Inspired by a recent comment by The Walking Cuban, this concept got me thinking. So many Marvel characters have been converted from the comic book medium to the big screen over the years, whether by Sony or Marvel Studios. Which characters’ film version have done justice to their comic basis? Which film characters have gone a step further and actually enriched the overall characters’ mythos?
I posed this question on Reddit and Facebook, and the results are below, including quotes with author credit. Consider this a Marvel “comics to film scorecard”, with success being based on how well the character was translated to film, the casting, the acting, and all of the other factors that go into creating a viable movie character based on comic book source material.
Professor X (Patrick Stewart)
Patrick Stewart was born to play Professor X. (slicwilli)
J. Jonah Jameson (JK Simmons)
The man was perfect! The looks, the attitude, everything! (Frearthandox)
Agree, 100%, he was the best case character ever! (SpartacvsZA)
Of Marvel movies, the best page to screen translations are Iron Man, Loki, and J. Jonah Jameson. (The Walking Cuban)
Loki (Tom Hiddleston)
Tony Stark and Loki are the characters that have gone far beyond of who they are in the comics, with Stark being more of an asshole and Loki being more pure evil than opportunistic evil. Both characters are becoming more like their movie version nowadays though. (Cabbage_Vendor)
Loki, Wolverine, Iron Man, Thor, and Black Widow were all spot on casting. (Mike @ 1st Print Comics)
Captain America (Chris Evans)
I think Captain America is the most true to the comics, from the gentle and nice personality despite the troubles he faces to the excellent leading abilities that felt surprisingly believable. I can’t wait to see him grow to be more like his Secret Avengers personality, which they seem to be building towards in Cap 2. (Cabbage_Vendor)
Got to admit, Evans is awesome. I never read Captain America comics much, but his is my all time favorite comic book movie, and I am so looking forward to the sequel. (thebaloonist)
Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.)
Iron Man/Tony Stark was rather bland until the movies. (Crooked Ninja Turtle)
Iron Man was very true to the comic and Blade was even better than the comic. (Garntus)
Blade (Wesley Snipes)
Blade 2 is pretty much better than any book he’s ever appeared in. (kozemp)
Blade is probably one of the only comic characters that was improved by his on-screen appearances. His portrayal in the comics always struck me as pretty uninteresting. (Sodfarm)
Blade was far superior to his comic counterpart in the first two movies. We don’t speak of the third. (Mike @ 1st Print Comics)
Wolverine (Hugh Jackman)
The way they ruin so many other characters (Juggernaut) I am very happy with how Wolverine turned out. (TheNamesClove)
People complain that he’s played by a guy that’s about a foot too tall, but I think they made the right choice. A comically short superhero probably wouldn’t be taken seriously. It’s the same reason the X-men didn’t wear their classic uber-colorful spandex outfits. (Sodfarm)
I personally think Hugh Jackman is a perfect Wolverine (my only gripe is his height, Wolverine is a short dude). (Ricozilla)
Human Torch (Chris Evans)
Probably not the best, but still worth noting in my opinion, is the Human Torch. While the FF movies were complete shit, I’d say his character and powers were demonstrated as well as they could have been. At least that’s what I thought at the time. (Sodfarm)
Thanks for the shout. I’ve never read a Blade comic, though I do remember him popping up on the 90’s Spider-Man cartoon. However, there’s no way he could NOT be on this list, since I consider Blade to be one of the best action films of the 90’s, so much so that I lump it with those movies (the Matrix, Desperado, ConAir, etc.) and not with comic book movies. Still, he’s a comic book character so it counts.
you got it man, thank YOU for the idea!
PS, your brilliant ideas are always welcome here
Thanks
If the Human Torch was very successful as his own character, he’d have a spinoff movie. The Human Torch was not a highlight for the FF movie.
Also, RDJ’s Tony Stark’s successful as proof Marvel Studios can be a big Hollywood player and as a catalyst for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, RDJ did bring a different interpretation of the character. I find it amusing, but maybe some Iron Man die-hards don’t.
the Human Torch was the only memorable character (other than the Silver Surfer) in the FF movies, which while Chris didn’t get a solo film, he did go on to become Captain America.