5 Great Marvel Storylines That the MCU Ruined

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The Marvel Cinematic Universe has brought many great stories from Marvel Comics to the screen over the years. While a lot of these adaptations have been successful, five of them really missed the mark. Even though popular storylines have been included, some fans feel the way they were presented in the MCU didn’t do them justice.

As a longtime Marvel fan, I’ve loved seeing the MCU evolve. At first, they took a lot of liberties with character origins, but lately, they’ve been doing a much better job of adapting storylines directly from the comics, which is fantastic! It’s so cool to see my favorite runs and arcs come to life on screen. But honestly, it’s incredibly frustrating when they take a great comic storyline and… well, mess it up. Here are five times the MCU really missed the mark.

5) Dark Art

The ‘Dark Art’ storyline in the recent Daredevil comics, written by Charles Soule, has become a fan favorite. It begins with eerie graffiti appearing around Hell’s Kitchen, linked to a series of disappearances. What makes the graffiti even more disturbing is that it’s created using human blood. Daredevil investigates and discovers the art is the work of a serial killer who’s also a performance artist named Muse. It’s later revealed that Muse is an Inhuman, and Daredevil ultimately manages to stop him.

Fans of the comic book storyline “Dark Art” were thrilled when it was announced that the first season of Daredevil: Born Again would adapt it. Despite significant production issues and a complete creative reset for the show, the “Dark Art” storyline ultimately remained part of the final season one.

It was disappointing to see how Muse was portrayed in the Disney+ show. Unlike the comic books, where he’s an Inhuman with unique powers, the show simply presents him as a skilled fighter. This removes what made him a compelling villain – his ability to disrupt Daredevil’s senses. Similarly, leaving out the Blindspot character significantly weakened the adaptation of the Dark Arc storyline, which ended up feeling less important than other parts of the Born Again narrative.

4) Merged Hulk

Currently in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Bruce Banner exists as Professor Hulk, a transformation that happened in Avengers: Endgame. The comics offer a different take: Doc Samson thought Bruce Banner was too unpredictable, so he helped him combine his various Hulk personas – Banner, Gray Hulk, and Savage Hulk – into a single, more balanced form. This resulted in Merged Hulk, who has Banner’s intelligence, the Gray Hulk’s personality, and the Savage Hulk’s incredible strength.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe didn’t really explore the different Hulk personalities before introducing Professor Hulk. In Avengers: Endgame, Banner managed to combine his Hulk and human sides on his own, before we even met the Gray Hulk. This meant the MCU skipped over a whole stage of Hulk’s development. Plus, the classic Savage Hulk wasn’t featured enough in the first three phases, so many viewers weren’t prepared to see him change again.

3) Extremis

The movie Iron Man 3 drew inspiration from the popular comic book storyline “Extremis,” but significantly altered the original plot. “Extremis” is widely regarded as a standout Iron Man story, revitalizing the character. It centers around Iron Man’s investigation of the Extremis virus, which grants people extraordinary abilities, and his efforts to create a countermeasure and stop its spread.

The main issue with how Iron Man 3 used the Extremis storyline is the inclusion of The Mandarin. Adding him didn’t improve the story, and revealing him to be an actor named Trevor Slattery completely ruined the character. Though Trevor Slattery has become a likeable character, he wasn’t a good replacement for one of Iron Man’s most iconic enemies.

2) Planet Hulk

While Thor: Ragnarok is a fantastic movie, it doesn’t completely follow the story of Planet Hulk from the comics. In the original comics, Planet Hulk tells the story of Hulk being exiled from Earth and landing on the planet Sakaar. There, he’s compelled to fight in gladiatorial combat as he tries to find a way back home and get revenge on those who wronged him.

While Thor: Ragnarok borrows heavily from the Planet Hulk storyline, it shifts the focus from Hulk to Thor. Hulk is portrayed as a comedic supporting character, which is disappointing considering the potential of the Planet Hulk story. The film mainly adopts the look and feel of Planet Hulk, using its names and ideas without truly capturing its depth.

1) The God Killer

Many fans consider Thor: Love and Thunder to be one of the weakest films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, making it disappointing that this movie was used to tell the story of The God Killer. In that story, a villain named Gorr the God Butcher acquires a powerful weapon and starts killing gods, believing they failed to protect those who worshipped them. Thor has to stop Gorr, all while questioning his own place as a god.

Thor: Love and Thunder tries to combine multiple storylines, including The God Butcher, but doesn’t do justice to any of them. The film’s constant focus on humor diminishes the impact of Gorr’s tragic story, and while Christian Bale delivers a strong performance as Gorr, the movie ultimately fails to make Thor confront the flaws of the gods. Overall, it’s a disappointing entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

What Marvel storyline do you feel hasn’t worked well in the MCU? Share your thoughts in the comments and join the discussion on the ComicBook Forum!

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2026-01-15 01:43