Ah, the Marvel memories! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at how film adaptations of Marvel Comics characters have changed over time.
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00:00 "I came to realize that I have more to offer this world than just making things to blow up."
00:07 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at how film adaptations of Marvel Comics characters
00:12 have changed over time. "I can do better, I can change." "It's not that simple."
00:15 Marvel may have been the undisputed king of the box office in the 2010s,
00:21 but that wasn't always the case. The road the studio took to dominance and cultural ubiquity
00:26 in the 21st century included numerous incarnations of its iconic comic book characters.
00:31 "Stark, you know that's a one-way trip." In particular, the financial troubles Marvel
00:36 Entertainment Group faced in the 90s led to it licensing the film rights to many of its most
00:40 popular characters. This would result in an abundance of films featuring Marvel characters
00:45 that varied wildly in popularity and quality. The first time many people saw a live-action
00:50 Marvel character was in the 1977 TV film The Incredible Hulk, which also acted as a pilot
00:56 for a series of the same name. The show featured Bill Bixby as David Bruce Banner and Lou Ferrigno
01:02 as the Hulk. "Mr. McGee, don't make me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry." The popular
01:09 pairing returned for three further TV movies after the show's conclusion. The big green guy finally
01:14 got a chance at a theatrical adaptation in 2003 with the release of Ang Lee's Hulk. Starring
01:19 Eric Bana, the auteur director's take on the character divided critics. After plans for a
01:24 sequel were scrapped, a new film with Edward Norton was released with Ferrigno returning
01:28 to voice the Hulk. "Hulk smash!" The Incredible Hulk included a post-credits scene featuring
01:38 Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, helping to usher in the burgeoning Marvel Cinematic Universe.
01:43 While Hulk didn't receive another solo film outing during the 2010s due to complications
01:48 with rights at Universal, the character played by Mark Ruffalo would become a key figure in
01:53 the Avengers saga. "That's my secret, Captain. I'm always angry."
02:00 Just as the Bill Bixby Hulk films were airing on NBC, another Marvel character was given his
02:13 first chance to shine on screen. "I punish the guilty." A low-budget film based on the Punisher
02:19 comics and starring Dolph Lundgren was intended to be released in cinemas in 1989. However, in the
02:25 U.S., the film was pushed to a straight-to-VHS and Laserdisc release. The character wouldn't appear
02:30 again on screen until 2004. This iteration gave Frank Castle back his trademark skull shirt,
02:36 but disappointed at the box office. Even then, Marvel had designs on crossing over its film
02:41 characters, just as was common in the comics. "Frank Castle is dead. Call me...the Punisher."
02:51 There were reportedly plans for Thomas Jane, who played the Punisher, to play a part in Spider-Man 2.
02:58 A tangled web of film rights prevented Jane from appearing. However, Jane's stunt double has a
03:03 sneaky cameo in the film. A sequel was in the works, but never came together. Instead, Marvel
03:09 rebooted the property, this time with actor Ray Stevenson in the title role. "You call that a plan?
03:15 It's all I need." Punisher Warzone was the last big-screen appearance of the Punisher before he
03:21 found new life on Netflix. The character got his own spinoff after appearing on the streamer's hit
03:26 show Daredevil, another Marvel character with repeat appearances. "I think there's no good in
03:31 the filth that I put down, that's what I think." "Then how do you know?" "I just know." That devil
03:35 of Hell's Kitchen first appeared in live action on television in The Trial of the Incredible Hulk,
03:40 which was intended to serve as a backdoor pilot for a Daredevil show. This wouldn't come together.
03:45 In 2003, he'd get his own film starring Ben Affleck as the Man Without Fear, but neither audiences nor
03:51 critics were impressed. Various attempts to reboot the franchise fell apart until the Netflix show
03:56 premiered in 2015. Following the show's cancellation, many fans feared Charlie Cox would be
04:01 recast, but his appearance in Spider-Man No Way Home seemed to confirm he would continue to wear
04:07 the cowl in the MCU. "How did you just do that?" "I'm a really good lawyer." To really get the full
04:13 breadth of Marvel Cinematic Adaptations, we have to go all the way back to 1944. The first ever
04:18 film to star a Marvel Comics character was released as a 15-part serial starring Captain America,
04:24 back when Marvel was still known as Timely Comics. "This is Captain America." "What's that?
04:29 Where are you?" "Never mind that. Professor Lyman's life is in danger." Fast forwarding past
04:34 the Black and White era, Cap's next appearance was in 1979 in a pair of made-for-TV films.
04:40 The second boasted Christopher Lee in a villainous role. That was followed by an unrelated adaptation
04:45 in 1990, which received a limited UK theatrical release. Notably, the film starred Matt Salinger,
04:52 the son of American novelist J.D. Salinger. "Mr. President, thanks." Plans for another Captain
05:00 America film circulated for decades. When Marvel began to produce its own films, he was near the
05:05 top of the list. This came to fruition in 2011 with Captain America The First Avenger. "How do
05:11 you feel?" "Taller." Chris Evans became the flag bearer for the character, appearing in 11
05:22 movies. The mantle was then passed to Anthony Mackie, slated to appear as the new Captain
05:27 America in Brave New World. "Thank you. I'll do my best." While many adaptations of Marvel
05:36 properties saw some level of success during the 20th century, everything changed with the release
05:40 of X-Men in 2000. The film's comparatively large $75 million budget paid dividends, as it raked in
05:47 over $296 million worldwide. It pleased critics and fans alike, though the movie differs quite
05:54 a bit from the style and standards of later X-Men films. "You actually go outside in these things.
