Purposely Different
Is A True Adaptation Possible?
There will never, ever be a true adaptation because it is impossible - at least, it is considered undoable by anyone who makes anything official.
Source material accuracy is appreciated but if it’s good, the deviations can be forgiven - but not forgotten. Adaptations, specifically the live action kind, have been plagued by odd creative decisions since time immemorial, but not every change is inherently bad. When I’m at my most snooty, “well, actually,” super-geek levels of nerdery, it is very easy for me to dismiss any new version of an intellectual property I love as terrible simply for existing. One fact that helps me step down from my know-it-all high horse is that a lot of Superman’s core powers and other bits of lore were made up for radio and animation. The Man of Steel didn’t even fly before his 1940s radio adventures - it’s strange to think of the Last Son of Krypton doing anything other than flying with his red cape flapping behind him, but the O.G. Supes really did only leap over tall buildings in single bounds. Interesting as that may be, does this excuse the vast majority of other weird choices in various other incarnations?
When yet another version of a comic book comes out, the chief complaint among fans is more than likely going to be how different the costume is. There have been, of course, some productions that put in extra effort to resemble their comic counterparts. Deadpool may not be an exact replica of how he is drawn in the majority of issues, but he comes incredibly close. Then there are films that appear not to even try, such as 1989’s The Punisher. Dolph Lundgren and company put on entertaining performances in what would otherwise be considered a fun late-80s actioner, but the absence of a skull on Frank Castle’s chest is a glaring omission. This has since been made up for in modern takes on the character, and one could say that movies and television released in the “olden days” (pre-2000s-esque) didn’t know any better or were merely products of their era. Newer movies wouldn’t repeat these same mistakes, would they? I mean, The Punisher has had a stylized skull on his shirts and tactical vests since Thomas Jane portrayed the character in 2004, and that’s only considering live action. Just as there have been a few Franks since then, new iterations of our beloved franchises keep getting churned out and each is a little different than their predecessor. And this is where coping comes in.
Avengers: Endgame will forever be remembered as an absolute cinematic juggernaut. There are moments to gush over, and there are scenes you roll your eyes at. Regardless, it is a motion picture that is cemented in our collective consciousness, and it is widely thought of as a highly entertaining flick. If you happen to be one of those people who measure success in monetary gain, then this entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is a big winner. It made money, and nearly every human on the planet has seen it at least once. Did this story go beat-for-beat, panel-by-panel from the graphic novels it was based on? Heck no, and the filmmakers weren’t interested in even trying. That’s not to imply that there were no evident inspirations, but in a tale heavily involving Thanos and Infinity Stones, the producers weren’t exactly pushing to include Adam Warlock. At least, not enough to rearrange the established plot to bring him in. Adam, or “Him,” didn’t arrive until years later in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and though Will Poulter’s gold face paint and makeup were a nice touch, this particular presentation didn’t make anyone think a comic had come to life. Then again, the creators of these projects don’t have to adhere to any specific rule (other than to aim to profit). Obviously, there have been a slew of not just Marvel offerings but comic book movies in general that ate it at the box office (whether it’s due to “fatigue,” or more realistically, a lot of these movies are simply not great). While the successes of these adaptations vary, they all share the commonality of, well, them making their own version of whatever the thing is, for better or for worse.
The odds of a team of movie-makers deciding to faithfully adapt a specific run of a comic series is slim. To properly bring a certain story to life, the cast and crew would need to technically make a period piece and recreate the two-dimensional world of the printed pages. No contributing elements from a 70s run of a comic series, no inclusion of a more recent character in a story that originally took place years before said character was introduced - nothing but what appears in the number of comic books selected. Sure, there have been films that evoke tones and styles of the source material, but inevitably there are some discrepancies. And why would any creative team go to such painstaking lengths to preserve the details of either a decades-old run of comics or stories from even a couple of years ago? If for no other reason, the director, costume designers, producers, etc., will all want to put their individual stamp on the legacies of these fan favorites.
As mentioned before, some changes have been celebrated, while, yes, of course, a lot have been criticized to death. The alterations that people like typically fall in the “Rule of Cool” category where it is acknowledged that there has been a distinct switch from the familiar but it was executed in such a way that just plain worked or was cool. I’m not the biggest Zack Snyder fan but I welcomed the change at the end of the 2009 Watchmen movie. Even so, the purist in me still would’ve liked to have seen that big octopus monster thing attack the city. The same goes for me liking The Falcon’s costumes in the Captain America films, but a part of me wishes Sam “Snap” Wilson wore his garish green suit from the late 1960s. Even with a popular upgrade from an outdated outfit, every uniform change, origin retcon, and canon switcheroo is to an extent, a compromise.
Not all comics are scripture, which is another small piece of wisdom I try to remember to carry with me as I venture into purposely different takes of stories I remember. And despite enjoying many retellings that stray far from their starting points, the compromise will always sting just a little - even when the understanding that, logically, this is just how things are. So, when the newest Superman wears a slightly different S-symbol, or when the next Spider-Man may not even have an Aunt May, or when the latest X-Men aren’t even men anymore, I will, one way or the other, keep in mind that this is the nature of reality. The franchises are immortal and will be revived time and time again, and in order for them to differentiate themselves from their former selves, they will be purposely different. Maybe it’ll be good, maybe it’ll be dreadful, but they will never, ever be exactly like they are in the source material.
Of course, if they really wanted to show ya something we haven’t seen on screen before, they could make a direct adaptation from the comics, but where is the fun in that?
Stay in the loop for more details by subscribing to Jonfiction Blog on Substack and be sure to check out jonmcbrine.com for more info about this and my book catalog.
New blog every Monday. Jonfiction Newsletter first Monday of each month via email.