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1AdaptationalBadass in the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse.
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3* ''Film/IronMan'': The main hero himself, or at least his early armors, which are far more powerful than the earlier armors Tony employed in the comics. His most traditional armor tends to only include repulsors and the Uni-beam as weapons, but the film also adds in a lot of hidden missiles and weapons, and draws more from the later armor models than the original versions. Really Tony overall is much more powerful in most of his "normal" armors than he's usually depicted as in comics: with his early Mark VI Armour in ''Film/TheAvengers2012'', he's able to knock Thor around (who was probably holding back but it's impressive regardless) and even outright beat Loki. In the New York battle with Mark VII, Tony kills a Chitauri Leviathan (the humongous flying centipede-snake things) from [[KillItThroughItsStomach the inside out]] and then flies at top speed into a portal and destroys the Chitauri Mothership with a nabbed nuclear missile as a HeroicSacrifice. In ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'', the Mark XLIV aka Hulkbuster armor gets this treatment as it actually lives up to its name and busts the Hulk. Oh, and less we forget with the Mark L, Tony ''[[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sFFwvr6l2mM fights Thanos]]'' when he first meets him in ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'', while in the comics [[https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OTdKAGXP8S0/VssAJF_ZaoI/AAAAAAAANXM/aT5-o-ImR04/s1600-Ic42/RCO014.jpg Tony was beaten easily]] by the Mad Titan when they first met. [[spoiler: In ''Film/AvengersEndgame'', Tony (unarmored) walks off getting smashed by The Hulk and by the climax is the one who kills Thanos and his army, neither of which comic Tony has done.]]
4* As the franchise went on, ComicBook/CaptainAmerica. He went from just a man in [[CharlesAtlasSuperpower "peak" human condition]] thanks to his SuperSerum to explicitly superhuman (much like his ComicBook/UltimateMarvel counterpart). In ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'', he manages to temporarily stop a helicopter from taking off with one arm. Also, MCU Cap held his own against Ultron and made him struggle, this contrasts to the comics where Cap tends to get swatted aside anytime he and The Avengers try to fight Ultron in close quarters. [[spoiler: Better yet in ''Endgame'', Cap effectively uses Mjölnir (in [[DualWielding conjunction]] with his shield) [[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IkGuNz-MrwQ to beat the crap out of Thanos]], while in the comics Cap has never done anything remotely that awesome even [[ComicBook/FearItself when]] [[ComicBook/SecretEmpire he did]] wield Mjölnir]].
5* Combined with AdaptationDistillation and CompositeCharacter; in the [[ComicBook/IronMan comic]], Whiplash was just a guy with a bulletproof but ridiculous looking costume and two whips who could take on Iron Man's early armors, but was easily outmatched when Tony got some upgrades. ''Film/IronMan2'' mixed him with another villain called Crimson Dynamo and revised him as a GeniusBruiser and MagnificentBastard who could actually hurt Iron Man's more advanced armor.
6* Pepper Potts, while she has her moments, is mostly a regular non-action lady in the comics. In the movies, however, Pepper has several big kick-ass moments. First, there’s ''Film/IronMan3'' where she gets injected with the Extremis virus and kills the villain, [[spoiler: then there’s ''Endgame'' where Pepper dons her own PoweredArmour and wrecks Thanos’s army [[BattleCouple alongside]] Tony. Oh, and unlike the comics where Pepper’s armor has no direct offensive weaponry, in the movie ''she has freaking laser beams and missiles'']]. Funnily enough Pepper would be portrayed as a ActionGirl more in the comics but only after the 2008 film.
7* Peggy Carter and Howard Stark in ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger'' not only went into AscendedExtra territory, but they were also upgraded into a badass army officer and a NoCelebritiesWereHarmed Howard Hughes that help Cap in his missions.
8** ''WesternAnimation/WhatIf2021'' Episode 1 dials this up with Peggy, as in this universe she's the one who takes the SuperSerum and becomes a CaptainPatriotic. SuperSoldier Peggy is even shown to be stronger than Cap himself, able to flip entire trucks over and overpower a EldritchAbomination and force it back through a portal.
9** [[spoiler: In ''Film/DoctorStrangeInTheMultiverseOfMadness'', Peggy, equipped with a JetPack, pulls off something not even Steve could do at his best and lasts several minutes against full on RealityWarper Scarlet Witch (who had just killed Black Bolt and Mr Fantastic effortlessly).]]
