History AdaptationalHeroism / LiveActionFilms

* ''Film/TheDeep'': [[spoiler: Kevin]] is TheMole in the book but a stalwart ally in the film.

* John Hammond of ''Franchise/JurassicPark'' is an interesting case in that both versions of him, the [[Literature/JurassicPark original novel version]] and the much more well known [[Film/JurassicPark1993 film adaptation]], are [[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed thinly-veiled versions]] of [[MrAltDisney Walt Disney]]. In the original novel, Hammond is compared to Disney in-text very early on when an EPA agent approaches Alan Grant about him and Grant blows off his warnings, remarking that "John Hammond is about as sinister as Walt Disney", the joke being that that's exactly true, since the book goes on to reveal Hammond as a [[ItsAllAboutMe self-interested]] {{Jerkass}} who dismisses all his mistakes and lapses of judgment as [[NeverMyFault not his fault]], as some countercultural portrayals of Disney suggest he was. That said, the popular perception of Disney had shifted back towards the CoolOldGuy EccentricMillionaire by the time Creator/StevenSpielberg adapted the novel into the film, so Spielberg deliberately based Hammond off the kinder interpretation of Disney, due to feeling a personal kinship with him. Not only was Hammond SparedByTheAdaptation, he even got to appear in sequels as a BigGood. However, the most overt invocation of Disney in the movie is also one of Hammond's more callous moments.

* ''Film/EastOfEden'' does this to Kate, Cal's mother. In the original novel, Kate (or, rather, Cathy) is a vicious, manipulative murderess without conscience with several bodies on her hands and not an inkling of love for her estranged family. In the film, Kate's still cold, detached, and left her family while leaving them to bear the consequences, but she's no longer a villain or even an antagonist, simply the owner of a brothel who's implied to heavily regret having ever left her sons in the first place.

* ''Film/AptPupil'': Although he is still a youth obsessed with Nazi crimes in both versions, Todd is a lot less nasty in the film version than he is in the novella. In the book, he is a budding sociopath who fantasizes about raping a captive woman in a concentration camp and, together with Dussander, becomes a serial killer wherein he murders hobos before [[spoiler:he murders his guidance counsellor and finally goes on a killing spree that ends in his death.]] In the film, Todd comes across as more disturbed and immature than AxCrazy and sadistic, and doesn't have anything as explicit as a rape fantasy during his dreams about the camps (imagining himself as an inmate instead), he and Dussander only kill one homeless person who Dussander found out was a former Nazi, and Todd simply blackmails his guidance counsellor and [[spoiler:goes to college after Dussander dies.]]

* In the comic book story arcs ''Film/{{Aquaman}}'' is based on, [[spoiler:Vulko]] is the BigBad; manipulating Orm, Black Manta and the Trench and provoking an Atlantean attack on the surface that kills hundreds of innocent people, all in order to force Arthur to take the throne. In the movie, he’s TheMentor and an unambiguous good guy, with most of his villainous actions [[AdaptationalVillainy given to]] Orm.

* The ''Film/{{Tekken}}'' film changes Heihachi Mishima from a CorruptCorporateExecutive to a much more sympathetic character who is revealed [[spoiler: to have saved Jun Kazama from Kazuya]].
* In Terrence Malick's ''Film/TheThinRedLine'' Witt is a wise, kind character and a MessianicArchetype; in the book the film is based on, he's racist, volatile and no better or worse than the rest of C-for-Charlie.

* In the original ''Film/VillageOfTheDamned1960'', David was the ringleader of the "cuckoos" that apathetically murdered people of the village. In the [[Film/VillageOfTheDamned1995 1995 remake]] this role is instead given to female child Mara. David gains a sub plot revolved around his lack of a counterpart, leaving him vulnerable to human empathy and ultimately pulling a HeelFaceTurn.

