movie: The Phoenix is the dual identity by-product of some psychic suppressing committed by Professor X to tame Jean's (Famke Janssen) powers.

Does the Change Work?: Not at all. The Phoenix storyline in Last Stand is an egregious simplification, completely cutting out the alien components lest they alienate the non-comic reading masses.

The dual identity/bipolar retcon is not only lame, it also doesn't line up with the narrative track Singer began laying in the far superior X2—before Brett Ratner took the torch and extinguished it. The last shot of that film suggested that, aliens or not, the series was going to tackle the Phoenix saga respectfully. Not only does X3 completely mangle the execution, it also relegates Jean-Phoenix to a storyline that really doesn't have anything to do with her. She's a bystander with no real agency for the bulk of the film until the final minutes pit her against Wolverine, simply because the plot necessitates it. Of all the X trilogy's biggest let-downs, this is the most unforgivable.

In the Comics: You know how this one goes, even if you've never read one strip of Superman: The big guy is completely invincible until he comes into contact with any size, shape, or form of the green rock from his home planet. It's a relatively easy way to subdue such an all-powerful being, which is probably why...

But in the Movie: The killer rock doesn't exist. The creative trio of Zack Snyder, Christopher Nolan, and David Goyer have made several alterations to the Superman mythos for their highly anticipated reboot, and this is the biggest.

Does It Work?: Obviously we haven't seen the film yet but it sounds like a solid change, and a much needed update. Yes, there's a dramatic irony in having the orphaned alien's only weakness be a piece of the home he never even got the chance to know. But on the other hand...it's a rock. Too easily attainable, and too simple a solution for any bad guy that wants him out of the way. Creating new obstacles for the boy in blue sounds like a challenge this particular creative team is up to meeting. (And while it hasn't been confirmed yet, we sure wouldn't mind them if they do away with the "glasses" disguise either.)

In the Comics: Wolverine and Sabretooth are (im)mortal enemies.

But in the Movie: Wolverine and Sabretooth (Liev Schreiber) are (im)mortal enemies—and also half brothers.

Does the Change Work?: Not really. It sounds like a simple twist to add some depth to their feud, but making the two feral, mutton-chop afflicted mutants relatives is kind of a seismic change. Their beef is one of the long standing institutions of the X-Men series;any alteration to this is a big deal. Plus, morphing their mutual hatred into a sibling rivalry defangs the whole affair, rendering it domestic and rote.

And, once again, we have an X-Men prequel establishing a mythology that flies in the face of the original trilogy. Sure, Wolverine loses his memory at the end of Origins thanks to an adamantium bullet (another dumb change), but Sabretooth doesn't. But return to Logan and Sabretooth's interactions in the initial X-Men film—do they seem like brothers? Didn't think so.