10 MCU Storylines The Comics Did Better
These MCU stories should have stuck with the source material.
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00:00More than 30 entries later, the Marvel Cinematic Universe shows no signs of slowing down as it makes its way through Phase 4.
00:08The colossal franchise has brought to life a myriad of characters and turned some of them into household names and seminal pieces of the pop culture mythos.
00:16That said, the following entries prove that the MCU still has a long way to go in treating the comics with more reverence.
00:23I'm Emile from WhatCulture and these are 10 MCU storylines the comics did better.
00:2810. Captain Carter's story
00:30What if was a fun and breezy exploration of the MCU's newly minted multiverse
00:36that unfortunately did not reach the dizzying heights on the comic series it was inspired by and played things disappointingly safe.
00:42This can be seen in its introduction of Captain Carter, an episode that felt like a condensed rehash of the first Avengers plotline
00:48with Peggy Carter as the lead, despite a game-lead performance by Hayley Atwell.
00:53The comics version of the WWII icon has a more storied life that saw her engage in multiversal adventures in a more inspired and zany manner compared to her animated counterpart.
01:03She took on the mantle of Captain America after Steve Rogers was assassinated and ended up in the present day much like Rogers did in the main timeline.
01:10She later joins the Exiles, a team of interdimensional heroes such as dystopic Kamala Khan
01:15and cartoonish version of Wolverine known as Wolvie in order to stop Kang the Time Eater,
01:21a version of Kang the Conqueror with Galactus' powers.
01:24Peggy shines in a story that embraces the oddities of traversing the multiverse with glee.
01:289. The Kree-Skrull War
01:31Captain Marvel's debut film chose to portray the Skrulls in a more sympathetic light compared to their more sinister depiction in the comics.
01:38Although this bit of subversion worked in favour of Carol Danvers' character development, it meant that the Kree-Skrull War barely had any weight in the film.
01:45This was a rather disappointing scene that the actual conflict in the comics had a far-reaching scope
01:50and featured more moral complexities than the film's depiction of a one-sided conflict.
01:54The story follows a weakened Captain Marvel, Mar-Vell, not Danvers, who requires the aid of the Avengers
01:59after his time in the Negative Zone left him at the mercy of a lethal dose of radiation.
02:03Unfortunately, the heroes are unable to help the Kree hero due to the intervention of the Kree warrior Ronan the Accuser
02:09and the Super-Skrull, who captures Mar-Vell and forces him to build a doomsday weapon to counter the Kree's plans to turn the Earth into a base for use in the war.
02:18The story is intimate by kicking off the Vision-Scarlet Witch romance and also sweeping,
02:23showcasing how a planet such as Earth can be easily caught up in the often subtle but devastating machinations of an interstellar war.
02:308. Hawkeye
02:32Much like What-If, Hawkeye's first solo effort was a light and fun affair that helped flesh out Clint Barton's arc,
02:37introduce and reintroduce major street-level plays in the MCU, as well as a new legacy hero in Kate Bishop.
02:44The series explored Clint's tenure as Ronan and how his time as the feared vigilante eventually came back to bite him
02:49in the form of Maya Lopez's Echo, the daughter of a crime lord he killed during the blip.
02:54Although the story was well told, it sometimes played like a safe and familiar MCU effort
02:59that never lived up to the zany, stylish and weighty heights of the beloved comic run it's based on.
03:04Just like the series, the comic's tone is grounded and small-scale and features the first meeting between Clint and Kate
03:09as well as the first appearance of Lucky the Pizza Dog.
03:12Where the comics excel in comparison to its live-action counterpart is in its execution.
03:17The beloved run commits to its irreverent tone and offbeat humour far more often than the series
03:21due to the latter falling into familiar MCU trappings.
03:24Furthermore, the comic's iconic moments have more room to breathe and are woven into the narrative in a more organic manner.
03:30I guess you could say they hit the target, right?