10* ''Film/IronMan3'' does this to Aldrich Killian. [[spoiler: In the comic book storyline ''Extremis'', Killian commits suicide at the beginning out of guilt over selling Extremis to a RightWingMilitiaFanatic. In the movie, Killian becomes the main villain of the movie, as he is revealed to be the real Mandarin (or so he says), orchestrating terrorist attacks using the Extremis formula and posing a very large threat throughout the movie. He also takes Extremis himself, becoming physically powerful enough to demolish Tony's armours with his bare hands.]]
11* Subverted in ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier'' with Georges Batroc, known in the Marvel Comics as Batroc the Leaper; traditionally a BadassNormal NobleDemon who regularly goes toe to toe with [[SuperSoldier Cap]] and always puts up a pretty impressive fight, but is often assumed to be a joke because [[CheeseEatingSurrenderMonkeys he's French]] and has a hideous costume design. In the film, he's just as badass as he is in the comics, [[AdaptationalSeriousness but with his more silly characteristics removed]], and played by UsefulNotes/MixedMartialArts champion Georges St-Pierre.
12* ComicBook/TheVision is not nearly as important or powerful in the comics as he is in ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron''. In the comics, he has a pretty standard powerset--flight, higher than average toughness and strength, density manipulation powers, and a beam weapon in his solar-powered gem. His origin was also basically an android given life by copying the brain of another existing superhero. He is also the Avenger most often [[TheWorfEffect destroyed]] because he can be easily rebuilt. After being destroyed again, he was literally [[PutOnABus left in the Avenger's warehouse]] for years and was not present during major story arcs like ''ComicBook/CivilWar2006''. He has only been written back into the comics in the last 3 years. However in the movie, [[spoiler:his origin and power level are far more impressive, where it takes Thor's lightning to give him life, has vibranium incorporated right into his ''cells'' which makes him nigh-indestructible, and being powered by one of the Infinity Gems raises his power potential far above his original nameless solar gem. '''And''' he is able to wield {{Mjolnir}} and thus judged 'worthy', a privilege that not many Marvelites in either here or the comics can claim.]] On the other hand, comic Vision has managed to [[https://i.imgur.com/Tod0lwC_d.webp?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium effectively]] fight the likes of ComicBook/SilverSurfer, whilst in the movies he’s clearly a few leagues [[AlwaysSomeoneBetter below]] cosmic characters like Thanos [[spoiler: who killed him pretty easily in ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar''.]]
13* The Vulture in the comics basically boiled down to an old man in a winged suit, whose goofy appearance and low threat level more or less made him a JokeCharacter in the eyes of many fans. In ''Film/SpiderManHomecoming'' however, while being middle-aged, he becomes a vicious gang leader with a dark, intimidating mechanical suit built from scavenged Chitauri tech, who steals and sells dangerous weapons to criminals in order to make a living.
14* Wong from ''Film/DoctorStrange2016'' gets some '''major''' badass points. In the comics, Wong is the BumblingSidekick to Strange and at best only knows some kung-fu and minor magic. In the movie, however, Wong is not only (as confirmed by WordOfGod) more skilled in magic than Strange, but actually acts as the doctor’s MentorArchetype. In ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'' [[spoiler: and ''Film/AvengersEndgame'']], Wong defends Earth from Thanos’s forces alongside the Avengers, even slicing off Cull Obsidian’s arm with a PortalCut, and [[spoiler: gathers all of Earth’s forces and sends them through portals to pull off the biggest BigDamnHeroes moment against Thanos]]. If that wasn't enough, in ''Film/ShangChiAndTheLegendOfTheTenRings'', Wong has a cage match with the Abomination (who could match the Hulk) '''and wins''' thanks to ThinkingUpPortals. [[spoiler: ''Film/DoctorStrangeInTheMultiverseOfMadness'' takes this even further with Wong being one of the very few individuals besides Strange who can remotely give Wanda any trouble and by the climax actively helps take her down (despite being thrown off a mountain at one point). In the comics, Wong has never done anything close to that level.]]
15* [[Film/SpiderManHomecoming Spider-Man]] gets this compared to the comic version. While never a wimp by any measure, Peter is still considered a lightweight in comparison to other Marvel heroes and rarely fights (much less) beats opponents above the regular street-level villains. From his debut in ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'', Spidey is able overpower most of Cap's side (including the Winter Soldier) and puts up quite a fight against the Living Legend himself before losing, all while he was just a rookie, and in ''Infinity War'', he fights the likes of Ebony Maw, Obsidian Cull, and even Thanos. True, he fought Thanos in [[ComicBook/TheInfinityGauntlet the comic]] as well but Spidey had the likes of Thor and Hulk backing him up there, while in the film Spidey is able to fight Thanos in close quarters and stagger him with his attacks with only Dr Strange helping him TeleportSpam from a distance. In ''Film/AvengersEndgame'', Spidey not only slays thousands of Outriders with his Instant Kill mode, but kills Obsidian Cull himself by pulling him into the path of Giant-Man with a web. In ''Film/SpiderManNoWayHome'', Peter is able to outwit and defeat Doctor Strange himself in the Mirror Dimension, leaving the sorcerer stranded there, and can even counter Strange's AstralProjection-palm attack with the SpiderSense (as he could dodge Strange's attempts to grab the spell cube off him even when out of his own body) -- something that's ''never'' happened in the comics.
