Comic book movies often struggle with adapting certain aspects of their beloved superheroes, with many scenes causing controversy due to their departure from source material. There’s nothing wrong with comic book movies making changes to an existing story, a practice widely accepted as a necessity when it comes to condensing lengthy comic runs into two-hour runtimes. However, in certain cases, films will present scenes that seem to fundamentally oppose a given character’s established personality, making for divisive reactions.
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In some cases, these scenes will present a moment so out-of-character for a given comic book hero or villain that they’re hard to swallow, even as a loose adaptation, fundamentally misunderstanding the appeal of the source material. In other instances, superhero movies will eschew the comics entirely, making essentially brand-new creations that only share the name of a comic book. With how beloved comic book characters can be, it’s no wonder these divisive moments have shaped some of the worst comic book movie critical receptions ever.
10 Hellboy Kills The Giants
Hellboy (2019)
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The 2019 Hellboy reboot took inspiration from a wide variety of different Hellboy comics, mashing various elements of them together in a sort of Frankenstein patchwork of Mike Mignola’s beloved work. The biggest inspiration, however, is easily Hellboy: The Wild Hunt, in which an ancient resurrected witch seeks to lead an army of fae creatures against humanity. In one scene lifted directly from the original comic, David Harbour’s Hellboy fights a group of giants, giving into his wrathful side and murdering them all in gruesome combat.
In the comics, this scene is meant to be something terrifying and disturbing, representing the side of Hellboy that might give in to his fate as Anung Un Rama, the destroyer of humanity. Yet the 2019 movie adaptation takes the fight as an opportunity for crass gross-out gore, joke-y quips, and campy combat, diluting the thematic implications of the battle to crude shock value. It’s no wonder that criticism of 2019’s Hellboy was so sharp from both fans and professional movie reviewers alike.
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9 The Batmobile Chase
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
One thing that has always been a contentious subject when it comes to movie adaptations of the Caped Crusader is Batman’s kill count. Famously maintaining a “no killing” rule even in the most dire of situations in the comics, cinematic Batman have routinely failed to live up to this standard, with Ben Affleck’s DCEU incarnation being the most egregious offender. Zack Snyder made the controversial decision to allow this Batman to murder with reckless abandon, and even use firearms, boldly going against the grain of his established ethics in the comics.
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If there’s one scene that sums up the DCEU Batman’s appetite for murder, it’s the Batmobile chase in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. While admittedly a slick action setpiece, the scene displays some troubling usage of military-grade firearms, reckless collateral damage, and a spiteful disregard for human life that all feel incongruous with Batman’s legacy. It’s easy to see why this version of Batman became so divisive in the eyes of fans.
8 Pa Kent Suggests Superman Let Kids Die
Man of Steel
Batman wasn’t the only area in which Zack Snyder seemed to willfully misinterpret commonly-held ideals of comic characters. It’s well known that Superman’s unwavering moral compass can largely be attributed to his homely upbringing in the American Midwest, growing up as a normal farmboy despite his alien heritage. But while the Ma and Pa Kent of the comics encourage their son to use his powers for good in most versions of the Superman mythos, Snyder had other ideas in Man of Steel.
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In one jarring flashback to Clark Kent’s childhood, a young Superman debriefs with Jonathan Kent after using his powers to save a bus full of children from certain death. While his father chides him for using his powers in public, Clark asks what else he was supposed to do, with his only other option being to let the kids die. Shockingly, the usually righteous Pa Kent simply looks off into the distance and replies “Maybe…“, implying he would’ve preferred the deaths of innocent kids to the disruption of a peaceful life for his son.
7 Lex Luthor’s Rant
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
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One of the more controversial comic book casting choices, Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor never quite managed to outrun its frosty initial reception. In Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Eisenberg performs as a much younger, more neurotic version of Lex Luthor. His intensely erratic personality and odd mannerisms quickly grew grating for many DC fans, coming to a fever pitch in his rant scene towards the end of the film, in which Luthor monologues about gods and men to Superman before revealing that he has Martha Kent hostage.
Eisenberg’s performance couldn’t be more different from most live-action versions of Lex Luthor, which take cues from his comic personality. Cool, calm, collected and smug, Luthor is a ruthless capitalist and egotistical genius, not one to usually get flustered except in rare instances. Luthor’s big moment atop the skyscrapers of Metropolis wasn’t very reassuring for those who had their doubts about the casting, seemingly providing their concerns right with essentially a totally different character.
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6 Catwoman’s Origins
Catwoman
Halle Berry’s Catwoman is an infamously bad film, but not just for its technical qualities, bizarre ideas, or poorly-tuned performances. While technically based on a DC property, the feline anti-heroine of Catwoman is similar to the DC character in name only. This is demonstrated no better than in the film’s origin scene for Catwoman, offering up its own spin on the name with an all-new backstory.
