Superhero origin stories are the genre's bread and butter – but who does it better, the comic book source material or Marvel's movie adaptations? Fans are discussing which characters get a better backstory on screen, and answers range from Thor to Black Panther: Wakanda Forever's villain.
"Some have said that the MCU 'ruin' the comic books but I wanna know what character origin story and personality is better in the films compared to the comic books selves," a Reddit user wrote. "For me as an example, I would say Tony Stark and Steve Rogers origin story are better than the comic. Love the fact that Tony doesn't have a secret identity and that would be something he would do by revealing it to the world and what problem it would lead. As for Steve, I love how him and Bucky are around the same age rather than Bucky being similar to Jason Todd and how they both end up."
"This may not be a popular answer because the movie itself wasn’t stellar, but Thor," said one replier. "I think the whole 'Donald Blake' thing was just a convoluted way to introduce a secret identity because it was just assumed back then that having a secret identity was as much a tenet of the superhero genre as the powers themselves, but it’s so much cleaner to just say, 'He’s the Norse god Thor, end of origin.'"
"Bucky/Winter Soldier," someone else wrote. "I love the way it is tied into Steve's origin story and the dynamic of their relationship."
"Namor for me," wrote another user. "I was blown away by the route they took and his backstory. It was really thought out and interesting. I hope they do more with the character in the future."
"This isn’t answering your question directly, because as far as the plot goes, origin story wise, MCU Captain America is not that different from the comics (besides flipping Cap and Bucky’s relationship during the 40s which was a good move)," someone else said. "But in the spirit of your question, I would say the character and portrayal of Captain America is way better in the MCU than the comics. Comics Cap always felt like 'your dad’s superhero' or by extension, the 'dad hero' himself. Like he was a flat character from the 40s in modern day. Versus the MCU where he feels much more relatable and feels more like a young man out of time than 'your dad’s superhero.'"
And speaking of Cap… next up for the MCU is Captain America: Brave New World, which hits theaters on February 14. In the meantime, get up to speed with our guide to all the other upcoming superhero movies on the way from both Marvel and DC in 2025 and beyond.
