A Simple Question Regarding Character Adaptation to Film

Martinex1:   In all of Super-Hero cinema, what character was adapted best from the source material?   What character's representation was not adapted well at all?

Whether influenced by the acting style, the directorial plan, plot devices, or the writing choices. what character was portrayed most faithfully?  And who was not?   Hero, villain, or supporting character - share your thoughts about their transition from paper to celluloid. 

In my opinion Captain America has overall been a great portrayal of the comic character, while his Avengers teammate Hawkeye I have found lacking.   And that is not because I don't like the Hawkeye in cinema;  I actually think that Jeremy Renner has done a nice job.   As far as an adaptation though, the movie Hawkeye is a far cry from the comic book Hawkeye.   Gone is the villainous past, the carnival upbringing, the sarcastic and cocky attitude, the respect for Cap, the distrust of authority, and the cool costume. The screen Hawkeye - family man and S.H.I.E.L.D. agent - is not bad but is also definitely not the same.   In the books, I always think of Hawkeye as the heart and humor of the Avengers; he deserves to be in the corner box just as much as the Vision.   In the movies he is a sidekick with limited screen time and development.   That is just my opinion... now please share yours.

To get your whistles whetted, here is just a partial list of characters who have made it to the big screen (kind of amazing in and of itself actually).   In no particular order:

Aunt May, Ben Grimm / Thing, Betty Ross, Dr. Doom, Professor Xavier, Moira MacTaggert, J. Jonah Jameson, Gwen Stacy, T'Challa / Black Panther, Red Skull, Loki, Jean Grey, Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow, Bucky Barnes, Dum Dum Dugan, Gamora, Abomination, Sif, Odin, Peter Parker / Spider-Man, Bruce Wayne / Batman, Pa Kent, Lois Lane, Blade, Wonder Woman, Nick Fury, Perry White, Rocket Raccoon, Alfred, Catwoman, Baron Zemo, Vision, Scarlet Witch, Cyclops, Beast, Norman Osborn / Green Goblin, Magneto, Penguin, Joker, Mary Jane Watson, Star-Lord, Reed Richards / Mister Fantastic,  Iceman, Rogue, Wolverine, Electro, Ronan, Doctor Octopus, Ultron, Quicksilver, Thor, Tony Stark / Iron Man,  Clark Kent / Superman, Thunderbolt Ross, Jimmy Olson, Riddler, Robin, Ant-Man, Hank Pym, Falcon, Happy Hogan, Flash Thompson, Mr, Freeze, Lizard, Jane Foster, The Comedian, Johnny Storm / The Human Torch, War Machine, Bruce Banner / Hulk, Uncle Ben, Havok, Banshee, Jasper Sitwell, Ma Kent, Venom, Jor-El, Pepper Potts, Colossus, Deadpool, Jarvis, Bane, Ra's al Ghul, The Mandarin, Justin Hammer, Sue Richards / Invisible Woman, Peggy Carter, Sharon Carter, Storm, Wasp, Mystique, Whiplash, Yellowjacket, Hogun, Heimdall, Groot, The Collector, Arnim Zola, Silver Surfer, and Thanos.   Nuff said.

Summer 1989 - When We Were Bat-Maniacs

Doug: So I pack-ratted a bunch of Batman stuff. What's it to you?

Doug: I've been taking advantage of my holiday break to move past comic books and into other books and memorabilia in my attempt to "cull the herd", so to speak. In fact, here's a plug for my auctions -- lots of new stuff goes live tonight (12/30) at 7:00 pm CT here in the States. In addition to the lot you see above, you'll find some Marvel Masterworks, various trade paperbacks, comic history books, etc. But back to this stuff -- yeah, I was that guy who grabbed whatever I could in a fit of Batmania ahead of the June 1989 release of Tim Burton's first Batman film. I was so excited that Bats was going to get the silver screen treatment. I had just loved Superman: The Movie and Superman II and had very high hopes for the Batman movie, too. Count me among those who were skeptical about Michael Keaton as the choice to play our hero... Now some 26 years later, he looks even better in the role!

Doug: But the real reason -- the real reason -- I wanted to discuss Batmania today was the hidden gem you see below. Yes, I saved the funny pages out of the Chicago Sun-Times from Sunday, November 12, 1989 when Marshall Rogers's newspaper strip began. The plot spun out of the events of the first Bat-film. NOTE: You may notice that the image is spliced -- my scanner was just a wee bit small to accommodate the width of the paper. But this is awesome! Who doesn't love themselves some Rogers Batman? Please enjoy.

UPDATE: Many readers in our comments section have noted that they did not know this strip even existed. Well, after a not-too-strenuous Internet search, I've found a blog with lots of great scans. Enjoy, courtesy of Scans Daily.

