Line #14 AdaptationalVillainy/ComicBooks


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9	AdaptationalVillainy in ComicBooks.
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11	!!The following have their own pages:
12	[[index]]
13	* AdaptationalVillainy/TheDCU
14	* AdaptationalVillainy/MarvelUniverse
15	[[/index]]
16	----
17	!!Creators
18	* Creator/AlanMoore is willing to use this trope when adapting pre-existing works:
19	** ''ComicBook/TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen'' has quite a few characters who are HeroOfAnotherStory presented in a decidedly darker light than in their original works with ValuesDissonance and GenreDeconstruction strongly applied.
20	*** In general, spies, whether good or bad, are regarded as [[GreyAndGrayMorality inherently shifty characters]] with M, the leader of M16 and the creator of the league, revealed in ''Volume 1'' to be [[spoiler:James Moriarty]] and his successor, the nominally good Mycroft Holmes shown to be if possible, more ruthless. ''The Black Dossier'' takes this even further with a very negative portrayal of Cold War era spy fiction, M16 pulling TheCoup and installing Big Brother from ''Literature/NineteenEightyFour'' and being led by [[spoiler:[[Film/TheThirdMan Harry Lime]]]] with [[Series/TheAvengers1960s Emma Peel]] shown as little more than an UnwittingPawn and Franchise/JamesBond a misogynist scumbag [[spoiler:who is a traitor to England and working for the CIA and becomes a KarmaHoudini VillainWithGoodPublicity.]]
21	*** Boys Adventure Heroes from Charles Hamilton's Literature/{{Greyfriars}} School stories has the Famous Five's leader Harry Wharton becoming Big Brother with other members of the gang forming the party of Ingsoc, and Billy Bunter shown as a pathetic ManChild who also [[spoiler:rats out Mina and Allan Quatermain]]. Other adventure heroes who are shown as less than noble is Literature/TomSwift or [[WritingAroundTrademarks Tom Swyfte]] who is a racist and DirtyCoward who cares more [[ItsAllAboutMe about his own life]] than that of his team and whose inventions revolve around [[ArmsDealer developing weapons]] because he's OnlyInItForTheMoney rather than ForScience. In ''Volume III: Century'', Moore builds his climax to a prolonged TakeThat on [[spoiler:Literature/HarryPotter, showing the main character as a whiny SpoiledBrat who is also an EldritchAbomination who murdered the entire supporting cast of his series]].
22	** ''Lost Girls'' has features re-tellings of children's stories with some characters ''much'' darker than their original versions:
23	*** The Red Queen from ''Literature/AlicesAdventuresInWonderland'' is a sadistic schoolmistress who grooms young girls and succumbs them to a life of drug-induced orgies and even encourages The White Queen to initiate her own daughter in her sordid activities. Meanwhile, the White Rabbit is a child molester.
24	*** ''Literature/PeterPan'''s nemesis Captain Hook is a predatory paedophile who rapes Tinkerbell (possibly to death, as we never see her again). Meanwhile, Peter himself is a sexual deviant who is in an incestuous relationship with his sister and entices young boys into sex games.
25	*** In this version of ''Literature/TheWonderfulWizardOfOz'', Dorothy's Uncle Henry is her biological father and engages in a sexual relationship with his own daughter.
26	* ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'', due to Moore adapting his CaptainErsatz cast from [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] Creator/CharltonComics characters, at least three heroes have their expies get this to different extents.
27	** The first example is ComicBook/PeterCannonThunderbolt whom Ozymandias is based off. In the Charlton Comics and DC comics, Thunderbolt is a heroic vigilante and GeniusBruiser who despite having a mental break down and briefly retiring from superheroing still cares about saving and protecting innocent people. His ''Watchmen'' counterpart Ozymandias however is far from heroic, [[spoiler: being the LightIsNotGood HiddenVillain who in a WellIntentionedExtremist move has three million people killed in New York to unite the worlds nations and create his own “utopia”.]]
