History HardToAdaptWork / ComicBooks

** A particular element of the comics that has had abysmal luck in adaptation is Characters/DoctorDoom--despite Doom being one of the most popular and iconic villains in comic history and therefore almost mandatory for an adaptation, he ended up being one of the most despised elements of both the Tim Story films and the Josh Trank version (funnily, the Corman film was fairly accurate). This is because he's simply got too much going on to really fit in as a first-outing villain: he has several elements of MadScientist to his personality and overall skillset, but he's also [[{{Magitek}} a powerful mage]] and the ruler of a sovereign nation, and his backstory is fairly complex and only briefly involves any member of the Four ([[SmallRoleBigImpact though said involvement does help form the core of his motivation]]). Consequently, the temptation comes to give him a stronger AdaptationOriginConnection or easier-to-handle StockSuperpowers rather than handle a character with his eclectic skillset and near-mandated extensive origin, but this almost invariably results in him becoming InNameOnly and losing what makes his comics self appealing. Additionally, in the comics, [[NobleDemon he is usually depicted with some depth]], while movie adaptations so far opted for a more overtly monstrous approach that is more often than not out of character and makes him lose his comic counterpart's appeal.

* The bright colourful costumes that superheroes are known for, have often been a struggle to adapt well to live action, especially in the TurnOfTheMillennium where general audiences are less tolerant of campier outfits than they were in the 60s and 70s. This gave rise to a lot of NotWearingTights and [[MovieSuperHeroesWearBlack desaturation]] of the iconic outfits of superheroes (as seen in the ''Film/XMenFilmSeries'' and ''Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse'') which often betrays the core levity and appeal of the characters and their comics in the first place. Obviously there are exceptions, most notably [[Film/SpiderManTrilogy Spider-Man]] ([[Film/TheAmazingSpiderManSeries three]] [[Film/SpiderManHomeTrilogy times]]) and even edgier superhero media such ''Series/TheBoys2019'', ''Film/TheSuicideSquad'' and ''Series/{{Peacemaker|2022}}'' commit to garish outfits, though in the latter cases it's deliberate to poke fun of the genre and juxtapose with the dark content.[[note]]And in the former case, Spider-Man benefits from a mix of his films generally being on the lighter side, making his outfit easier to swallow, and Spider-Man's design being [[GrandfatherClause too beloved and iconic for audiences to accept any drastic changes]].[[/note]] There's also lot of practical difficulties with the a lot of the more zany costumes (especially those of female heroes) in making them work and look good on screen, which is why CG has now been more regularly used, even when it comes to things like Superman's cape.

* [[Characters/HellblazerJohnConstantine John Constantine]], though easily one of the most popular DC heroes of the new millennium, has had very spotty luck getting an accurate adaptation of ''ComicBook/{{Hellblazer}}'' that truly brings his character to life from the comics. The most popular adaptation: ''Film/Constantine2005'', which most people can agree is an awesome movie on its own merits and did get some [[DidYouJustScamCthulhu thematic aspects]] of the comic right, is still a big departure from the comics since it heavily alters Constantine's character from the comics to make him more "marketable" (changing his nationality from British to America, his hair from blonde to black and job from magical grifter to exorcist) to the extent where a lot of ''Hellblazer'' fans consider it InNameOnly to the source. ''Series/TheSandman2022'' likewise takes an extremely loose approach to the character by changing the comic profession of grifter to exorcist once again along with making John [[GenderLift a woman]] (though to be fair, Creator/NeilGaiman explained that the latter detail was really more a rights issue due to the traditional John Constantine not being allowed, so a female {{expy}} was used instead). Even adaptations that are TruerToTheText such as NBC's ''Series/Constantine2014'' (later folded into CW's Franchise/{{Arrowverse}}) and ''WesternAnimation/ConstantineCityOfDemons'' (from the WesternAnimation/DCAnimatedMovieUniverse) are still far more sanitised than the original comic, which was deeply gritty and a full exploration of personal horror and self-destructive addiction.

* ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk, despite being one of the most iconic comic book characters and easily as beloved as Spider-Man or the X-Men, has had poor luck getting a successful solo movie adaptation that does him justice. Similar to Superman above, it's generally hard to follow a character that is ludicrously strong to the point of feeling overpowered, which is why films tend put more emphasis on Bruce rather than the Hulk. Moreover, the two main appeals of Hulk: him smashing stuff up and fighting other monsters like Godzilla and the other cerebral story of him being [[TheWoobie a pitiable character]] who's always WalkingTheEarth in search of a place where he can live quietly in peace, is hard to balance in a two-hour film, which heavily contributes to why the serial-based ''Series/TheIncredibleHulk1977'' is the most successful stand-alone adaptation of the Jolly Green Giant. 2003's ''Film/{{Hulk}}'' by acclaimed drama film director Creator/AngLee focused heavily on the tragedy of the character, though at the expense of the levity and fun action that people like about the character in the first place. ''Film/TheIncredibleHulk2008'', the 2nd film of the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse, managed to strike a better balance between action and character drama, but still suffered from a TroubledProduction and ironically was less successful at the Box Office than the 2003 film. The MCU finally gave audiences a definitive Hulk on film on its 2nd try in ''Film/TheAvengers2012'', but he's still demoted to TheBigGuy among the team and treated with less importance than Iron Man, Captain America and Thor. Creator/{{Universal}} owning the film rights to Hulk was also a heavily contributing factor in him not getting another solo movie, though this was more recently resolved with the film distribution rights to Hulk going back to Marvel in 2023.

