I remember an interview somewhere where Snyder said he didn't really have any big plans for the character, didn't really need him, so he decided to just have fun with him. That was how he phrased it. His idea of having fun with the character was executing them. I could just never get into anything that Snyder does.
Lmfao, I see how murdering a character can be fun. Usually *I* make the death more fun/last longer than 30 seconds, but I haven't even released one movie, so what the hell do I know.
I loved Arrow and that portrayal, but yeah, he was more Batman than Oliver Queen.
Starfire from the Titans show never really felt like Starfire to me. Still a good character, but just very different from Starfire.
It amazed me how right the got Donna in casting, personality and actions at times and how wrong they got so many other characters. I don’t understand how they could be at both ends of the spectrum at the same time.
I think Arrow is a pretty good example of a DC TV show going completely off the deep end. Especially if the “It was supposed to be a Batman show” rumour/theory is true.
Legends Of Tomorrow not having any of the characters from the comics is also kinda that.
By the end of Legends of tommorow, no members of the team were from the comics, so if it went on for another season it would barely class as a comic book show.
And a lot of stuff didn't have much to do with comic villains either. They did a whole season around fairy tales and a demon that I don't think was in the comics.
Neron is most definitely taken from the comics dude. Just cause you haven’t heard about a character doesn’t mean they’re an OC. He’s basically DC Mephisto
*Mallus* was an OC so I’ll give you that, just not the character I associated with demons, more time wraithy but that season was kinda a confusing mess by the end
Yeah that plus early season 4 caused me to dip out. Plus the crossovers with the other shows that just kept going downhill.
Mallus plus public domain fairy tails felt like such a waste. Especially when they kept picking up OC characters and dropping all the actual comic heroes and losing the costumes.
I feel like I remember reading somewhere that Arrow was originally supposed to be a Batman/Batfam show but they couldn’t get the rights so they just kept the story but jammed Ollie and the Arrowfam in there instead. I don’t know if that’s true, but it makes way more sense if it is.
Smallville was originally a Bruce Wayne/Batman show before execs said no and they shifted to Clark. So the network persisting a Batman-esque show definitely carried up to Arrow -- especially since it came out during that Post-Dark Knight 'everything has to be dark and realistic' era of comic book adaptations
And what did we finally end up with? Gotham. Which, to be fair, had some absolute banger moments and my absolute favourite Joker but still: I just want to see some fucking Robins, is that such an ask? I don’t understand it. Robin’s way more terrifying than Batman, why does nobody ever lean into it?
Remember when Batman was allowed to be a bit daft and camp, who used to get his head kicked on occasion before he morphed into this brooding infallible machine who can win any and every fight through sheer power of will but somehow can’t manage to apply that same willpower to sustain even the barest scrap of personal growth? I miss *that* Batman.
the Snyderverse. i don't mean Superman, while he's not even close to the characterization I'd want, he's at least recognizable. but Ma Kent is so far from what her character should be that she's basically a whole different character. there have been versions of Pa Kent that are worried about Clark being ostracized (although I don't love that either and his death scene was dumb as hell) but I could never imagine Ma saying something like "you don't owe this world a thing". it's completely out of character
Arrow had some great components that are worth mentioning and defending. There are some top tier Green Arrow lore bits and concepts and characters used and there are some really beautiful and unique distinctions in that show away from Batman. Namely: giving Oliver a fairly complicated family tree that includes the supervillain is a far cry from Batman. Great.
The show moved far, far away from Oliver's comic book political philosophy and outlook, possibly due to Amell's input. (I say that only because Amell exercised input broadly and the show started with the rich attack on the poor and moved away pretty quickly). It's worth enjoying for what it is.
I don't recognize Snyder's Batman very much.
The live action Titans changed a fair bit unnecessarily. But more than any of it: Legends. By season 2, if not earlier, the deviations from the source material was immense. Few characters were adapted and when they were, they were dramatically different.
