The MCU hasn’t always stayed loyal to Marvel Comics. Obviously, most of its characters and plots come directly from the books, but other figures are only loosely based on the source material. This doesn’t always have the same results and fans haven't always loved seeing these strangers on the screen.
These MCU characters can be quite different from their Marvel comic counterparts. While this is truly a shame in some cases, it has been a blessing for others. Depending on the audience's responses to these changes, sometimes Marvel's writers have actually made the MCU's changes canonical. In other cases, new versions of old characters have been completely forgotten.
Updated on November 17, 2022, by Mayra García: The MCU keeps adding new characters to its projects, but Marvel Studios doesn't necessarily stick to the source material, which isn't always a bad thing. We've expanded this list with new characters whose MCU counterparts differs from the comics. For example, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever just introduced a revamped version of Namor that everyone loved.
15 Jane Foster's Time As Thor Was Far More Complex In The Comics
After appearing in two movies, Jane Foster finally wielded Mjolnir in Thor: Love and Thunder. Unfortunately, compared with Jason Aaron’s run in the comics, the MCU heroine's story felt underwhelming. This is because the comics allowed Jane to shine on her own while the movie practically turned her into Odinson’s sidekick.
Jane Foster's comics arc about worthiness was barely explored in Thor: Love and Thunder, and the movie never delved into her perspective on things or her connection to Mjolnir. Instead, Thor: Love and Thunder focused a lot on her romance with Odinson. While it was a respectable attempt at an adaptation, The Mighty Thor deserved way better.
14 M'Baku Is A Key Ally For The MCU's Black Panther
Portrayed by Winston Duke, M'Baku in the MCU is the dealer of the Jabari, a Wakandan community that isolates from the rest. Since he doesn't share T'Challa's values, M'Baku challenges him for the throne of Wakanda. They have an antagonistic relationship, but when Killmonger invades, M'Baku allies with the Black Panther to protect the country. In Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, he also stays on Shuri's side during the war against Talokan.
In the comics, M'Baku is mostly known as Man-Ape, and he's one of Black Panther's most important enemies. Contrary to the MCU, the comic M'Baku never allies with him. Instead, he works together with the Lethal Legion and the Masters of Evil. The MCU iteration of M'Baku is a more modern and tridimensional character.
13 Swordsman Was Just A Red Herring In Hawkeye
When Jack Duquesne first appeared on Hawkeye as Kate Bishop's future step-father, fans all over the world jumped the gun and assumed he would be the main villain of the series. This made perfect sense. Not everyone knows this about Swordsman, but he is both one of Hawkeye's teachers and one of his greatest enemies in the comics.
Funnily enough, it was Eleanor Bishop who was the criminal, while Duquesne was just her naive, albeit a bit eccentric, fiancé. Given Tony Dalton’s charisma, fans actually appreciated this change and are waiting to see him in a future MCU project.
12 Marvel Studios Completely Revamped The Vulture
Michael Keaton portrays Adrian "Vulture" Toomes in Spider-Man: Homecoming. He's a genius-level intellect who has a salvaging company from which he moves to the weapons black market. He's also Liz Allan's father, connecting the Vulture to Peter's life beyond Spider-Man.
Vulture is one of those MCU characters fans are happy aren't comic-accurate. While Keaton brought him to life as a resentful man trying to get vengeance for his company's downfall, comic Vulture is a bizarre old man who travels around New York burglarizing homes in a ridiculous feathered bird costume. The MCU definitely made him cooler.
11 Chris Hemsworth's Knack For Comedy Influenced His Portrayal Of Thor
Chris Hemsworth has been the MCU’s God of Thunder since he debuted in 2011's Thor. Given this, it’s perfectly normal that Hemsworth's real personality has rubbed onto the character, especially because Thor and Thor: The Dark World failed to give Odinson an actual personality.
Since Chris Hemsworth is great at comedy, once the Thor saga fell in Taika Waitit’s hands they made the God of Thunder funnier than he was before. This fixed the previous Thor films' mistakes, and while fans love him for his goofiness, this trait goes against Thor's customary solemnity in the comics.
10 Kamran Was Supposed To Be One Of Ms. Marvel's Worst Villains
When Rish Shah was cast as Kamran in Ms. Marvel, fans immediately assumed he would be the series' main villain, but this wasn’t the case. Although he began as a sort of double agent splitting his time between his family and Kamala, he soon became Ms. Marvel‘s ally.
Even during the finale, when Damage Control forced Kamran to use his newly acquired powers against the heroes, he didn't feel like his comic counterpart. In the comics, Kamran is an Inhuman who is only using Kamala to help his boss Lineage maintain the Inhumans' supremacy, not a teenager from another dimension who is trying to get home.
9 The MCU Made Nebula Lovable
Nebula, portrayed by Karen Gillan, is one of Thanos's daughters, tortured throughout her childhood. When she first appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy, she had a deep hatred for Gamora for never helping her when Thanos hurt her, but as the films progressed, she made peace with her sister, realizing they were both victims. Currently, she's a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy.
Nebula's story in the comics is quite similar to her MCU counterpart. She's also Thanos's daughter who acts like a villain out of resentment but then becomes an anti-hero. However, Karen Gillan's portrayal improved Nebula simply because she made her lovable. In the comics, Nebula's quite a plain character, but Gillan did a great job showing that Nebula's attitude grew out of her trauma.