03:33Iron Man 2 was the first sign that films based in a nascent cinematic universe
03:37would buckle under the weight of expanding said universe.
03:40The film had to juggle a lot of elements and set the stage for future instalments
03:44and this meant that it could not do justice to its own story and sources of inspiration.
03:48This was seen in its admittedly loose adaptation of Demon in a Bottle,
03:52the seminal 1979 Iron Man tale that explores Tony's struggles with alcoholism.
03:56The film depicts Tony's growing alcoholism as a side effect of grappling with his impending death
04:01as caused by his arc reactor.
04:03Although the film's concept was solid, the plotline simply had no room to breathe due to the film's many moving parts.
04:08The comic, on the other hand, built up towards Stark's addiction in a manner that was more sombre than expected.
04:13The hero's woes are explored in greater detail and his failures cannot be hand-weared by a clever but convoluted invention.
04:19Demon in a Bottle helped make the hero more relatable
04:21and its portrayal of Stark's allies showed that some of his greatest gifts in life are not always powered suits of armour.
04:28Thor Ragnarok helped revitalise Chris Hemsworth's character's story
04:32and introduced fan favourites such as Korg and Valkyrie.
04:34In addition to this, it infused the MCU with an unconventional sense of humour
04:38that was different from the quip-heavy, Weedmask writing that defined the franchise.
04:42Despite those achievements, the film somewhat faltered in its handling of the apocalyptic events in its finale.
04:47In all fairness, Asgard's destruction at the hands of Surtur served as a lesson for the God of Thunder
04:52in that he realised that there is more to Asgard's identity than a location.
04:56Beyond that, the film seemed more interesting in being an undeniably entertaining space buddy comedy
05:01and this choice worked against the development of characters such as Hela and Scourge.
05:05Walt Simonson's legendary 80s run in the Thor saga was a better grasp of Ragnarok
05:09and gives the supporting characters such as the Warriors Three and the villains much needed depth as compared to the film.
05:15Asgard itself and its people feel more fleshed out
05:17and this portrayal helps the stakes feel more palpable when the world-ending threat of Ragnarok came along.
05:225. Planet Hulk
05:24In addition to slightly missing the mark with the end of Asgard,
05:27Ragnarok gave audiences a very surface-level exploration of one of the Hulk's most iconic storylines.
05:33To be fair, the Jolly Green Giant was a supporting character in the third Thor entry
05:37and this meant that Planet Hulk was not going to receive an adaptation worthy of the mighty hero.
05:42Oh, poor Hulk.
05:44Much like Ragnarok itself, elements such as Sakaar, Korg and the gladiatorial battles felt like means to an end
05:50that being reuniting Thor with the strongest Avenger
05:53rather than a well-realised locale, characters and events.
05:57The actual Planet Hulk story is a far cry from the colourful events of the film
06:01as it demonstrates the Hulk's sheer might and the threat posed by the planet to beings as powerful as him.
06:07Some fans have bemoaned the Hulk's less savage, more controlled nature in recent films
06:11and with a story such as Planet Hulk in the mix
06:13it is understandable as to why they would want the iconic powerhouse to be let loose again.
06:17Hulk smash!
06:194. The Extremis Arc
06:21Iron Man 3 is more so remembered for its, to put it mildly, controversial handling of the Mandarin
06:27and the twist surrounding the iconic villain than anything else.
06:30This is understandable as the subversion surrounding Iron Man's arch-nemesis
06:33did not amount to much as Aldric Killian lacked the menace to serve as the Mandarin.
06:37The inspiration for much of the film's plot, the Extremis saga, is more beloved than the film
06:42and in many ways shaped Tony Stark's initial arc in the MCU.
06:45Some of the comic's elements, such as the design for Iron Man's suit, were used in the first Iron Man film
06:49so this entry will focus on the threequels' relation to the storyline.