16** [[spoiler: The [[Film/SpiderManTrilogy Raimi]] and [[Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan Webbverse]] versions of Spider-Man get AdaptationalBadass by default, being portrayed as just as powerful as MCU Spidey ([[Film/SpiderManTrilogy Raimi]]'s being even more [[StrongerWithAge stronger and skilled]] than both others), especially when [[CombinationAttack working in tandem]] and notably lack the emotional {{wangst}} and immaturity they had in their own movies. Though justified in that they've gone through CharacterDevelopment since their films ended.]]
17* Zig-zagged with Hela from ''Film/ThorRagnarok''. In general, she is far more powerful in the movie than she is in the comics where she rarely engaged in physical combat, and when she does fight on the page, she can only just hold her own against Thor occasionally. In the film, however, she [[CurbStompBattle wipes the floor]] with the God of Thunder and [[WreckedWeapon crushes his hammer]] Mjölnir into pieces, whereas in the comics she doesn’t possess the level of strength to do that. Hela also had the distinct weakness of being half-dead in the comics, whereas in the movie she’s an InvincibleVillain [[spoiler: and is only stopped when Surtur [[TheresNoKillLikeOverKill nukes Asgard]] to space dust]]. On the other hand, she lacks the literal TouchOfDeath and some of the more mystical abilities the comics version had.
18* ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'':
19** Ebony Maw in the comics had no superpowers aside from telepathy or "persuasion" which he uses to torture Doctor Strange, but in ''Avengers Infinity War'', Maw is an outright EvilSorcerer with [[MindOverMatter telekinetic powers]] which he uses to restrain Thor, fight off Iron Man and Spider-Man, and even capture Doctor Strange, making him one of the most powerful Children of Thanos besides the Hulk-like Cull Obsidian.
20** Weapon-example with Stormbreaker. In the comics, it’s pretty much a discount Mjölnir, being given to Beta Ray Bill after he proved himself to Odin. It’s not nearly as OP as Thor’s iconic hammer however, as seen in a more recent comic where Thor [[WreckedWeapon breaks it]] by swinging it against Mjölnir. In ''Infinity War'', however, Stormbreaker makes Mjölnir look like a paperweight. Not only can it summon the Bifröst, it’s also nigh-indestructible. Thor confirmed this as at the peak of his power, he used Stormbreaker to overpower a CombinedEnergyAttack from all six Infinity Stones and embed the axe in Thanos’s chest, mortally wounding him. Although unlike the comics, anybody who is strong enough can use Stormbreaker in the movies since there’s no [[OnlyTheChosenMayWield worthiness enchantment]].
21* In many ways, Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel is this at the end of her solo movie as she curb-stomps the Kree army, including characters such as Minerva who could match her in the comics. In ''Film/AvengersEndgame'', Carol not only destroys Thanos’s massive spaceship solo, but gives Thanos himself a run for his money despite him having the Infinity Gauntlet. In comparison, Fat Thor and the Hulk couldn't beat him while he ''didn't'' have it. In the comics, Carol needs an entire team with her to fight Thanos, and it usually wouldn't be enough even if he didn't have the Infinity Gauntlet.
22* ''Film/SpiderManFarFromHome'': Mysterio is shown to have FunctionalMagic akin to Doctor Strange, while his comic counterpart is regarded as a JokeCharacter who goes down like a chump when his illusions are compromised. [[spoiler:In the grand tradition of Mysterio, it's all smoke and mirrors -- Quentin Beck has no real superpowers, merely a lot of drones and holograms. Even then, he's far more menacing than his comic counterpart is usually presented as, and his final attack on London greatly exceeds anything his comic counterpart did in terms of sheer scope (it helps that Peter foolishly gave him access to a KillSat). Even after [[AmbiguousSituation apparently dying]], he manages to [[ThanatosGambit expose Spider-Man's secret identity]], leaving a far more permanent impact on Spidey than he ever did in the comics.]]
