Superhero movies are a great time at the theaters. The genre has made quite an impression among audiences, Hollywood, and mainstream media. It could be Marvel who has really carved a spot for superhero movies among cinema. Or it could be The Dark Knight that many still see as the bar to top to claim the title of best superhero movie. All that wouldn’t be possible for what came before; the actual comic books. Many superhero movies have done so well, that it’s easy to overlook that they come from books because in their live action portrayal they take on a of their life. Yet, fans of the comic book genre clearly are passionate about the link between book and movie. In fact, that has been rewarded because many superhero movies are inspired by storylines within comic books. They could range how far that portrayal could go but for the most part, the spirit of a particular storyline is heavily present in a movie. That is not always the case however. Other superhero movies tend to be more original. The only elements that they borrow from the comic books are characters and their origin which is nearly intact through generations. The ones who make those films go out to take a fresh approach in developing the superhero and their world. And in the process could add something new which the books could adapt. But which way is better? Should a superhero movie adapt parts of previous books or be original?
Many of the most acclaimed and fan favorite superhero movies are adapted from comic books. One of the biggest superhero movies of all time, Avengers: Infinity War, adapts the Infinity Gauntlet storyline. Not everything from the graphic novel is present but the core DNA is. Thanos wants to inflict death by the trillions once he collects the Infinity Stones in which he succeeds in doing. In fact, Avengers adapts some of the parts in the very first issue of Avengers. Loki is the main antagonist which takes over the mind of the Hulk, forcing the rest of the Avengers to quarrel him and his mayhem. Captain America: Civil War obviously adapted the storyline Civil War and changed up the dynamic of the MCU and to some extent the superhero genre. Even though the scope was much smaller in the film than it was in the book, the fight between Iron Man and Captain America still had repercussions. Biggest one is that the Avengers were separated when they had to fight their biggest enemy. Flip to the other side of town, the entire Dark Knight trilogy adapts core elements of several Batman storylines. Batman Begins uses the basic concept of Batman: Year One. The Dark Knight uses the fall of Harvey Dent storyline from Batman: The Long Halloween. And The Dark Knight Rises uses parts from Batman: Knightfall, Batman: No Man’s Land, and The Dark Knight Returns. Many other movies have followed like Watchmen, The Batman, and Joker. As for DC, that formula will continue this summer when Superman is released. The core essence of All-Star Superman will be the basis for the movie, a move fans are praising since it’s putting Superman back to his more hopeful role. It will carry on momentum with Supergirl adapting Superman: Girl of Tomorrow and Brave and the Bold adapting Batman and Robin. Much success has been found in adapting and borrowing from the source material.
Now not every movie has gone this route. Some have been more original in their storytelling. That is most seen in the early 2000s when these movies were still trying to find their footing. The Rami Spider-Man movies rarely adapted anything to relative comic book accuracy. The closest they got to adapting a storyline was when they used some of the flare of the Spider-Man No More storyline. They even used one of the most iconic shots in all of Spider-Man lore which is the shot of Peter walking away from the Spider-Man sitting in a trash can. Other than that, not much was used. The X-Men films tended to take liberties with its adaptions. But both those franchises are still praised and are considered one of the first superhero film franchises that helped the gerne take off. To stay with Marvel, many of the MCU movies are original. Very few times have they looked at storylines to adapt a story for a film. That’s mostly reserved for ensemble movies. The MCU has taken so many liberties with characters and storylines, the books have to adjust to the film counterparts. Some heroes have completed their trilogy without taking much material from the books. Spider-Man is one of those heroes. Again, the films have borrowed just the universal known concepts of the character and put that in the film. But despite a successful trilogy leading to one groundbreaking movie, not much reference was made to the books. The big three of Marvel, Iron Man, Captain America and Thor have only had one movie each of their trilogies that touched comic book material. Yet those trilogies are arguably the back of the MCU. This route shows that not every movie needs to look at a book to be successful. As long as the character and world are present, being shown and being evolved, it’s perfectly acceptable to be original when so much could be adapted.
But which path should comic book movies go? The answer is, they should follow the path that comic books and graphic novels set up. It’s a perfect middle ground. For comic book readers, they are rewarded with the time they take to read those books and perhaps get some wishes granted by having their pleas to have some books adapted. They are aware of what is to come but so are the people behind the movie. Those behind the movie are smart enough to go so far in their adaptation but add some changes that surprise those loyal fans. Plus, those small details that are added to the movie, that may go unnoticed to the novice movie watcher, will not go unnoticed to the dedicated fans. The small details that make only true fans smile at the sight or mention of them. It could help gain a new audience for the actual books as well. Once, it gets known that a movie will be adapting a certain comic book or graphic novel, that could stir some interest for the book. This has paid off for The Boys and Invincible. The success of their shows has pulled in a lot of attention to the books. Potentially, it could lead to other books read. There are plenty of great graphic novels that have not be adapted to live action yet. Or there’s still some meat on the bone for some stories that could be adapted still. By following the stories already in the books, it creates this self-sufficient cycle for a company. Sure, this has been done. But if there is more emphasis, more clarity that movies are adapting already existing stories, it could be beneficial for all involved.
It’s always good to see changes. That’s created when directors and scriptwriters take some liberties with the lore. Sometimes it’s also good to keep tradition alive. That happens when directors use a storyline for their superhero movie. But since the comic books have been the backbone for the most successful comic books movies, it sure be a safe bet that movie makers need to look at the books for more inspiration.