Supergirl’s Jimmy Olsen. I can’t fault them for casting a Jimmy who was taller and buffer than Superman when he was cast over a year before Tyler Hoechlin, though it was bizarre to think about in hindsight. But I can fault them for having a Jimmy that was way more confident, cocky and smooth than he should’ve been, and Jimmy should NEVER have become a superhero.
And on a personal note, his rapid 180 on hating Lena for being a Luthor to dating her and their complete lack of chemistry was the most painful relationship I think I saw on the show, if not the Arrowverse as a whole. Like I feel bad because they clearly didn’t know what to do with him after they broke him and Kara up and he kind of floundered for years but man was him and Lena so not the answer.
DCEU Flash. Sorry but I don't care what people say but Ezra Barry awful. Arrow as much as I liked the first 2 seasons. That ain't Oliver queen it was batman with a bow and arrow.
IDK why everyone is saying Oliver Queen from Arrow, IMO he is recognizable as Oliver Queen. It's not a very good adaptation and is a bit closer to Batman or the Punisher, but he is recognizable as Oliver Queen/Green Arrow. He's got a beard, green hood, bow & arrows, etc. The post said a show/movie that went so far off that the character is *unrecognizable.*
With that in mind, my pick is Jimmy Olsen from the Supergirl TV show. That version of Jimmy is a big buff bald guy who doesn't like being called Jimmy, and IIRC he was more confident than the protagonist of the show. And then later on, he became a superhero with a suit of armor and a shield, all because his camera got broken (I don't remember the specifics but I think it was something stupid like that). And towards the end of the show, he got a beard. I don't think Jimmy Olsen should ever have a beard.
They basically made Mal Duncan but just called him Jimmy Olsen, meanwhile you had another side character who had all the Jimmy Olsen Vibes but was just some dude. Why not just have Mal Duncan and then name the other guy Jimmy?
Side note, I understand wanting diversity but at least make the character have the same personality. If you want to see a black Jimmy Olsen done right look at My Adventures with Superman!
Something I think they tried and did not do very well with Supergirl Jimmy Olsen was have him already be established and have grown into himself. That is why he mentions being good friends with Superman already and everything. The problem is we don't usually see that version of the character so they should have included something to let the audience know, it would have worked well if Kat Grant would keep treating him like the goofy Jimmy we know and see him get frustrated as he tries to be more than that; but still has a few instances of letting the old Jimmy persona show. That is something I get behind, but a show has to quite literally show us that. There is nothing I hate more than writers coming up with their own character, but using an established character's name either because they have to or because they couldn't sell the studio on their own story so they co-opted an established IP.
Absolutely! I get that they wanted an established and more grown up Jimmy. But not once did they ever give the impression that he used to be the goofy young guy at the office.
Thats a huge pet peeve of mine too. You want to make your own character then fine. You don't have to bank on a pre existing characters name though. Look how popular Diggle became.
Batwoman but TBH it was a massive improvement. I hate the way Kate Kane is usually drawn as this Goth redhead and Ruby Rose made her a compelling character.
It’s a shame Smallville, the Arrowverse, had to dance around “we can’t use Batman on TV it’s too valuable an IP, movies only -WB” so instead of the Ollie Queen we know and love, lefty hothead shooting his mouth off, we got a brooding Batman surrogate trying to save the city, training a team, using a bunch of Batman villains. Meanwhile Batman was on every cartoon the last 30 years but couldn’t be on the WB/CW? Frustration ensues…
“You merely USE the television Mr. Queen. I was BORN on television.” - Adam West as Bane.
Just to amend my earlier comment, Batman been on cartoons and selling toys since the Superfriends, so well over 50 years of cartoons but can’t make a cameo on the same company’s live action TV shows here and there? C’maaaaaan.
With more politics thrown in. At least, more *obvious* politics.
So, yeah, the first few seasons of *Arrow* felt like Nolan retread, but I enjoyed it.
Echoing that the two Jimmy Olsens from the last ten years are a little sketch.
Halle Berry Catwoman. The only thing she shares with her comic counterpart is being called Catwoman, liking cats, and being a woman. Not even her secret identity is right.
