Four Superhero Movies That Surpassed the Comics

Ah, the comic book adaptation. It’s a fickle beast, one that often underwhelms, sometimes matches, and rarely exceeds the original product. That spotty track record is often due the translation from one medium to another. A book develops characters and the intricacies of plot over hundreds of pages; a movie does the same in usually two hours or less. A comic book movie presents an even more difficult scenario: taking a serialized story, meant to be read over the course of months or even years, and turning it into a cohesive narrative for one sitting.

But moments of greatness exist, and when they shine, they’re blinding. When done exceedingly well, comic book movie adaptations can truly surpass their original versions to create an enduring product with a life of its own. Here are a few examples.

Blade

  

While many attribute the modern comic book movie boom to either X-Men or Spider-Man (or some may even think Batman Begins or Iron Man started this era), one movie really got the first stab: Blade. Part of what made Blade such a hit in 1998 and beyond was the fact that not many people even knew it was a comic book adaptation, or had a frame of reference for comparison. Created in 1973, Blade didn’t have an ongoing series until the 18 issue Nightstalkers in 1992, and didn’t have a solo series until 1994’s Blade: The Vampire Hunter. The movie surpassed the comic by following the old motto: K.I.S.S.: Keep it simple, stupid. As an ass-kicker clad in black, Wesley Snipes’ Blade found vampires, and slayed them. It was that simple, with little plot and lots of action that made the movie (and its sequel) a blast to watch.

Under the Red Hood

  

Jason Todd’s Red Hood storyline is certainly complex, what with a comic book origin anchored on Superboy-powered temper tantrums and all that. Yet somehow, this DC Animated movie distilled the reality-shattering epic into an tale of sons and fathers, and how different they can be while trying to live up to their paternal shadow. This is an interesting case, as Under The Red Hood’s comic book story that it’s directly based on, by Judd Winick and Doug Mahnke is actually very good. The biggest problem that comic had, however, was dealing with the strange baggage first attached to Jason Todd’s return to the land of the living. The film, also written by Winick, forewent the confusing exposition and focused solely on the complex relationships between Bruce Wayne and his two “sons,” Dick Grayson and Jason Todd.

That intense focus on some of the most interesting relationships in superhero comics is often what makes the Batman family so intriguing. Thankfully, the movie played that angle in spades. It’s also just cool to see Batman dive through the open doors of a car being thrown at him, in fully animated glory. Under the Red Hood easily has one of the best action sequences in Batman’s history, and is worth checking out. 

Guardians of the Galaxy

  

This one may come with a slight asterisk: the Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning (along with artists like Paul Pellitier, Brad Walker, Wes Craig, and more) run of Guardians of the Galaxy, which largely introduced and inspired the modern team that the film drew from, is one of my favorite single runs of comics of all time. But when you look past the 2008 team, and the original that  debuted in 1969, the movie does something that the comics couldn’t even convincingly do: throw a talking tree and an anthropomorphic raccoon not just in the collective consciousness of the world, but also make them the heart and soul of literally millions’ of people’s two hours of entertainment.

The original Guardians comic book had virtually nothing to do with what you saw on screen, instead focusing on a group of time-traveling adventurers looking to save the galaxy. The modern comic book run, started in 2008, largely isolated the group from the rest of the Marvel Universe, and used them as a vessel to forge a new cosmic corner of that realm. This worked for the book, but it also meant that Guardians had to weave in and out of several crossovers; practically the entire run was either “Annihilation” this or “Kings” that. The movie stands on its own even more in this way, while also firmly entrenching itself in the ever-growing Marvel Cinematic Universe. There’s no doubt it takes place in the same world as Iron Man and Captain America, but it also has elements that could only work within the confines of its own established reality. That dichotomy is something the comic books rarely achieved (until more recent comic runs have linked the title much more directly to the Avengers and Earth), but the movie handled deftly.

Iron Man

  

Let’s face it, Iron Man, while a founding member of the Avengers, wasn’t exactly a top-tier character until 2008’s Iron Man, starring Robert Downey, Jr.

The movie surpassed the comic books it was based upon in obvious ways, like the sheer popularity/numbers, but its biggest achievement – and indication that it was the best take on the character yet – was the way it influenced the comic back in the other direction. Since Iron Man‘s theatrical release, Tony Stark in the comics has evolved simultaneously with the Tony Stark of the MCU. The two have bounced off each other, changing the way we view him in both media (plus animation, for good measure). With a simple and distilled take on the character, we learned what makes Tony Stark awesome – he’s relatable despite himself, he’s determined and charismatic, a leader and a hero. But, he’s also fallible, and when he makes mistakes and makes them huge. Tony’s brash and often unchecked, but when you need someone, you want him by your side. The movie showed all of that in our first two hours with him, and the comics have since come to better reflect it.

League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

  

Just kidding! Don’t hurt me, Alan Moore.

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What are your favorite comic book movie adaptation? Let us know in the comments!