** ''Film/{{Godzilla 2014}}'', unlike most versions of Godzilla who are usually antagonistic (and a huge case with his [[Film/{{Gojira}} original incarnation]], a TragicMonster), but not as much as his Showa incarnation from ''Film/GodzillaRaidsAgain'' through ''Film/DestroyAllMonsters'' who had a hefty dose of CharacterizationMarchesOn. Despite his actions in Hawaii (where he swamps Waikiki beach, the most densely populated area that time of night), he avoids attacking humans as he can and most of his rampages is due to the Mutos posing a threat while maintaining his DestructiveHero status per his previous incarnations. And, to be fair about the Waikiki Beach incident- There’s no way he could have known how many humans would have been congregated there, and he didn’t kill anyone intentionally or directly- the tsunami caused by his displacement of seawater did.

** In the short story, Lester deliberately lets the Boogeyman kill his son to buy himself some time. There's no evidence of this here, and he's at worst guilty of [[CassandraTruth not believing]] [[NotNowKiddo his children]] until it was too late.

* Happens in the film adaptation of ''[[Literature/{{Twilight}} Twilight: Eclipse]]''. Remember the infamous ForcefulKiss between Jacob and Bella? In the book, Bella's boyfriend Edward doesn't make much of a fuss over it, her dad Charlie approves of Jacob's actions, and Jacob himself is a {{Jerkass}} over the whole thing. In the adaptation, Edward is furious with Jacob, Charlie is shocked when he finds out about it and Jacob acknowledges that what he did was wrong.

* ''Film/{{Daredevil}}'':

* John Hammond of ''Franchise/JurassicPark'' is an interesting case in that both versions of him, the [[Literature/JurassicPark original novel version]] and the much more well known [[Film/JurassicPark film adaptation]], are [[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed thinly-veiled versions]] of [[MrAltDisney Walt Disney]]. In the original novel, Hammond is compared to Disney in-text very early on when an EPA agent approaches Alan Grant about him and Grant blows off his warnings, remarking that "John Hammond is about as sinister as Walt Disney", the joke being that that's exactly true, since the book goes on to reveal Hammond as a [[ItsAllAboutMe self-interested]] {{Jerkass}} who dismisses all his mistakes and lapses of judgment as [[NeverMyFault not his fault]], as some countercultural portrayals of Disney suggest he was. That said, the popular perception of Disney had shifted back towards the CoolOldGuy EccentricMillionaire by the time Creator/StevenSpielberg adapted the novel into the film, so Spielberg deliberately based Hammond off the kinder interpretation of Disney, due to feeling a personal kinship with him. Not only was Hammond SparedByTheAdaptation, he even got to appear in sequels as a BigGood. However, the most overt invocation of Disney in the movie is also one of Hammond's more callous moments.

* Mr. Curry from the ''Literature/PaddingtonBear'' books is less mean and just more grumpy in the film adaptation ''Film/{{Paddington}}''. Averted in ''Film/Paddington2'', where he is much more of a jerk, going out of his way to try to turn public opinion against the wrongfully-convicted Paddington, for which Mr. Brown gives him a [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech few choice words]].

* ''Film/{{Beauty and the Beast|2017}}'': In the original animated film, [=LeFou=] was a sycophantic PluckyComicRelief sidekick to Gaston who is directly involved in his raid on Beast's castle and comes dangerously close to murdering Lumiere with a torch. In this LiveActionAdaptation, Lefou may have retain his sidekick role, but he displays a real moral compass and [[spoiler:betrays Gaston after he leaves Maurice for dead]]. Also, Maestro Cadenza is the movie version of Maestro Forte that is heroic and loyal.

** ''Film/{{Godzilla 2014}}'', unlike most versions of Godzilla who are usually antagonistic (and a huge case with his [[Film/{{Gojira}} original incarnation]], a TragicMonster), but not as much as his Showa incarnation from ''Film/GodzillaRaidsAgain'' through ''Film/DestroyAllMonsters'' who had a hefty dose of CharacterizationMarchesOn. Despite his actions in Hawaii (where he swamps Waikiki beach, the most densely populated area that time of night), he avoids attacking humans as he can and most of his rampages is due to the Mutos posing a threat while maintaining his DestructiveHero status per his previous incarnations.