05:59 What would you prefer? Yellow spandex?" After two direct sequels with the same cast,
06:05 the franchise began a new prequel series with X-Men First Class. While some characters would
06:10 come and go, Hugh Jackman's Wolverine was a constant. He starred in several spin-off films,
06:16 including the acclaimed Logan. "I've hurt people too."
06:19 "You're gonna have to learn how to live with that." Patrick Stewart would also return as an alternate
06:27 version of Professor X in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Other X-Men franchise
06:32 characters have gotten the film treatment, including Deadpool, portrayed by Ryan Reynolds.
06:37 "They can't just dust off one of the famous X-Men. How about that Putz with the giant pigeon wings?
06:41 What do those do anyway, huh? Carry him three feet off the ground to snatch up the nearest muffin
06:45 crumb?" A Marvel team that's had a rockier road to success is the Fantastic Four. Marvel's first
06:51 family was meant to headline its first film in 1992, a low-budget adaptation executive produced
06:56 by Roger Corman and Bernd Eichinger. However, the film was never actually released, and rumors
07:02 swirled that it was only made to keep Eichinger from losing the rights. "Besides, we are the
07:08 Fantastic Four, right?" Marvel eventually struck a deal with 20th Century Fox to create a proper
07:17 big-budget Fantastic Four film. The movie received a tepid critical response, but did enough business
07:23 at the box office to merit a sequel, Rise of the Silver Surfer. The mixed reviews were not
07:28 enough to keep the franchise going, and the characters stayed off the big screen until a
07:31 reboot in 2015. Unfortunately, that adaptation was hailed by some as one of the worst films ever made.
07:39 "I think that the four of us should have a name." "Why would we need a name?" "Because we're a team
07:44 now, and there's four of us, so we should come up with a name for it." When Disney purchased Fox in
07:49 2019, the rights to both Fantastic Four and the X-Men returned to Marvel. Shortly after, the studio
07:56 began planning to incorporate the Fantastic Four into the MCU. All of these characters have had
08:01 multiple incarnations and are important in the development of the superhero film genre.
08:06 However, one stands above the others, or rather he web slings above them. Spider-Man first showed
08:12 up in 1977 in a made-for-TV film that served as a pilot for a CBS series. A few sequels linked to
08:19 the series and a version spun off from the Japanese television adaptation were released shortly after.
08:24 Then, all went quiet for decades. A theatrical film became trapped in a development maze.
08:32 A number of failed ideas, including a James Cameron version with Arnold Schwarzenegger as Doc Ock,
08:37 never moved forward. Then, finally, Sam Raimi, known for his campy horror flicks,
08:43 directed a version starring Tobey Maguire. "Remember, with great power comes great responsibility."
08:51 The 2002 film was a sensation. It was followed by an even more successful sequel that in many ways
08:57 established the tone and style of the yet-to-be-conceived MCU. A third film was more
09:02 divisive, but that didn't slow down plans for the fourth installment, which went into pre-production.
09:07 "I've done terrible things, too."
09:09 Rumors about casting included John Malkovich and Anne Hathaway. Sony wanted a quick turn for
09:15 Spidey 4. After giving in to studio demands on the third film, Raimi wasn't willing to rush to
09:20 meet the 2011 release date. He and Maguire quit, and the film was scrapped. Eager to keep the
09:26 rights, Sony rebooted the franchise with Andrew Garfield in the webbed suit. However, its dreams
09:32 of launching a cinematic universe to rival the MCU were short-lived. "To remind us of who we are,
09:38 and of who we're meant to be."
09:44 After two films, a leaked info and email scandal, and the cancellation of a planned third film and
09:50 Sinister Six spinoff, a historic deal was struck between Sony and Disney. The agreement allowed the
09:55 studios to work together and bring a new version of the character into the MCU.
09:59 "You have a metal arm? That is awesome, dude!"
10:02 First appearing in Captain America Civil War, Tom Holland's Peter Parker became an Avenger,
10:07 and starred in a massively successful trilogy. Spider-Man No Way Home even brought Holland,
10:12 Garfield, and Maguire all together in a spectacle that had audiences literally cheering.
10:18 "You know, it's what we do."
10:20 And at the same time, Sony has made animated Spider-Verse films featuring Miles Morales,
10:25 which have become a cultural phenomenon. There is so much more to the story of Marvel than just the
10:30 characters we've mentioned so far. The first ever Marvel character to get his own live-action feature
10:36 film was actually Howard the Duck, in the ill-fated 1986 film produced by George Lucas.
10:41 "That's it. No more Mr. Nice Duck."
10:45 Don't feel too bad for Howard though, he would later cameo in the Guardians of the Galaxy films.
10:50 "What do you let it lick you like that for? Gross."
10:54 The Blade trilogy starring Wesley Snipes also had a hand in proving that comic book films could be
11:00 financially successful and popular with audiences. And while current versions of characters may seem
11:05 like the definitive rendition, for example, Nick Fury as played by Samuel L. Jackson,
11:10 past films are littered with alternate portrayals, like David Hasselhoff's take on the SHIELD leader.
11:16 "I danced on your poisonous father's grave. I'll dance on your grave too, sweetness."
11:24 Over the years, countless actors have played Marvel heroes, and going forward,
11:28 many more will surely play them again. We've already seen the return of a number of legacy
11:33 versions of these characters, and with Disney's universe-collapsing ambition,
11:37 we'll likely witness more. Let us know which versions of these characters were
11:41 your favorites in the comments below. "It's over!"
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11:53 [Music]