The Marvel Cinematic Universe has grown into what is undeniably the biggest franchise in modern cinema. Adapting the stories and characters of Marvel Comics into live-action has proven a hugely lucrative undertaking, and has earned the franchise global popularity and success. However, part of bringing the comics to life involves making changes from the source material for a variety of reasons, many of which are more than justified. One byproduct of these changes is that certain stories don’t play out in quite the same way, while another is that some characters don’t match up to their comic book counterparts in terms of power.
The movies of the MCU have actually established multiple characters as being significantly weaker than they are in the comics. Some stand out as more obvious than others, however, with power sets that do not even come close to those they possess in the Marvel Comics source material. Some were changed drastically for their appearance in the franchise, while others’ weakness is implied by their inability to overcome certain challenges that they would easily surmount in the comics. Either way, the franchise’s movies have established them as being far weaker than many would have expected.
1) Malekith
The MCU’s version of Malekith certainly isn’t a weak villain, but his single appearance in Thor: The Dark World did nothing to establish him as being as strong as his comic book counterpart. In the comics, Malekith possesses varied magical abilities, as well as enhanced strength, durability, and agility. The MCU did not establish any of these powers in any meaningful way before his demise, making him seem much weaker in the franchise than he ever was in the comics, thoroughly wasting the MCU villain.
2) Vision
Vision’s MCU potential was certainly teased after his introduction, especially during his time wielding the Mind Stone. However, his abilities were never fully established, and his depiction made him seem a much weaker character than he typically should have been. Vision was easily bested by Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War, and the Mind Stone has now been lost, implying that he will only be weaker in future MCU appearances. Despite having the potential to be one of the MCU’s most powerful heroes, Vision is simply nowhere near as strong in the movies as he could have been.
3) Ulysess Klaue
In the MCU, Ulysses Klaue is little more than an arms dealer who later gains a prosthetic arm that also serves as a sonic weapon. However, the character is far more powerful in the comics, as his being is composed of semi-solid sound, rendering him invulnerable to practically all physical forms of harm. This would make him invulnerable to, say, the bullet to the chest that marked his unceremonious end in the MCU. Given the ease with which he was dispatched, it’s plain to see how much weaker he was in the franchise than in the comics.
4) Yondu
There are many ways that Guardians of the Galaxy improved on Marvel Comics, but one character who got something of a raw deal was Yondu Udonta. Depicted in the MCU as a Ravager armed with the powerful Yaka Arrow, Yondu is still far weaker than in the comics. The MCU established him as a relatively normal humanoid figure whose command of the Yaka Arrow was his only real advantage. However, in the comics, Yondu originally possessed enhanced strength and senses, as well as his Arrow itself being written as more powerful than its MCU counterpart.
5) Baron von Strucker
Though the MCU sometimes forgets to kill off its villains, other times have seen the franchise do so too soon. This was the case with Baron von Strucker, who was murdered after just a few scant minutes of screen time. He seemingly possesses no powers in the movies, whereas the comics see him infected with a lethal Deathspore virus which he can use against his enemies. The MCU’s version of the character made no use of any such ability, and was simply killed off before it could ever be established.
6) Odin
There are many dead MCU characters who should be brought back, and Odin ranks highly among them. The former King of Asgard was established as a powerful figure in his MCU appearances, though as his most powerful days were already behind him, the franchise never fully established the strength of his abilities. In the comics, Odin is one of the most powerful beings in the Marvel Universe, though his death in the MCU seems to suggest that he is far weaker in the movies than he is on the page.
7) Hulk
As a founding Avenger in the MCU, the Hulk is one of the franchise’s most important heroes. Though his strength has been well-established in the MCU, he is actually far weaker than he is in the comics. In the comics, Hulk’s strength is scaled to match his anger, making his power effectively limitless. He has been shown to be strong enough to punch a hole in time itself, as well as being unkillable during his time in the comics. The MCU has yet to explore any such abilities, making him seem far weaker in the movies.
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