8 The Mandarin Was Divided Into Three Characters In The MCU
Considered one of Marvel’s greatest villains, the Mandarin is an evil genius who uses a set of ten alien rings as a weapon. Since he’s Iron Man’s archenemy, obviously he had to appear in the Armored Avenger's trilogy. Ironically, the MCU's Mandarin wasn't the comics-accurate version.
Instead, this 'Mandarin' was played by Ben Kingsley, who turned out to be an impostor, while Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce) was the actual mastermind behind his plot. Later, during Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, the real Mandarin, Xu Wenwu (Tony Leung) appeared. While he never claimed the Madarin's title in the MCU, the film clearly drew inspiration from the comics to create this tragic villain.
7 Nakia's Allegiance Has Changed Plenty In The Comics
Nakia is one of the strongest Wakandan warriors. She's a former War Dog spy and a major love interest for T'Challa. Since she was always traveling for missions, she learned how the world was, which made her believe that Wakanda needed to help others instead of isolating itself from them. After T'Challa's death, she raised his kid in Haiti, far from the pressures of the crown.
While in the movies, Nakia is T'Challa's most important ally and friend, in the comics their story is quite different. Comic book Nakia is obsessed with T'Challa in a toxic way. She tries to kill his ex-girlfriend, allies herself with Killmonger, and works as a double agent against Wakanda. Fans definitely like her better on the big screen.
6 Earth-616's Abomination Would Never Own A Yurt
One of the biggest surprises in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law was Emil "Abomination" Blonsky's constant presence. This character, who was the villain in The Incredible Hulk before appearing in Shang-Chi, is now Jennifer’s first superpowered client and a reformed man leading a spiritual center for other villains seeking redemption.
While this new Blonsky is amazing, thanks especially to Tim Roth's fine acting, fans can’t help to notice that he's a new man in every way. In the comics, Abomination is more violent and uncontrollable than the Hulk. Only time will tell if this is a good change, but so far, fans like it a lot.
5 America Chavez Is Way More Hardcore In The Comics
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness introduced America Chavez to the MCU. A witty teenager with the ability to open portals throughout the multiverse, America traveled with an alternate version of Dr. Strange until he betrayed her. Portrayed by Xóchitl Gomez, the film shows that America is still learning how to use her powers.
While this character was very interesting, she couldn’t be more different than her comic counterpart. In the comics, America doesn’t go through a self-discovery journey. Instead, she’s already a confident, powerful 19-year-old who knows exactly what she’s doing. Hopefully, in a couple of years, this will be the result of America's current journey in the MCU.
4 Gorr The God Butcher Only Killed One God In The MCU
When Christian Bale was cast as Gorr the God Butcher in Thor: Love and Thunder, fans were thrilled. Bale’s acting skills combined with Gorr’s backstory gave the character the potential to be one of the darkest MCU villains. Unfortunately, he was misused.
In an attempt to keep the film as light as possible, Gorr wasn’t as murderous as he was in the comics. In fact, he only killed one god on-screen. While Bale’s portrayal of the God Butcher was as creepy as it gets, the character lacked the complexity Jason Aaron's writing gave him in "The God Butcher Saga." The MCU's version definitely paled in comparison.
3 Wong Has Won Fans' Hearts With His Charm
Anyone who has read Marvel Comics knows that Wong is very different from what fans see on the screen, but the MCU definitely made him better. In fact, over the last few years, Wong has slowly and steadily become a fan favorite. This is surely thanks to Benedict Wong's portrayal of the character.
While the comics version of Wong is a serious, bi-dimensional sidekick, in the movies, he’s a powerful sorcerer who can be stern or funny, depending on the context. He’s solemn in films like Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, where he acts as Sorcerer Supreme, but hilarious in series like She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, where he does more domestic things, like watching The Sopranos. The best part is, both versions of this character feel equally appropriate.
2 MCU Namor Comes From An Ancient And Real Culture
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever marks the debut of Namor, portrayed by Tenoch Huerta Mejia. The leader of Talokan, an underwater society, Namor is also known as K'ulk'ulkan, a feathered deity from Mayan culture. His nation was powered by a vibranium-infused herb many years ago, and he's the only one there who can breathe on the surface.
In the comics, Namor is a hybrid between a human and a Homo Mermanus. He didn't get any powers from the vibranium herb. Instead, he's a mutant who inherited some power from his mother. Additionally, in the comics, Namor has no relation to Mayan culture. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever changed this character at its core, improving him substantially.
1 Robert Downey Jr.'s Portrayal Of Tony Stark Changed Iron Man Forever
Since his debut in Iron Man, Tony Stark became everyone's favorite Marvel character. However, what many MCU-only fans don’t know is that the MCU version of Tony Stark is quite different from his comic counterpart, created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, Don Heck, and Jack Kirby.
Thanks to RDJ’s charisma, Tony went from being a super serious, boring, and arrogant character to a sarcastic genius with an ego that people choose to overlook thanks to his charm. Downey’s influence was so big that the character in the comics has been slowly modified to match his portrayal in the MCU.