A big deal is always made by fans over the differences between the comic book stories and the ones derived into MCU films, but most of these fans haven’t actually read the comics since they were released so long ago. Due to the passage of time, these comic stories don’t translate so well when brought to the big screen, and Marvel made great changes, especially to the Infinity Saga.
But we’re glad these changes were made, seeing as the final result in the 22-film arc was satisfying and avoided the rather cheesy stuff found in the comics. If you’d like to know what the major (and good) changes were, then here are 10 of the best differences from the comics made in the MCU’s Infinity Saga.
10 Stormbreaker's Appearance And Owner
If you go back and watch Thor: Ragnarok, you’ll see one weird-looking alien in the monument of champions where Hulk’s image is as well. This guy is known as Beta Ray Bill, who is the real owner of Stormbreaker in the comics. Stormbreaker was a hammer like Mjolnir and was cut from the same dwarf star.
Of course, Avengers: Infinity War changed that up by making Stormbreaker an ax, one that was used by Thor and was made from a different star. This was a better change because it provided further characterization to Thor. Having Beta Ray Bill show up wouldn’t have done anything for anyone, and Stormbreaker’s change in appearance also made it stand out as distinct from Mjolnir.
9 The Soul World's Importance
We saw the Soul world at the end of Avengers: Infinity War, but it had no bearing on Avengers: Endgame. We feel it was better to leave it out since the whole Soul world thing was too cosmic for viewers’ liking. In the comics, Adam Warlock and Silver Surfer were trapped here by Thanos as a show of power.
Having the Soul world as just an idea was the right way to go, as it would’ve gotten too heavy-handed had all the perished characters been seen here. The comics had Silver Surfer and Adam Warlock learn the Soul world and strategize in the realm, which was something that only made sense in the comic universe.
8 Nebula's Heroic Turn
In the Infinity Gauntlet comic book story, Thanos used Nebula as an example over what the Gauntlet would allow him to do. This involved turning her into a kind of zombie, who was on the fringes of life and death. Nebula would then steal the Gauntlet back, but wouldn’t exactly be a good guy.
Her arc in the Infinity Saga in the MCU was much more satisfying, as we got to see her overcome her father issues, as well as her deep-seated insecurities over being an unwanted child. It was a representation of how many children in the world feel and having it portrayed in a superhero movie only made it better.
7 Everyone's Appearances
Have you ever seen what comic book characters look like? Everyone looks like a clown compared to how they are in the MCU. The Infinity Gauntlet story in the comics didn’t do anyone’s appearances any favors either, and Doctor Strange especially looked like that weird uncle with no fashion sense. Even the Big Bad Thanos would’ve placed high in worst-dressed award ceremonies.
The MCU brought these guys extremely cool looks to wear, and Thanos’ armored appearance made him look particularly intimidating. Along with that, Nebula’s appearance actually served to progress the story, as her implants informed us of how Thanos treated her. Everyone else looked like a million bucks as well, and the costume department deserves all the praise.
6 Children Of Thanos Inclusion
Thanos was on his own in the comic book plot and used the Gauntlet to further his needs. Here, he was a loner who didn’t strategize as much, nor did he have any close personal allies. The MCU did it better by making Thanos the father of his underlings.
This way, we had more character to derive from Thanos, as he was shown to genuinely believe he was doing good by killing half of the planets he invaded and taking a child from there as his son or daughter. The Black Order itself was a cool faction we got to see, something that wasn’t an option in the comics.
5 The Build-Up To The Stones
Do you want to know how Thanos gets the Infinity Gems in the comics? He just goes and gets them. That’s right. No real build-up, no test of power over what these gems could do – he simply goes out and completes the Gauntlet.
The MCU did it so much better by having a 22-film arc set up to gather steam and hype over the culmination of the Infinity Saga. Certain films in the saga had a particular focus on the Infinity Stones, which were then carried forward to the next movies, keeping it in our minds of their importance. When the time came for the stones to be collected, we were all actually aware of their immense power.
4 The Superheroes Involved
The Infinity Gauntlet really had no proper superhero line up, and it only comprised of Doctor Strange, Adam Warlock, and the Silver Surfer. Since all these were seen as C-List heroes back when the comic came out, it didn’t generate as much interest.
The MCU also used B-List heroes initially, but they were made to look so incredible, that by the time we reached the culmination of the Infinity Saga, these superheroes were bona fide powerhouses in selling value. That’s why, we loved that the main trio of superheroes in the MCU was Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America, since they all had their individual stories and attributes that we cared about, making their part in the Infinity Saga worth following.
3 The Snap Moment
All it took for Thanos to complete the Snap in the comics was some goading from Lady Death and the deed was done. In fact, completing the Snap was actually supposed to be the catalyst to the storyline, rather than serving as an end to an arc as was the case in Avengers: Infinity War.
The movie’s difference was better in that the moment Thanos snapped his fingers, we were shown the calamity that followed through. Had the Snap occurred right at the start of the movie, it would’ve been too confusing for the viewer. Having an all-out last stand to try and prevent the Snap, only to lose, was the better option.
2 Thanos' Motivations
We’ve mentioned Lady Death a couple of times by now, and that’s because Thanos’ entire motivation to kill half of all life forms was because he wanted to impress her. Yup, almost everyone died because this purple dude wanted to look like a big shot to the embodiment of death.
You can see why turning Thanos into a kind of Knights Templar was so much better, seeing as he came across having valid points as opposed to looking like a foolish loverboy. Adding in his reluctant sacrifice of Gamora was a wonderful touch since it established Thanos was convinced he was doing it for the greater good.
1 The Ending
In the comics, Thanos wasn’t even the final antagonist, with this role taken up by Nebula. Thanos was convinced to help Adam Warlock stop Nebula, after Warlock got Thanos to admit the latter didn’t feel worthy of the Gauntlet’s power. Nebula was defeated, Warlock took the Gauntlet as his own, and Thanos became a farmer in a distant planet.
Avengers: Endgame did it better by having the farmer part only be the first half of Thanos’ story, and he eventually re-emerged as the villain through time travel. This way, we didn’t have any loose ends, nor did it seem confusing as to who the real bad guy was. Plus, we got to see that epic final Battle of Earth which was nowhere in the comics.