28	** The second and more [[DownplayedTrope downplayed]] example is ComicBook/TheQuestion whom Rorschach is based on. While the original Creator/SteveDitko version of The Question was actually quite ruthless (he once knocked some mooks into a sewer full of rushing water, not caring if they drowned or not) he never killed anyone and in the DC comics he’s an outright MartialPacifist who [[ThouShallNotKill resists]] the temptation to off crooks like Batman. Rorschach, The Question’s expy in ''Watchmen'' is a SociopathicHero who [[PayEvilUntoEvil brutally murders and tortures criminals]] and even kills cops when cornered. [[PlayedWith Although]] Rorschach can still be regarded as a GoodIsNotNice AntiHero like the original Charlton Comics’ The Question, who ironically is in some ways [[AdaptationalHeroism more selfless]] than his Objectivist Ditko counterpart.
29	** The third and most complex example is ComicBook/{{Peacemaker}} whom The Comedian is based off. Peacemaker is a violent AntiHero and KnightTemplar vigilante in the Charlton and DC comics, who in later continuity is perfectly willingly to kill innocent people to achieve peace or kill anyone who gets in his way. His ''Watchmen'' counterpart The Comedian, is somehow much worse as while Peacemaker took no satisfaction in his work and at least had a few standards, Comedian is a AxCrazy BloodKnight who is also [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil a rapist]] who tries to sexually assault Silk Spectre I, kills a Vietnamese woman pregnant with his child and is implied to have assassinated [[UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy JFK]] (although he could’ve been joking [[note]] in the [[Film/{{Watchmen}} film]], it’s confirmed he did kill the President [[/note]]). Then again, The Comedian does have a breakdown [[spoiler: after learning Ozymandias’ plan]] in which he regrets his actions, unlike Peacemaker who unapologetically views all violence he commits as necessary.
30	** ''ComicBook/{{Providence}}'' averts this in general for most of the Lovecraft characters in the story. It makes an exception however for [[spoiler:Ronald Pitman, the CaptainErsatz of Pickman from ''Pickman's Model''. Nothing in the original story suggests as Moore's comic does, that Pitman is a SerialKiller and MadArtist]].
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32	!!Individual works
33	* ''ComicBook/AfterlifeWithArchie'':
34	** Veronica is somewhere between this and AdaptationalJerkass. She is not very sympathetic. She and Betty are friends in the [[ComicBook/ArchieComics main comics]] and she's varying degrees of SpoiledSweet, however here she's a total bully who was AllTakeAndNoGive in her former friendship with Betty. They mostly get along poorly.
35	** Zelda and Hilda are not the goofy, nice aunts they normally are. This change applies to ''ComicBook/ChillingAdventuresOfSabrina'' as well.
36	* ''Every-damn-body'' in ''ComicBook/ArchieVsPredator'': Archie himself is a womanizer, Betty and Veronica are get into physical fights over Archie, Sabrina is a Satanist and a murderer, and the Predator doesn't abide by the honor of honor depicted in the ''Predator'' franchise.
37	* The ''VideoGame/{{Darkstalkers}}'' Udon comics, do this to Morrigan along with Lilith in ''ComicBook/StreetFighterVsDarkstalkers''. In the games Morrigan is an AntiHero who while being a [[SuccubiAndIncubi Succubus]] has a soft spot for humans and hasn't killed one in her life, as further seen in the OVA and crossover games. Lilith (Morrigan's SplitAtBirth SoulJar) although she works for [[DarkMessiah Jedah]] is largely a UnwittingPawn, and is genuinely [[GenkiGirl sweet and bubbly]]. In the Udon comics, Morrigan is a malevolent monster, assaulting and soul sucking a handsome man who sheltered her while she pretended to be a grieving widow, has been killing humans since she got the means (a ring gifted by her father) to travel to the human world and later on kills one of Demitri's harem (who was a innocent woman) simply so she can disguise herself. In ''Street Fighter vs Darkstalkers'' Morrigan is against the World Warriors (until an EnemyMine against Jedah right at the end, and that was just because her world was in danger), tricks and kills two innocent explorers in Brazil, and tries to kill Chun-Li repeatedly. Lilith is even worse, as apart from having a body count of her own, she happily serves Jedah and cruelly delights in causing bloodshed and chaos, in the finale ''she even tries to murder AllLovingHero [[VideoGame/StreetFighterIII Elena!]]''
38	* In ''Literature/TheDarkTower'' novels, John Farson is an ambiguous figure who never appears on the page. He's responsible for the destruction of Gilead... but his numerous followers call him The Good Man, and for all we know he may have had legitimate grievances with the gunslingers. In [[ComicBook/TheDarkTower the comics]], we actually get to see him, and he's a psychopathic tyrant who decapitates prisoners to play baseball with their heads.
