Many characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe are far different to their Marvel Comics counterparts, and, in some cases, this is a very good thing. Since the MCU kicked off with 2008’s Iron Man almost 17 years ago, Marvel Studios has adapted dozens of notable characters from Marvel Comics into live-action, building a vibrant universe full of many complex and believable people. While many of these MCU characters are very comic-accurate, Marvel Studios has made huge changes to others, but this has often been for the best.
The likes of Steve Rogers’ Captain America, Tony Stark’s Iron Man and Loki, among many others, have always stayed very faithful to their depictions in Marvel Comics. However, because of the modern setting and realistic nature of the MCU and in the name of simplifying some convoluted backstories, Marvel Studios has altered many aspects of some notable Marvel Comics characters when bringing them into the MCU. Thankfully, however, this has made these iconic MCU characters far more popular than their Marvel Comics counterparts.
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Xu Wenwu’s Mandarin
Xu Wenwu Debuted In The MCU In Shang-Chi & The Legend Of The Ten Rings (2021)
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The version of the Mandarin in Marvel Comics was always very one-note, using the Ten Rings on a number of occasions to try and take over the world, while frequently opposing his archenemy, Iron Man. This was vastly different in the MCU, as Tony Leung’s Xu Wenwu didn’t even accept the name gifted to him by Aldrich Killian in Iron Man 3, the Mandarin, and didn’t seek world domination, but only wanted to save his late wife. Naturally, the depiction of the Chinese-English Mandarin in Marvel Comics was also often offensive, which the MCU thankfully avoided.
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In fact, Tony Leung’s depiction of Xu Wenwu in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings showed off some beautiful aspects of his culture and the less-explored corners of the MCU, particularly through the introduction of Ta Lo. Perhaps the biggest change to the Mandarin in the MCU was that Marvel Studios made him Simu Liu’s Shang-Chi’s father. This erased the overtly racist character of Fu Manchu, a.k.a. Zheng Zu, who is Shang-Chi’s father in Marvel Comics, and provided an understandable and poignant connection for the new Mandarin, Xu Wenwu.
9
Thanos
Thanos Debuted In The MCU In The Avengers (2012)
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Many elements of Josh Brolin’s Thanos were taken straight from the pages of Marvel Comics, which was crucial, as Thanos has always been one of Marvel’s most notable supervillains. Marvel Studios teased Thanos’ attack on the universe throughout the Infinity Saga, and this eventually came to a head and was fully explained in Avengers: Infinity War. In the MCU, Thanos wanted to bring balance to the universe, solving overpopulation and dwindling resource issues by eradicating half of all life randomly, which was a much better motivation than his Marvel Comics counterpart.
In Marvel Comics, Thanos gathered the six Infinity Stones and wiped out half the population of the universe in an effort to woo Lady Death, who he had been in love with ever since he was a child. Adapting this storyline for the MCU, even after Aubrey Plaza’s recent debut as Death in Agatha All Along, would have cheapened the impact of Thanos’ actions in Avengers: Infinity War. While much of Thanos’ personality has stayed the same when being translated from page to screen, we’re happy this huge piece of his character was changed.
8
Wong
Wong Debuted In The MCU In Doctor Strange (2016)
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In Marvel Comics, Wong was sent to the United States by the Ancient One to become Doctor Strange’s servant and disciple, which we’re very thankful was not the case in the MCU. Wong’s overtly racist treatment in Marvel Comics would not have been appropriate at all in the live-action MCU, and while Wong has had an ever-increasing presence in Marvel Comics in recent years, it’s great to see him have a far more substantial role in the MCU. In live-action, Benedict Wong’s Wong is the MCU’s Sorcerer Supreme.
|
Wong’s Live-Action MCU Project |
Year |
|---|---|
|
Doctor Strange |
2016 |
|
Avengers: Infinity War |
2018 |
|
Avengers: Endgame |
2019 |
|
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings |
2021 |
|
Spider-Man: No Way Home |
2021 |
|
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness |
2022 |
|
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law |
2022 |
This title makes Wong one of the MCU’s most important and powerful characters, which constituted his plethora of cameo appearances in several Multiverse Saga projects. Wong will likely continue to be central to the MCU as the franchise heads into Avengers: Doomsday, Avengers: Secret Wars and a possible Doctor Strange 3. Marvel Studios has taken huge steps to completely move on from a racist depiction of Wong, making him a steadfast, pivotal and incredibly lovable character in the MCU.
7
Jack Duquesne’s Swordsman
Jack Duquesne Debuted In The MCU In Hawkeye (2021)
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Tony Dalton’s Jack Duquesne is practically an entirely new character when compared to his Marvel Comics counterpart. In the comics, Jacques Duquesne’s Swordsman was first introduced as an enemy of Hawkeye and the Avengers, though he soon transformed into a formidable hero himself. This, and a love of swords, is where the similarities between the Marvel Comics and MCU’s versions of Swordsman end. Duquesne first suited up as Swordsman to liberate Siancong from French rule, but this did not happen in the MCU.
