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AdaptationalBadass in {{Film}}.
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!! Works with their own pages
[[index]]
* ''AdaptationalBadass/MarvelCinematicUniverse''
[[/index]]
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* ''Film/TheAfricanQueen'': The titular ship actually succeeds in destroying the German warship "Louisa" (actually ''Königin Luise'') even after capsizing herself in a storm, as the "Louisa" happens to run into the overturned ''African Queen'', striking the detonators of Charlie Alnutt's home-made "torpedos". In C. S. Forester's novel the ''Queen'' anticlimactically sinks in a storm and the "Louisa" is finally sunk by two modern British gunboats transported piece by piece overland and then assembled on the west coast of the East African lake. (In the film the captain of the "Louisa" also receives a villain upgrade, condemning Charlie and Rosie to be hanged. In the novel he decides it would be uncivilized to have the two executed as spies so he hands them over to the British under a flag of truce).
* Tim Burton's film adaptation of ''Film/AliceInWonderland2010'' gives the Mad Hatter this treatment; he goes from a silly joke character (as most of the cast in the original work) to a silly joke character who charges into battle with a [[{{BFS}} Scottish claymore]]. Arguably ''all'' of the characters in the movie, as well, to some degree.
* ''Film/BladeTrilogy'':
** Blade himself actually gets this. In the early comics, Blade was initially more of a BadassNormal VampireHunter whose mom was bitten by a vampire giving him heightened senses, but in the film, he's an outright {{Dhampyr}} who has all the pros of being a vampire and none of the cons. Thanks to the massive success of the movies, comic Blade was bitten by ComicBook/{{Morbius}} and thus [[CanonImmigrant gained]] all the [[HybridPower abilities]] he had on screen.
** ''Film/BladeTrinity'' did this in regards to Marvel's ComicBook/{{Dracula|MarvelComics}}, who was vulnerable to sunlight and all the typical vampire weaknesses like crosses, holy water, garlic and the like. Here he is a Daywalker just like Blade himself and the [[OurVampiresAreDifferent typical weaknesses don't do anything]] and it takes [[spoiler:an artificial virus to actually kill him at the end]]. In all fairness, Dracula was a DaywalkingVampire too in [[Literature/{{Dracula}} the Bram Stoker novel]], something which Drake points out in the movie and being based on him, so this trope only applies to the Marvel version.
* The [[Film/BloodAndChocolate2007 the 2007 film adaptation]] of ''Literature/BloodAndChocolate1997'' does this to Aiden. In the book he's not especially athletic or badass, although he does manage to [[spoiler:shoot two werewolves]] (the second time he [[spoiler:hits the wrong werewolf]] and he's freaking out). Here he was raised to be a tough survivalist by his ex-military dad and he's more of an ActionSurvivor, bordering on ActionHero, taking out multiple werewolves with guns, knives or even just a silver pendant and a long drop.
* ''Film/TheBravados:''
** In the book, Deputy Pepe Martinez is a NonActionGuy, and Deputy Primo is a particularly CluelessDeputy. In the film, both come across as tough and competent while trying to keep their prisoners under secure guard.
** In the book, Douglas only kills one of the fugitives and needs some help to do it. In the film, he defeats three of them single-handedly across the course of the movie.
* ''Film/TheChroniclesOfNarnia'' much like the Tolkien examples below, most of the cast get this.
** The Pevensie siblings Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy are seriously badass compared to the books. Not that they were wimps by any stretch in C.S Lewis's original work, being pacifistic kid heroes they just fought battles infrequently and in some books (like ''The Voyage of the Dawn Treader'') not at all, instead relying on Aslan to save the day. In the films however, Peter and Edmund give Aragorn a run for his money in the badass OneManArmy MasterSwordsman department as well as showing hand to hand combat skills they didn't display in the books. Edmund in particular not only personally foils the White Witch Jadis's resurrection with a sneak attack in ''Film/PrinceCaspian'' but in the ''Film/TheVoyageOfTheDawnTreader'' he's the one who saves the day by killing the BigBad Sea Serpent with Peter's CoolSword Rhindon, neither of which happened in the books. By the same token Caspian is made to be more of an action hero, engaging in several fights in his movie and the sequel unlike the books where he either just fled to safety or resolved matters non-violently.
** Susan deserves her own special mention. Due to the StayInTheKitchen ValuesDissonance of the books, Susan didn't get involved with in any of the battles like Peter and Edmund did and is too "tender hearted" to hurt anyone, she only uses her bow and arrow to fight once in ''Prince Caspian'' to startle a Telmarine who was going to drown Trumpkin by shooting an arrow at his helmet. In contrast to the films, ''especially'' the second one where Susan gets involved in the action alongside her brothers and racks up a large Telmarine body count with her own [[ImprobableAimingSkills incredible]] [[MasterArcher archery skills]], including at one point ''throwing one of her arrows'' into a mook's torso to kill him. To a lesser extent Lucy gets this in ''Voyage of the Dawn Treader'' as she fights slavers who attack her, Edmund and Caspian in Doorn, unlike the book where she and the others got captured immediately.
** Eustace get this when transformed into a dragon in ''Voyage of the Dawn Treader''. In the book version, he is only transformed for a brief peroid before Aslan cures him and due to it being a DespairEventHorizon for him, Eustace didn't do anything particularly cool as a dragon just flying around and lighting a campfire with his dragon's breath. In the film Eustace's time as a dragon is expanded and he helps the ''Dawn Treader'' go faster by pulling it along with his tail while flying and he actually helps out in the FinalBattle as both a dragon and a human (once Aslan changes him back).
** Trumpkin the Dwarf, while skilled with a sword and bow is still a very goofy character in the book version of ''Prince Caspian''. In the film Trumpkin is much more grizzled and badass, displaying NervesOfSteel even while captured and at BigBad Miraz's mercy and of course does much more fighting beyond just slaying one wild bear to save Lucy like he does in the book. Since he's played by Creator/PeterDinklage, this is to be expected.
** Reepicheep the talking mouse, while fearless in the books is more of a silly character like Trumpkin, who doesn't do any real fighting and whose main role is in the story is being TheHeart who inspires others into bravery. In the films he still provides moral support and comedic relief, but also shows real badassery taking down scores of men himself with his tiny sword. His hammy moments from both the ''Prince Caspian'' and ''Dawn Treader'' books are toned down and he's cooler and more sauve in the films as a result.
** Miraz the antagionist of ''Prince Caspian'' gets a great deal of this. In the book he was the usual DirtyCoward monarch who got manipulated by his more competent subordinates and most embarrassingly he knocks himself out during his duel with Peter by tripping over a tussock. In the film Miraz is made to be genuinely threatning displaying a calculating cold bloodedness, [[VillainousValour not even showing fear]] when his nephew Caspian holds a sword to his throat and when a goddamn minotaur climbs to his balcony to kill him Miraz just pushes the beast off. He also puts up a better fight againist Peter, almost killing him in their duel.
** The Sea Serpent in ''The Voyage of the Dawn Treader''. In the book it's described by Lucy as a "dumb creature" as all it does is wrap itself around the Dawn Treader before the crew free themselves by pushing againist the Serpent's coils making the ship pop out, which seems to amuse the creature and it doesn't pursue them. In the film, the Sea Serpent is an AnimalisticAbomination MentalMonster brought to life by the Dark Island [[YourMindMakesItReal through Edmund's thoughts]] and it acts the FinalBoss of the film trilogy.
* ''Film/TheDarkKnight'': [[Characters/TheDarkKnightTrilogyTheJoker The Joker]] himself is this for his character. In the comics and cartoons, Joker had numerous moments of being an incredibly pathetic DirtyCoward, where he would either beg for mercy or run away whenever he pissed off the wrong person. Not to mention that, in most adaptations, the Joker is more of a schemer than a fighter, as well as a scrawny mobster who would hardly stand a chance against Batman when cornered. This Joker, on the contrary, has an absolutely '''uncanny''' ability in planning terrorist tactics and using all sorts of warfare weaponry, and is entirely capable of taking down, knocking out, and overpowering mafia thugs and police officers with very little effort. He also seems to have knowledge in psychological warfare tactics. And we're talking about an individual [[InexplicablyAwesome who doesn't even have any explicitly mentioned military training and/or affiliation with the League of Shadows, unlike Bane]].
* ''Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse'':
** ''Film/ManOfSteel''
*** Jor-El is depicted fighting Zod and his forces, and going to great lengths to get the Codex to keep Zod from getting it. Jor-El didn't just fight Zod, he was, by all appearances, ''winning'' and only got stabbed when he was distracted while watching Kal's ship launch.
** ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice'':
*** Following the examples set by ''ComicBook/BatmanEarthOne'' and ''WesternAnimation/BewareTheBatman'', Alfred is said to be more hand-on in helping Batman. [[http://www.comicbookresources.com/article/batman-v-superman-pics-reveal-alfreds-role-batmans-hi-tech-cowl In fact]], much like in ''Earth One'' and ''Beware'', this Alfred was the Wayne family's bodyguard, not their butler.
*** Thomas and Martha Wayne are depicted as going out fighting on the night they got killed, as Thomas takes a swing at Joe Chill before getting killed and Martha tried to get the gun from Chill's hands before she's shot.
*** [[spoiler: ComicBook/JimmyOlsen is an undercover CIA agent.]]
** In ''Film/SuicideSquad2016'' Deadshot, Harely Quinn, Captain Boomerang, Katana, Killer Croc and Rick Flagg [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu defeat]] The Enchantress, who is a HumanoidAbomination. For reference in the comics it took Madame Xanadu assembling Justice League Dark ''just to put Enchantress down'' while in the film a bunch of criminals do the same with explosives. PowerCreepPowerSeep at its finest.
** ''Film/WonderWoman2017''
*** Ares was able to kill all the other Olympians, including Zeus, in his backstory, while comic Ares is nowhere near powerful enough to do that. He also lacks his comic counterpart's dependence on constant war to survive and maintain his powers. In ''Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague'' during the FlashBack to the ancient invasion, a younger Ares mortally wounds freaking ComicBook/{{Darkseid}} himself with his axe, forcing his army to retreat. In the comics, not even Zeus can defeat Darkseid.
** In ''Film/JusticeLeague2017'', [[spoiler: ComicBook/{{Superman}} qualifies, to the point that everyone else is pretty much an AdaptationalWimp by comparison. While neither Aquaman or Wonder Woman are supposed to be quite as strong as him, they are normally able to at least fight him toe to toe. In ''Justice League'', when he is resurrected and unaware of himself he easily overpowers both of them and Cyborg at the same time. He also handily tosses Steppenwolf around with little trouble, where in other adaptations any of the ComicBook/NewGods are able to stand up to or beat him. Similarly, while Superman is usually portrayed as being just slower than the Flash, in the movie he's as fast or even faster at times (though it should be noted that this Flash is much less experienced with his powers).]] [[note]][[spoiler:A possible explanation to this was that he was brought back to life with the use of [[LightningCanDoAnything lightning caused from Barry tapping into his Speed Force]] and a Mother Box to bring him back, granting him a broader use of his powers and allowing him to reach his maximum use of his potential.]][[/note]]
** ''Film/Shazam2019'': Unlike his comics counterpart, Dr. Sivana now has super strength, super speed, telekinesis, flight, and electrical powers on top of his genius intellect.
** In ''Film/WonderWoman1984'' Diana is able to use the RealityWarper powers of her father Zeus to make the jet, she and Steve are flying turn invisible. In the comics Diana generally lacks any such ability and when Wondy does receive reality warping powers, like from the World Forge or Goddess Hecate, she tends [[StatusQuoIsGod to lose them from her arsenal very quickly]].
** ''Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague'':
*** The Flash is more action oriented than in the theatrical cut, taking on Parademons more directly (with a [[SignatureMove signature]] "[[FingerpokeOfDoom tap with two fingers]]" attack) and utilizing FlashStep to save people from falling debris. He is also more confident with his powers, with the range and upper limits more fully explored, culminating in [[spoiler:him managing to reverse time by a few seconds to save the League and the rest of the Earth from the Unity]].
*** Wonder Woman and Aquaman are more impressive compared to the theatrical cut, especially in the final fight against Steppenwolf. [[spoiler: Arthur actually impales Steppenwolf through the back with his trident and Diana outright kills him with her CoolSword, in the ''ComicBook/Earth2'' comic quite the opposite happens]].
*** Compared to the theatrical cut, Batman steps up more to coordinate the team and strategize, making him more visible in the action sequences. He gets tossed around less and his ability to multi-task is increased, making his role in the FinalBattle considerably more useful, essentially handling the elimination of Parademons and their defense turrets around Steppenwolf's base all on his own. [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking Oh, and]] he does [[AdaptationalIntelligence know Icelandic]].
** ''Film/TheSuicideSquad'':
*** Polka-Dot Man in the comics is largely considered one of the lamest Z-list Batman gag villains alongside Condiment King thanks to his awful costume and gimmicky polka-dot powers. In the film, while he’s still got a silly costume, he’s a borderline PersonOfMassDestruction with his polka-dots being upgraded to BlastingTime-level capabilities. [[spoiler: He’s even able to critically wound EldritchAbomination Starro with his power.]]
*** Ratcatcher, on top of being a LegacyCharacter through his daughter, is much more impressive than his/her comic counterpart. In the Batman comics, Ratcatcher is another C-tier gimmick villain who is a nuisance at best. In the film Ratcatcher II has incredibly useful and destructive capabilities being able to summon millions of rats [[spoiler: who take down Starro in the climax]] and use the rats to solve complex tasks and look out for her while she sleeps.
*** Harley Quinn, while very dangerous in other media, gets upgraded to CharlesAtlasSuperPower levels that give even Batman a run for his money as well as insane Film/JohnWick GunFu antics. [[spoiler: In the finale she even leaps into Starro’s eye and climbs back out, something that would certainly kill her in the comics PopularityPower or not.]]
*** Zigzagged with Bloodsport; he lacks the teleporting guns from the comics, having instead a MorphWeapon. But in the film, on top [[OffscreenMomentOfAwesome of putting Superman in the ICU with a Kryptonite bullet]] similar to the comics, he’s got more extreme hand to hand combat abilities able to kill a man with a single blow [[spoiler: and is also able to out-marksman Peacemaker and go OneManArmy on a horde of Starro controlled zombies, none of which has comic Bloodsport pulled off.]]
* The live-action movies of ''Film/DeathNote'' turn L, who was already a genius and [[HiddenDepths capoeira trained]] badass in the original source material, and [[spoiler: have him take down Light, a reversal from the original material where L was killed by Light]].
* Many people [[PopCulturalOsmosis aren’t aware]] that [[VampireHunter Professor Abraham Van Helsing]] wasn’t nearly as badass in the original ''Literature/{{Dracula}}'' novel compared to most film and media incarnations. Being an old man, Helsing couldn’t keep up with the rest of the guys on horseback requiring to travel safely with Mina on a carriage and the Professor also relied on holy weapons to protect himself while Jonathan and co took down the Count with blades. In most films however Helsing can overpower Dracula all by himself (e.g ''Film/TheMonsterSquad'') and the Creator/PeterCushing portrayal even personally staked the Count unlike the book where the Professor just watched from the sidelines while Jonathan did the finishing blow. ''Film/BramStokersDracula'' takes it a step further implying Helsing (played by Creator/AnthonyHopkins) is even supernatural as he performs a StealthHiBye on Jack, Arthur and Quincey.
** {{Dracula}} himself tends to be way stronger and has more powers in most adaptations compared to the book. In ''Film/VanHelsing'' he has a OneWingedAngel form and in ''Film/DraculaUntold'' he’s a OneManArmy.
* Oddly enough, from ''Film/DragonballEvolution'', the [[KamehameHadoken Kamehameha Wave]]. In the [[Franchise/DragonBall source material]] it's a powerful attack, the strength of which is limited only by how much energy its user can put into it, but that's about it. In the movie it becomes a SwissArmySuperpower. We see it used to light and extinguish fires, and even to heal a person from near death!
** Mai actually gets this as well, in both the original ''Manga/DragonBall'' series and in ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'' she’s just a BadassNormal with no martial arts skill or KiManipulation who relies on firearms in a [[WorldOfBadass universe]] where GunsAreWorthless. In the movie Mai keeps her gunplay but is also a strong hand to hand fighter, as she holds her own against both Goku and Chi-Chi and nearly kills the former[[note]] not that killing ''[[InNameOnly this]]'' Goku is particularly impressive [[/note]]. Given she’s TheDragon to [[EvilOverlord Piccolo]] rather than [[HarmlessVillain Pilaf]] in this universe, it‘s fitting.
