Vote up the DC movies that are nothing like the comics that inspired them.
Superhero films take many liberties. While they often have decades of storylines from comic books to pull from, there's a lot that's left on the cutting room floor, including pivotal characters. Much like the MCU, DC movies borrow what they need from the source material, then move in their own unique direction.
This isn't to say it's a bad or good thing, though, especially since it's tough to create beat-by-beat adaptations of comic book storylines. In some cases, the changes make a lot of sense and serve the story that's being told, while in other instances, sticking closer to the comics might have produced an altogether different film. Nonetheless, let's take a closer look at the DC superhero movies that deviate the most from the comics that inspired them.
What Is the Same: The Santa Prisca bruiser known as Bane debuts and decides to take over Gotham City. In the process, he breaks Batman's back and spirit, showing him how darkness isn't his ally after all.
What's Way Different: Surprisingly, the comic book storyline is slightly more realistic since it understands Batman won't heal from a broken back in record time, though the means of how he heals are typical comic book chicanery. Instead, Azrael takes over the mantle of the Bat, takes out Bane, loses his mind, and goes one step too far in his quest for justice. Eventually, Batman returns, aided by his Boy Wonders, and puts a stop to AzBat's reign of holy terror.
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'The Dark Knight Rises' Recreates 'No Man's Land' With A Different State Of Emergency
What Is the Same: Gotham City is cut off from the rest of the world and deemed extremely dangerous. (To be fair, it sounds like just another Tuesday in the city that best epitomizes Hell on Earth.) Several criminals spot the opportunity to stake their claim while chaos reigns on the streets.
What's Way Different: In the comics, no man's land is declared in Gotham City after a massive earthquake strikes and decimates the city. As a result, the government gets as many people out of there as humanly possible. The villains, though, are far more ruthless in the comic book storyline and send the city into a freefall, as they turn Gotham into a chessboard for their gang wars. Also, it's revealed Lex Luthor is behind a diabolical real estate plan to destroy deeds, then claim Gotham as his own.
What Is the Same: John Constantine suffers from terminal lung cancer. Determined to find a way to live on and prosper, he tries to cut a magical deal with supernatural forces to prevent him from passing away.
What's Way Different: The biggest difference here is Constantine is blond and from Liverpool, England, in the comics. While it might seem like a minor change in the grand scheme of things, it isn't, since Constantine's personality revolves around his dry British sense of humor - which is unfortunately not prevalent in the film adaptation.
The Comic Inspiration: Batman: The Long Halloween.
What Is the Same: The Batman kicks off on Halloween with more tricks than treats. Additionally, there are two main plot points in the movie that follow the source material: The unraveling of the mysterious murderer wreaking havoc throughout Gotham City, and the Falcone family's shady history with the Waynes.
What's Way Different: The Long Halloween boasts way more villains, with the main rogue being the Holiday killer - not the Riddler. More importantly, Harvey Dent and his wife, Gilda, play a huge role in this storyline, with this comic book arc serving as a reimagined origin story for Two-Face while establishing Gilda as a key and dangerous individual in the DC Universe.
What Is the Same: Set inan alternate history, Watchmen is a clever deconstruction of the superhero genre that questions who keeps the heroes accountable and in check when they get out of control. In short, who watches the Watchmen?
What's Way Different: Pretty much the ending. Ozymandias remains the master schemer in both versions of the story. However, in the comics, he sets his sights only on New York - not the world - and lays the blame for the attack on an intergalactic squid that becomes enemy number one. And, no, the cosmic squid isn't Starro the Conqueror's cousin.
What Is the Same: An older, grislier Batman fights to protect Gotham City from all sorts of threats. He goes toe-to-toe with Superman while wearing a nifty iron suit and having a few Kryptonite tricks up his sleeve.
What's Way Different: In The Dark Knight Returns, Batman comes out of retirement since Gotham has become worse than expected as a gang called the Mutants plummets the city into new forms of depravity. The government and Superman oppose Batman's return to vigilantism, with the Man of Steel instructed to bring in the Caped Crusader.