** One of the many reasons cited for ''Film/MadameWeb2024'' flopping is this (overlapping with AudienceAlienatingPremise). The titular character Madame Webb herself is both very difficult to portray seriously in a {{thriller}} inspired film and moreover is frankly ill-suited for a main character role. In the comics Madame Webb being a BlindSeer who cannot get up from life-support chair is supposed to be a MentorArchetype, rather than any kind of active protagonist. Not to mention, Webb's clairvoyance can not only greatly neuter the stakes since she's aware of what will happen well ahead of time but without the flashy powers of other [[ComicBook/SpiderWoman Spider-Women]] it boils the action down to just Cassandra surprise attacking the villain and running away. In the comics this isn't a problem since Webb pointedly doesn't get involved in any fights and being disabled isn't expected to. This is probably why the film gives her the additional superpower of being able to project herself into others, simply for the sake of adding more dynamics to the climax and allowing for the not-yet superpowered spider-girls to have some role in the finale.

*** [[Characters/MarvelComicsCyclops Cyclops]] has had poor luck both in films as well as cartoons to a lesser extent. He's supposed to be TheLeader and a mutant ComicBook/CaptainAmerica with HiddenDepths and compelling tragedy to his character underneath his serious nature in the comics. Sadly, a lot of adaptations just struggle to find anything to do with him compared to "cooler" and more charismatic X-Men like Wolverine or Gambit, so Scott becomes a StandardizedLeader as a result. In the first film trilogy his position as the "obstacle" between Wolverine and Jean is flanderized to the point where it detracts from his other qualities and makes him kind of a FlatCharacter. The rebooted films do try and fix this starting with ''Film/XMenApocalypse'' making him rebellious but due to the push to make Mystique TheHero, he still gets demoted to being a side character. ''WesternAnimation/XMen97'' got much appreciation for actually portraying Scott as a genuinely cool and compelling character for once (and even that took a dedicated storyboard artist who was a fan of Cyclops pushing for it at very turn).
*** [[Characters/MarvelComicsJeanGrey Jean Grey]], much like her primary love interest Cyclops, has also had a hard go of it when it comes to most adaptations. In the comics, while Jean gets {{Chickification}} from time to time, she's generally as badass and powerful as Storm or Rogue even when she isn't Phoenix (her most well known incarnation) and shockingly for more casual fans can actually have storylines that ''don't involve'' her love interests, Cyclops or Wolverine, at all. Sadly a good deal of adaptations can't resist putting Jean in more of a [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Troi]]-esque role of being the female psychic that has many MySkullRunnethOver moments and who's also the main [[LoveInterest subject]] of [[StrangledByTheRedString romantic subplots]]; which [[AdaptationalWimp seriously cuts into Jean's competencies from the comics]] and often reduces her to more of a static character. Another issue that makes Jean troublesome to adapt is that it's practically impossible to divorce her from the SuperPoweredEvilSide Phoenix Force, which while undeniably iconic severely limits what you can do with her in story. The ''Film/XMenFilmSeries'' twice gave Jean little room to develop as a character, before throwing her head first into the Dark Phoenix plot, making the emotional pay off to Jean's FallenHero arc feel rushed and unearned. The ''WesternAnimation/XMenEvolution'''s incarnation of Jean was appreciated explicitly for avoiding problems that plague her character in other adaptations, and subsequently be TruerToTheText for it. ''WesternAnimation/XMen97'' despite being a continuation of the series where Jean got the most {{Chickification}} actually manages to avoid the pitfalls of most other adaptations and makes Jean compelling and interesting, largely thanks to the Dark Phoinex storyline having already been done and delving into the ''Inferno'' plot line instead, which hadn't been adapted before.

* ''ComicBook/TheSpirit'' is one of the foundational titles of modern comic books, but also demonstrated to be hard to adapt to other media or new comic-book titles, with Creator/DCComics' Darwyn Cooke run being one of the most successful attempts. Being hard to adapt, there are only 3 attempts to be adapted to other media, all with bad results: the 1987 TV PilotMovie with [[Film/FlashGordon1980 Sam Jones]] as The Spirit, the better-known (and BoxOfficeBomb) Creator/FrankMiller's [[Film/TheSpirit 2008 version]], and the discovered 1980 animated project by Creator/BradBird that was [[ExecutiveMeddling canceled before it saw the light of day]]. Much of this is because, while ''The Spirit'' is a hugely important work, the Spirit himself is an archetypal urban avenger with no powers, [[CoatHatMask a generic costume]], and [[VanillaProtagonist a personality that basically amounts to "good guy."]] What made the stories unique were Creator/WillEisner's experiments with the way they were told, using the initially-bland setup as a springboard for his experiments with the form and the way such stories could be told, to the point that in many stories, the Spirit doesn't even show up. Without Eisner's execution, the deliberately-generic premise is all that's left--this was likely the impetus for the Miller adaptation heavily altering the character, but it backfired due to making him InNameOnly.

*** [[Characters/MarvelComicsCyclops Cyclops]] has had poor luck both in films as well as cartoons to a lesser extent. He's supposed to be TheLeader and a mutant ComicBook/CaptainAmerica with HiddenDepths and compelling tragedy to his character underneath his serious nature in the comics. Sadly, a lot of adaptations just struggle to find anything to do with him compared to "cooler" and more charismatic X-Men like Wolverine or Gambit, so Scott becomes a StandardizedLeader as a result. In the first film trilogy his position as the "obstacle" between Wolverine and Jean is flanderized to the point where it detracts from his other qualities and makes him kind of a FlatCharacter. The rebooted films do try and fix this starting with ''Film/XMenApocalypse'' making him rebellious but due to the push to make Mystique TheHero, he still gets demoted to being a side character.
*** [[Characters/MarvelComicsJeanGrey Jean Grey]], much like her primary love interest Cyclops, has also had a hard go of it when it comes to most adaptations. In the comics, while Jean gets {{Chickification}} from time to time, she's generally as badass and powerful as Storm or Rogue even when she isn't Phoenix (her most well known incarnation) and shockingly for more casual fans can actually have storylines that ''don't involve'' her love interests, Cyclops or Wolverine, at all. Sadly a good deal of adaptations can't resist putting Jean in more of a [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Troi]]-esque role of being the female psychic that has many MySkullRunnethOver moments and who's also the main [[LoveInterest subject]] of [[StrangledByTheRedString romantic subplots]]; which [[AdaptationalWimp seriously cuts into Jean's competencies from the comics]] and often reduces her to more of a static character. Another issue that makes Jean troublesome to adapt is that it's practically impossible to divorce her from the SuperPoweredEvilSide Phoenix Force, which while undeniably iconic severely limits what you can do with her in story. The ''Film/XMenFilmSeries'' twice gave Jean little room to develop as a character, before throwing her head first into the Dark Phoenix plot, making the emotional pay off to Jean's FallenHero arc feel rushed and unearned. The ''WesternAnimation/XMenEvolution'''s incarnation of Jean was appreciated explicitly for avoiding problems that plague her character in other adaptations, and subsequently be TruerToTheText for it.

