MCU: 5 Comic Characters Who Did Better In The Movies (& 5 Who Have It Worse)
As the Marvel Cinematic Universe formed over the last decade by uniting the Avengers and exploring the cosmos with Guardians of the Galaxy, some comic characters were adapted in new and exciting ways to better fit with the established shared universe.
While this worked out really well for some characters whose story greatly benefited from their time on the big screen, other adaptations of classic comic characters might have left them worse off than they were in their original medium. So which comic characters were lifted up by the MCU, and which were left in worse shape after their adaptation?
10 Better: Ned Leeds
One of the best examples of the MCU glow-up is Ned Leeds (played by Jacob Batalon) who first appeared in 2017's Spider-Man: Homecoming as Peter Parker's LEGO-fanatic best friend, confidant, and Spider-Man's trusted guy-in-the-chair.
The character is more similar to the Ganke Lee character from Miles Morales' world, though his name references a Daily Bugle reporter in Peter Parker's life who was married to Betty Brant. Leeds was set up as the Hobgoblin before he was murdered by the mercenary known as the Foreigner, so the MCU's version is well ahead of the game so far.
9 Worse: Jasper Sitwell
The case of Jasper Sitwell somewhat stretches the definition of worse, as both versions of Sitwell died in the line of duty, though the MCU's version (played by Maximilliano Hernandez) was actually a traitorous member of Hydra.
Sitwell in the comics was a loyal assistant to Nick Fury and dedicated S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who would have died before betraying his allies, and did so in the comics. And while the comics version of Sitwell was reanimated as a zombie, which could be considered worse than death as a traitor, he is still a loyal, albeit somewhat mindless, Agent of S.T.A.K.E.
8 Better: Hawkeye
While the MCU's Hawkeye (played by Jeremy Renner) undoubtedly went through a dark period after Thanos erased half the population of the universe and all of Clint Barton's family, he still comes out better off than other comic versions of the character.
The mainstream comic version of Hawkeye has never had a family beyond the Avengers and isn't always known as the happiest guy around, and the Ultimate Universe version of the character had his own family until they were viciously murdered by the Ultimate version of Black Widow.
7 Worse: Janet Van Dyne
When the character of Ant-Man was adapted for the big screen, viewers jumped ahead a generation to follow Scott Lang (played by Paul Rudd) as the second character to wear the suit, which then led to the reimagined Hank Pym (played by Michael Douglas).
2018's Ant-Man and the Wasp introduced an older version of Janet van Dyne/the original Wasp who worked alongside Pym before being lost for decades in the Quantum Realm. The comic version of Jan was a founding Avenger who was only briefly trapped in the Microverse (same thing) so didn't lose a chunk of her adult life.
6 Better: Nebula
Karen Gillan's Nebula first appeared in 2014's Guardians of the Galaxy as one of the daughters of Thanos who actively worked against her adopted sister Gamora before the two reconciled and she became a member of the Guardians.
While the MCU version has found redemption and regained her sister thanks to time-travel in 2019's Avengers: Endgame, the comic version lived a tragic life and experienced extreme trauma at Thanos's hands during the Infinity Gauntlet series, which has set her on a dark path that is far from the redemptive arc of the MCU's character.
5 Worse: Quicksilver
While Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch (played by Elizabeth Olsen) has become a prominent member of the Avengers and will appear in the upcoming WandaVision series on Disney+, her twin brother Pietro/Quicksilver (played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson) wasn't so lucky.
The comic version has had his ups and downs as both a hero and a villain over the years, though he remains an active Avenger, whereas the MCU version of the character was killed in Avengers: Age of Ultron saving Hawkeye and a young boy from a hail of bullets.
4 Better: War Machine
James "Rhodey" Rhodes was a part of the MCU since its beginnings in 2008's Iron Man, and he adopted his War Machine armor in 2010's Iron Man 2 (played by Don Cheadle) and became a powerful member of the Avengers.
While the MCU's War Machine suffered a paralyzing injury that was partially corrected by Tony Stark, the comic version has actually seen much worse over the years, as his body was almost completely replaced by machinery after a near-fatal injury, and he has been violently killed by Thanos, though he was brought back to life by Stark.
3 Worse: Baron Zemo
2016's Captain America: Civil War introduced a new villain into the MCU as Daniel Brühl brought a version of Baron Zemo to the big screen, and is set to faithfully reprise the role with his comic appearance in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier.
Helmut Zemo in the comics was raised by the first evil Baron Zemo and followed in his father's footsteps for a lifetime career of villainy, while the MCU character was driven to his crimes after losing his entire family, making his origin a bit more heartbreaking than the comic version.
2 Better: Steve & Peggy
Avengers: Endgame drastically altered the MCU as it served as the culmination of the entire Infinity Saga and featured the deaths of some of the founding members of the team, though it also featured a happy ending for a particular pair of characters.
When Captain America traveled through time to return the Infinity Stones to the past, he returned to the past to regain his lost life alongside his love, Peggy Carter. The comic version has found love a few times in the modern era, though he never quite received his happily ever after.
1 Worse: Iron Man
While Captain America received his happy ending and Thor returned to the stars alongside the GotG, Endgame also cost the MCU its biggest star as Tony Stark/Iron Man sacrificed his life to use the Infinity Stones and erase Thanos and his army from existence.
The comic version of Iron Man has died quite a few times in the comics, but he has always been reborn through various means, which is something that likely won't happen to the MCU character. We love you 3000.