* Every time the ComicBook/FantasticFour has been made into a film, ComicBook/DoctorDoom is shown with actual superpowers as opposed to a man wearing PoweredArmor. [[Film/TheFantasticFour The 1994 film]] depicted Doom as a {{cyborg}} and both ''Film/FantasticFourDuology'' and [[Film/FantasticFour2015 2015 reboot]] take after ''ComicBook/UltimateFantasticFour'' in showing Doom gaining powers from [[AdaptationOriginConnection the same accident that the Four did]]. Then again others argue the film versions of Doom get AdaptationalWimp since in the comics he’s an extremely powerful sorcerer on top of being a GadgeteerGenius, in the Fox films he has more generic StockSuperpowers which while powerful don’t hold a candle to what he can do in the comics.
* ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'':
** In most films, Godzilla's Nuclear Pulse can only stun enemies. In ''Film/Godzilla2000'', [[spoiler:it deals the death blow to Orga]].
** ''Film/GodzillaFinalWars'' sees Godzilla as a [[OneManArmy One Kaiju Army]], with only [[spoiler:Monster X/Keiser Ghidorah and an upgraded Gigan giving him real trouble.]]
* ''Film/TheGuillotines'', a remake of the Creator/ShawBrothers classic, ''Film/FlyingGuillotine'', does this to the titular object. The original guillotine can [[OffWithHisHead sever heads]] from a distance, like the name implies, but is otherwise just a mundane BladeOnARope and can only target one victim maximum each throw; in the remake the guillotines ''can'' be controlled mid-flight, PrecisionGuidedBoomerang-style, decapitates more than one unfortunate victim with a single throw in the opening massacre, [[HalfTheManHeUsedToBe bisects a guy by the waist]] and even cuts down a tree!
* ''Film/HanselAndGretelWitchHunters'': Hansel and Gretel, who were just two ordinary kids in the original story who managed to [[GuileHero outsmart]] a single witch, are portrayed as gun-toting, evil-slaying witch hunters.
* ''Film/HarryPotter'':
** The films took this both ways with Buckbeak from ''[[Film/HarryPotterAndThePrisonerOfAzkaban The Prisoner of Azkaban]]''. On one hand, they gave Buckbeak his own SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome by showing him protect Harry and Hermione from the werewolf, which wasn't in the book. On the other hand, the sixth and seventh books described him flying around attacking Death Eaters, which wasn't in the movies. A borderline example, if you will.
** The [[SnakesAreSinister Basilisk]] in the ''[[Film/HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets Chamber of Secrets]]'' is much bigger and puts up a much better and much ''longer'' fight than it does in the book.
** In a similar vein, the Hungarian Horntail in the book merely just sat in one place while Harry flew around it till he annoyed it enough to grab the golden egg it was [[MamaBear guarding]]. [[Film/HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire In the movie]] the Horntail breaks free of its chains and chases Harry around Hogwarts until it falls into a ravine to its death.
** In the book version of ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix Order of the Phoenix]]'', Umbridge gets rolled pretty much instantly by the Centaurs once she pisses them off, showing that for all their bluster, the Wizards are only in charge largely because of the forbearance of the other magical races. In [[Film/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix the film]], she's able to hold off a group of angry and heavily armed Centaurs pretty much effortlessly all by herself right up until Grawp sneaks up on her and relieves her of her wand, demonstrating the Wizards ended up being able to boss around all the other magical races by being just that dangerous.
** The same movie does this to RetiredBadass "Mad Eye" Moody. In the book he was quickly taken out by Dolohov during the battle, while in the movie Moody effortlessly [[https://i.gifer.com/DsHq.gif one-shots]] a Death Eater by slamming his staff down. It's almost like the whole battle is beneath him.
** [[Film/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows The seventh film]] significantly ups the badassery of Hedwig's death. In the book, she's [[DeathByNewberyMedal hit by a stray killing curse]] while inside her cage. In the film, she's released from her cage ahead of time and [[HeroicSacrifice intercepts a killing curse meant for Harry]].
* ''ComicBook/{{Hellboy}}'':
** In the comics, [[GasMaskMooks Kroenen]] was a third-rate EvilGenius. In ''Film/Hellboy2004'', he's a DualWielding, ClockworkCreature {{Ghostapo}} who's nigh-unkillable and serves as TheDragon to [[BigBad Rasputin]].
** Professor Bruttenholm in the comics was not one properly equipped to deal with action and was quickly killed in the first chapter of ''Seed of Destruction''. In ''Film/Hellboy2019'', Creator/IanMcShane's Professor Bruttenholm showed up to the site where Hellboy was first summoned dressed like something out of a pulp adventure and armed with a double-barreled gun aimed right at the young Hellboy's head in caution.
* Played with in ''Film/IT2017'' as The Losers Club’s PsychicChildren-powers are toned down greatly from the book ''but'' the kids don’t [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu physically beat the living shit]] of [[MonsterClown Pennywise]] like they do in the movie. Beverly in particularly is [[{{Xenafication}} much closer]] to ActionGirl than her book counterpart and while ironically she does become the DamselInDistress in this version, Bev regardless happily stabs Pennywise through the skull with a fence spike something she doesn’t do in the book and 1990 Mini-series. She’s also not afraid of Pennywise by the end while Bev in the book certainly was.
** [[Film/ITChapterTwo The sequel]] takes it even further [[spoiler: as the FinalBattle gives every member of the Losers’s Club a moment of badassery and it's their combined PowerOfFriendship that beats the titular MonsterClown/EldrichAbomination. Whereas in the book (and Mini-series) Mike is hospitalized and unlike the film doesn't have a crucial role in the battle, Eddie gets killed rather needlessly instead of a SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome where he wounds Pennywise with a javelin throw and Ben as well as Beverly get sidelined while Bill and Richie are the ones who take IT down; but the film has Ben and Beverly have a PowerOfLove moment to free themselves from IT's traps together. Lastly in the book it's Bill (the Stephen King AuthorAvatar) who deals the killing blow, in the film however ''all'' the remaining Losers reduce Pennywise to a Voldermort-Esque baby through [[IShallTauntYou taunts]] and [[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve belief]], and then [[BeatStillMyHeart they crush Its heart]] ''together'' rather than just having Stuttering Bill do all the work]].
* ''Literature/TheHungerGames'': Peeta sees a lot more action in the films than in the books; being able to hold his own against Cato on top of the Cornucopia in the first, and overpowering and drowning another tribute in the second.
** On the other hand, the movies fail to show him fighting at the Cornucopia, fighting Cato after the tracker jacker attack and killing Brutus.
* ''Film/JamesBond''
** In the book ''Literature/LiveAndLetDie'', Tee Hee's a perfectly ordinary mook whose only quirk is giggling while torturing people and who dies very early on. The [[Film/LiveAndLetDie film adaptation]] of the story ups him to second-in-command to Mr. Big.
** Jaws in ''Film/TheSpyWhoLovedMe''. He is loosely based on the villain Sol "Horror" Horowitz from Creator/IanFleming's [[Literature/TheSpyWhoLovedMe novel of the same name]], who is a thug with a metal-capped teeth whose villainy is limited to terrorizing a helpless woman. He later gets unceremoniously killed by Bond as he tries to make a getaway on a car (and is outlived by his partner, who became Sandor in the same film). Jaws, however, is a man who ''[[ImplacableMan just won't die]]'', and is one of the most remembered aspects of the film, and its [[Film/{{Moonraker}} subsequent sequel]].
** ''Film/{{Skyfall}}'' does this to Miss Eve [[spoiler:Moneypenny]] and to a lesser extent, Ralph Fiennes' Gareth Mallory, [[spoiler:the new M after the death of Judy Dench's M.]]
** ''Film/TheManWithTheGoldenGun'': The book version of Fransisco Scaramanga has fairly good gun skills, but is basically an upper mid-tier thug who only ended up on Bond's radar through (good or bad, depending on your perspective) luck in choosing and executing his assignments. The film version is a genuinely terrifying assassin with ImprobableAimingSkills whose claim to be "The Deadliest Man In The World" is less hot air and more a fairly nuanced description of his capabilities.
** Depending on the movie, Bond himself may count. Fleming's books (at least, the early ones) tend to be less splashy affairs than the movies, and Bond often gets his ass handed to him by the villain and/or his henchmen. Meanwhile, some of the movies (especially the modern ones) portray him as a MadeOfIron OneManArmy who can mow down ''dozens'' of mooks without stopping for a breath (only for a smoke).
* ''Film/{{Jaws}}'': While the shark in the both the film and the novel is unusually large for a great white, the one in the novel eventually dies from exhaustion and is unable to go underwater with three barrels. [[TheJuggernaut The one]] in the movie [[NoSell shrugs off virtually everything thrown at it]], and despite Quint's insistence that there's no way it can go under with three barrels hooked on it, it proceeds to do just that. It takes blowing up its face to finally kill it.