*** ComicBook/{{Jubilee|MarvelComics}} has had rotten luck when it comes to be adapted to live action (the 90s cartoon at least made her iconic). The difficulty with Jubilee is that unlike other iconic [[KidAppealCharacter teen appeal]] characters like Kitty Pryde she's very much synonymous with the 90s with her garish wardrobe and punk attitude being ''precisely why'' fans love her in the first place, however the filmmakers consider her too much of a UnintentionalPeriodPiece and her goofiness too clashing with the more serious tone of the films. This likely why she was DemotedToExtra in the original timeline and wasn't much more than a cameo for the rebooted films.

* The [[Franchise/MarvelUniverse Marvel]] and [[Franchise/DCUniverse DC Universes]] are unique in that individual characters and franchises within said universes are generally easy enough to adapt to other mediums, but the scope of those universes is hard to fully depict, partly because they contain literally thousands and thousands of characters, many of whom end up being ExiledFromContinuity because they've been ScrewedByTheLawyers [[note]]The Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse and DC's Bat Embargo and overall stance on which characters can be used on television being particularly infamous.[[/note]], and both universes are essentially a series of franchises within one gigantic franchise, with each intellectual property having its own unbelievably dense lore. There's also the fact that for a long time, the more pulpy and [[{{Camp}} campy]] aspects of comic books were considered too weird and esoteric for mainstream audiences (though this was mainly limited to live-action adaptations. Animated adaptations could get away with the more outlandish scenarios and characters, but were also beholden to the AnimationAgeGhetto for years, which meant animated adaptations of DarkerAndEdgier storylines were almost entirely off-limits). Some aspects of this [[TimeMarchesOn are very different now due to change in audience perception]].[[note]][[WesternAnimation/DCUniverseAnimatedOriginalMovies DC's line of animated movies]] and the rise in more dramatic adult animation helped make it easier to take animated adaptations of darker and edgier storylines seriously, with Direct-to-video and streaming releases in particular giving superhero animation a place other than childrens networks to air on, while the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse fully embracing the strangeness of its source material further helped make the more outlandish elements of comic books somewhat easier to accept in adaptations.[[/note]]

** One of the many reasons cited for ''Film/MadameWebb2024'' flopping is this (overlapping with AudienceAlienatingPremise). The titular character Madame Webb herself is both very difficult to portray seriously in a {{thriller}} inspired film and moreover is frankly ill-suited for a main character role. In the comics Madame Webb being a BlindSeer who cannot get up from life-support chair is supposed to be a MentorArchetype, rather than any kind of active protagonist. Not to mention, Webb's clairvoyance can not only greatly neuter the stakes since she's aware of what will happen well ahead of time but without the flashy powers of other [[ComicBook/SpiderWoman Spider-Women]] it boils the action down to just Cassandra surprise attacking the villain and running away. In the comics this isn't a problem since Webb pointedly doesn't get involved in any fights and being disabled isn't expected to. This is probably why the film gives her the additional superpower of being able to project herself into others, simply for the sake of adding more dynamics to the climax and allowing for the not-yet superpowered spider-girls to have some role in the finale.

* [[Characters/HellblazerJohnConstantine John Constantine]], though easily one of the most popular DC heroes of the new millennium, has had very spotty luck getting an accurate adaptation of ''ComicBook/{{Hellblazer}}'' that truly brings his character to life from the comics. The most popular adaptation: ''Film/Constantine2005'', which most people can agree is an awesome movie on its own merits and did get some [[DidYouJustScamCthulhu thematic aspects]] of the comic right, is still a big departure from the comics since it heavily alters Constantine's character from the comics to make him more "marketable" (changing his nationality from British to America, his hair from blonde to black and job from magical grifter to exorcist) to the extent where a lot of ''Hellblazer'' fans consider it InNameOnly to the source. ''Series/TheSandman2022'' likewise takes an extremely loose approach to the character by changing the comic profession of grifter to exorcist once again along with making John [[GenderLift a woman]] (though to be fair, Creator/NeilGaiman explained that the latter detail was really more a rights issue due to the traditional John Constantine not being allowed, so a female {{expy}} was used instead). Even adaptations that are TruerToTheText such as NBC's ''Series/Constantine2014'' (later folded into CW's Franchise/{{Arrowverse}}) and ''WesternAnimation/ConstantineCityOfDemons'' (from the WesternAnimation/DCAnimatedMovieUniverse) are still far more sanitised than the original comic, which true to Creator/AlanMoore was deeply gritty and a full exploration of personal horror and self-destructive addiction.

