DCEU: 10 Changes From The Comics That Were Totally Justified
Deviating faster than speeding bullet.
How close should a comic book adaptation stick to the source material? A fierce debate has raged around this question since superheroes first made the jump from the page to the screen, and it has taken on a new level of prevalence since the Marvel Cinematic Universe and its DC counterpart conquered Hollywood.
Some fans are firm in their belief that movies should never deviate from the comics. To so much as tweak the colour scheme of a character's costume, in their eyes, is sacrilege of the highest order. Others are more flexible, accepting that adaptations, by their very nature, involve alterations to tailor the property for a new medium.
In reality, source material deviations are unavoidable. What works on the page wouldn't necessarily work on the big screen, often because of special effects limitations or simply because it would look too corny rendered in live action.
Where the film franchise unofficially known as the DC Extended Universe is concerned, Warner Bros and its creative teams have exercised their right to deconstruct the iconic superheroes and villains at their disposal, and while not all of the changes have been a resounding success, some were for the best.
10. Vengeful Clark Kent (Man Of Steel)
Zack Snyder's deconstruction of Superman is one of the most divisive aspects of the DC Extended Universe. Man of Steel introduced the world to a darker Kal-El, a character who is tonally closer to Batman than the source of hope, optimism and clean-cut justice traditionally depicted in the comic books.
Sure, there were many things wrong with this portrayal, hence why Supes received an overhaul for Justice League, but not everything about it was a misfire. Man of Steel took the audience out of their comfort zone by placing the character in unfamiliar situations that forced him to betray a set of rules the comics laid down as absolute.
Take the scene where Clark Kent has a pint of beer tipped over his head while working as a busboy at a remote mountainside watering hole, for instance. He responds by destroying the offending patron's truck the moment he leaves the bar.
Traditional Superman from the comic books would never have given into this temptation, regardless of how much that douche bag barfly had it coming. This is character who is traditionally humbled by the extent of his own superpowers, not one who is quick to showboat them in acts of vengeance.
But having Clark smash up that guy's truck was completely justified. Not only was it satisfying to see a scumbag get some form of comeuppance, it presented the budding Supes as a more relatable hero than the outdated personification of truth, justice and the American way from the source material ever could.