* Three notable examples in ''Film/JohnCarter'':
** Dejah Thoris in the novels had a stronger will and spirit than your average DamselInDistress, but was still a DamselInDistress nonetheless. The film version keeps the book version's ProudWarriorRaceGirl attitude but adds the fighting skills to back it up, making her a full-on LadyOfWar.
** Supporting villain Tal Hajus was a lazy VillainousGlutton who rarely [[OrcusOnHisThrone moved from his throne]] (and got curbstomped in less than a paragraph when he ''did'' move). In the film he's in much better shape, much more active, and apparently younger, though [[spoiler: he still gets curbstomped. Being a BigBadWannabe in an action/adventure story apparently doesn't let you catch a break.]]
** The Therns as a race; in the novels, they [[GodGuise merely use mundane trickery to present themselves as gods to the other Martian races]]. The movie Therns still aren't ''real'' gods, but hovering somewhere between HumanoidAbomination and SufficientlyAdvancedAlien lets them make a much better show of it.
* Pretty much everyone from ''Film/TheJungleBook2016'':
** Mowgli in this one is inventive, clever, and brave, unlike his '67 counterpart.
** Baloo too. In the original cartoon, Baloo grabs Shere Khan by the tail and is dragged around a lot. In this movie, he helps Bagheera in fighting the monkeys and [[spoiler:fights Shere Khan with brute force, teeth, and claws. He actually almost wins the fight until Shere Khan deals a blow to the neck. It doesn't kill Baloo, but it's enough to finally get him out of the fight.]]
** Bagheera is no longer the NonActionGuy from the original. Much like [[Literature/TheJungleBook his original self]], he's now [[CharacterRerailment a badass]] who fights Shere Khan. [[spoiler:''Twice''!]]
** Shere Khan racks up a higher body count than he did in the original movie. [[spoiler:He murders Akela, takes control of the wolf pack, and fights Baloo, the wolf pack, and Bagheera ''and wins''.]]
** King Louie is far more intimidating than his '67 counterpart, who was a fun-loving buffoon. Now he's like [[TheDon a mob boss]], showing his viciousness and brute strength.
** Unlike the 1967 Kaa, this Kaa is [[GenderFlip female]], and she is more sinister and less comical. She's a CompositeCharacter of the original Kaa from the book and Kaa from 1967, in size, wisdom, and villainy.
* Hammond's granddaughter in ''Film/JurassicPark'' was TheLoad in [[Literature/JurassicPark the novel]]. In the film, she got her brother's PlayfulHacker skills, while he kept his knowledge of dinosaurs.
* Wilhelmina Murray and Alan Quatermain, the two central characters of ''ComicBook/TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen'', get this in [[Film/TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen the film adaptation]]. In the comic, Mina's major gimmick was that of a tough, reserved FemmeFatale with a mysterious DarkAndTroubledPast (with the fact that she was really [[Literature/{{Dracula}} Mina Harker]] left hidden from the reader at first), and Quatermain was a burnout ex-adventurer trying to kick his crippling opium addiction. In the film, Mina (who's called "Mina Harker" from the get-go) has vampiric abilities from her past encounter with The Count, and Quatermain is a badass GreatWhiteHunter played by Creator/SeanConnery.
* ''Film/LesMiserables2012'' gives this treatment to InspectorJavert as while Javert was ruthless in [[Literature/{{LesMiserables}} the book]], he was only really a threat to the [[SuperStrength superhuman]] Jean Valjean due to his position and posse of police officers at his command. This is seen in the chapter where [[DelicateAndSickly Fantine]] dies of shock thanks to Javert arresting Valjean at her sickbed, enraged Valjean easily breaks free of Javert’s grip and with verbal intimidation makes the inspector [[PaperTiger retreat]] across the room in fear, allowing Valjean to make a promise to Fantine’s lifeless body before surrendering. In the same scene in the movie Javert duels Valjean [[SwordFight with a sword]], forcing the latter to flee the scene. This doubles for some versions of the [[Theatre/LesMiserables Musical]] where Valjean overpowers Javert during the confrontation like the book, whilst in the movie Javert is easily a match for Valjean.
* Corporal Jensen from ''Film/TheLosers'' went from Computer whiz NonActionGuy to being a capable soldier. Justified as The Losers are supposed to all be special forces soldiers.
* Unlike in the comics where she was an old, paralyzed and blind psychic, Cassandra Webb in ''Film/MadameWeb2024'' is a paramedic. Once her precognitive powers kick in, [[spoiler:she's able to keep up with the much stronger and faster Ezekiel via her anticipating all his moves]].
* In ''Film/MirrorMirror'', Snow White becomes a tough action girl.
* ''Film/MissMarple'': The title character herself. Creator/MargaretRutherford's take on the character got far more involved with the day-to-day investigations than [[Literature/MissMarple her literary counterpart]], often going undercover or otherwise enmeshing herself with the suspects. Even beyond that, Rutherford's Marple was apparently a champion rider and won awards for small arms (pistol shooting) and fencing as a young woman and hasn't lost a step as an older one.
* ''Franchise/MonsterVerse'':
** Franchise/KingKong in ''Film/KongSkullIsland'', partly as a result of being similar in size to his ''Film/KingKongVsGodzilla'' incarnation, beats off a full assault by an entire squad of attack helicopters, whereas other versions were famously killed by a few biplanes. He also now has the intelligence to use makeshift weapons.
** ''Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019'': All the leads get this treatment, harkening back to their Showa Era depictions.
*** This version of Franchise/{{Godzilla}} proves himself to be one of the most powerful ones yet; he [[spoiler:kills Ghidorah with the Nuclear Pulse (an ability that, [[Film/Godzilla2000 barring its use against Orga]], was originally only a sidearm at best), and in an epic case of SparedByTheAdaptation, survives the Oxygen Destroyer ([[Film/Godzilla1954 the weapon that killed the original Godzilla]]) and safely utilizes [[Film/GodzillaVsDestoroyah Burning Godzilla]] as a SuperMode (as opposed to it being a SuperpowerMeltdown that kills him) -- and keep in mind, these killed two different Godzillas in two different movie; this Godzilla survived ''both'' in the ''same movie'']].
*** Rodan is capable of lasting two minutes alone with Ghidorah, can destroy a city by merely flying over it, and has a long drag-out fight with Mothra, making him considerably stronger than his Heisei and Millennium incarnations (who were largely manhandled by their opponents in short order). He's even partially made of magma ([[Film/{{Rodan}} the very thing that killed one of his previous incarnations]]).
*** Mothra is considered an "Alpha" Titan not far behind Godzilla himself in power, as opposed to her other post-Showa incarnations who often needed help to match him. She's even referred to as the "Queen of the Monsters". [[spoiler:She's capable of defeating Rodan one on one, finishing the fight by ''impaling him'' with her stinger.]]
*** King Ghidorah was a badass already, but this version is not only the largest version in any live-action film, he is capable of generating a cataclysmic storm system simply by ''being awake'', casually lifting Godzilla all the way into the skies, [[spoiler:[[NoSell no-selling]] the Oxygen Destroyer]], and just straight-up beating Godzilla in a 1v1. In particular, he has an ''incredible'' HealingFactor which regenerates a severed head (an injury that was a movie-ending death knell for previous Ghidorah iterations) in minutes, and this healing factor means that unlike earlier Ghidorah's, [[spoiler:it takes being ''completely atomized'' to kill this one]]; and even then [[spoiler:his remains retain enough conciousness to become a menace come ''Film/GodzillaVsKong'']]. Also, whereas every Ghidorah since the original except the ''Rebirth'' incarnation has been TheDragon to someone else, this Ghidorah is [[BigBad the one giving the orders to other monsters]].
** ''Film/GodzillaVsKong'':
*** King Kong has grown even bigger since his last ''Skull Island'' appearance, being roughly the size of MV-Godzilla himself, and is tough enough to [[spoiler:survive being grazed by Godzilla's Atomic Breath]]. He also gets an axe capable of absorbing Atomic Breath to become a HotBlade.
*** This [[spoiler:Mechagodzilla]] is probably the strongest incarnation to date; prevous versions had [[spoiler:a wider array of flashy weapons]] but were usually no match for Godzilla in a direct fight, while this version outright humilates Godzilla in their brawl ([[spoiler:to the point of being to overpower the Big G's Atomic Breath with his own]]), and would have [[spoiler:killed both him and Kong if not for his control system being briefly interrupted]].
