11 Best Things The MCU Did Differently To The Comics
10. Tony Stark's Entire Character - Iron Man
Marvel Studios
While the basic story of Iron Man was translated beat for beat from the page to the screen (war-mongering industrialist travels to conflict zone, is maimed by own weaponry, becomes superhero), there are a lot of differences between the Iron Man of the comics and that of the movies. Well, that used to be the case at least, as Robert Downey Jr.'s performance ended up influencing the comics Tony to such a degree that the two are now practically indistinguishable.
Yes, both versions of Tony were uniquely arrogant before their warzone encounter, but there's a compromising wit to RDJ's performance that sets - or at least used to set - them apart. That element of vulnerability was scarcely there before the film, and though storylines like Demon in a Bottle aimed to show the human side of the character, the Iron Man of the comics remained serious and - dare we say it - almost one-dimensional.
Of course it's worth noting an arc of redemption was already there with the character, one that drew real life parallels to the one Downey himself faced prior to his acting comeback, but it was his performance that truly made Iron Man the compelling figure he is today.
WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well.
In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.
