Take the Avengers, for instance. Their introduction in Marvel Comics differs from their cinematic debut, where the original comic featured a lineup that also included the Fantastic Four in its first issue. The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) had to chart a different path due to various factors, including the Fantastic Four’s film rights being held elsewhere and the absence of certain Avengers initially in the MCU.

This discussion isn’t about criticizing deviations from comic canon. Some alterations streamline complex narratives, simplifying decades of reboots and retcons, while others may seem superfluous. Ultimately, it’s up to the audience to decide what works. Let’s explore some Marvel characters who underwent significant transformations for their on-screen portrayals.

A notable example is the reveal of Taskmaster in 2021’s “Black Widow.” Generally perceived as a letdown, the character was highly anticipated but fell short of expectations, primarily due to the twist concerning Taskmaster’s identity.

Conversely, “Black Widow” reimagines Taskmaster as Antonia Dreykov (played by Olga Kurylenko). Retaining the mimicry abilities, Antonia is portrayed as a silent enforcer under the control of her father, a leader in the Red Room. Despite potential for character development post-brainwashing, she is ultimately underutilized in subsequent projects like “Thunderbolts.”

In Marvel Comics, Tony Masters is the man under the skull mask. He’s a former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who possesses the uncanny ability to mimic anyone’s fighting style, making him a lethal adversary in combat. After turning into a mercenary, he sets up his own training academy to teach the tricks of the trade to villains. While he’s often portrayed as a thorn in the Avengers’ side and villain-for-hire, he has crossed the divide to be a hero too. On the personality front, Tony is sarcastic and funny, often bantering with the likes of Deadpool.

In “Black Widow,” Taskmaster undergoes a complete rewrite. In this iteration, it’s Antonia Dreykov (Olga Kurylenko) who takes up the identity. While the mimicking powers remain the same, Antonia is portrayed as a Silent Bob character and part of the Red Room, having been brainwashed by her father (Ray Winstone) to do the organization’s bidding. While there was a chance to rewrite her to be more in line with her comic book counterpart after the Red Room connection is severed, she’s turned into cannon fodder in “Thunderbolts*.”

Whether it’s in Marvel Comics or the MCU, the Mad Titan remains a powerful threat to the Marvel Universe. In the films, Thanos’ (Josh Brolin) goal is to wipe out half of all lifeforms to bring stability to the universe. His belief is that current resources cannot sustain the numbers. Let’s call him the universe’s general manager, who wants to do mass layoffs — in the most terrible way possible — to balance the books.

In Marvel Comics, Thanos is more of a lovesick puppy who’s driven by the butterflies in his stomach. He’s completely infatuated with the personification of Death. He wants to win her approval and prove that he’s more than worthy to sit alongside her, so he decides to show off how he can wipe out half the universe with the Infinity Gauntlet. Instead of a shiny necklace or nice perfume, he offers her mass murder as a gift.

The MCU’s version of Death (Aubrey Plaza) made her debut in “Agatha All Along.” This iteration of the story explores the link and relationship between her and Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) rather than anything with Thanos. Undoubtedly, the Mad Titan must still be heartbroken about being ignored by his beloved mistress.

Winter Soldier. White Wolf. James Buchanan “Bucky” Barnes (Sebastian Stan) goes by various names in the MCU, but his character arc is central to that of Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), as the pair have become intrinsically linked. They’re introduced as best friends, with Bucky being drafted into the U.S. Army, while Steve gets rejected until he undergoes the Super Soldier program and becomes Captain America. Bucky battles alongside his friend, but after falling off a train, it’s believed that Bucky is dead. Decades later, he reappears as Hydra’s brainwashed Winter Soldier, and Cap needs to slap sense into his best friend.

While the Bucky in Marvel Comics also goes on to become the Winter Soldier, his path there is different from the one in the MCU. He isn’t introduced as Steve’s best friend; instead, the younger Bucky is someone who meets and befriends Steve before discovering his secret identity as Cap. Steve takes Bucky under his wing as a sidekick, helping to train him as a hero. They become friends along the way, but it’s clear there’s a mentor-student relationship when they first team up.

The comic book version of Bucky can be seen as the Robin to Cap’s Batman. There’s a clear distinction about the pecking order here. Whereas in the MCU, Bucky is actually seen as more powerful than Steve before the latter takes his special serum. Also, the White Wolf from the comics is different from the MCU – spoiler alert: it isn’t Bucky.

Before Mary Jane Watson and Gwen Stacy, there was Betty Brant — well, at least in the comics. In Marvel Comics, Betty drops out of high school to work as a secretary at the Daily Bugle. Almost immediately, Peter Parker and her develop a connection that leads to a romance. The pair date, but the relationship comes to an end after she suspects Peter has fallen for his classmate Liz Allan. Eventually, Betty goes on to marry Ned Leeds.

The MCU’s Betty (played by Angourie Rice) is completely rewritten for 2017’s “Spider-Man: Homecoming.” Here, she’s in high school, even hosting the school’s news report. There’s no hint of a romance, nor much friendship, between her and Tom Holland’s Peter. In addition to this, she’s portrayed as Liz’s (Laura Harrier) best friend. In future films, it’s revealed that she had a relationship with Ned (Jacob Batalon) and works for the Daily Bugle, aligning a little bit more with her comic book counterpart’s backstory.

In Sam Raimi’s “Spider-Man” trilogy, Elizabeth Banks plays Betty. This version of the character is closer to the comics, since she works at the Bugle when viewers meet her and displays affection toward Tobey Maguire’s Peter.

In Marvel Comics, Spider-Man and Venom’s destinies are aligned. The plot is simple: The symbiote Venom bonds with Spidey, giving him a nifty black suit, enhanced powers, and notable aggression. At the same time, there’s growing tension between Spider-Man and reporter Eddie Brock, who feels Spidey one-upped him to expose the Sin-Eater killer. So when Venom and Spidey split because of their differences, Venom bonds with Eddie, as they have a mutual disdain for the web-head. Over time, however, Venom’s villainous tendencies soften as he turns into an anti-hero.

While “Spider-Man 3” is the superhero movie that almost ruined Topher Grace’s career, his version of Eddie aligns more with the comics than Tom Hardy’s from Sony’s Spider-Man Universe. The biggest problem here is that Spidey himself is not around in the Hardy version of the story. Instead, Eddie experiences hard times as an investigative journalist and hunts down a story about the inner workings of the Life Foundation — a corporation that’s come into possession of the symbiotes from outer space. After breaking into the Life Foundation, Eddie ends up bonding with Venom, and they become big pals who dance and quip.

While 2018’s “Venom” borrows elements from the “Venom: Lethal Protector” story arc, it changes the most important part from the comics: how Spider-Man inevitably leads Venom to Eddie to start with.