Top 10 Biggest MCU Changes from The Comics

Top 10 Biggest Changes that the MCU Made from the Comics

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Biggest Changes that the MCU Made from the Comics.

For this list, we’ll be looking at the either loved or hated changes the MCU made in comparison to the comics.

Which change got to you the most? Let us know in the comments!

#10: Costume Changes

Various (2008-)

This one is fairly obvious, as many of the original comic costumes would just look silly (we’re looking at you Hawkeye), or in some cases way too revealing for the big screen. If we take a look at the original costumes versus the MCU versions, some stick out. For example, how seriously could we have taken Bucky Barnes in “The First Avenger” if he’d been wearing a weird red and blue jumpsuit with Robin Hood boots? Can anyone imagine Groot wearing clothing? And a scantily clad Yondu? How about a Falcon dressed like a 70s magician’s assistant? The MCU made some nods to the original costumes, such as in “WandaVision,” and it gave us a chance to see why those changes were made.

#9: Drax the Destroyer’s Origins

“Guardians of the Galaxy” (2014)

Some changes were perhaps made to save some time, as is the case with Drax the Destroyer. In the original comics, Drax was born as Arthur Douglas, a human real estate agent and talented saxophone player. Douglas, his wife and daughter were killed by Thanos, when the Titan feared they had witnessed his arrival on Earth. Douglas’s consciousness was extracted from his body and transferred to a humanoid form, which became Drax the Destroyer. That’s the short version. In the MCU, Drax is an alien intergalactic criminal, whose wife and daughter were killed by Ronan the Accuser. He ended up in prison due to his vindictive galactic crime bender. Thus, MCU Drax is much less complex in backstory, and thankfully does not play the saxophone.

#8: Thor’s Alter-Ego

“Thor” (2011)

In the original 1960s incarnation, Thor had an alter-ego that made quite a bit of sense. Thor was banished to Midgard, much like his MCU counterpart. However, in an effort to teach Thor humility, he was wiped of his memory and placed his consciousness within Donald Blake, a Harvard medical student with an injured leg. He thus learned to live with his disability, as well as care for the sick. Blake took a trip to Norway, in which he found a walking stick that when struck, would become Mjolnir, and would restore his form as Thor. In the MCU, Thor has no alter-ego or secret identity, other than just wearing plain clothes on occasion.

#7: Tony Stark’s Alcoholism

Various (2008-19)

In the comics, a running theme in Iron Man’s story arc has been Tony Stark’s alcoholism. In the MCU, Stark is often shown having a drink or two, yet it is never a life-altering problem, nor does he require help for it. In the comics, the drawbacks of being a billionaire playboy are focussed on, particularly his drinking problem. When faced with a potential takeover of Stark Industries, Tony takes to the bottle. This eventually leads to him losing his company, having his assets frozen, and the loss of a large portion of his real estate holdings. In 1979, the comic story “Demon in a Bottle” detailed his alcoholism more closely. It is alluded to in the MCU, but not as a full blown problem.

#6: Ant-Man Senior

“Ant-Man” (2016)

Though Scott Lang has technically been Ant-Man in the comics since 1979 (the film was mostly accurate about how he acquired the suit), fans were disappointed that Henry Pym was not the younger, active Ant-Man. In fact, Pym’s importance was greatly downplayed in the MCU. Comic book Pym created Ultron, became the YellowJacket and was a founding member of the Avengers, to name a few of the changes. Though we all appreciated Paul Rudd’s turn as the second generation tiny hero, fans would have preferred to see the original Ant-Man, Henry Pym, don the costume.

#5: Scarlet Witch & Quicksilver’s Origins

“Avengers: Age of Ultron” (2015)

This one plays into the whole “mutants in the MCU” issue, that we won’t get into here. In the comics, Wanda and Pietro Maximoff were the offspring of X-Men’s Magneto. They were mutants, hence the superpowers. However, the MCU has been separate from the X-Men universe due to studio ownership issues. Therefore, the MCU made the decision to have the twins taken in by Hydra and experimented on, resulting in them having powers. Quicksilver made an appearance in both franchises, albeit played by different actors (not counting a somewhat confusing yet amusing actor crossover in “WandaVision.”) We hope one day to see all our comic book friends reunited in a big “What If” scenario.

#4: Killmonger’s Origin & Motivation

“Black Panther” (2018)

The comic book version of Erik Killmonger is vastly different from that of the MCU. In the comics, Killmonger is a former slave to Ulysses Klaw, and has a very difficult upbringing. He has no relation to the Wakandan royal family. He is from Wakanda however he was orphaned and abandoned. He is also from a largely academic background, rather than the MCU’s military and mercenary past. His motivations are basically revenge stemming from his abandonment and abusive childhood, rather than the quest for justice that MCU Killmonger is on. This is a good change, we must say, as Killmonger’s revenge was really given a more noble purpose in the MCU.

#3: The Mandarin

“Iron Man 3” (2013)

This one really angered the comic book fans, as Mandarin has been a Marvel villain since 1964, when he made his first appearance in “Tales of Suspense.” He later became arch-enemy to Iron Man. Coming from a difficult past, he became a weapons-running crime-lord and eventually gained superpowers thanks to ten alien rings found in a crashed UFO. That is the short version, of course. In the MCU’s “Iron Man 3,” Mandarin makes his appearance, portrayed by British actor Ben Kingsley. Though Kingsley is an excellent actor, he is clearly not Asian, which was certainly cause for fan unrest. However, when he revealed himself having addiction issues as former actor Trevor Slattery, fans were really not having it.

#2: Red Skull in Space

“Avengers: Endgame” (2019)

Red Skull has a long history in Marvel comics, beginning in 1941, when Marvel was known as Timely Comics. He was the nemesis to Captain America from the start, an accomplished war criminal for Hitler throughout World War II, a seeker of world domination and even died and came back to life in the body of a Captain America clone. What is the one thing comic book Red Skull never did? Become the guardian of the Soul Stone on the planet Vormir. That entire story arc was developed exclusively for the MCU, and fans were not too impressed. If you want to get nerdy about it, you can: Red Skull ending up on Vormir just doesn’t make much sense, and it is never properly explained.

#1: Thanos’s Motivation

“Avengers: Infinity War” (2018) & “Avengers: Endgame” (2019)

This one is a welcomed change. In the comics, Thanos’s reason for acquiring the Infinity Stones and wiping out half the universe is to impress a lady. Sweet, right? He murders countlessly to win the affection of Lady Death, yet she isn’t impressed and demands more. Therefore, he resolves to gather all the Stones and annihilate half of all life in the universe to win the heart of a woman he’s been pining for since adolescence. MCU Thanos has, arguably, better intentions. Having seen his own planet of Titan destroyed by overpopulation, he sets out to bring balance to the universe by ridding it of half its population. The end result is the same, yet for far better reasons than to impress a girl.