* ''ComicBook/TheSpirit'' is one of the foundational titles of modern comic books, but also demonstrated to be hard to adapt to other media or new comic-book titles, with Creator/DCComics' Darwyn Cooke run being one of the most successful attempts. Being hard to adapt, there are only 3 attempts to be adapted to other media, all with bad results: the 1987 TV PilotMovie with [[Film/FlashGordon1980 Sam Jones]] as The Spirit, the better-known (and BoxOfficeBomb) Creator/FrankMiller's [[Film/TheSpirit 2008 version]], and the discovered 1980 animated project by Creator/BradBird that was [[ExecutiveMeddling canceled before it saw the light of day]]. Much of this is because the actual general setup and character are fairly generic--the appeal was mostly Creator/WillEisner's experiments with the form and willingness to push boundaries.

* The bright colourful costumes that superheroes are known for, have often been a struggle to adapt well to live action, especially in the TurnOfTheMillennium where general audiences are less tolerant of campier outfits than they were in the 60s and 70s. This gave rise to a lot of NotWearingTights and [[MovieSuperHeroesWearBlack desaturation]] of the iconic outfits of superheroes (as seen in the ''Film/XMenFilmSeries'' and ''Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse'') which often betrays the core levity and appeal of the characters and their comics in the first place. Obviously there are exceptions, most notably [[Film/SpiderManTrilogy Spider-Man]] ([[Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan three]] [[Film/SpiderManHomecoming times]]) and even edgier superhero media such ''Series/TheBoys2019'', ''Film/TheSuicideSquad'' and ''Series/{{Peacemaker|2022}}'' commit to garish outfits, though in the latter cases it's deliberate to poke fun of the genre and juxtapose with the dark content. There's also lot of practical difficulties with the a lot of the more zany costumes (especially those of female heroes) in making them work and look good on screen, which is why CG has now been more regularly used, even when it comes to things like Superman's cape.

* ''ComicBook/GreenArrow'' has a very specific case with one particular recurring villain, Onomatopoeia, a masked SerialKiller whose gimmick is saying nothing except [[SayingSoundEffectsOutLoud the onomatopoeia of whatever he's about to kill his victims with]]. This is a gimmick that works pretty much ''only'' for the medium of comic books, and attempts to work around it would probably change the fundamentals of the entire character. The series ''Series/{{Arrow}}'' wanted to use Onomatopoeia, but this was trounced and they had to replace him with the original Mr. Blank since a man who only speaks in sound effects without speech bubbles would probably come off as [[{{Narm}} unintentionally hilarious]] and hard to take seriously. Fittingly enough, his only appearance connecting him to the Arrowverse was in a tie-in comic.

* It took decades for ComicBook/WonderWoman to get her own feature film or animated series. She's a part of the "Big Three" at Creator/{{DC|Comics}} (alongside ComicBook/{{Batman}} and ComicBook/{{Superman}}), which naturally makes it easy to assume that she'd be prime material for adapting to film and television as her two fellow DC trinity members have been. Unfortunately, Wonder Woman doesn't have as much of a concrete [[DependingOnTheWriter personality]], lore, RoguesGallery, or supporting cast compared to Batman or Superman, which left many considering her to be much more difficult to work with compared to her two fellow "Big Three" members. The fact that she was ''the'' high profile female superhero only made things worse for a while due to GirlShowGhetto concerns. This was not helped by [[ScrewedByTheLawyers legal issues surrounding the character]]. As a result, with the exception of a 1974 made for TV film starring Creator/CathyLeeCrosby, the [[Series/WonderWoman 1970s series]] starring Creator/LyndaCarter, and the 2009 [[WesternAnimation/WonderWoman2009 animated direct-to-video film]] that sold worse than expected, she never starred in her own work until 2017 and was mostly relegated to co-starring alongside other Justice League members. Fortunately, [[Film/{{Wonder Woman|2017}} her very first proper feature film]] finally came out and proved very successful, paving the way for more material starring Wonder Woman.

** ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}, much like her best friend Batgirl above, has had poor luck when it comes to movies and not exactly ideal coverage in cartoons compared to other DC heroines either. In the comics, while having plenty of NarmCharm like her cousin Superman himself, she's still supposed to be taken seriously and has plotlines (especially in modern comics) that certainly aren't all silly and "girly". Unfortunately, Kara's [[Film/Supergirl1984 1984 first cinematic outing]], due to limited budget and 80s cheese, and despite Creator/HelenSlater’s great performance, failed to do her the same level of justice tht Creator/RichardDonner had achieved with Superman and only cemented the [[GirlShowGhetto view]] in audiences that she was little more than the Barbie equivalent for the Man of Steel, with its plot being closer to ''Film/ValleyGirl'' than anything from the comics. Audiences also generally struggle with accepting her in Superman's stories since she jars with the popular tragic perception of Clark being the "Last Kryptonian". For example, despite there being more than enough room for her to be included in as much, Creator/ZackSnyder was adverse to putting her in his DCEU films as a result of his desire to emphasize the tragedy of Superman being the LastOfHisKind. And when Kara finally did show up in the Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse after all in ''Film/TheFlash2023'' she was retooled into being a DarkerAndEdgier character ([[AdaptationDyeJob hair included]]) to fit the tone set by ''Film/ManOfSteel''; which, while appropriate for the BadFuture events of the film, was still at odds with what people liked about the comic version. Further not helping matters is how Kara has made only sporadic appearances in animated media, usually being more of a sidekick to Supes than an independent hero in her own right, with only ''WesternAnimation/SupermanBatmanApocalypse'' breaking the norm and giving her central focus (albeit with some MaleGaze, like the comic it was adapted from). She also wasn't featured in ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'' until the fourth season [[spoiler:where she's [[AdaptationalVillainy a villainous]] Furie]], not helped by Miss Martian [[CompositeCharacter already having]] most of her personality quirks. Fortunately her [[Series/Supergirl2015 CW version]] managed to be both successful and accurate, especially after GrowingTheBeard. Though like other superheroes in the ''Arrowverse'' it still struggles to portray what she can do on a TV budget. Kara also got a very good portrayal in ''WesternAnimation/LegionOfSuperHeroes2023'', even if it isn’t technically her movie. And while she's set to play a fairly major role in the upcoming DC Universe film franchise reboot by Creator/JamesGunn, only time will tell how the end result turns out.

** ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}, much like her best friend Batgirl above, has had poor luck when it comes to movies and not exactly ideal coverage in cartoons compared to other DC heroines either. In the comics, while having plenty of NarmCharm like her cousin Superman himself, she's still supposed to be taken seriously and has plotlines (especially in modern comics) that certainly aren't all silly and "girly". Audiences generally struggle with accepting her in Superman's stories since she jars with the popular tragic perception of Clark being the "Last Kryptonian". For example, despite there being more than enough room for her to be included in as much, Creator/ZackSnyder was adverse to putting her in his DCEU films as a result of his desire to emphasize the tragedy of Superman being the LastOfHisKind. And when Kara finally did show up in the Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse after all in ''Film/TheFlash2023'' she was retooled into being a DarkerAndEdgier character ([[AdaptationDyeJob hair included]]) to fit the tone set by ''Film/ManOfSteel''; which, while appropriate for the BadFuture events of the film, was still at odds with what people liked about the comic version. Sadly, Kara's [[Film/Supergirl1984 1984 first cinematic outing]], due to limited budget and 80s cheese, and despite Creator/HelenSlater’s great performance, failed to do her real justice like Creator/RichardDonner did with Superman and only cemented the [[GirlShowGhetto view]] in audiences that she was little more than the Barbie equivalent for the Man of Steel, with its plot being closer to ''Film/ValleyGirl'' than anything from the comics (which may or may not have contributed to how she ultimately ended up portrayed in ''The Flash'' 39 years later). Further not helping matters is how Kara has made only sporadic appearances in animated media, usually being more of a sidekick to Supes than an independent hero in her own right, with only ''WesternAnimation/SupermanBatmanApocalypse'' breaking the norm and giving her central focus (albeit with some MaleGaze, like the comic it was adapted from). She also wasn't featured in ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'' until the fourth season [[spoiler:where she's [[AdaptationalVillainy a villainous]] Furie]], not helped by Miss Martian [[CompositeCharacter already having]] most of her personality quirks. Fortunately her [[Series/Supergirl2015 CW version]] managed to be both successful and accurate, especially after GrowingTheBeard. Though like other superheroes in the ''Arrowverse'' it still struggles to portray what she can do on a TV budget. Kara also got a very good portrayal in ''WesternAnimation/LegionOfSuperHeroes2023'', even if it isn’t technically her movie. And while she's set to play a fairly major in the upcoming DC Universe film franchise reboot by Creator/JamesGunn, only time will tell how the end result turns out.

* Cracks at Creator/NeilGaiman’s ''ComicBook/TheSandman1989'' have been in DevelopmentHell for decades with only a [[WesternAnimation/DCShowcaseDeath 19 minute animated Death showcase]] to show for the efforts made at adapting the story before Creator/{{Netflix}} finally took a dedicated stab at it with a [[Series/TheSandman2022 live-action show]] under Gaiman’s guidance. The biggest difficulty to overcome is that the comic is appropriately dream-like, being full of SugarWiki/AwesomeArt and general {{Surrealism}} which goes hand in hand with the often cerebral tone of the story arcs that effortlessly blend together. The show, however, is not only obligated to tell an ongoing narrative over 10 episodes (e.g the Corinthian is boosted to BigBad of the whole season rather than being a one time antagonist as he is in the original comic), but on a modest TV budget the series is also frequently limited by what dream world special effects can be achieved (Dream’s flaming coat is replaced with a regular black one and he has normal eyes and skin), so the pacing, atmosphere and flair of the comic is often lost or at least lessened in the live action series. Not to mention the show wasn’t allowed to use characters or iconography from the mainline DCU, whereas the original comic freely used the established universe as a springboard to tell its own stories.

*** [[Characters/MarvelComicsApocalypse Apocalypse]], despite being the most iconic X-Men villain next to [[Characters/MarvelComicsMagneto Magneto]], didn’t make it to screen as successfully as the Master of Magnetism. In the comics, he’s really supposed to be a hulking force of nature very similar to ComicBook/{{Thanos}} or ComicBook/{{Darkseid}} with his armoured body and self-manipulating powers being RuleOfCool 80s-90s style. Since the X-Men films generally go for a grounded approach when it comes to most characters with CG rarely used for them (barring Colossus and Juggernaut in the ''Film/{{Deadpool|2016}}'' and ''Film/Deadpool2''), movie Apocalypse was instead poor Creator/OscarIsaac in heavy makeup and the [[SpecialEffectsFailure results weren’t quite satisfactory]] with the lack of his EvilIsBigger menace making him look closer to [[Franchise/PowerRangers Ivan Ooze]] to some fans. Another issue is that a lot of Apocalypse’s origins are tied to the Celestials, which helps to justify his power. But since the Celestials were off-limits for Fox, Apocalypse’s powers were much vaguer in the film, which made it rather difficult for audiences to understand or comprehend his threat, especially compared to a villain like Thanos with the Infinity Gauntlet.

*** While the comic is rather tame in content and most of the FanService parts are nothing beyond you could see on any mainstream superhero comic, the original author, Shawntae Howard, is notorious for not having problems on drawing hardcore porn of his own characters in both his [=FurAffinity=] and Patreon pages, something would likely put a dent at any attempt to adapting the comic to animation without Howard himself sanitizing his homepage first, not helping that he already stated he would refuse to do so if forced to.