* ''Film/MortalKombatTheMovie'': Johnny Cage was the PluckyComicRelief in the games up until this point. While he is still the most overtly comedic character in the film, he also shows why he was chosen to defend Earthrealm, managing to defeat both Scorpion and Goro.
* ''Film/MortalKombat2021'':
** Sonya, Jax and Kano get this thanks to AdaptationalSuperpowerChange. In the games Kano and Jax have [[{{Cyborg}} cybernetics]] with former possessing a metal eye that can shoot a laser and the latter has [[ArtificialLimbs bulky metal arms]]. In Sonya’s case, she has special gauntlets that can shoot [[EnergyRingAttack pink energy rings]] but is otherwise a BadassNormal. In the movie, due to the [[VictorGainsLosersPowers arcana]] subplot, Sonya, Jax and Kano gain genuine superpowers with Kano getting an actual EyeBeam, Jax [[MakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext growing high-tec metal arms out of spindly little prosthetics]] and Sonya can shoot the pink ring [[BlastingTime blasts]] from her bare hands.
** Bi-Han aka Sub-Zero while incredibly deadly in the games, he is in the long run overshadowed by his younger brother Kuai Liang, who becomes the StrongerSibling. Bi-Han besides killing Scorpion when he was human, isn’t that much more than a powerful henchmen with only a few feats to his name. In the new timeline, all Bi-Han does is [[TheWorfEffect get his ass kicked by Sonya]] before getting burned to a skeleton by a vengeful Scorpion. In the movie however Bi-Han is firmly TheDreaded and TheDragon of Shang Tsung, being more powerful than even Goro as he’s able to turn very rain [[AnIcePerson into ice]] as a PersonOfMassDestruction. The heroes concede trying to fight him one on one would be outright suicidal. [[spoiler: Even when Scorpion [[BigDamnHeroes shows up to help out]], Bi-Han [[DefiantToTheEnd still puts up a helluva fight]] and it takes the combined effort of [[CanonForeigner Cole]] and Scorpion to overpower and kill him.]]
* ''Film/{{Mowgli}}'', another adaptation of ''Literature/TheJungleBook'', keeps up the trend of making Shere Khan more of a threat than the source material. In the book, he was a bully who was more bark than bite, particularly considering his crippled paw. Despite retaining said crippled paw in this version, Khan is portrayed as a lot more dangerous, mostly due to being more [[AxCrazy mentally unstable]] and openly contemptuous of the jungle's laws.
* [[{{Mummy}} Imhotep]] in the original ''Film/TheMummy1932'' played by Creator/BorisKarloff, was a shambling EvilSorcerer who crumbled to dust when the scroll keeping him immortal was set on fire. In ''Film/TheMummy1999'' and its [[Film/TheMummyReturns sequel]] Imhotep played by Creator/ArnoldVosloo is upgraded to a WalkingWasteland and PersonOfMassDestruction who is nigh-indestructible, can manipulate sand and water, has telekinesis and even when BroughtDownToNormal still gives Rick quite the fight.
* ''Film/NightOfTheLivingDead1990'' does this to Barbra. In the [[Film/NightOfTheLivingDead1968 original film]], she became a near-catatonic load from all the horror surrounding her. In the remake, she takes an active role in defending the house from the zombies, [[spoiler:to the point of being the sole survivor in the end]].
* Zig-zagged with Count Orlok in ''Film/{{Nosferatu}}'', one of the earliest film adaptations of ''Literature/{{Dracula}}''. On the one hand, Orlok's powers are upgraded from Dracula's; where Dracula had to actually bite people in order to kill them, Orlok can cause mass deaths simply by existing. On the other hand, Dracula's ''weaknesses'' are ''also'' exaggerated; where Dracula's power was only slightly weaker in daytime than at night, Orlok disintegrates into nothingness the instant sunlight touches his skin.
* ''Film/OzTheGreatAndPowerful''
** In ''Literature/TheWonderfulWizardOfOz'', Glinda is a relatively tame character that does help the heroes, though through indirect means, which translated into ''Film/TheWizardOfOz''. In ''Film/OzTheGreatAndPowerful'', Glinda is a much more active character [[spoiler: seeking to avenge the death of her father, the previous wizard]] who uses her magic to battle the Wicked Witch of the West and play a large part in getting the people of Oz to revolt against the Wicked Witch.
** The Wicked Witch of the West herself. In the book and the 1939 film, she does have spells that can help her accomplish her goals, (including poppies and an enchanted hourglass that ends a person's life when the sand runs through it); but both are foiled (by Glinda's snow and The Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion rescuing Dorothy) and she ultimately meets her end by being splashed with water. Now, she has [[PlayingWithFire fire-based magic]] and actively tries to harm the people of Oz [[spoiler: in part for being manipulated into becoming the Wicked Witch of the West]].
* Raoul De Changy in ''Film/ThePhantomOfTheOpera2004'' as in the book and especially the stage show Raoul was a bit of a fop, he only managed to graze the Phantom with his pistol and even Raoul’s petite girlfriend Christine could physically overpower him ''twice'' in the book. In the film however Raoul is a MasterSwordsman who [[CurbStompBattle kicks the Phantom’s ass]] in their duel at the graveyard and when Raoul falls into the Phantom’s trap at the end, he gets himself free while in the book Raoul would’ve explicitly died without the Persian and Christine’s aid.
* Downplayed in ''Film/PokemonDetectivePikachu'': In ''VideoGame/DetectivePikachu'', the titular electric rodent isn't good at using [[ShockAndAwe Electric-type]] moves and prefers to use his wits (though he later uses Thunderbolt to put a stop to a rampaging Noivern). The film has Pikachu actually doing Electric-type attacks like Volt Tackle very well, having once even beaten (and even scarred) Sebastian's Charizard and using Volt Tackle on Mewtwo. But the downplayed part comes from Pikachu forgetting his moves due to his amnesia, but once he starts getting his memories back, he uses his moves more effectively.
** Zig-zagged with Tim Goodman: the video game does show he has good deductive skills, but is otherwise just an ordinary young man who's come to Ryme City to search for his missing father Harry. The movie portrays him similarly, but also adds the detail of him being a former Pokémon Trainer who retains his skills by going for the tail of Sebastian's Charizard above [[spoiler: and also directly defeats the main villain by removing Howard Clifford's neural link to Mewtwo with the help of Pikachu's above-mentioned Volt Tackle. Neither of these happened in the video game]].
** [[spoiler: Ditto is portrayed similarly to its anime counterpart, going from only being able to use Transform and copying the moves of the Pokémon it transforms into to being able to shapeshift into other Pokémon and people at will, largely thanks to Howard Clifford's genetic experiments. It can also assume the role of the aide Ms. Norman to gain intel on others and is surprisingly skilled at melee combat. Just imagine Ditto as [[Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay the T-1000]] and you've got it. Justified, as this particular Ditto is the result of genetic manipulation.]]
** Like the above, Psyduck also gets the same treatment as in the anime. In the games, it's a less than mediocre, [[ComMons dirt-common]] mon (hell, even its evolved form Golduck is a MasterOfNone). Here, it's a greatly feared, nearly uncontrollable [[PersonOfMassDestruction Mon of Mass Destruction]] that can defeat multiple genetically-enhanced Greninja in a single hit.
* Will Graham gets in the ''Film/RedDragon'' film. In [[Literature/RedDragon the Thomas Harris book]], Will is more of a realistic subversion of the cool detective, being largely a NonActionGuy whose sole (off-page) moment of real action: shooting Garrett Jacob Hobbs while the latter was murdering his own family, [[{{Deconstruction}} psychologically scarred him]] to point of needing intensive psychotherapy. Will's "capture" of Hannibal Lecter in the book wasn't a splashy affair, with Will just realising Lecter is the killer he's hunting after picking up clues in the doctor's office and going to make the phone call -- at which Lecter sneaks up behind Will and slashes him with a knife almost disemboweling him and the FBI are the ones who save the day. In the film Graham is more traditionally badass, as when Lecter suprise stabs him, Will manages to stay concious long enough to subdue the doctor stabbing Lecter right back with some nearby arrows and shooting him a few times for good measure (impressive given how much of an InvincibleVillain Hannibal is usually portrayed as). A similar occurance happens during the climax [[spoiler: when Francis Dolarhyde in the TwistEnding attacks Will and his family at their house. In the book, Dolarhyde takes Will completely by surprise, overpowerng him and disfiguring him with a knife -- forcing Will's wife Molly to be a ActionMom and kill the sonofabitch by herself. In the film, Dolarhyde takes his stepson Willy hostage and Will exploits Francis's childhood truama to make him let the boy go and he manages to wound Dolarhyde despite getting cut up himself. While Molly is the one who finishes off Dolarhyde like in the book, it's clear Will did the heavy lifting in this version.]]
