Random Marvel Characters Whose Comic Book Origin Stories Are Way More Upsetting Than Movies Portrayed (17 items)

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  (#3) Sam Wilson (Falcon)

  What Happens In The Comic: Sam Wilson grows up on the tough streets of Harlem, where violence first claims the lives of his parents and then forces him onto a dark path. He eventually finds himself on the island of Exile, where he encounters the Red Skull and is subjected to genetic experimentation and memory manipulation. The experiments leave him with the ability to communicate with birds. When Captain America also winds up on the island, he and Wilson become fast friends. They team up to take down the Red Skull and find a way home.

  What You See In The Movie: Sam Wilson’s Marvel Cinematic Universe origin is about as mundane as a superhero’s backstory can get. Wilson is a retired Air Force pilot who once took part in a high-tech program involving personal wingsuits. When he gets roped into dusting off his wings and helping out the fugitive Steve Rogers, the Falcon is born. 
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  (#14) Star-Lord

  What Happens In The Comic: Peter Quill’s comic book origins have changed multiple times as the character was reinvented over the years, but the basic facts remain the same. Quill is the son of an Earth woman and an alien father. Instead of a living planet, as in the MCU version, Quill’s comic dad is J’son, the leader of an intergalactic empire. When a different race of aliens show up in Missouri looking for J’son, they end Meredith Quill right in front of young Peter. His quest for revenge takes him first to NASA and then beyond the solar system.

  What You See In The Movie: The MCU Star-Lord is also the child of an earthling and an alien, though this time around his father is a celestial being in the form of a living planet. J’son of Spartax may be a jerk, but at least he didn’t end Quill’s mom like Ego did. He just involved her in an intergalactic dispute she had no business being a part of and doomed his son to life as a space pirate. 
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  (#8) Cable

  What Happens In The Comic: There are many complicated backstories in the annals of Marvel Comics, but the story of Nathan Dayspring "Askani’son" Summers probably takes the convoluted cake. Born to Scott Summers and a clone of Jean Grey, it isn’t long before young Nathan is abducted by Apocalypse’s minions and subjected to a techno-organic virus that threatens his life. Left with no recourse, Cyclops sends his son to the future where a cure can be found. Nathan grows up in a post-Apocalyptic environment, only returning to his original timeline as an old man.

  What You See In The Movie: There’s time-travel involved in Cable’s Deadpool 2 origin story, but just barely. In a dramatically simplified version of events, the movie Cable is just a guy from the future whose family is ended by Rusty Collins. There’s no hint whatsoever of Cable having any ties to the Summers-Grey clan.
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  (#16) Yondu

  What Happens In The Comic: Though the Yondu Udonta currently hanging around the pages of Marvel Comics is very similar to his cinematic counterpart, the original Yondu is a different story entirely. Like all members of the first iteration of the Guardians of the Galaxy, Yondu comes from the year 3000, where he’s the last remaining member of the Centaurian race. Eventually, Yondu and his pals travel back in time to meet the Avengers - and to retroactively inspire the "modern" version of the Guardians.

  What You See In The Movie: The MCU Yondu is pretty much just a blue space pirate, and that’s that. Yondu appears to be a lifelong Ravager who lost his standing with the semi-benevolent underworld empire when he began trafficking Ego's offspring. The disgrace leads him to a life of scum and villainy before ultimately being redeemed by his mentorship of Peter Quill. 
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  (#9) Hawkeye

  What Happens In The Comic: Clint Barton has a tough go of things early on in life. After he and his brother Barney flee their unsafe home, they end up joining a circus. There, the brothers are trained by a future supervillain in the ways of the bow, until some dubious ethical practices at the circus lead Clint to set out on his own. After accidentally dabbling in supervillainy himself, Hawkeye just shows up at Avengers Mansion one day demanding a spot on the team - and he gets it!

  What You See In The Movie: There really isn’t much to Hawkeye’s backstory in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He’s just a highly-trained S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who prefers to use a bow and arrows (and has the implicit trust of Nick Fury). One stint of Loki’s mind-control later and he’s a full-fledged Avenger. 
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  (#5) Cyclops

  • Astonishing X-Men

  What Happens In The Comic: Scott Summers has a relatively ordinary childhood - until a family trip is interrupted by an alien attack. While his father is flying them home in a private plane, the family is intercepted by the diabolical Shi’ar. The aliens take Scott's parents while he and his brother Alex have to jump out with the plane’s only parachute. When they hit the ground, Scott suffers head trauma that renders him unable to control his mutant powers later in life. The Summers boys are raised in separate orphanages until Scott’s mutation draws the attention of Charles Xavier.

  What You See In The Movie: There have been a couple cinematic versions of Cyclops, but they don't go into much detail on his origin. Basically, Scott Summers develops mutant powers, meets Professor X, and joins the X-Men. There’s no alien plane abductions or traumatic brain trauma involved whatsoever.

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