*** Howard has stated that, in the case of a possible adaptation, he wants that one of the main characters, a gorilla named Warfare, being voiced by an ''African American'' voice actor (being Creator/KeithDavid one of his main choices for a voice actor for Warfare), ignoring the fact that African American voice actors normally refuse to voice gorillas and primates for racial reasons. For the record, Howard [[NWordPrivileges is African American himself]], so this could be justified in some way.

* ''Franchise/SpiderMan'':
** While ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'' has proven quite easy to adapt in various mediums, the immensely TroubledProduction of ''Theatre/SpiderManTurnOffTheDark'' proved an effective demonstration of how live stage theater is a form of media that the character is more or less impossible to be successfully adapted into. For while the incredibly complex acrobatic feats and death defying stunts the character is famous for performing can be easily depicted in animated cartoons and the original comic book source material (both of which are media heavily incentivized by TheLawOfConservationOfDetail) and live action films (which can work around the issues that come with depicting such stunts through use of CGI and carefully-edited camera shots), adapting them to live stage theater (a medium restricted entirely to use of practical effects) requires them to be visibly performed to their fullest extent with incredibly complicated and elaborate wiring mechanisms (which naturally brought various logistical and legal issues to deal with). And even with the wiring mechanisms available, there are still various other moving parts required to faithfully adapt the character and his mythos that proved incredibly difficult to portray through exclusively practical effects and prone to SpecialEffectsFailure.

** ComicBook/MaryJaneWatson is synonymous with Spidey, being his most iconic and beloved love interest as well as just a great character in her own right (her popularity famously annoys the Marvel editors who want her out of Spidey’s books). However, compared to her DC counterpart [[Characters/SupermanLoisLane Lois Lane]], it’s been much harder to get a definitive live action version of her character on screen. The Creator/KirstenDunst and Creator/{{Zendaya}} versions of MJ have plenty of fans but still differ from the comic version for different reasons. Dunst’s MJ has the appearance and backstory but completely lacks the lively fun and DamselOutOfDistress qualities of comic MJ due to being fused with Gwen Stacy (Kirsten Dunst even initially thought she was going to be Gwen before they told her she was Mary Jane). Zendaya’s MJ has the agency, background and acts as a modernised version of classic MJ’s nonconformity, but has a completely different appearance and personality from the traditional Mary Jane. A lot of this difficulty comes from Mary Jane’s characterisation: in the comics she wasn’t the first love interest, nor was she the one planned to be Peter’s OneTrueLove (that being Gwen), but was effectively built up over the course of many issues before her now iconic “Face it, Tiger, you just hit the jackpot!” full reveal which got everyone hooked. She’s supposed to be the exciting Veronica to Gwen’s Betty, but because MJ by herself is so iconic, a lot of adaptations just decide to cut out the middleman and have MJ be the default love interest — which, while good for putting Peter in a better light as a guy who doesn’t go through multiple women, still prevents MJ having the vital CharacterDevelopment she got in the comics after Gwen’s death. ''WesternAnimation/TheSpectacularSpiderMan'' sought to get this right with Mary Jane but the third season got canceled before this could come into fruition.

*** [[Characters/MarvelComicsApocalypse Apocalypse]], despite being the most iconic X-Men villain next to [[Characters/MarvelComicsMagneto Magneto]], didn’t make it to screen as successfully as the Master of Magnetism. In the comics, he’s really supposed to be a hulking force of nature very similar to ComicBook/{{Thanos}} or ComicBook/{{Darkseid}} with his armoured body and self-manipulating powers being RuleOfCool 80s-90s style. Since the X-Men films generally go for a grounded approach when it comes to most characters with CG rarely used for them (barring Colossus and Juggernaut in the ''Film/{{Deadpool}}'' films), movie Apocalypse was instead poor Creator/OscarIsaac in heavy makeup and the [[SpecialEffectsFailure results weren’t quite satisfactory]] with the lack of his EvilIsBigger menace making him look closer to [[Franchise/PowerRangers Ivan Ooze]] to some fans. Another issue is that a lot of Apocalypse’s origins are tied to the Celestials, which helps to justify his power. But since the Celestials were off-limits for Fox, Apocalypse’s powers were much vaguer in the film, which made it rather difficult for audiences to understand or comprehend his threat, especially compared to a villain like Thanos with the Infinity Gauntlet.

** Related to this, is that these universes have a ''huge'' catalogue of [[{{Supervillain}} supervillains]] who are often as popular and compelling as the heroes themselves and have had as much development thanks to the size and length of the worlds. In the films, however, there's usually just not enough time to explore villains' stories as well as those of the heroes, so the antagonists are often underbaked and shallowly evil compared to their comic versions. On the flipside, when the villains ''do'' get the main focus, the titular superheroes can often feel like side players in their own films (a particularly notorious criticism of the Creator/TimBurton[=/=]Creator/JoelSchumacher ''Film/{{Batman|1989}}'' movies). Additionally [[SuperheroMovieVillainsDie it's common for the villains to die or be killed at the end of the films]], since getting well known actors to reprise their roles for sequels is expensive and the comic staple of sending the mass murdering villain to jail is harder for audiences to swallow in the context of a film, leading to ThouShallNotKill getting frequently averted -- even when said heroes strive explicitly to never take another life in the comics. Granted, there is still a somewhat decent number of superhero films that keep the villains alive and don't have the heroes kill. But when the stakes inevitably get higher and higher, it's much harder to have characters be pacifistic when the literal fate of their city, earth, or even the entire universe depends on them taking lethal force.