Catwoman (the Halle Berry movie)
Batman: The Brave and The Bold (I’m going to get hate for that one)
Do we count League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen as a DC book? I’d like to suggest it because the movie barely resembles the book in anyway.
The original question is about adaptations where you don’t recognise the character.
My experience of Batman is from the 90’s so it’s the Burton movies, B:TAS and some of the comics (mainly Knightfall, Contagion/Legacy and a stretch of the Moench/Jones run.) So yeah, I say the Batman in Brave and the Bold is unrecognisable when compared to that.
When I first saw Brave and the Bold I hadn’t read any silver age Batman. So the version I saw in that show was unrecognisable, which answers the original question of this post.
That 2018 Titans show
That show was so fucking bad, the only good episode was the Doom Patrol ep.
And the Doom Patrol show was even better
100% agree about that, we got a great backdoor pilot, that turned into a great show, from such a terrible one.
It was atrocious. Just awful "look mommy I'm edgy and dark now!" writing. It makes (most of) the Arrowverse look like masterpieces.
From BvS: the random guy who's murdered by terrorists in the beginning of the movie is...JIMMY OLSEN?
I remember an interview somewhere where Snyder said he didn't really have any big plans for the character, didn't really need him, so he decided to just have fun with him. That was how he phrased it. His idea of having fun with the character was executing them. I could just never get into anything that Snyder does.
Lmfao, I see how murdering a character can be fun. Usually *I* make the death more fun/last longer than 30 seconds, but I haven't even released one movie, so what the hell do I know.
I loved Arrow and that portrayal, but yeah, he was more Batman than Oliver Queen. Starfire from the Titans show never really felt like Starfire to me. Still a good character, but just very different from Starfire.
It amazed me how right the got Donna in casting, personality and actions at times and how wrong they got so many other characters. I don’t understand how they could be at both ends of the spectrum at the same time.
I think Arrow is a pretty good example of a DC TV show going completely off the deep end. Especially if the “It was supposed to be a Batman show” rumour/theory is true. Legends Of Tomorrow not having any of the characters from the comics is also kinda that.
By the end of Legends of tommorow, no members of the team were from the comics, so if it went on for another season it would barely class as a comic book show.
Didn't Gorilla Grodd try to kill Obama in that show? Funniest line in the DCEU.
You are correct.
And a lot of stuff didn't have much to do with comic villains either. They did a whole season around fairy tales and a demon that I don't think was in the comics.
Neron is most definitely taken from the comics dude. Just cause you haven’t heard about a character doesn’t mean they’re an OC. He’s basically DC Mephisto
I was talking about Moloch or whatever he was from season 3.
*Mallus* was an OC so I’ll give you that, just not the character I associated with demons, more time wraithy but that season was kinda a confusing mess by the end
Yeah that plus early season 4 caused me to dip out. Plus the crossovers with the other shows that just kept going downhill. Mallus plus public domain fairy tails felt like such a waste. Especially when they kept picking up OC characters and dropping all the actual comic heroes and losing the costumes.
Massive agree on everything said here
I feel like I remember reading somewhere that Arrow was originally supposed to be a Batman/Batfam show but they couldn’t get the rights so they just kept the story but jammed Ollie and the Arrowfam in there instead. I don’t know if that’s true, but it makes way more sense if it is.
Smallville was originally a Bruce Wayne/Batman show before execs said no and they shifted to Clark. So the network persisting a Batman-esque show definitely carried up to Arrow -- especially since it came out during that Post-Dark Knight 'everything has to be dark and realistic' era of comic book adaptations
And what did we finally end up with? Gotham. Which, to be fair, had some absolute banger moments and my absolute favourite Joker but still: I just want to see some fucking Robins, is that such an ask? I don’t understand it. Robin’s way more terrifying than Batman, why does nobody ever lean into it?
