5 Characters Whose MCU Costumes Are Better Than The Comics (& One is Almost Unrecognizable)

The Marvel Cinematic Universe might have built its success upon its Marvel Comics source material, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t been pretty innovative, too. Since the franchise first began in 2008 with the release of Iron Man, the movies and TV shows of the MCU have seen it grow into one of the most expansive franchises in modern media. The majority of its stories and characters are lifted almost directly from the pages of Marvel Comics, adapting the iconic comic books onto the big screen to the delight of fans and audiences around the world. For the most part, these adaptations are a pretty close representation of the Marvel source material, with a few important exceptions.

If there’s one thing that helps set the MCU apart from the comics, it’s that the franchise has been cleverly innovative with certain characters. In fact, there have been numerous characters in the MCU whose designs differ pretty drastically from those of the comics. In each of the following cases, the movies of the MCU gave their characters a substantial visual overhaul, and in doing so, improved them massively. The reasons for the changes might vary, but the simple fact is that the MCU actually found a way to improve on the comics with each of these characters.

5) Valkyrie

Some consider Valkyrie to be a Marvel character wasted by the MCU, simply because the franchise hasn’t featured her anywhere near enough. First introduced in Thor: Ragnarok, Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie reimagines her comic book namesake in a major way. With a revised backstory and identity, the MCU’s Valkyrie also looks pretty different from the Marvel Comics version. For a start, her armor is far more functional and grounded, not designed to show off her physique but rather to make her look like a serious warrior who commands respect among the Asgardian people. There are several aspects of her MCU costume that differ from the comic book version, with the most notable exclusions being her winged helmet, which is an iconic part of her comic book appearance that has not been incorporated into the MCU. These changes are hinted to be connected to the near-total destruction of the Valkyrie Corps in the MCU, as the flashback offers a glimpse of a more comics-accurate costume. Valkyrie as we meet her in the MCU is a grieving, traumatized survivor, and her costume seems designed to reflect that.

4) Yondu

Michael Rooker’s Yondu is not just one of the most underrated MCU characters, but he’s also one of the most original when it comes to the changes made from his classic comics design. While the comics first introduced him as a heroic and spiritual cosmic warrior who was part of the original Guardians of the Galaxy, the live-action franchise went in a very different direction with the character. In fact, Yondu is one of the least accurate MCU heroes based on the comics, because the changes to his backstory gave way to some big visual differences. While his blue skin and Yaka arrow were kept consistent, almost every other aspect of his design was changed for the MCU. Instead of being a Native American-inspired tribal warrior, the MCU’s Yondu was instead established as a rough-around-the-edges space pirate and smuggler, with long leather coats, armor, and utility gear all contributing to his MCU aesthetic. The changes perfectly fit the revised version of Yondu that exists in the MCU, making his redesign a particularly excellent one.

3) Hela

The changes that the MCU made to the Hela of Marvel Comics are considerably more subtle than many of the other movie redesigns in the franchise, but they’re no less perfect than even the best examples of the MCU’s creative liberties. By tipping the balance of her color palette more decisively toward black than the black and green of the comics, the MCU immediately made Hela seem a darker figure. The broad strokes of her visual design are the same, but the subtle changes include a more human facial appearance and a more angular design of her headdress. As the MCU rewrote her backstory, making her Odin’s firstborn and the rightful ruler of Asgard rather than Loki’s daughter, the redesign was necessary to better suit the slightly different take on the character. Her live-action costume made the perfect number of subtle changes to brilliantly bring her to life, making her one of the MCU’s best one-and-done characters to date.

2) M’Baku

While a great many MCU characters were redesigned for their appearance in the franchise, most are easily recognizable. The same can’t be said for M’Baku, the MCU’s version of the Black Panther villain Man-Ape. For starters, instead of being a villain, the MCU’s M’Baku is more of a rival to T’Challa, who later becomes an ally of the hero and his family. Several elements of his MCU backstory are significantly different from the character’s Marvel Comics story, but the biggest changes are in his visual design. In the comics, Man-Ape is usually shown in a large white gorilla-fur costume, complete with a gorilla mask headpiece. The MCU version of M’Baku is a more generic African warrior, with the franchise instead relying on Winston Duke’s performance to help set the character apart. It’s hard to see a comic-accurate version of Man-Ape working as well in the MCU as the franchise’s M’Baku, as Duke swiftly established him as an MCU character that deserves a spin-off even without being a direct adaptation of his comic book counterpart.

1) Nebula

Another great example of the MCU innovating an existing but lesser-known Marvel Comics character is Nebula. Introduced in Guardians of the Galaxy, the MCU took the generic space pirate from the comics and updated her story and design to be far more interesting. Instead of claiming to be a vague relative of Gamora and Thanos as in the comics, the MCU introduced her as the Mad Titan’s other adoptive daughter and Gamora’s direct rival. Incorporating significant cybernetic enhancements into her design, the MCU simultaneously made Nebula more visually distinct and gave her a tragic backstory about Thanos’ horrific treatment of her. Where the comics did very little to make Nebula stand out, the MCU instead saw an opportunity to rework the character into a key part of Gamora and the Guardians’ stories, giving her a suprisingly powerful MCU redemption arc, too. The movie design has since become the standard for the comics, too, proving just how much better the franchise’s version of Nebula is than the Marvel Comics original.

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