* ''Galgameth'' is a ForeignRemake of Film/{{Pulgasari}} by the same creator. However, whereas Pulgasari is more a neutral force following orders [[spoiler:and ultimately has to be destroyed due to becoming a threat himself]], Galgameth is actively heroic and goes out of his way to protect people [[spoiler:and dies in a HeroicSacrifice to save Davin.]] Justified, as ''Pulgasari'' was made by Shin Sang-ok while being held captive in North Korea and forced to make movies under threat of death, and is widely considered a stealth WriterRevolt against them, while Galgameth was made years later of his own free will.

* ''Film/TheDeep: [[spoiler: Kevin]] is TheMole in the book but a stalwart ally in the film.

** The Sandman is similarly softened in ''Film/SpiderMan3'', but this may simply be an adaptation of his heroic, reformed characterization in the 1980s and 1990s. In the comics, he makes a HeelFaceTurn, but in the movie, he only ''ever'' stole to get the money needed to save his IllGirl daughter, and departs on good terms with the hero after telling his story. This is... ''not'' how their early encounters went in the comics. [[spoiler: Sandman’s heroism also crosses over universes as he selflessly aids MCU Spidey while fighting Electro in ''Film/SpiderManNoWayHome'', a level goodness beyond even his reformed comic counterpart.]]

* ''Film/LittleShopOfHorrors'': While Seymour Krelbourn isn't exactly a villain in [[Theatre/LittleShopOfHorrors the play]], he's still portrayed as an extremely selfish person who [[MurderByInaction willingly allows two people to die]] to feed an [[ObviouslyEvil obviously untrustworthy]] ManEatingPlant and in doing so impress a girl. It's thus portrayed as LaserGuidedKarma when his trusting the plant costs the girl's life and his own. To fit the film's LighterAndSofter FocusGroupEnding, Seymour's more negative traits are downplayed, and his responsibility for the deaths is decreased -- the first is due to being frozen with shock, and the second is a straight-up accident. Additionally, one of his victims -- Mr. Mushnik -- is made [[AdaptationalVillainy a lot less likable]].

** Comicbook/{{Deadshot}}, ComicBook/HarleyQuinn and several other characters in ''Film/SuicideSquad2016'' are portrayed as more moral than their comic counterparts and despite their insistence that they're "the bad guys" but really come off as quite heroic. But the most blatant example is '''ComicBook/TheJoker!''' Of all people, as in comics he's a ChaoticEvil MonsterClown who frequently abuses Harley, in the movie he's a caring boyfriend who risks his life several times to rescue her and succeeds in doing so in the end. [[spoiler: ''Film/BirdsOfPrey2020'' corrects this, with Joker being portrayed as abusive enough that Harley leaves him. Though even then in the modern comics, he’s chased Harley down and held her captive for “betraying him” whereas in the film he just leaves her alone meaning he’s still far less evil than the comic version. In The Stinger of ''Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague'' he's a Retired Monster who forms an alliance with Batman.]]

* The title character of the ''Literature/ArtemisFowl'' books started as an outright VillainProtagonist who comes into contact with the fairy world once he seeks them out himself, abducts one of them and holds her for ransom, in [[Film/ArtemisFowl the film adaptation]] he's a LawfulGood KidHero who stumbles into the world of the fairies purely by accident.