Superhero Movies -- Data for Discussion, courtesy of the Washington Post

Doug: I read the following article from a link on Twitter last night and I thought I'd bring it over here for discussion over the weekend. All words and graphics are copyright the Washington Post and the authors and creators named within, and no infringement of those rights is intended. Hey, around here we just need a good topic to discuss!

Wonkblog

The biggest superhero movie flops and successes of all time

By Ana Swanson and Shelly Tan August 14 at 7:32 AM

A scene from the film, "Fantastic Four," in U.S. theaters on Aug. 7, 2015. (Twentieth Century Fox via AP)

This summer’s “Fantastic Four” could turn out to be one of the biggest superhero movie flops of all time. 

 

The movie had a disappointing opening weekend, grossing only about $26 million at the box office.

But the real embarrassment was the critical reaction. The movie has a 9 percent rating on review site Rotten Tomatoes, the lowest score earned by the dozens of films that have been based on Marvel comics.

Film studios have released a barrage of superhero movies in the past few decades, ranging from flops like the “Fantastic Four” to successes like 2012’s “The Avengers." And as the charts below show, the competition between the two main superhero franchises, Marvel and DC comics, shows no signs of slowing.

Marvel has Spider-Man, Wolverine and the rest of the X-Men, Captain America and the Avengers, and the Fantastic Four. DC, on the other hand, gave the world Superman, Batman, Catwoman, the Joker, and Wonder Woman. The two franchises have been battling for eyeballs since the 1930s, but have seen their rivalry strengthen with the growing popularity of the big budget Hollywood superhero movie.

As the graphic below shows, movies based on DC Comics characters outpaced those of Marvel before 2000, including "Superman" in 1978, "Batman" in 1989, and "Batman and Robin" in 1997.
But in the last 16 years, the Marvel franchise caught up fast. According to data from Box Office Mojo, 36 superhero films have been released based on Marvel comics since 2000, including "X-Men" in 2000, "Spider-Man" in 2002, and "Iron Man" in 2008.

In terms of how individual movies have performed at the box office, however, Marvel and DC are more neck-and-neck.

The charts below show how the top five grossing movies based on Marvel and DC comics, with box office revenues adjusted for inflation. Marvel's top five grossing movies (in red) only earned about $139 million more than DC's films (in blue) have.

One interesting thing is how much of a mark DC's classic movies made -- "The Dark Knight" (2008) is its top earner, but the original "Batman" (1989) ranks second, and "Superman" (1978) and "Batman Forever" (1995) also make the list.

The next chart shows the five least successful movies from Marvel and DC in terms of box office revenues. Here, earnings from movies based on Marvel comics outstrip those based on DC comics by about $72 million.

The record among critics, shown in the chart below, is a little more mixed. For whatever reason, Marvel films seem to do better on Rotten Tomatoes, while DC films fare well on Metacritic. Here are the Marvel and DC superhero movies with the best and worst reviews of all time:

Part of the reason for Marvel's success may be the strategy. By creating so movies around individual characters, and then tying their story lines together in a big ensemble movie like "The Avengers," the franchise has connected audiences with unfamiliar characters.

Competitors have taken notice. In March, Warner Brothers is due to release a new superhero movie in which DC's favorite sons, Superman and Batman, face off against one another, "putting mankind in greater danger than it's ever known before." Given that kind of rivalry, expect more superhero battles to come.

Who's the Best... Superhero Movie Fight Scene?

Who's the Best...Batmobile?

Karen: Pictures of the Batmobile leaked from the upcoming "Superman V. Batman" movie show another tank-like vehicle, complete with large-caliber guns. That's right, Batman has guns on the Batmobile. Sigh. It leaves me cold. Certainly not my idea of the Caped Crusader's vehicle of choice. It got me to thinking: of all the live-action Batmobiles, which ones are the best? Here's your choices:

The newest "Batmobile", from Batman v Superman

The Tumbler, from Christopher Nolan's Bat-trilogy

This over-the-top Batmobile, from Batman and Robin

Batman Forever's Batmobile

Michael Keaton drove this in Batman and Batman Returns

The atomic-powered Batmobile from the 1966-68 TV show

Karen: Which one of these would you like to jump behind the wheel of and take out for a spin? Personally, I'm drawn to the classic TV version, although I recognize how dated it is. I don't think any of the movie versions have really worked for me. What about you?

PS -I just learned today is Adam West's 86th birthday! Holy octogenarian!

Who's the Best... First Film in a Series or Franchise?

Doug: Sheesh -- it's a Who's the Bestapalooza this week! Third one! So, which inaugural installment got it right the first time?

Discuss: Prince