** This is hardly [[OlderThanTheyThink the first adaptation]] to give Will this treatment however. In 1986's ''Film/{{Manhunter}}'', Will is a grizzled CowboyCop and all around loose cannon who kicks far more ass than he did on the page. Take for example the moment when ImmoralJournalist Freddy Lounds bugs Will as he's leaving the station, in the book he just ignores him and in the 2002 film shoves him away, but in the 80s film Will actually judo throws Freddy onto a car (breaking the windscreen) telling Lounds in no uncertain terms to fuck off. [[spoiler: In the climax, Will is the one who kills Dolarhyde, unlike the book and 2002 film.]] ''Series/{{Hannibal}}'' would make Will TruerToTheText, greatly downplaying the ActionHero elements to his character.
* ''Film/RurouniKenshin'': the eponymous hero is more competent in unarmed combat. In the source material, Kenshin is more or less useless without a sword.
* Daphne in ''Film/ScoobyDoo'' was transformed this way. She even beats someone up in the live action film.
* ''Film/SherlockHolmes2009''
** [[Literature/SherlockHolmes Holmes and Watson's]] portrayal, although not nearly to the degree that some viewers accused it. Watson was a veteran Army doctor in the books, while Holmes was a martial artist and bare knuckle boxer with surprising strength. The movie turns them both into outright action heroes who take on multiple opponents at once in hand-to-hand combat and defeat all manner of armed attackers.
** Irene Adler as well. In the book, she was a singer/adventuress who had a fling with the King of Bohemia, and Holmes was hired by the king to recover some letters he wrote to her, so they don't end up embarrassing him later. Her main distinction is that she outmanoeuvres Holmes and moves the letters beyond his reach, leaving a note to Holmes in their former hiding place. For this, she earns Holmes' respect, and he always afterwards refers to her as ''the'' woman. In the movies, she is a brilliant career criminal who is more than capable of defending herself. At one point she is [[MuggingTheMonster mugged]], and she turns the tables, ''mugging her muggers.''
** Moriarty himself. In the books, he's really a NonActionBigBad, relying on his underlings to do all the work for him and Holmes easily overpowers him in their confrontation at Reichenbach. In ''Film/SherlockHolmesAGameOfShadows'' on other hand, Moriarty is a geuine phyiscal threat as well as a EvilGenius. Being the boxing champion of cambridge it's shown in ''his own'' AwesomeByAnalysis slowdown he would've easily defeated the wounded Sherlock and thrown him into the falls, if not for Holmes taking third option by [[AHandfulForAnEye blowing his tabacco pipe in Moraity's face]] and [[HeroicSacrifice pulling him over the ledge with him]]. Additionally book Moriarty's schemes never escalated beyond London, here he's an international terrorist who would've successfully instigated a world war across Europe if not for Holmes and Watson.
* ''Film/SnowWhiteAndTheHuntsman'': In this movie, Snow White becomes LadyOfWar.
* ''Film/StarTrekIntoDarkness'' gives this treatment to [[spoiler:Khan. Not that Khan wasn't always a badass, being genetically enhanced, but his strength only made him one of Kirk's most difficult adversaries, and capable of being defeated with a blunt weapon. This version of Khan is ''much'' more physically powerful, a OneManArmy able to wield what looks like a converted [[{{BFG}} starship weapon]] ''literally'' single-handed. He could take just about any amount of physical punishment and keep fighting, as well as take multiple stun shots from a phaser (and {{No Sell}}ing the [[PressurePoint Vulcan Neck Grip]]) before going down.]]
* ''Franchise/StarWars'':
** Boba Fett in the films misses every shot and gets knocked into a Sarlaac pit by a blind man. The dozens of '' Legends'' books, comics, and video games that have used him since have ignored this in the interests of making him the badass BountyHunter the fandom wanted him to be. Canon comics and ''[[WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars The Clone Wars]]'' shows that he was like this [[BadassAdorable even as a child]]. [[spoiler: ''Series/TheMandalorian'' has a live action showcase of Boba Fett being a OneManArmy, who decimates an entire army of Stormtroopers and blows up one of their landing ships when they try to escape from him. It is hinted that Boba’s years on Tatoonie have made him [[TookALevelInBadass take a level in badass]].]]
** Similarly Darth Maul was a minor part of ''Film/ThePhantomMenace'' and while he was a memorably badass antagonist he still got unceremoniously sliced in half by Obi-Wan and fell down a shaft seemingly to his death. Old EU ''Legend'' comics, ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'' and TheStinger of ''Film/{{Solo}}'' all had Maul be SparedByAdaptation and the former examples detail how he is one of the most powerful and skilled Sith Lords to ever live and a BigBad in his own right.
** Also of note is Darth Vader in the shift from the old Expanded Universe (now branded ''Star Wars Legends'') to the new "Disney Canon". While it obviously has no bearing on the movies themselves, the old EU occasionally had him suffer TheWorfEffect and BadassDecay, with several characters other than the Emperor capable of defeating him (such as, infamously, [[VideoGame/StarWarsTheForceUnleashed Galen Marek]]) and more emphasis was put on Vader's {{Angst}}. On one occasion, he actually almost got killed because a random surviving Jedi ''pressed one of the buttons on his suit'', and on another, a well-prepared Tusken Raider was able to critically injure him. In the new, post-Disney canon, it's repeatedly made clear that Vader is second only to the Emperor in Force power, and possibly ''the'' greatest lightsaber duelist of his time, as well as one of the greatest of all. New EU materials such as ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels'' are devoted to depicting him as a nigh-unstoppable force of death, while the ''ComicBook/StarWarsDarthVader'' comics depict him as capable of such feats as single-handedly killing a Kaiju-sized opponent, besting an ancient Sith Lord that had come BackFromTheDead even ''after'' being critically injured beforehand, and, through an elaborate ritual, ripping open a ''gate to the afterlife''. It helps that the old EU depicted Darth Sidious as viewing Vader as little more than a glorified attack dog, whereas in modern canon he still viewed Vader as a viable apprentice and is shown actively teaching him in the ways of the Sith.
*** We finally get a live-action taste of how unstoppable Vader is in ''Film/RogueOne'' where Vader massacres a squadron of poor Rebels in a '''single minute''', this also serves as FridgeHorror if you reflect upon the original trilogy and realize Vader could've shred Luke to pieces in ''The Empire Strikes Back'' [[IamNotLeftHanded if he wanted too]], while he likely could have bested Obi-Wan very easily if hadn't been so overtly cautious with him in ''A New Hope''. In ''Series/ObiWanKenobi'' we see Vader prevent a space cruiser taking off with the Force before slamming it down the ground and he’s shown using techniques like Shatterpoint to break the ground beneath Obi-Wan, neither of which he was shown doing in the original films.
** Similar to his dad Vader, Luke Skywalker’s Jedi abilities are greatly enhanced in later media compared to the original trilogy where he was in training for two movies and only became a master in the third. In ''Star Wars Legends'' Luke can perform all sorts of crazy feats as a Jedi Master like pulling down [=AT-ATs=] with a gesture, walking across lava, becoming one with the Force and communicating across the universe and defeat Palptine in a lightsaber duel multiple times. In the Disney cannon we do get a taste of this, like in ''Film/TheLastJedi'' where Luke projects himself across the galaxy to save rebellion [[spoiler: and in ''Series/TheMandalorian'' when we see a younger Luke make scrap metal out of an army of Dark Troopers with his lightsaber, including crushing one to pieces, which is the kind of raw power he didn’t display in the original trilogy]].
** Princess Leia’s Force powers are also greatly expanded upon past the original films, where she only used telepathy briefly. Multiple EU ''Legends'' stories have her learn the Force and even become a Jedi Knight. In ''Film/TheRiseOfSkywalker'' a FlashBack confirms, Leia did train with Luke and could even overpower him with a lightsaber, but she gave up on her training.
* In the ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'' comics, General Zod was one of Krypton's top military advisors, but often relied more on his planning skills than doing actual fighting. The character's film portrayals have helped make him a much bigger threat. ''Film/SupermanII'' portrayed Zod as a charismatic leader that took full advantage of the fact that the gained powers from Earth's yellow sun; as displayed in the film's fight scenes. It proved to be so successful that it was integrated into the comics and became a key factor in every subsequent adaptation that featured Zod, not to mention several other Kryptonian villains. There's also the aforementioned ''Man of Steel''.