06:53Much like the movie, the comic book tale explores Tony's mental state, the Extremis virus
06:57and its connection to the likes of Maya Hansen and Aldric Killian.
07:00Unlike the film, however, Hansen has a significantly larger and antagonistic role in the comics
07:05and the nature of the Extremis virus and its application by Stark
07:09is more complex than its relatively simple cinematic counterpart.
07:123. Ultron
07:14Contrary to popular belief, the sophomore entry in the Avengers franchise
07:17was not based on the 2013 comic of the same name.
07:20Instead, it was based on a collection of different Avengers stories featuring the genocidal robot
07:25and at best, the film features superficial references to the comic's storyline
07:29and is more focused on telling an original story.
07:31The film serves as an origin story for the villainous automation
07:34and explores his reasons behind wanting to destroy humanity and repopulate the Earth with his sentry bots.
07:40Unlike the comedic nature of the villain in the film, comics' Ultron is gravely serious,
07:45slow to emotional outbursts and is fixated on making Hank Pym, the original creator's life miserable.
07:51The eighth episode of What If feels more in line, if ever so slightly,
07:54with the Age of Ultron storyline than the film itself
07:57and features an all-powerful Ultron who has achieved his goal of destroying humanity.
08:01However, it still lacks the scale of the comic's storyline and features significantly fewer characters
08:07and its plot is not as far-reaching and referential to past Marvel events such as the Kree-Skrull War.
08:122. Armor Wars
08:14In addition to barely scratching the narrative potential of Demon in a Bottle,
08:17Iron Man 2's scattershot narrative was not able to fully capture the themes of industrial espionage,
08:22guilt and paranoia that defined the 87-88 Armor Wars storyline.
08:27Although both storylines take place at different points in Stark's life,
08:31the comic's storyline is more coherent and showcases the consequences of the heroes'
08:35single-minded approach to solving issues.
08:37The film more or less bypasses the industrial espionage element of the comic
08:40in favour of having Justin Hammer's suits solely built by Ivan Vanko.
08:44This personalises the conflict as Vanko's father, Anton, and Howard Stark work together
08:49but the change falls flat due to the younger Vanko's wanting characterisation.
08:54Right off the bat, the comic has the advantage of having more heroes and villains in the mix,
08:58something the movie cannot be faulted for
09:00and this helps contextualise Stark's actions and fears.
09:03Antagonists such as Hammer, the Crimson Dynamo and Titanium Man push the Armored Avenger to his limits
09:09and he is forced to come to terms with the consequences of his technology ending up in the wrong hands.
09:172014's Guardians of the Galaxy was a breath of fresh air for the MCU,
09:21a wacky yet heartfelt film that helped expand the MCU's scope into the cosmic realm
09:26and it brought characters such as Groot and Rocket Raccoon to the forefront of the pop culture discourse.
09:31It is a brilliant comic book film that deserved all its praise and success
09:35and this in turn makes Annihilation Conquest's success all the more impressive.
09:39This 2007-2008 sequel to Annihilation took its predecessor's approach in deepening Marvel's cosmic lore
09:46by focusing on an unlikely group of heroes as they go up against an overwhelmingly powerful threat.
09:51That was Annihilus in the original and the Phalanx in the sequel.
09:54While the first Guardians film took inspiration from Conquest,
09:57the comic's storyline does a few things better than the film.
09:59For starters, the Phalanx as a villain may not be that compellingly executed
10:03but the techno-organic hive mind is leagues better than the forgettable Ronan the Accuser.
10:07As well as that, the film's scale is impressive but does not come close to incredible moments
10:11such as Nova collapsing a dwarf star to escape the Phalanx field.
10:15All in all, the gap in quality between these two pieces of Marvel media is not that wide
10:19but Conquest ever so slightly takes the edge.
10:22Luckily, Kevin Feige's stash of Marvel source material is burning a hole in his closet
10:27so perhaps we will see these storylines adapted in the future phases of the MCU in a bit greater detail.