I'll Never Get Over How Badly These 10 Great Marvel Movie Characters Were Let Down

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The movies of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and other franchises have adapted many Marvel characters, but it"s not easy to overlook how badly some of them were let down. Throughout the MCU’s movie timeline – and, in some cases, even earlier – Marvel characters have been impressing on the big screen. Adapting superheroes into live-action isn’t a simple task, especially as many of the most iconic have legions of long-standing fans ready to cast a discerning eye over any creative license taken with the character in question.
Though many movies in the MCU and other Marvel franchises have been successful, there are also many occasions when these movies have let down great characters. Whether poorly handled, badly adapted, or otherwise betrayed by the storylines they were featured in, there are a number of Marvel movie characters who came off badly after being adapted into live-action. With that in mind, here are 10 Marvel movie characters who were handled so badly that I may never get over it.
10 Taskmaster's Reworked Origin Did The Character No Favors Black Widow (2021) Close The villain known as Taskmaster made their MCU debut as part of the cast of Black Widow in 2021, formally introducing them into the franchise. However, the MCU’s version of the character was significantly changed from that of the source material, and it betrayed key elements of Taskmaster’s characterization. This wasn"t via the change to make Taskmaster female, nor connecting her backstory to Black Widow’s, but the simple choice to make her a mostly silent antagonist.
Taskmaster’s personality has been a hallmark of the character throughout other iterations in both the comics and other media. By giving the character almost no lines in the movie, the MCU subtly reworked Taskmaster into a far less interesting character, despite her possessing the same set of abilities as her comic book counterpart. In doing so, Black Widow let Taskmaster down massively, as it robbed her of much of her potential as an MCU character.
9 Daredevil Was A Laughably Poor Representation Of The Marvel Hero Daredevil (2003) Close 2003’s Daredevil has gone down in history as one of Marvel’s infamously poor movie adaptations. The pre-MCU live-action adaptation saw Ben Affleck cast as the Man Without Fear, leading up a star-studded movie that should have had a great deal of potential. Unfortunately, its handling of the title character left much to be desired, letting down one of Marvel’s greatest street-level heroes in a way that took more than a decade to recover from.
Daredevil was poorly written, and did nothing to tap into the core of the character. As a result, Affleck’s performance fell somewhat flat, and Daredevil’s live-action debut failed the character in a major way. After the movie was unable to live up to the character’s potential, Daredevil was absent from Marvel’s movie and TV slate until he was brought back to lead one of the most popular TV shows in the MCU in 2015.
8 Whiplash Was Hurt By Poor Writing & Acting Iron Man 2 (2010) Close There have been many unimpressive villains introduced in the MCU, but Iron Man 2’s iteration of Whiplash remains one of the most disappointing in the franchise’s history. Played by Mickey Rourke, the MCU’s Whiplash was Ivan Vanko, the son of a scientist who had formerly worked with Howard Stark on his arc reactor technology. This facilitated a needlessly convoluted backstory which resulted in Whiplash seeking revenge on Iron Man for the supposed sins of his father.
Whiplash is far from the most famous Marvel villain, meaning that the MCU had more creative freedom to make the character work. Unfortunately, Iron Man 2’s antagonist was relatively poorly written, and Rourke’s performance – complete with an inaccurate and inconsistent accent – left much to be desired. It let the character down in a completely unnecessary way, as Stark and Vanko’s parallels and differences could have made for a far more compelling narrative.
7 Doc Samson Has Seemingly Been Forgotten By The MCU The Incredible Hulk (2008) Close The first chapter in Hulk’s MCU story came all the way back in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk, which introduced the titular hero to the franchise. As well as featuring the Hulk himself, the movie introduced supporting characters from his comic book stories, with Doc Samson being an especially interesting addition to the cast. The gamma-infused hero psychiatrist appearing in his pre-transformation human form was a surprising development that teased his future as a hero within the franchise.
The Incredible Hulk did not explore the possibility, though, and the MCU has since ignored Samson’s appearance. In doing so, the franchise has seemingly wasted the potential of a great character who can play an especially unique role in its wider Marvel story. Considering Samson’s inclusion in multiple scenes was more than a simple cameo, the tease and subsequent failure to deliver upon it lets the character down in an unforgivable manner.
6 The MCU's Mandarin Was Ruined By A Terrible Plot Twist Iron Man 3 (2013) Close In what has since been dubbed one of the most pointless and confusing MCU plot twists, Iron Man 3 established that its seemingly comic-accurate Mandarin was actually just a character being played by an actor hired by Aldrich Killian. The Mandarin fake-out was later undone by Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, which introduced a more faithful adaptation of the character. However, in many ways, it was too late to fix the damage done by Iron Man 3’s handling of the villain.