* ''Film/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2014'':
** While the Turtles have never really been wimps, this movie turns them all into hulking monster trucks with SuperStrength and are [[SuperToughness heavily armored]], a very noticeable contrast to their usual portrayal as [[BadassNormal unpowered ninja]]. Noticeably, Raphael is [[TheBigGuy much, much burlier]] than past incarnations. Correspondingly, The Shredder has a PoweredArmor suit to even the playing field.
** Vernon. In [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1987 the 1987 cartoon]], he is a {{Jerkass}} and a DirtyCoward. This film takes away his jerkassery and makes him an ActionSurvivor and something of a BadassBystander along with April. This arguably makes him closer to the way [[CharacterizationMarchesOn he was originally portrayed]] in the '87 cartoon before it made him April's rival.
* ''Franchise/TolkiensLegendarium'':
** ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'':
*** Pretty much '''everyone''' with the big [[AdaptationalWimp exception of Frodo]] gets Adaptational Badass, however the standout when it comes to this trope is clearly Legolas Greenleaf. Sure in the books he kills a Fellbeast but otherwise there's no suggestion Legolas is stronger than Aragorn or Gimli, in the movies however Legolas just makes his companions look incompetent by comparison with his "[[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome Leggy Moments]]" i.e [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaGZnLyCPXw surfboarding on a shield down a staircase while firing arrows and then hurtling the shield into a orc's chest]] or [[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=132WIdxvgdo taking down a pack of Haradrim and massive Oliphaunt (a giant freaking elephant) by himself]] like a ''One Elf Army''.
*** Arwen, while not to same extent as Legolas still gets a big case on this in ''Film/TheFellowshipOfTheRing'' where becomes an ActionGirl. In the book all she really does is meet and fall in love with Aragon [[SatelliteLoveInterest and get married to him]] after the War of the Ring is won, in the film due to Glorfindel getting AdaptedOut ([[WesternAnimation/TheLordOfTheRings again]]) to cut down on the number of characters, Arwen takes his role racing against the Nazgûl to get the dying Frodo to Rivendell. She's the one who summons the torrent of water to wash the Ringwraiths away in this version. ''Film/TheTwoTowers'' was originally go the extra step further of having Arwen take part in the Battle of Helms Deep too, but Peter Jackson fearing he'd strayed too far from the books, cut her role out of it.
*** Merry and Pippin get a good deal of this, they were mostly [[ActionSurvivor Action Survivors]] in the first two books with Pippin being TheLoad. In the films they're much more badass as seen in ''Fellowship of the Ring'' where they not only help kill the Cave Troll by jumping on its back and stabbing it, but they also sacrifice themselves for Frodo leading the Uruk-hai away from him at Weathertop. Although ''Return of King'' fails to show the moment where Pippin killed a Mordor troll by himself.
*** The Witch King of Angmar gets this in the [[ReCut extended version]] of ''Film/TheReturnOfTheKing''. In the book he is incredibly strong and deadly, but it's still left ambiguous if the Witch King can actually take on CameBackStrong Gandalf the White, since their brief standoff is interrupted when Pippin gets Gandalf's attention and he leaves the battle to deal with Denethor. The extended film instead provides a straight anwser with the Witch King [[TheWorfEffect easily knocking Gandalf off Shadowfax and breaking his staff]], while it succeeded in conveying the Witch King as a threat, since he is beaten the exact same way as in the book (stabbed in the leg by Merry and then killed Éowyn) it did make Gandalf [[AdaptationalWimp seem like a pushover]].
*** Orcs in general receive this. In the books, it's often noted that your average orc is far weaker than a human, as well as significantly smaller. Treebeard's musing implies that the reason Uruk-Hai are superior to the standard variety is that they have taken on manlike characteristics, which is treated as a direct upgrade (and they're still generally smaller and weaker), and Sauron's auxiliary human forces are consistently shown to be his best troops. In the films, though orcs have a massive amount of variety in appearance, the ones in Sauron's army are shown to be at least on par with humans in size and skill, and the Uruk-Hai are downright ''huge''. Their leader, Lurtz, is able to actually give Aragorn a run for his money in a sword duel; the idea of a lone orc pulling that off in the book is near-incomprehensible.
*** Beleive it or not '''Sauron''' himself gets this to a degree. To explain while he is undeniably immensely powerful and god-like in the books, it's specifically his dark magical power that makes Sauron TheDreaded BigBad that he is, not his physical might. In fact when actually forced into a physical fight, such as against Huan the wolfhound in ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'', Sauron actually gets his dark lord ass ''handed to him''. In the films however, Sauron as seen in the opening flashback to ''Fellowship of the Ring'' can personally crush and send flying the allied armies of men and elves [[PersonOfMassDestruction all by himself]] with his just his mace -- which is likely a result of [[CompositeCharacter compositing]] his character with his master Morgoth whom was described as a giant armoured figure wielding a mace. Similar to Sauron's depiction in the film. On the other hand, as recounted in the book it took the combined might of Gil-galad and Elendil to defeat Sauron, whereas in the film Isildur is able to beat Sauron alone by cutting the ring off his finger.
*** While Frodo does get AdaptationalWimp overall, ''Return of King'' did give him one epic moment of this during the climax at Mount Doom. In the book when he finally gets there and is about to toss the Ring into the fire, he gives into the influence of the Ring and claims it as his own. Its Gollum [[NiceJobFixingItVillain who unintentionally saves the day]] by biting Frodo's finger off making Frodo collapse in pain and Gollum while celebrating his victory, falls backwards into the fire, unmaking the Ring. In the film largely the same happens, except Frodo recovers from Gollum's attack and wrestles with him at the edge, pushing him along with the Ring into the fire himself and accomplishing his journey in a roundabout way.
** ''Film/TheHobbit'':
*** Bilbo Baggins is a lot more quick-witted, competent, and takes the initiative in the movie, and on several occasions -- most notably the encounter with the Trolls -- manages to accomplish more in moments where he was saved by someone else in the book. In the book, he doesn't really start pulling his weight until he saves the Company from the spiders, while the movie gives him a BigDamnHeroes moment saving Thorin from Azog immediately following the Goblin encounter.
*** The dwarf company is more badass than they were in the book. All armed to the teeth, they are raking in high kill-counts in many scenes where they simply slipped away unnoticed or with minimal trouble, like Goblin Town and the Barrel Ride. Oh, they also overpower Smaug the dragon at one point.
*** In the movies, Smaug's hide is tough all over, and can only be successfully damaged by Black Arrows fired from a dwarvish wind-lance, whereas the book version's scales were soft on the underside and instead had a waistcoat of treasure embedded in them to make up for this. Smaug's weak spot is subsequently changed to a single chink where a scale is missing -- and even then, it took multiple hits from two wind-lance fired Black Arrows to give him that weak spot! Furthermore, while the book counterpart was no wimp by any stretch of the imagination, this version of Smaug endures and bounces back from a lot of punishment that his book counterpart was never known to (from having giant metal constructs falling atop him in a seemingly bottomless underground shaft, to getting drowned in molten gold), as well as being somewhat more persistent when the dwarves have entered the Lonely Mountain.
*** Radagast the Brown from the books is not portrayed as any kind of fighter. In the first film, he faces off with the Witch-King of Angmar without a hint of fear or hesitation, [[spoiler:only escaping when he comes face to face with Sauron himself.]]
* ''Film/TransformersFilmSeries''
** [[KidAppealCharacter Bumblebee's]] main role in [[WesternAnimation/TheTransformers the original cartoon]] was evacuating the humans to safety while the bigger, tougher Autobots went into action, and that was about it. In the film series, he has a Decepticon kill count second only to Optimus Prime himself, and he's the go-to guy for being a {{Big Damn Hero|es}}, and is quite badass in ''WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime'' as well.
** From [[Film/TransformersDarkOfTheMoon the third film]], Sentinel Prime, who mostly appeared in comic series to serve as Optimus Prime's predecessor who gets killed by Megatron, and in as a {{Jerkass}} in ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'' who got beat up every appearance he made. Here, he's Optimus Prime's mentor and never made out to be helpless [[spoiler: and after being revealed as the film's BigBad, actually defeats Optimus in both their fights.]]