39	* ''ComicBook/DisneyDucksComicUniverse'': John Rockerduck is portrayed as a CorruptCorporateExecutive in several stories but he was by no means this or any other kind of villain in the only story his creator Creator/CarlBarks used him in.
40	* The comic adaptaion of ''VideoGame/DinoCrisis'' has Gail, the SORT team leader, betray Regina and Rick and turns out to be working with Guerilla Fighters after the Third Energy and Dr. Kirk.
41	* [[spoiler: Geppetto and Goldilocks]] in ''ComicBook/{{Fables}}''. In their respective stories, [[spoiler:Geppetto]] is a benevolent, fatherly figure while [[spoiler:Goldilocks]] is nothing more than a harmless, if annoying, intruder. In the comics, on the other hand:
42	** [[spoiler: Gepetto is "The Adversary", the vicious tyrant who has crushed thousands of fantasy worlds and murdered billions, all in the name of peace.]]
43	** [[spoiler: Goldilocks is a vicious rabble-rousing anarchist who stirs up revolution just for the fun of seeing people fighting.]]
44	** Hansel, one of the protagonists of [[Literature/HanselAndGretel his fairy tale]], grows up to become a sadistic witch-hunter and {{Fantastic Racis\|m}}t who, among other heinous acts, murders his own sister.
45	** In Snow White's backstory, the seven dwarfs were abusers and rapists who treated her like a slave.
46	** Dorothy Gale appears in the spin-off ''Cinderella: Fables Are Forever'' and is portrayed as a PsychoForHire who considers her old friends expendable.
47	* ''ComicBook/GIJoeReloaded'' had Duke turn out to be a traitor planted into the Joes by Cobra.
48	* In the Literature/BookOfGenesis, Noah is portrayed as a humble, god-fearing individual who builds the Ark with nothing but himself and his family, his efforts to save others being met with mockery. In ''ComicBook/TheGoddamned'', he is a ChurchgoingVillain who either slaughters or enslaves the various people that inhabits the wasteland.
49	* ''ComicBook/JemAndTheHologramsIDW'': Zig-zagged with Clash. She outright tries to murder Jem (or at least seriously hurt her). In the cartoon she never did anything besides try and get her band embarrassed or make them fail. Even The Misfits don't want to discuss what Clash did. However, outside of that, she's not violent or any meaner than usual.
50	* ''ComicBook/LaffALympics'': Dread Baron was already a villain in the cartoon but he never tried to double-cross any of his own teammates there. In "The Meet at Mount Ono", when he finds out the Laff-a-Lympic officials placed a chest full of money at the top of the titular mount to be shared among the members of the team that wins the climbing contest, he tries to take the money for himself and isn't above endangering the life of the Rotten athlete originally chosen to represent his team during the contest.
51	* ''[[ComicBook/MuppetClassics Muppet Sherlock Holmes]]'' gives this treatment to Irene Adler (portrayed by Miss Piggy), who at the end of the series is revealed to actually be the adopted sister of Professor Moriarty (portrayed by Uncle Deadly) conspiring with her brother to do away with Sherlock Holmes (portrayed by Gonzo).
52	* In the ''ComicBook/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicIDW'' 2014 Holiday Equestria Girls Special, the Cutie Mark Crusaders hit this big time as the human version of "Ponyville Confidential" turns quite dark as this version of their gossip column, Anon-A-Miss, was done not out of being blackmailed, but because Applebloom [[GreenEyedMonster grew jealous of Applejack's time with Sunset Shimmer]] and the others followed along with her.
53	* In ''ComicBook/{{Noob}}'', the comic version of Donteuil in regards to the webseries one. When that fact that [[spoiler:Fantöm's avatar was illegally enhanced]] gets revealed in the webseries, Judge Dead is the one who decides to blame the whole thing on its LockedOutOfTheLoop victim. A couple of webseries scenes give the impression that Donteuil has a MyGodWhatHaveIDone feeling towards the victim in question and it's via Donteuil that the audience eventually finds out that the victim's situation isn't as bad as it first looked. In the comic, Donteuil seems to be the one who decided to pull the "blame the victim" move, while the "situation not as bad as it first looked" reveal comes from a FictionalDocument that gets no mention in the webseries, provided by someone else than Donteuil.
