@petey_is_spidey
Lost post incoming. Because I'm bored and it's late. Bear in mind I am no a comic book expert. I don't proclaim myself to be a comic book expert. I am a casual comic book reader, but I like to think I have a decent understanding of what makes them beloved and what makes them work and tick with people. I will also use examples from the DCEU of where the characters did work to help illustrate my point, and also examples from the MCU where the characters did work and didn't work.
First off, if you're claiming that Thor should be held to the same standard as Batman and Superman, you're being unrealistic. Batman and Superman are the most iconic superheroes ever made. They've been ingrained in pop culture via comics, TV shows, movies and video games for decades. We've seen Batman done again and again in popular media. The same goes for Superman. Of course the standard for accuracy is going to be higher: these are the most iconic superhero movies ever made. We've had predetermined notions of them that have been build for decades, that have also been passed down to us from older generations such as our fathers and mothers who read comics and watched Donner's Superman. It's unrealistic to expect Thor, a character most didn't care for until the movie, to be held to the same Standard as Superman: the Superman. Superman is pretty much the Superhero. The same goes for the goddamn Batman. He's the goddamn Batman, lol. We've seen him done through animation, Michael Keaton, Christian Bale, live-action TV shows etc. All of these things have built expectations of these characters. The MCU had the advantage of using smaller, more obscure characters that are no where near the popularity of Marvel's main IP's (X-Men and Spider-Man) must less Superman and Batman. There's a reason a lot more people complain about Supes and Bats being inaccurate than they do about Flash and Aquaman.
Second of all, paying respect to the source material isn't just talking like the character, looking like them, moving like them and acting like them. If this were the case, BvS's Batman would be the most accurate depiction of a CB character ever: he looked like he leapt off the pages, he talked like Batman and he acted like Batman. Saying Thor isn't accurate because he isn't a comedic character in the comics, or saying that Superman isn't accurate because he should always be smiling, is silly. These characters have been written by hundreds if not thousands of writers in the past. Thor has been written comedic before. Superman has been written as not always smiling before (Superman: Earth One, a book I highly recommend. That shit's good). It isn't about acting like them, because each writer has a different spin on their personality. As a person who writes often, the personality of the author always comes through in the work. It's unavoidable. It isn't about writing Thor as a serious character, or writing Superman as a character who is always smiling. That isn't what it's about. It's about understanding the fundamentals of the characters, what makes them work, what makes them so compelling, and emphasising these aspects.
This is what IMO, the MCU has done very well. They understand what it is that works about Cap, and they Emphasise it, with a capital E. The First Avenger is one of my favourite MCU films (a lot better than the bland, fast-food Doctor Strange & Ant-Man which for some reason get higher ratings) and why? Because it gets Captain America. This scene right here is one of the best scenes in the MCU, and one of my favourite conversations in a CBM ever:
The serum amplifies everything that is inside, so.. Good becomes great. Bad becomes worse. This is why you were chosen. Because a strong man. Who has known power all his life. They lose respect for that power. Whatever happens tomorrow, you must promise me one thing. That you must stay who you are. Not a perfect soldier. But. A good man.
This line gets Captain America. I don't know how to elaborate on it anymore because the line does such a good job of summing up everything about Cap. Why he was chosen for the experiment. Why he values his power and why he uses it for good. The fact that if in anyone else's hands, they could've abused the power. But not Rogers. He understands the value of the power and understands to never abuse it. He was a good man before the serum. The serum only amplified it and allowed him to use this to do good. This is an accurate portrayal of the character. This is paying respect to the source material.
Let's look at Superman now. The point of Superman in the comics is that he couldn't have been raised by better parents: Jonathan and Martha were fantastic parents who taught Superman kindness, using his powers for good, compassion, to be good human being etc. This is a core part of Superman's character. Instead of emphasising these qualities in the DCEU, we get two movies of Supes's parents telling him to lay low, to hide his powers, "you don't owe this world a thing", 'don't save me because it'll put your life in danger" etc. etc. and barely anything about being a great person. A great human being. A compassionate, caring person. Such a big part of the comics and they gloss over it. Here's the thing about Supes as a character, and something his death in BvS 99.9% misses. Superman shouldn't be inspiring because he is willing to kill himself. There are millions of wonderful soldiers who do this everyday. I don't see monumental built about every soldier that dies saying "if you want to see x soldier's monument, look around." Superman is inspiring because he has unimaginable power - power you could only dream of - but he uses it for good, because he had great f***** parents who raised an ace human being. But no, instead of emphasising this quality, they glossed over it in favour of "humans will not react well to aliens." This ISN'T why people read Superman. That isn't the reason he became such a beloved character. The Superman symbol didn't become the 2nd most recognisable symbol in the world because it's a story about how humans wouldn't react well to aliens. It's because Superman is so inspiring IN LIFE, not in death. He inspires people because he has enough power to destroy a planet, yet he is so compassionate, kind, friendly and heroic. Not saying these qualities don't exist in DCEU's Supes, but they gloss over them in favour of other aspects, and think Supes is inspiring because he kills himself. No number of jokes, quips and smiles from Cavill will make this a comic accurate interpretation.
The same goes for Batman, who was woefully mishandled in JL. Does he look like Batman? Abso-freakingly-lutely. Does he move like Batman? On point. But is he Batman? No. Because they glossed over what is so appealing about Batman in favour of making him a thug with a lot of money lol. Batman is supposed to be the prep god. That was handled well in BvS, but in JL, he shows up to the final fight with.... a gun? That's it? They completely glossed over the intelligence & prep that makes Batman such a cool character.
Who is one of the DCEU's best characters and one of the best examples of the DCEU paying respect to the source material? Zod. Why? Is it because he looks like him? Is it because he talks the way Zod should talk like? No. It's because they emphasised the best aspects of Zod: his leadership, his commitment to his people, portraying him as a sympathetic figure. This is what paying respect to the source material is about. Understanding what makes the character work, applying it, and emphasising their humanity. I don't care how many jokes Cavill cracks or how wide he smiles. It means nothing if they can't get these aspects of the character right.
I'm out.
EDIT: I also wanted to add one more thing. Cap and Supes are both leaders. The MCU gets this. We got a scene in The Avengers where he was telling everyone what to do and everyone listened. Supes on the other hand, shows up to the fight in JL asking "what can I do to help?" Like a goddamn waiter, lol. This could've been a perfect opportunity to show him coming into a leadership role. But instead: two steps front, three steps back.
EDIT 2: By the way I'm not saying you shouldn't be able to enjoy these interpretations. If you enjoy them, that's great. But this is what people mean when they say they don't pay respect to the source material. Writing Supes into a situation where he HAS to kill is the least Supes thing ever. One of the most appealing aspects of the character is that he always finds a way. So is "no one stays good in this world."
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