* For a more specific example, one comic book superpower that has constantly proven to be hard to get right in a LiveActionAdaptation is [[RubberMan super elasticity]]. While animated works such as Marvel and DC comics cartoons or ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'' can pull it off flawlessly, doing it in live-action is almost impossible without [[UnintentionalUncannyValley falling deep into the Uncanny Valley]], as seeing a realistic-looking human body bend, stretch and distort like that in a real setting is often simply too [[BodyHorror unsettling]] for the brain to accept seeing outside of cartoons. The film portrayals of [[ComicBook/FantasticFour Mr Fantastic]] in particular have often been plagued with difficulty when it come to his stretchiness. The Roger Coreman version didn't use CGI and is hilariously narmy [[https://youtu.be/c3rp-6kcGg8?t=42 to watch]], the Tim Story duology and Josh Trank film did use CGI which frequently dived into the uncanny valley [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pZZChvm_Wk&ab_channel=AwesomeRandomVidz especially the former]]. ''Film/DoctorStrangeInTheMultiverseOfMadness'' probably got away with it the best, due to [[spoiler:Reed only using his superpower very briefly and his rubberiness actually [[https://youtu.be/T5luvtk4IIU?t=68 serving]] to give him a CruelAndUnusualDeath as Wanda turns him into spaghetti]]. This superpower in fact is so difficult to adapt or make look acceptable in live action that the showrunners for ''Series/MsMarvel2022'' decided to [[AdaptationalSuperpowerChange alter]] Kamala's powers so that she would have Green Lantern-esque HardLight constructs rather than elasticity like in the comics. This isn't even purely a problem for superhero adaptations either; ''Series/OnePiece2023'' has similar trouble with its stretchy hero Luffy, despite pulling the rubber man effects off better than the Fantastic Four examples.

* Efforts to adapt ''ComicBook/NewGods'' have been met with great difficulty, with the one ''New Gods'' movie announced in 2018 sinking into DevelopmentHell before eventually being cancelled altogether. The main problem, much like Marvel's ''ComicBook/{{Eternals}}'' below (both of which, coincidentally, were created by Creator/JackKirby), is that the New Gods have had a long and complicated history that isn't strongly connected to the main DCU, besides BreakoutVillain ComicBook/{{Darkseid}}, who underwent RoguesGalleryTransplant from serving as the ArchEnemy of Orion and Mister Miracle to becoming the ArchEnemy of the ComicBook/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica. Trying to impart decades worth of cosmic lore and characters on an audience is a tall order which is likely why ''Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague'' just focuses on the easier to understand GalacticConqueror Darkseid and Apokolips while ignoring the rest of the New Gods and New Genesis altogether. Keep in mind this isn’t just a problem solely regarding live action, the New Gods have made scant appearances in the animated DC works. Their biggest appearances in ''Franchise/DCAnimatedUniverse'', still has them be DemotedToExtra and very much in service to the plotlines of Superman (or other more well-known characters like [[WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond Terry McGinnis]]).

* For a more specific example, one comic book superpower has constantly proven to be hard to get right in a LiveActionAdaptation: [[RubberMan super elasticity]]. While animated works such as Marvel and DC comics cartoons or ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'' can pull it off flawlessly, doing it in live-action is almost impossible without [[UnintentionalUncannyValley falling deep into the Uncanny Valley]], as seeing a realistic-looking human body bend, stretch and distort like that in a real setting is often simply too [[BodyHorror unsettling]] for the brain to accept seeing outside of cartoons. The film portrayals of [[ComicBook/FantasticFour Mr Fantastic]] in particular have often been plagued with difficulty when it come to his stretchiness. The Roger Coreman version didn't use CGI and is hilariously narmy [[https://youtu.be/c3rp-6kcGg8?t=42 to watch]], the Tim Story duology and Josh Trank film did use CGI which frequently dived into the uncanny valley [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pZZChvm_Wk&ab_channel=AwesomeRandomVidz especially the former]]. ''Film/DoctorStrangeInTheMultiverseOfMadness'' probably got away with it the best, due to [[spoiler:Reed only using his superpower very briefly and his rubberiness actually [[https://youtu.be/T5luvtk4IIU?t=68 serving]] to give him a CruelAndUnusualDeath as Wanda turns him into spaghetti]]. This superpower in fact is so difficult to adapt or make look acceptable in live action that the showrunners for ''Series/MsMarvel2022'' decided to [[AdaptationalSuperpowerChange alter]] Kamala's powers so that she would have Green Lantern-esque HardLight constructs rather than elasticity like in the comics. This isn't even purely a problem for superhero adaptations either, ''Series/OnePiece2023'' has similar trouble with its stretchy hero Luffy, despite pulling the rubber man effects off better than the Fantastic Four examples.
* Another superpower that has proven reasonably difficult to portray in live action is {{Shapeshifting}}...or more specifically, [[{{Animorphism}} shapeshifting into animals]]. While this power is easy to portray to its fullest extent in animation, portraying it in live action can be a real challenge to achieve. For while [[{{Humanshifting}} the related ability to shapeshift into other people or similarly humanoid forms]] can be easy to achieve with minimal special effects by simply having multiple actors portray the ShapeshifterDefaultForm and the people the shifter turns into over the course of the story, nonhuman animals tend to be [[NeverWorkWithChildrenOrAnimals at best incredibly difficult, and at worst extremely dangerous, to try to train]] and expensive to animate. And that's ''before'' one considers the headaches that would naturally come with trying to adapt the ability to shapeshift into creatures that are either extinct (such as dinosaurs) or imaginary (such as [[WereDragon dragons]]). While some media like ''Film/SkyHigh2005'' and ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' were able to somewhat easily work with the limitations by using easily domesticated animals (in the case of the guinea pig the shapeshifter from the former turns into or the dogs that the skinwalkers from the latter turn into) or only showing the nonhuman animal form for a single brief scene or two (in the case of Ganesh's elephant form in ''Supernatural''), with the fact that the shapeshifters in question had only one alternate form they could change into helping, the LiveActionAdaptation of ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'' suffered heavily from these problems when it came to portraying the powers of the titular team (with Rachel having to have her standard battle morph be a comparatively easier to train or animate lioness instead of the far more difficult to train grizzly bear and elephant that she uses as her primary battle morphs in the books). And while DC's resident animorph Beast Boy was able to be shown successfully transforming into more than one type of animal in ''Series/Titans2018'', even then he was limited to only being shown shapeshifting into a tiger, snake, and bat over the course of the series due to the aforementioned problems on top of his animal forms [[MorphicResonance having to be green]].