54	* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'':
55	** ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics'':
56	*** According to their Japanese-only bios, Bean the Dynamite and Bark the Polar Bear from ''VideoGame/SonicTheFighters'' are friends of ''Sonic'''s. They're both friendly characters and Bark is an outright GentleGiant. Here they are villainous mercenaries and part of a TerribleTrio with Nack.
57	*** In ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog'', Breezie the Hedgehog was a robot Dr. Robotnik made who had a HeelFaceTurn after falling in love with Sonic. In ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics'', she was out-and-out a villain who worked with Dr. Eggman as part of a scheme to destroy Sonic and later became a VillainWithGoodPublicity, messing with everyone while being unable to be touched.
58	** ''ComicBook/SonicTheComic'':
59	*** Chaos, who is depicted as a transformed and already villainous Drakon Prosecutor with no sympathetic backstory or clear motivation. In ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'', he is a mutant Chao who was previously peaceful, only turning violent when all of his Chao friends were massacred by the Knuckles Tribe, under the leadership of Chief Pachacamac. Tikal the Echidna, who Chaos tortures in the comic, was his friend in the game, and the two leave in peace after Chaos is calmed down.
60	*** Robotnik himself, while still maintaining some of his comical pathos from the games, is far more evil and devoid of redeeming aspects, gaining a similar dictator role as his ''WesternAnimation/SonicTheHedgehogSatAM'' and ''[[WesternAnimation/SonicUnderground Underground]]'' counterpart. Then he becomes even worse by [[OmnicidalManiac trying to destroy Mobius outright]].
61	*** Super Sonic. In the games he was an [[SuperMode alternate form of Sonic]] as opposed to a full-blown SplitPersonality ([[SuperpoweredEvilSide and a nasty one at that]]).
62	* ''ComicBook/StarTrekIDW'':
63	** ''Countdown To Darkness'', set in the [[AlternateTimeline Alternate Reality]] between ''Film/StarTrek2009'' and ''Film/StarTrekIntoDarkness'' features the new timeline's version of the original ''Enterprise's'' first captain in the prime reality, [[http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Robert_April Robert April]]. [[spoiler: He FaceHeelTurn[=s=] into a rogue AntiVillain, hijacking the new ''Enterprise'' in order to save an alien species from extinction.]]
64	** The long dead Landru in [[Recap/StarTrekS1E21TheReturnOfTheArchons The Return Of The Archons]] was a WellIntentionedExtremist at worst trying to restore peace after a devastating war, here he was a corrupt Starfleet scientist with a God complex whose actions were based around population control.
65	* The ''Franchise/StreetFighter'' Udon comics do this to Sagat, although not to the same level as Morrigan (seen above). In the games while he started off as a ArrogantKungFuGuy and antagonist, Sagat is ultimately an example of DarkIsNotEvil being a NobleDemon and BruiserWithASoftCenter who only joins Shadowloo to pay back Ryu for scarring and nearly killing him with a {{Shoryuken}} (when the latter was under the influence of the [[SuperPoweredEvilSide Satsui no Hado]]) and he eventually [[DefectorFromDecadence defects]] from Shadowloo out of disgust. He becomes an AloofAlly to the World Warriors and even peacefully settles his feud with Ryu in ''Alpha 3'' and ''SFIV''. In the Udon comics Sagat is much more despicable, as seen in the Chun-Li series, where he is an [[PsychoForHire evil enforcer]] for M.Bison before even meeting Ryu who sadistically kills Go Hibiki, unlike the games where it was implied to have been an accident which Sagat regrets (given [[ILetYouWin he throws his fight]] with [[LethalJokeCharacter Dan]], Go’s vengeful weakling son). Sagat does defect from Shadaloo and gently settles his rivalry with Ryu in the comics, but ''much'' later than he does in the games.
66	* Creator/IDWPublishing has done this with quite a few characters in their take on the Franchise/TransformersGeneration1 mythos.