** Stanley Ipkiss in the film is a lovable loser with a lot of nevertheless redeeming qualities who ultimately learns to stop relying on The Mask to solve his problems, rises to the occasion, and gets the girl. In the comics he's a right-wing lunatic who uses The Mask as his personal hitman to kill those who wronged him for increasingly trivial reasons (such as suffocating his ''elementary school teacher''), goes on a violent rampage against the police, and is ultimately shot and killed by his girlfriend.
** The Mask in the film is a gangster with a heart of gold despite shoving exhaust pipes inside the bottoms of two mechanics which is only because they ripped off Stanley and other than that he is pretty much harmless and shows himself to be such a charming wild man as shown when he’s with Tina and is also adorable when he’s around her despite being somewhat sleazy towards her at first and saves her from being killed by eating the bomb next to her and in the animated series which is set after the film shows him deciding to become a superhero to protect the people in his city while in the comic his counterpart Big Head is a supervillain who likes hurting people and killing them as well.
* In the novel of ''Literature/{{Matilda}}'' Hortensia bullies Matilda and Lavender. In [[Film/{{Matilda}} the film]] she is friendly and protective of them.

** In ''Film/SpiderMan2'', ComicBook/DoctorOctopus is rewritten a good man turned into a monster by an accident, and he even [[RedemptionEqualsDeath dies heroically]] in the films' climax. [[spoiler: Reaffirmed in ''Film/SpiderManNoWayHome'' as while Ock begins the movie trying to kill Peter Parker (although as he discovers it’s [[Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse not]] ''his'' Peter) he gets fractured mental state fixed and out of gratitude helps the good guys in the climax, even getting SparedByAdaptation.]]
** The Green Goblin is less sympathetic, but gets a [[spoiler:dying]] moment of decency that would be utterly foreign to the comic-book version of ComicBook/NormanOsborn. Though at the very least prior to being the Green Goblin, Norman was shown to be a good man if a bit of an aloof father and stressed businessman, the Goblin formula drove him insane and created a split personality. In the comics, as Peter pointed out, "He was a bad man turned worse". [[spoiler: [[AdaptationalVillainy Inverted]] in ''Film/SpiderManNoWayHome'' where Norman is TruerToTheText, personally believing the Goblin formula was a blessing not a curse, he encourages the other villains to embrace their power as “[[AGodAmI gods]]”, straight up kills MCU Aunt May purely ForTheEvulz and tries goad to that universe’s Peter into giving into murder. While he is ultimately rid of the Goblin formula and SparedByAdaptation, it’s only after severe damage is done and it’s still left ambiguous if he’s truly reformed.]]
** The Sandman is similarly softened in ''Film/SpiderMan3'', but this may simply be an adaptation of his heroic, reformed characterization in the 1980s and 1990s. In the comics he makes a HeelFaceTurn, but in the movie, he only ''ever'' stole to get the money needed to save his IllGirl daughter, and departs on good terms with the hero after telling his story. This is... ''not'' how their early encounters went in the comics. [[spoiler: Sandman’s heroism also crosses over universes as he selflessly aids MCU Spidey while fighting Electro in ''Film/SpiderManNoWayHome'', a level goodness beyond even his reformed comic counterpart.]]

** Even with all the flaws without which J. Jonah Jameson wouldn't have been recognisable as a character, this version never takes his hatred of Spidey to such extremes as becoming a villain by funding illegal genetic experiments to dispose of him. As for Scorpion he may appear in the tie-in videogame and is still a genetically engineered, cyborg man but one that Jameson has not a hand on.

** Comicbook/{{Elektra}} wants to avenge her father's death by killing Daredevil, whom she falsely believes to be his killer, and the worst thing she does is to attack Daredevil under false pretenses. In the comics, she's a contract assassin who killed people [[JustForFun for kicks]] while in college, and once belonged to an evil cult of ninjas known as the Hand.

** The film version makes both Big Daddy and Red Mist much more sympathetic than in the original comic. Film Big Daddy is profoundly messed up but very much a TragicHero, whereas in the source material his apparent backstory was just a lie and he's actually a vigilante in it [[JustforPun for kicks]]. The film version of Red Mist strips him of his DirtyCoward personality from the comic and plays up [[LonelyRichKid his loneliness]].