By introducing what appeared to be an accurate representation of the Mandarin to oppose Iron Man, the MCU potentially set up numerous adaptations of comic book stories featuring the two characters. The fake-out rendered all of those storylines unusable in the franchise, since the Mandarin’s true introduction in the cast of Shang-Chi came after Iron Man’s death. Considering the Mandarin’s comic book history, Iron Man 3’s twist failed to do the character justice on multiple levels.
5 Malekith Was A Shadow Of His Comic Book Self Thor: The Dark World (2013) Close Thor: The Dark World has often been labeled one of the worst movies of the MCU. The movie’s many issues have been well-documented, but few are considered as egregious as its handling of its villain, Malekith. In the comics, the character is a prominent and powerful villain who has proven particularly formidable due to his broad range of abilities. Sadly, Thor: The Dark World did not capture any of those attributes in its adaptation of the antagonist.
The Dark World’s Malekith was a dull, formulaic villain with very little screen presence. The movie’s writing did nothing at all to set Malekith apart from other movie antagonists, and he has been largely forgotten by most MCU fans since his death as a result. Considering the potential of the character, he deserved to be far better represented in the MCU, making the franchise’s failure of Malekith seem even worse.
4 MODOK Was Completely Changed For His Live-Action Debut Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023) Close Though MODOK is far from the most terrifying Marvel villain, he has proven a powerful Avengers-level threat on many occasions. In spite of his unique appearance, MODOK is a formidable foe for the heroes of the Marvel Universe, and so his introduction into the MCU should have warranted some fanfare. However, when he appeared in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’s cast, the franchise’s iteration of MODOK swiftly wasted most of his potential.
Quantumania introduced a heavily revised incarnation of MODOK with a whole new identity, though. The MCU’s MODOK was Darren Cross, rewriting his origins to better tie him into Ant-Man"s story. Quantumania then killed him off before he could influence the MCU in any real way, marking an abrupt end to MODOK’s foray into the franchise. The bizarre handling of what should have been a far more substantial villain ultimately let down a great character.
3 Man-Thing Was Barely In His Own Movie Man-Thing (2005) Close One of the more unorthodox Marvel characters, Man-Thing is a relatively unique figure within the Marvel Universe. Long before making his MCU debut in a cameo in Werewolf by Night, Man-Thing made his first live-action appearance in his own 2005 movie, simply titled Man-Thing. Strangely, the movie handled him in an especially odd way, as Man-Thing was barely featured at all in the film that bore his name.
Man-Thing"s status as neither a hero nor villain means he often sits in a complex place within the wider Marvel Universe. Even so, making a movie based on the character only to sideline him was an incredibly strange decision, and it was one that failed his potential. Instead of exploring the character or faithfully adapting one of his comic book stories, the movie simply wasted its titular figure, failing to capitalize on his appeal.
2 Red Skull's MCU Story Ended Criminally Prematurely Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) Close There are few Marvel heroes as iconic as Captain America, and the hero’s long-standing nemesis, the Red Skull, has been a staple of his comic book stories for decades. Upon Captain America’s MCU debut, the Red Skull was there, featuring as the main antagonist of 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger. The movie’s comic-accurate depiction of the villain made him a compelling figure, though the MCU subsequently let the Red Skull down.
After his apparent death at the end of The First Avenger, the Red Skull was absent from the MCU for several years. It wasn’t until Avengers: Infinity War that he made his brief return as the guardian of the Soul Stone, with his villainous role seemingly downgraded within the wider context of the franchise. This wasted the potential of the villain to become Captain America’s nemesis, as the pair only fought on a single occasion in the MCU.
1 Rick Jones Was Reduced To A Footnote The Incredible Hulk (2008) Close There are few characters who have been wasted so thoroughly by Marvel movies as Rick Jones. Often appearing in the comics alongside the Hulk, Jones has also been a supporting character and friend to the likes of Captain America and Captain Marvel, as well as becoming a hero in his own right. Jones’ MCU debut was set to come in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk, though a last-minute change let him down on a monumental scale.
Rick Jones’ role in the movie was cut entirely, and he was relegated to being a simple footnote in the film’s opening credits. Jones is mentioned in the paperwork that flashes across the screen when Bruce Banner’s transformation is established, but that has been the extent of his inclusion in the franchise. Considering his long-standing comic book role, the way in which the Marvel Cinematic Universe let him down is impossible to ignore.

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