67	** ''ComicBook/TheTransformersAllHailMegatron'' downplays this with a look into Prowl's character. While Prowl is normally a "good" if somewhat stuck-up bot of logic and intelligence, here he's more of a WellIntentionedExtremist. He does numerous unethical things, like messing with minds and destroying evidence of Autobot war-crimes, all to preserve the dignity of their faction. He's also willing to deflect suspicion, blackmail, and conspire to make [=WMDs=] all for the sake of the Autobot cause. Prowl did suffer from a bit of DependingOnTheWriter though, as he was also written as a selfless good guy in ''ComicBook/TheTransformersIDW'' while at the same time being a schemer in ''ComicBook/TheTransformersLastStandOfTheWreckers''. He eventually reverted to an UnscrupulousHero with ''ComicBook/TheTransformersRobotsInDisguise''.
68	** [[spoiler: Spike Witwicky]] in ''[[ComicBook/TheTransformersIDW The Transformers]]'' is nothing like his G1 cartoon predecessor. While in the G1 cartoon, he is undoubtedly a good guy and aids the Autobots, in the comic, he is an utter jerk to many and has a more sinister, hidden goal for aiding the Autobots.
69	** Overlord in [[Anime/TransformersSuperGodMasterforce Masterforce]] had him as a ProudWarriorRaceGuy, and honorable enough to turn on his evil boss and help the heroes. His appearance in ''ComicBook/TransformersClassics'' had him as a straight up villain, and Decepticon conqueror. All of them pale in comparison to his appearance in ''ComicBook/TheTransformersLastStandOfTheWreckers'' (and later ''More Than Meets The Eye''), where he is the BigBad, and one of the most depraved Decepticons ever. He murders populations of creatures, pits Autobot prisoners against each other and his own troops for his amusement, and then executes all of them so they can't be rescued.
70	** ''ComicBook/TheTransformersMoreThanMeetsTheEye'' does this to Star Saber. In the [[Anime/TransformersVictory Victory]] cartoon, he is a squeaky-clean hero a la Optimus Prime. The IDW comic turns him into a [[TheFundamentalist religious fanatic]] who once called for an atheist Holocaust. He works for the BigBad to bring about the end of all artificially-built Transformers, including [[spoiler: his [[EvilCounterpart Good Counterpart]], Dai Atlas]], whom he had religious disagreements with. This is a carry-over from the author's days in the Transformers UK fandom, where his stories portrayed Star Saber as a fascist.
71	** IDW's version of Rattrap, particularly in ''[[ComicBook/TheTransformersWindblade Windblade]]'', but also present in [[ComicBook/TheTransformersRobotsInDisguise Robots in Disguise]]. His ''WesternAnimation/BeastWars'' counterpart was a JerkWithAHeartOfGold who could be counted on to do the right thing, albeit complaining all the while. IDW's version? A selfish, backstabbing, amoral creep who plays TheStarscream to Starscream himself.
72	** ''ComicBook/TheTransformersPunishment'' gave this treatment to Sandstorm. In the cartoon Sandstorm was a pacifist who's planet was dragged into the conflict. He was quick to befriend people and even palled around with the Decepticon traitor Octane for a time. Most comics place him as a member of the Wreckers, a crack team of Autobot elite soldiers; not a pacifist anymore but not a full on villain. In Punishment he's the BigBad of the story; having finally snapped in the post war peace he becomes a serial killer hunting down Autobots and Decepticons accused of war crimes, including the Dinobots, and burning them to death.
73	** Zig-Zagged with [[spoiler:Getaway]]; he’s still an Autobot in this continuity and genuinely believes in the cause... it’s just that this version of him is also an [[GoodIsNotNice amoral]] KnightTemplar who’s willing to manipulate and kill others for the sake of the cause.
74	** Subverted with [[spoiler:Onyx Prime]], who initially seems like he’s been reimagined as a JerkassGod, until it’s revealed that [[spoiler:he’s actually DeadAllAlong. The real Onyx was good guy like usual, but was [[KillAndReplace murdered and replaced]] by Shockwave in a StableTimeLoop.]]
75	** Sentinel Prime is usually a {{Jerkass}}, but most versions (even the explicitly villainous one from the movies) would stop well short of the one in the IDW series, who wants to kill almost everyone on Cybertron for having the "wrong" altmode or coming from a colony or having a Decepticon badge.
76	* ''ComicBook/{{Vampirella}}'':
77	** Very explicitely Pantha in the 2018 run (although she never was a nice kitty in the first place).
78	** Vampirella herself in more... non-legit... works, where she usually is an evil vampire rather than a FriendlyNeighborhoodVampire.

Context AdaptationalVillainy / ComicBooks