** Starscream was considerably more badass than almost all of his previous incarnations in [[Film/Transformers2007 the first live-action film]], where he holds his own against Ironhide and Ratchet, easily destroys military aircraft, and is one of the few Decepticons to survive the movie. However, this was inverted in the sequels, to the point where he became one of the most pathetic of the Decepticons, although given that he was beaten up both by Optimus and Megatron, this is somewhat understandable.
** Hound was originally a pacifist who used his wits and holographic projector against his enemies. In ''Film/TransformersAgeOfExtinction'', he's a rude and crude fatass-badass who kills enemies left and right, all whilst cracking jokes about his stature.
** Megatron has taken a level in badass between ''Franchise/TransformersGeneration1'' and the [[Film/Transformers2007 first movie]] (maybe even the [[Film/TransformersRevengeOfTheFallen second]] too). Gone is the GeneralFailure incompetent cartoon villain commander. This Megatron is a demonic-looking mechanical beast voiced by Creator/HugoWeaving who rips Autobots in two, [[spoiler: kills Jazz and Optimus]], treats humans like insects and doesn't hesitate to flick those pesky buggers out of the way, and is absolutely ''ruthless'' in pursuing his objectives. And if supplemental material is to be believed, he's a cannibal too.
* ''Film/TheTimeMachine2002'' does this with the Morlocks, [[Literature/TheTimeMachine in the book]] they’re kinda pathetic being smaller and weaker than the average human, even the NonActionGuy protagonist can hunt and kill them easily, the only advantage the Morlocks have is numbers and trickery. In the film however they’re 6 foot tall nightmares reminiscent of the [[Film/TheLordOfTheRings Uruk-hai]], who kick the protagonist’s ass on multiple occasions. Not to mention the Morlock leader has telekinesis and telepathy and is only beaten when he gets disintegrated by the titular machine when he gets caught in its energy field.
* ''Literature/TheTwilightSaga'': Esme Cullen is just as adept in combat as the rest of her family, and is shown participating in battles in ''Eclipse'' and ''Breaking Dawn - Part 2''. In the books, it's specifically stated a few times that Esme is not a fighter.
* ''Film/Venom2018'' has Riot. In the comics, Riot is just one member of a QuirkyMinibossSquad and never really battles Venom individually. In this movie, he's more analogous to Carnage in terms of abilities, with Venom being something of "a runt" in comparison.
* ''Film/VForVendetta'' features a tricky one for Gordon Dietrich. On the one hand, the film makes him a chubby, middle-aged comedian (played by Creator/StephenFry, no less) while he was a younger, more physically imposing career criminal in the book. On the other, in the film he defies Norsefire Government's laws by hiding banned books and films in his house, and [[TakeThat openly mocking]] Chancellor Sutler on his show [[spoiler:(which he is eventually executed for)]], which is ''far'' more badass than anything the Novel!Gordon did.
* Gul'dan in ''Film/WarCraft2016'' gets this treatment. While, like his video game counterpart, he mostly acts from distance and casts spells, when challenged to [[DuelToTheDeath mak'gora]], he holds his own extremely well and wrecks his enemy as much as the other guy does.
* Pretty much every non-powered hero in ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'' becomes [[MadeOfIron a lot tougher]] and [[CharlesAtlasSuperPower a lot stronger]] in the movie version of ''Film/{{Watchmen}}''. The film also removes a lot of the deconstruction of super-heroes that intentionally made them seem a bit ridiculous.
* Lawrence Talbot in ''Film/TheWolfman2010''. His Wolfman is far more formidable than in ''Film/TheWolfman1941'', killing about 10 times the number of people the original Wolfman did. Even in human form, he's not bad with a rifle.
* ''Film/XMenFilmSeries'':
** The comic book version of Pyro was a LaughingMad pyrokinetic hamstrung by his inability to create flames, relying on an unwieldy pair of flamethrowers with very prominent fuel lines. Naturally, he was often very easily beaten. In the films, he's perfectly rational, albeit a bit temperamental, and he now only relies on a lighter, which in ''Film/XMenTheLastStand'', he attached to his glove, allowing maximum firepower with minimum inconvenience.
** Quicksilver is one of the fastest characters in the Marvel comics universe, but he has limitations on just how fast, and is generally well under the speed of sound. In ''Film/XMenDaysOfFuturePast'', Hank mistakes him for a teleporter, and fans have noted that Peter's SuperSpeed and power set (he's capable of redirecting bullets with ease and shattering glass by vibrating his hands) are closer to ComicBook/TheFlash, who explicitly has a speed advantage over Quicksilver in inter-company crossover stories. Even more so in ''Film/XMenApocalypse'' because he rescues ''all'' of Xavier's students from an explosion in only a ''fraction of a second''. Maximoff is one of the most powerful mutants in the whole X-Men film franchise.
** ''Film/XMen1'': In the comics, Toad was originally conceived as a deformed, sniveling hunchback who served as TheIgor to Magneto. His superpower was [[WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway he could hop... really high]] because of having very low-grade super-strength, concentrated in his legs. However, stuntman Creator/RayPark played him as a wisecracking martial artist with wall-crawling abilities and a tongue that he could use as a whip, thus making him more capable of beating up Storm, Jean and Cyclops simultaneously. Also, Toad can spit slime projectiles unlike the comics. However, considering that Ray Park once played as [[Film/ThePhantomMenace that red-skinned badass Sith]], his badassery has to be expected.
** Kitty Pryde, one of the relatively weaker X-Men, gets a good dose of this in the films. In ''Film/XMenTheLastStand'', she defeats The Juggernaut single-handedly and in ''Film/XMenDaysOfFuturePast'', she has the power to send Wolverine’s consciousness back in time, which saves the world and the timeline. Though in the latter case, this is due to [[CompositeCharacter combining]] her character and [[AdaptationalSuperpowerChange powers]] with ComicBook/RachelSummers, who is AdaptedOut of the story.
** ''Film/TheWolverine'': Mariko Yashida is a much more capable and physical badass than her comic book counterpart.
** ''Film/XMenDaysOfFuturePast'': In the comics, the Sentinels are just HumongousMecha, and mutants with strong powers[[note]]the X-Men in the comics are much stronger than in the movies with Storm, Magneto, Iceman, and Xavier being planetary threats; and it doesn't help that they're made of metal[[/note]] usually take them down by the dozen. They are portrayed as such in the 1973 portion of the film as well. The future Sentinels, however, with their ability to duplicate mutant powers to counter their opponents, are so overwhelmingly powerful that any fight with them is considered outright hopeless.
** ''Film/XMenApocalypse'': In the comics, Angel is sometimes mocked for lacking any sort of offensive capabilities before becoming Archangel. In ''Apocalypse'', he has sharp talons on his wings, making him a formidable physical threat even before he gains his metal wings and FeatherFlechettes.
** ''Film/XMenDarkPhoenix'': The D'bari in ''ComicBook/TheDarkPhoenixSaga'' are a harmless LittleGreenMen-esque race who are [[WouldBeRudeToSayGenocide decimated]] along with their galaxy by [[SuperpoweredEvilSide Dark Phoenix]]. The SoleSurvivor of their species, Vuk, has a human disguise and some PoweredArmor, but besides that is a minor villain. In the movie, the D'bari are [[GalacticConqueror world-conquering]], [[VoluntaryShapeshifting shapeshifting]], [[{{Telepathy}} telepathic]], [[AliensAreBastards evil aliens]] whose leader, a {{Gender Flip}}ped Vuk, can take on the entire X-Men, overpower Magneto and even hold her own against Jean with her own PsychicPowers. It's more than likely that the filmmakers [[CompositeCharacter combined]] the D'bari with the Skrulls, who are generally that fearsome in the comics, but whom Fox didn't have the rights to.
** ''Film/TheNewMutants'':
*** Dani Moonstar in the comics has [[MasterOfIllusion illusionary powers]] being able to create images that trick and scare opponents, but not actually hurt them. In the film, [[spoiler:she's a RealityWarper who can actually summon a {{Kaiju}}[=-=]sized demon bear and other horrors that can kill people and destroy an entire school]]. On the other hand, Dani's hand-to-hand combat and weapon-handling skills are missing in the film.
*** Ilyanna Rasputin despite her magic is WeakButSkilled in the comics, even ComicBook/BlackWidow can easily hold her own against her in fight as seen in ''ComicBook/AvengersVsXMen'' and her fancy Soulsword has no effect on non-magic foes. In the film not only does the Soulsword work on anyone but she can open portals to limbo on a whim and boost her physical abilities including covering her sword arm in metal. Particularly impressive, considering Ilyanna didn’t have any magical training in this version.

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