Rather than a cunning cat burglar named Selina Kyle, the movie’s Catwoman is actually a shy people-pleaser named Patience who accidentally uncovers an ominous conspiracy about the cosmetics brand she works for. After being murdered, Patience is revived by an ancient Egyptian cat god, coming back to life with a new personality and cat-like superpowers. By inventing a totally new character, 2004’s Catwoman was doomed from the start, leaving behind an infamous legacy that could generously be called divisive.
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5 Deadpool’s Transformation
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
For how popular Deadpool is as a character, it’s quite incredible just how wrong Fox treated him in his first attempt at a live-action movie appearance. Wade Wilson enters the film as a member of Logan’s old mutant hit-squad, not resembling the character appearance-wise but still retaining his trademark katanas and sense of humor. Where the film truly discredits its understanding of the character is when Wade Wilson is turned into a mute mutant Frankenstein’s monster of mishmatched powers, the Merc with a Mouth literally having his mouth sewn shut.
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By taking away Deadpool’s most iconic trait, his ultimate inclusion in X-Men Origins: Wolverine is completely pointless. Not only that, but Wade Wilson himself makes little sense as Wolverine’s final opponent in the film, an opportunity which really should’ve been granted to Sabretooth. It’s no wonder that Ryan Reynolds’ solo Deadpool movies made fun of his previous appearance so much, even going as far as to kill him in the closing credits of Deadpool 2.
4 Superman Destroys A Truck
Man of Steel
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Pa Kent wasn’t the only one to get marred by some pretty bad characterization in Man of Steel. Superman himself was often given some controversial moments throughout the DCEU, owing to Zack Snyder’s divisive interpretation of the character. In one flashback, Superman is shown destroying the truck of a bully who bothers him and a waitress at a local diner, impaling the man’s big rig on massive logs.
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As much of a jerk as the diner patron may have been, his behavior would be far from the sort of evil that would actually prompt such a drastic response from Superman in the comics. It’s a small moment, but it makes Snyder’s Superman come across as quite petty, something that comes back to be problematic in the context of his eventual taking of General Zod’s life. Not only is this moment out of character for Superman, but it also begs the question as to how his secret identity wasn’t immediately figured out by the trucker.
3 Batman Sleeps With Batgirl
Batman: The Killing Joke
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It isn’t just the live-action movies that often offer problematic interpretations of iconic superheroes. The animated film Batman: The Killing Joke adapted the critically-lauded comic of the same name, but with one major twist. At one point, Batman and Batgirl actually hook up on a grimy rooftop after a heated argument, launching an explosion of controversy and vitriol in the film’s reviews.
Considering Batman and Batgirl’s power dynamic of mentor and student, it’s quite gross to assume Batman would ever be romantically interested in a woman he essentially helped raise as a teen girl. Even more disturbingly, it isn’t the first time producer Bruce Timm has pushed this uncomfortable relationship, doing so in other animated films connected to the DCAU in the past. In the end, Batman: The Killing Joke fails Batgirl and Batman for engaging in such an awkward and morally questionable act, igniting controversy around the film for years to follow.
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2 Batman And Robin Argue Over A Date
Batman & Robin
Batman is an interesting character in that he has always sort of existed with two versions – the campy, Silver Age crime fighter and the dark, brooding vigilante of the modern day. Even if Batman & Robin‘s buffoonery can be explained by relying on the presence of the latter, there’s one particular scene that stands out as unforgivable characterization for both of the dynamic duo, no matter the inspiration. At one point, Batman and Robin crash an auction, only to find themselves in a bidding war to win the latest item on the ticket: an evening alone with Poison Ivy.
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Granted, Batman and Robin are under the influence of Poison Ivy’s pheromones here, which can somewhat excuse the chauvinistic behavior and posturing. Yet the way they stand in front of her dumbfounded until she has a chance to work her magic makes it questionable as to how much of her powers Ivy really needs in this scene. Add in the infamous Bat-Credit Card, which raises far more questions than should be necessary, and it’s clear that Batman & Robin features a version of its titular heroes that can’t be found elsewhere.
1 Thor Gets Depressed And Harasses Kids On Fortnite
Avengers: Endgame
There’s no denying that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has had a problem with turning Thor into a joke as the series continued. While the God of Thunder’s Shakespearean manner of speech and antiquated mannerisms were at first relatively congruous with his comic personality in early appearances, by the time of Thor: Ragnarok, the powerful Avenger had essentially denigrated into a punchline. The low point of this transformation is in Avengers: Endgame, in which Thor has turned into a couch potato.
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In one scene, he spends his time harassing children on Fortnite while lounging about with his alien pals, drinking beer and letting Stormbreaker accumulate cobwebs in the corner. Even if this is supposed to be a low point for Thor, it’s undeniable that he has essentially morphed into a completely different character all but unrelated to the Marvel Comics bearing his name. The comic book movie Thor: Love and Thunder has since only exacerbated the controversy of Thor’s comedy stylings in the MCU.
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