In Marvel Comics, the Swordsman uses a modified sword that projects energy beams and gases, and is also very skilled in hand-to-hand combat and blade throwing. These skills enable him to eventually join the Avengers and become a powerful hero, despite spending most of his Marvel Comics career as a villain.
Swordsman in Marvel Comics mentored and trained a young Clint Barton, but he hadn’t met Jeremy Renner’s Clint Barton until the events of Hawkeye in the MCU, as Tony Dalton’s Jack Duquesne was Kate Bishop’s mother’s new partner. Swordsman was often an outlandish and inaccessible character in Marvel Comics, at least until his death at Kang the Conqueror’s hands. In the MCU, however, we grew to love Jack Duquesne, particularly when he helps fight back against the Tracksuit Mafia in Hawkeye’s finale, so these changes to his character were very welcome.
6
Karen Page
Karen Page Debuted In The MCU In Daredevil Season 1 (2015)
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Deborah Ann Woll will soon be making her return to the role of Karen Page in Daredevil: Born Again, reprising her role from Netflix’s original Daredevil series after a huge fan response wanting her and Elden Henson’s Foggy Nelson to return. Hopefully, Karen Page’s appearance in the MCU proper will retain her complete backstory from the Daredevil series, which was recently made MCU canon, and not alter it to be more comic-accurate. Karen Page is key to Matt Murdock’s development in the MCU, so it’s good Marvel Studios has avoided her controversial Marvel Comics story.
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In Marvel Comics, after learning about Matt Murdock’s actions as Daredevil, Karen Page ends her relationship with him and moves to California to become an actor. After starring in a soap opera and a few movies, Karen Page becomes addicted to heroin and starts producing pornographic movies, and ends up selling Matt Murdock’s identity to a drug dealer who sells it to Kingpin. While the MCU’s Karen Page does have a history with drugs, her Daredevil backstory is believable, keeping in only the least controversial and most grounded aspects of her weird and troubled Marvel Comics history.
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Drax The Destroyer
Drax the Destroyer Debuted In The MCU In Guardians Of The Galaxy (2014)
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Just as Marvel simplified Karen Page’s history for her live-action depiction, the same was done for Drax the Destroyer in the MCU’s Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. Dave Bautista’s Drax was introduced as a member of a formidable species of warriors who, aside from being completely literal and oblivious to metaphors, are remarkably powerful and skilled fighters. This is a far cry from his Marvel Comics counterpart, who began his journey as the human Arthur Douglas, whose soul was placed in a powerful alien body capable of fighting Thanos.
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Drax’s Live-Action MCU Project |
Year |
|---|---|
|
Guardians of the Galaxy |
2014 |
|
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 |
2017 |
|
Avengers: Infinity War |
2018 |
|
Avengers: Endgame |
2019 |
|
Thor: Love and Thunder |
2022 |
|
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special |
2022 |
|
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 |
2023 |
Drax’s backstory in Marvel Comics is complicated and convoluted, so it would have been hard to adapt faithfully for the MCU. Transforming Drax into a formidable warrior allowed him to quickly fit in better among the skilled fighters comprising the original Guardians of the Galaxy team, though he retains his tragic backstory in which he loses his family to Thanos, though it’s far more understandable in the MCU. Drax became a true confidant to Peter Quill in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies, a role he never filled in Marvel Comics and was an excellent addition to the MCU.
4
Baron Helmut Zemo
Baron Zemo Debuted In The MCU In Captain America: Civil War (2016)
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The biggest and best change that Marvel Studios made to Baron Helmut Zemo when introducing him to the MCU in Captain America: Civil War was that his Nazi connections were completely removed. Daniel Brühl’s Zemo is a Baron and former soldier from Sokovia, whose family was killed during the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron, leading him to seek revenge on the Avengers. This was a much more thought-out and emotional backstory than having him be the son of Baron Heinrich Zemo, a notable Nazi scientist, enemy to Captain America and founder of the Masters of Evil.
Even though he was crucial in dividing the Avengers during Captain America: Civil War, Zemo is one of the MCU’s most likeable villains, and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier only made this more prevalent. The removal of Zemo’s connections to Nazi history from Marvel Comics has greatly helped him in the MCU, making him more empathetic and giving him lighter shades. Because of these changes, there have been calls for Daniel Brühl to continue to appear as Baron Zemo in the MCU, which certainly wouldn’t be the case had he been more sadistic and genuinely evil.
