Captain America: 10 Things The MCU Movies Did Better Than The Comics, According To Reddit
Captain America has been an iconic character in Marvel comics for decades and his central role in the MCU has only made him more popular. Played by Chris Evans ever since his debut in Captain America: The First Avenger, the MCU version has delivered a new and exciting take on the classic hero.
While the movies have only barely scratched the surface of Captain America's legacy, some fans think that there are certain aspects on which the MCU has actually improved the character. While many fans will still debate which version is the best, they think there are some things about Cap the MCU got right.
10 His Realistic Look
For fans who grew up reading about these characters in the pages of the comic, it is a thrill to see them brought to life in a live-action movie. Of course, given the sometimes outlandish nature of the comics, certain costumes needed to be toned down.
One Redditor admitted to liking the classic Captain America costume from the comics but also acknowledged that "it doesn’t look well in live-action." However, they were impressed with the MCU's later versions of Cap's costume that captured the spirit without being cartoonish.
9 A Grounded Figure
While the costume was a big hurdle for the movies to overcome in bringing Cap to the big screen, his personality as a hero was also very tricky. As honorable and heroic as Steve Rogers was in the comics, it sometimes made him seem like a larger-than-life character.
Redditor generalosabenkenobi found that the MCU improved on this as "they made him super approachable." This became especially important as Cap took on more otherworldly threats yet maintained a down-to-earth quality.
8 Charming Hero
In many ways, Robert Downey Jr's performance as Tony Stark in Iron Man set the mood for the MCU. He took a character from the comics who was never a hugely entertaining personality and infused such fun charisma.
Likewise, Captain America didn't have that fun protagonist quality from the comics but also wouldn't work as the more flamboyant character like Downey's take on Stark. But Hylianhaxorus found that the movies depicted the character so "he has so much more charm" than the comics without sacrificing his heroic aspects.
7 The "Hail Hydra" Moment
One of the most controversial moments in recent memory related to Captain America from the comics was the storyline that revealed he was actually a Hydra agent all along. The panel of Cap saying "Hail Hydra" caused a huge outcry among fans.
Surprisingly, the moment was recreated in a clever way in Avengers: Endgame when Cap pretends to be a Hydra agent to get a hold of an Infinity Stone. Redditor Most-Transition-1920 pointed out that the moment worked in the plot of the movie while also referencing "the controversial twist in the comic."
6 His Speeches
One of the things that helped to make Cap such a popular hero in both mediums was his inspiring leadership. He feels perfectly suited to lead a team of Earth's mightiest heroes and he often delivered rousing speeches about his noble values and what it means to be a hero.
JumpingJiraffe that these moments didn't always work so well in the comics as the fans were just reading these long speeches. The movies on the other hand benefited from the added music and Chris Evans's performance. They found the MCU speeches managed to be inspiring "while keeping it short and memorable."
5 Steve And Bucky As Peers
Undoubtedly, one of the relationships from the MCU that has most struck a chord with fans has been the long friendship between Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes. From their early days as two young men from Brooklyn to saving the universe together, it was a touching arc throughout the franchise.
Fans might be surprised that this relationship was quite different in the comics as Bucky was not a childhood friend of Steve Rogers, but rather a young kid who served as Captain America's sidekick. Redditor Philbregas found making them peers in the MCU added "much more depth to their relationship."
4 His More Complex "Civil War" Story
Civil War was one of the biggest event storylines in the Marvel comics which found Steve Rogers and Tony Stark at odds over the Superhero Registration Act and going into battle against each other. The storyline was then adapted into Captain America: Civil War.
While the movie was a smaller scale version, Redditor Sere1 found it a more interesting take on the conflict. The comics made it fairly clear that Steve was in the right and Tony was wrong, but they found that in the movie "both had incredibly valid points and neither were wrong."
3 A Human Character
When Captain America was first introduced into Marvel comics, readers wanted to see big and bold heroes going on grand adventures. And in the 1940s, a hero who stood for "America" was especially inspiring to readers. But all these years later, audiences want something new from their heroes.
Redditor RevanReborn47 found Cap's depiction of a perfect hero "felt like a superhuman rather than a super strong human." Instead of just being the perfect hero who fights for his country, the MCU's Cap was flawed at times, questioned those in charge, and made mistakes.
2 A Complete Story
Even though Captain America appeared in several movies within the MCU, it's hard to even compare that version with the decades of storytelling the character has had in the comics. However, there are some ways in which the comparatively brief story of the character in the movies is actually better.
Redditor mochalatteicecream pointed out that Cap in the comics has been through countless eras, died and come back to life, and shows no signs of going anywhere. By comparison, the MCU's Captain America "has a succinct story that hits all the notes."
1 Chris Evans's Performance
It is daunting to bring an iconic character to life in a live-action movie and one of the biggest factors in ensuring that success is finding the right actor. After his run as the character has seemingly come to an end, few fans would argue against the fact that Chris Evans was the ideal actor for the role.
While the comics may have delivered endless memorable scenes of the hero, the character on the pages does not have the benefit of Evans delivering the lines and embodying the role. Joemanji84 praised Evans for being able to take "a dull and rigid character and give him so much heart."