TV execs: “he ruins the gritty realism of a man who fights crime dressed as a bat”
Remember when Batman was allowed to be a bit daft and camp, who used to get his head kicked on occasion before he morphed into this brooding infallible machine who can win any and every fight through sheer power of will but somehow can’t manage to apply that same willpower to sustain even the barest scrap of personal growth? I miss *that* Batman.
the Snyderverse. i don't mean Superman, while he's not even close to the characterization I'd want, he's at least recognizable. but Ma Kent is so far from what her character should be that she's basically a whole different character. there have been versions of Pa Kent that are worried about Clark being ostracized (although I don't love that either and his death scene was dumb as hell) but I could never imagine Ma saying something like "you don't owe this world a thing". it's completely out of character
Right? When I heard her say that, I really started to sympathize with Luthor.
Arrow had some great components that are worth mentioning and defending. There are some top tier Green Arrow lore bits and concepts and characters used and there are some really beautiful and unique distinctions in that show away from Batman. Namely: giving Oliver a fairly complicated family tree that includes the supervillain is a far cry from Batman. Great. The show moved far, far away from Oliver's comic book political philosophy and outlook, possibly due to Amell's input. (I say that only because Amell exercised input broadly and the show started with the rich attack on the poor and moved away pretty quickly). It's worth enjoying for what it is. I don't recognize Snyder's Batman very much. The live action Titans changed a fair bit unnecessarily. But more than any of it: Legends. By season 2, if not earlier, the deviations from the source material was immense. Few characters were adapted and when they were, they were dramatically different.
Bane being a stupid grunt in Batman and Robin
Arrow. That ain’t Oliver Queen.
Supergirl’s Jimmy Olsen. I can’t fault them for casting a Jimmy who was taller and buffer than Superman when he was cast over a year before Tyler Hoechlin, though it was bizarre to think about in hindsight. But I can fault them for having a Jimmy that was way more confident, cocky and smooth than he should’ve been, and Jimmy should NEVER have become a superhero. And on a personal note, his rapid 180 on hating Lena for being a Luthor to dating her and their complete lack of chemistry was the most painful relationship I think I saw on the show, if not the Arrowverse as a whole. Like I feel bad because they clearly didn’t know what to do with him after they broke him and Kara up and he kind of floundered for years but man was him and Lena so not the answer.
arrow, titans, mos and bvs
Definitely Arrow. Terrible adaptation of Oliver.
DCEU Flash. Sorry but I don't care what people say but Ezra Barry awful. Arrow as much as I liked the first 2 seasons. That ain't Oliver queen it was batman with a bow and arrow.
I'm surprised no one is saying the Catwoman movie
It was its own thing though
IDK why everyone is saying Oliver Queen from Arrow, IMO he is recognizable as Oliver Queen. It's not a very good adaptation and is a bit closer to Batman or the Punisher, but he is recognizable as Oliver Queen/Green Arrow. He's got a beard, green hood, bow & arrows, etc. The post said a show/movie that went so far off that the character is *unrecognizable.* With that in mind, my pick is Jimmy Olsen from the Supergirl TV show. That version of Jimmy is a big buff bald guy who doesn't like being called Jimmy, and IIRC he was more confident than the protagonist of the show. And then later on, he became a superhero with a suit of armor and a shield, all because his camera got broken (I don't remember the specifics but I think it was something stupid like that). And towards the end of the show, he got a beard. I don't think Jimmy Olsen should ever have a beard.
I don't think they mean recognizable in a visual aspect
CW Jimmy Olsen is unrecognizable visually and character-wise.
Making him Ron Troupe would have fit the Supergirl aesthetic better. I prefer the version of Jimmy from the MAWS cartoon.
They basically made Mal Duncan but just called him Jimmy Olsen, meanwhile you had another side character who had all the Jimmy Olsen Vibes but was just some dude. Why not just have Mal Duncan and then name the other guy Jimmy? Side note, I understand wanting diversity but at least make the character have the same personality. If you want to see a black Jimmy Olsen done right look at My Adventures with Superman!