3
Hank Pym
Hank Pym Debuted In The MCU In Ant-Man (2015)
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In the decades after his Marvel Comics debut as the superhero Ant-Man in 1962, Henry “Hank” Pym took on a number of superhero aliases, became a founding member of the Avengers alongside his wife, Janet van Dyne’s Wasp, and created a tyrannical artificial intelligence, Ultron. In the 1980s, it was revealed that Hank Pym was frequently physically abusive to Janet van Dyne, which ultimately led to him being expelled from the Avengers and Janet divorcing him. Thankfully, this abuse has not been witnessed in the live-action MCU.
It could be argued that Hank Pym was emotionally abusive and neglectful towards his daughter, Hope van Dyne, following Janet’s disappearance in the MCU, but this is as close as he got to his Marvel Comics counterpart’s personality.
Hank Pym is depicted as a far younger hero in Marvel Comics, so it’s possible this storyline could have unfolded off-screen prior to Janet van Dyne’s disappearance in the Quantum Realm in the MCU. However, this seems very unlikely. Hank Pym has never done anything to suggest he was abusive towards Janet, and the pair have never shown anything but intense love for each other, which has been a wonderful thing to see. Hank Pym is far less troubled and damaged in the MCU than he is in Marvel Comics.
2
Adrian Toomes’ Vulture
Adrian Toomes Debuted In The MCU In Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
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Adrian Toomes’ backstories in Marvel Comics and in the MCU are wildly different. In the comics, Toomes’ business partner, Gregory Bestman, embezzled funds from their electrical engineering company, leading to Toomes losing his job and turning to a life of crime as the Vulture. For the MCU, however, this frankly boring backstory was elevated significantly, having Toomes be the head of a salvage company working after the Battle of New York who is done wrong by Tony Stark’s new Department of Damage Control. This provides the perfect vehicle for vengeance against the MCU’s heroes.
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Michael Keaton did a fantastic job at exploring the new layers to Adrian Toomes’ Vulture in Spider-Man: Homecoming, especially with his villain being connected to Peter Parker’s Spider-Man as he is the father of Parker’s first love-interest, Liz. This gave him a more substantial connection to Spider-Man than he ever had in Marvel Comics, where the pair met during the Vulture’s robbery spree through New York City. The MCU’s Vulture was more of a human character with real intentions and a clear backstory.
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M’Baku
M’Baku Debuted In The MCU In Black Panther (2018)
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Winston Duke revolutionized the character of M’Baku in the MCU’s Black Panther franchise, allowing him to become a staunch protector of Wakanda, keen confidant to the likes of T’Challa and Shuri and bona fide hero in the battle against Namor and the Talokanil. This is significantly different from the outright villain depicted in Marvel Comics. In the comics, M’Baku adopts the moniker of Man-Ape after gaining the powers of a white gorilla in an effort to battle T’Challa’s Black Panther and usurp the Wakandan throne.
|
M’Baku’s Live-Action MCU Project |
Year |
|---|---|
|
Black Panther |
2018 |
|
Avengers: Infinity War |
2018 |
|
Avengers: Endgame |
2019 |
|
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever |
2022 |
|
Black Panther 3 |
TBD |
Black Panther and its 2022 sequel, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, have provided M’Baku with clear motivations as the leader of Wakanda’s Jabari tribe, and have seen him grow into a beloved and respected figure in Wakandan society. This is a far stronger evolution for M’Baku than that given to his Marvel Comics counterpart, and the MCU’s upcoming Black Panther 3 could give him an even more central role as the new King of Wakanda. M’Baku joins many other characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe whose changes have made them into more iconic and very popular figures.
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Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a multimedia superhero franchise that began in 2008 with Paramount’s Iron Man starring Robert Downey Jr. The franchise quickly grew in popularity, with Disney eventually buying out Marvel Entertainment in 2009. The MCU consists of dozens of movies and TV shows, most notably Avengers: Endgame, WandaVision, and Loki.
Created by
Kevin Feige
First Film
Iron Man
Upcoming Films
Deadpool & Wolverine
, Captain America: Brave New World
, Thunderbolts*
, Blade (2025)
, The Fantastic Four: First Steps
, Avengers: Doomsday (2026)
, Avengers: Secret Wars
Upcoming TV Shows
Agatha: Coven of Chaos
, Ironheart
, Daredevil: Born Again
, Wakanda
, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man
, Marvel Zombies
, Wonder Man
, Vision Quest
Upcoming MCU Movies
-
Captain America: Brave New World
Release Date
February 14, 2025
-
Thunderbolts*
Release Date
May 2, 2025
-
The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Release Date
July 25, 2025
-
Avengers: Doomsday (2026)
Release Date
-
Spider-Man Homecoming 4
Release Date
July 24, 2026
-
Avengers: Secret Wars
Release Date
May 7, 2027