* ''ComicBook/GreenLantern'' as a franchise has been a significant case of this, to the point where even the ''Franchise/{{Arrowverse}}'' didn’t touch it despite incorporating several other similarly outlandish on paper concepts and characters. While on paper a group of galactic [[ColorCodedForYourConvenience multi-coloured]] space troopers like Superman meets Power Rangers whom have HardLight ImaginationBasedSuperpower, shouldn’t be such a hard sell for a movie, in practice e.g ''Film/GreenLantern2011'' it’s simply just too much to put upon an audience as even with a human protagonist like Hal Jordan the lofty StarfishAlien characters, crazy powers, and immensely dense lore usually isn’t very accessible for non-comic book followers (this would have have been a problem for ''Film/{{Guardians of the Galaxy|2014}}'' too, had it not wisely used more recognisably human settings, music and ironically “down to Earth” characters). Green Lantern characters and plotlines have had better success in the animated realm with shows like ''WesternAnimation/GreenLanternTheAnimatedSeries'' as well as the Franchise/DCAnimatedUniverse with the latter having the benefit of more well known superheroes like Superman and Batman for viewers to latch onto (though this can lead to OvershadowedByAwesome PopularityPower which affects the Green Lantern’s characters already mixed reputation).

** ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}, much like her best friend Batgirl above, has had poor luck when it comes to movies and not exactly ideal coverage in cartoons compared to other DC heroines either. In the comics, while having plenty of NarmCharm like her cousin Superman himself, she's still supposed to be taken seriously and has plotlines (especially in modern comics) that certainly aren't all silly and "girly". Audiences generally struggle with accepting her in Superman's stories since she jars with the popular tragic perception of Clark being the "Last Kryptonian". For example Creator/ZackSnyder was adverse to putting her in his DCEU films, despite there being enough room for her as a result of his desire to emphasize the tragedy of Superman being the LastOfHisKind. Sadly, Kara's [[Film/Supergirl1984 1984 first cinematic outing]], due to limited budget and 80s cheese, despite Creator/HelenSlater’s great performance failed to do her real justice like Creator/RichardDonner did with Superman and only cemented the [[GirlShowGhetto view]] in audiences that she was little more than the Barbie equivalent for the Man of Steel, with its plot being closer to ''Film/ValleyGirl'' than anything from the comics. In the animated media, Kara has made only sporadic appearances, usually being more of a sidekick to Supes than an independent hero in her own right, with only ''WesternAnimation/SupermanBatmanApocalypse'' breaking the norm and giving her central focus (albeit with some MaleGaze, like the comic it was adapted from). She also wasn't featured in ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'' until the fourth season [[spoiler:where she's [[AdaptationalVillainy a villainous]] Furie]], not helped by Miss Martian [[CompositeCharacter already having]] most of her personality quirks. Fortunately her [[Series/Supergirl2015 CW version]] managed to be both successful and accurate, especially after GrowingTheBeard. Though like other superheroes in the ''Arrowverse'' it still struggles to portray what she can do on a TV budget. Kara also got a very good portrayal in ''WesternAnimation/LegionOfSuperHeroes2023'', even if it isn’t technically her movie. Not to mention when Kara did show up in the Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse in ''Film/TheFlash2023'' she was retooled into being a DarkerAndEdgier character ([[AdaptationDyeJob hair included]]) to fit the tone set by ''Film/ManOfSteel'' which while appropriate for the BadFuture events of the film was still at odds with what people liked about the comic version.
* Efforts to adapt ''ComicBook/NewGods'' have been met with great difficulty, with the one ''New Gods'' movie announced in 2018 sinking into DevelopmentHell before eventually being cancelled altogether. The main problem, much like Marvel's ''ComicBook/{{Eternals}}'' below (both of which, coincidentally, were created by Creator/JackKirby), is that the New Gods have had a long and complicated history that isn't strongly connected to the main DCU, besides BreakoutVillain ComicBook/{{Darkseid}}, who underwent RoguesGalleryTransplant from serving as the ArchEnemy of Orion and Mister Miracle to becoming the ArchEnemy of the ComicBook/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica. Trying to impart decades worth of cosmic lore and characters on an audience is a tall order which is likely why ''Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague'' just focuses on the easier to understand GalacticConqueror Darkseid and Apokolips while ignoring the rest of the New Gods and New Genesis altogether. Keep in mind this isn’t just a problem solely regarding live action, the New Gods have made scant appearances in the animated DC works. Their biggest appearances in ''Franchise/DCAnimatedUniverse'', still has them be DemotedToExtra and very much in service of Superman (or other more well-known characters like [[WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond Terry McGinnis]])'s plotlines.
* ''ComicBook/GreenArrow'' has a very specific case with one particular recurring villain, Onomatopoeia, a masked SerialKiller whose gimmick is saying nothing except [[SayingSoundEffectsOutLoud the onomatopoeia of whatever he's about to kill his victims with]]. This is a gimmick that works pretty much ''only'' for the medium of comic books, and attempts to work around it would probably change the fundamentals of the entire character. The series ''Series/{{Arrow}}'' wanted to use Onomatopoeia, but this was trounced and they had to replace him with the original Mr. Blank since a man who only speaks in sound effects without speech bubbles would probably come off as [[{{Narm}} unintentionally hilarious]] and hard to take seriously. Fittingly enough, his only appearance connecting him to the Arrowverse was in a tie-in comic.