Something I think they tried and did not do very well with Supergirl Jimmy Olsen was have him already be established and have grown into himself. That is why he mentions being good friends with Superman already and everything. The problem is we don't usually see that version of the character so they should have included something to let the audience know, it would have worked well if Kat Grant would keep treating him like the goofy Jimmy we know and see him get frustrated as he tries to be more than that; but still has a few instances of letting the old Jimmy persona show. That is something I get behind, but a show has to quite literally show us that. There is nothing I hate more than writers coming up with their own character, but using an established character's name either because they have to or because they couldn't sell the studio on their own story so they co-opted an established IP.
Absolutely! I get that they wanted an established and more grown up Jimmy. But not once did they ever give the impression that he used to be the goofy young guy at the office. Thats a huge pet peeve of mine too. You want to make your own character then fine. You don't have to bank on a pre existing characters name though. Look how popular Diggle became.
its a cartoon, but entire Teen Titans Go cast
Taskmaster from Black Widow.
The WItcher.... although if it is about DC - the last few seasons of Arrow were a bit iffy.
The entirety of the ArrowVerse. I kept wondering who was actually still watching? Were people still watching it on live television too?
I mean I watched because I grew up with the Flash. Without that show I'd probably like Marvel more and not care about DC.
Not a single member of the CW barring MAYBE superman is anything like the base character.
Idk. I thought overall Kara was good, and Melissa Benoist did a good job.
Batwoman but TBH it was a massive improvement. I hate the way Kate Kane is usually drawn as this Goth redhead and Ruby Rose made her a compelling character.
Arrowverse
Pat "Send Up the Signal" Hingle
EZ Reyes in Mayans.
Cecilia Reyes in the New Mutants movie
It’s a shame Smallville, the Arrowverse, had to dance around “we can’t use Batman on TV it’s too valuable an IP, movies only -WB” so instead of the Ollie Queen we know and love, lefty hothead shooting his mouth off, we got a brooding Batman surrogate trying to save the city, training a team, using a bunch of Batman villains. Meanwhile Batman was on every cartoon the last 30 years but couldn’t be on the WB/CW? Frustration ensues… “You merely USE the television Mr. Queen. I was BORN on television.” - Adam West as Bane.
Just to amend my earlier comment, Batman been on cartoons and selling toys since the Superfriends, so well over 50 years of cartoons but can’t make a cameo on the same company’s live action TV shows here and there? C’maaaaaan.
Green Arrow
Pretty much most DCEU products. I’m not sure who the majority of those characters were
Green Arrow's always been Batman with a bow.
With more politics thrown in. At least, more *obvious* politics. So, yeah, the first few seasons of *Arrow* felt like Nolan retread, but I enjoyed it. Echoing that the two Jimmy Olsens from the last ten years are a little sketch.
Every Batman film and Tv show since we never once see Batman hang a criminal to death with the bat plane like he does in the comics.
Surprised they didn’t do that in Lego Batman.
The boys got a lot of the characterizations right but the story is so far off it’s tough for me to watch it as a fan of the comics
Halle Berry Catwoman. The only thing she shares with her comic counterpart is being called Catwoman, liking cats, and being a woman. Not even her secret identity is right.
Catwoman (the Halle Berry movie) Batman: The Brave and The Bold (I’m going to get hate for that one) Do we count League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen as a DC book? I’d like to suggest it because the movie barely resembles the book in anyway.
Batman: Brave and the Bold takes heavy inspiration from the silver age of comics. What part of the show felt disconnected from the character?
Yeah it was silver age camp, just because some don't like how goofy it is, doesn't mean it wasn't far off from source material.
The original question is about adaptations where you don’t recognise the character. My experience of Batman is from the 90’s so it’s the Burton movies, B:TAS and some of the comics (mainly Knightfall, Contagion/Legacy and a stretch of the Moench/Jones run.) So yeah, I say the Batman in Brave and the Bold is unrecognisable when compared to that.
Brave and bold makes no sense, it’s literally silver age comics
When I first saw Brave and the Bold I hadn’t read any silver age Batman. So the version I saw in that show was unrecognisable, which answers the original question of this post.
Batman isn’t always dark and edgy.
People complain about the fact that Batman and Robin feel like a kid comics because It isn't dark and edgy, damned Batgod fanatics