To adapt their characters for the big screen, Marvel and DC had to make choices, particularly regarding designs. Identical adaptation of a hero's or villain's costume is sometimes possible, but it can also pose problems. In the case of supervillains, it's even trickier, because their appearance is crucial to taking the threat seriously. Unfortunately, Marvel and DC have failed 8 times on this point.
#1 Deadpool - X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
X-Men Origins: Wolverine, or how to completely miss a character. The Deadpool in the film, whom Ryan Reynolds hates, simply has nothing to do with the one in the comics. Where he's supposed to be talkative and funny, here he's reduced to silence. It's a completely incomprehensible choice on the part of Fox, who, fortunately, made up for it years later.
#2 Parallax - Green Lantern (2011)
We're staying with Ryan Reynolds, but this time, we're going to focus on the character he's facing. Parallax is supposed to be an entity embodying fear, with a design inspired by terrifying Lovecraftian creatures. Yet, in Green Lantern, he's just a basic, featureless alien. The film's mistake actually stems from the fact that it merged Parallax and Krona, resulting in a result that's as confusing as it is disappointing, resembling a horrific vision of Roger in American Dad.
#3 The Green Goblin - The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)
The Green Goblin's design in the comics is quite unusual, which prompted Sam Raimi to redesign him for his Spider-Man. It's a choice that paid off, as his costume has now become iconic. On the other hand, in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, the villain adopts a more goblin-like appearance, but without fully embracing it, which gives a strange and unconvincing rendering. It's a shame, because the character, in itself, is not uninteresting.
#4 The Joker - Suicide Squad (2016)
In cinema, the Joker has always kept a design relatively faithful to that of the comics. That changed with Suicide Squad, where the character takes on a gangster look. There was probably a desire to make him "cooler," but he didn't need to make such a drastic physical change to be so.
#5 Galactus - Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007)
Can we really talk about design in this specific case? In the film, Galactus is just a planet-devouring cosmic cloud. It's clear that to avoid any risk, it was necessary to never show him, and that's what happened. Fortunately, Galactus from the upcoming Fantastic Four movie will atone for this affront.
#6 Cheetah - Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)
In Wonder Woman 1984, Cheetah remains faithful to her appearance in the comics, and that's the problem. A half-human, half-animal character works very well in comics or animation, but much less so in live-action. This is the case here with Cheetah, who looks almost like a character from the movie Cats. Now let's see what's better between this hairy character and a beardless Pedro Pascal...
#7 The Leader - Captain America: Brave New World (2025)
Since The Incredible Hulk in 2008, many have been waiting for the Leader to return to the MCU. It's finally happened with Captain America: Brave New World, but fans were disappointed. The villain's design is controversial, especially since the early concept art was much more comic-book-like.
#8 Killer Croc - Suicide Squad (2016)
With Killer Croc, we find the same problem as with Cheetah, but worse. Sure, the makeup is successful, but it's not the character as we know him from the comics. This Killer Croc retains too much humanity in his features, and doesn't have enough animality. Yet, improving his design would have been simple: he needed a body as massive as his head.
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