23* ''Film/BlackWidow2021'':
24** Alexei Shostakov aka Red Guardian [[PlayingWithATrope plays with this]]. On the surface, he seems to be the [[AdaptationalWimp inverse]], as he’s an overweight BrokenAce while his comic counterpart is a HeroicBuild-possessing stud. Except in the comics, Alexei is just a BadassNormal with CharlesAtlasSuperPower who is overshadowed by even the modestly enhanced Captain America. In the film on the other hand, Alexei, thanks to a Russian version of Cap's SuperSerum, has actual superpowers: being able to [[SuperStrength flip heavy machinery over like a table and punch steel doors open]], [[SuperSpeed catch up to a speeding plane while it’s taking off]], and [[SuperToughness survive falling off a high gulag wall onto his back and needs a dozen tranquilizer darts to be taken down]]. Alexei is also able to hold his own against Taskmaster for a prolonged length of time, making him easily as impressive a SuperSoldier as Steve Rogers himself.
25** Melina Vostokoff is regarded as TheAce [[LegacyCharacter Black Widow]], having gone through the [[TrainingFromHell Red Room]] four times, before Natasha was even born. This contrasts to the comics where Melina [[AgeLift is younger]] and, much to her fury, [[OvershadowedByAwesome lives in the shadow]] [[AlwaysSomeoneBetter of Natasha]]. Though this is mainly due to the film making Melina a CompositeCharacter of Nat and herself. [[PlayedWith Although]] this Melina is admittedly lacking the metal skin and strength of her comic counterpart.
26* ''Film/ShangChiAndTheLegendOfTheTenRings'':
27** Zig-zagged with eponymous Shang-Chi himself, like the comics he's an incredible martial artist who can utilize KiManipulation later in the film. [[spoiler: But in the climax, Shang-Chi is gifted the Ten Rings himself which he [[CombinedEnergyAttack combines with his Chi to spectacular effect]] and allows him to defeat his father and even [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu kill the Dweller-in-Darkness]], essentially making him twice as powerful as his comic counterpart who mainly uses Chi to enhance his strikes and doesn't have the Ten Rings. On the other hand, his comic version has quite a few flashy Chi-powers, while his film version needs the Ten Rings to do them.]]
28** Zheng Zu aka Fu Manchu, Shang-Chi's father, is definitely no slouch in the comics (especially in later ones), having mystical powers and immortality but he can still by foiled by the likes of Moon Knight and Luke Cage. His film counterpart, Xu Wenwu however, gets major badass points due to being a CompositeCharacter with [[Characters/IronManCentralRoguesGallery The Mandarin]] himself, having the various energy powers of the Ten Rings in addition to the Mandarin's legendary reputation and history, and is only beaten [[spoiler: when his son takes five of the Rings from him and uses them against him.]]
29** Jiang Li, Shang-Chi's mother, is the least badass of her family in the comics with her only notable ability and skill being dream-based telepathy and archery. Her film counterpart, Ying Li, is a different story, having spectacular martial arts and KiManipulation [[BlowYouAway Aerokinesis]] which she uses to [[CurbStompBattle school]] TheDreaded warlord the Mandarin Xu Wenwu himself, [[AmazonChaser which makes him fall for her]]. She's also the one who teaches Shang-Chi how use Chi in this version as he inherited her abilities. She’s also way more badass than Shang-Chi‘s original comic mother, an unnamed American woman.
30* ''Film/SpiderManNoWayHome'':
31** Green Goblin. Not that Norman was ever a pushover, especially in his [[Film/SpiderMan1 film debut]], but as strong and tough as he was, once Goblin angered Peter by threatening MJ in the ending, Spidey brutally overpowered him. [[spoiler: In ''No Way Home'', Norman is much more deadly and terrifying, subjecting MCU Spidey (who as mentioned above punched around ''Thanos!'') to a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown and laughing off the young Spider-Man's attacks before killing Aunt May in cold blood. In the climax, Goblin manages to almost kill Doctor Strange by planting a Pumpkin Bomb in the spell cube and even after MCU Peter subjects Norman to ExtremeMeleeRevenge, he's still able to shank Raimi Spider-Man (who stepped in to prevent his younger counterpart from going over the edge) and it takes the combined efforts of Webbverse and MCU Peters to defeat Norman by curing him of the Goblin Serum. Raimi Green Goblin manages to one up even his comic counterpart, by damaging the Multiverse by blowing up the spell cube and forcing Peter to make everyone forget his existence.]]
32** Doctor Octopus. Similar to Norman, Otto was already incredibly badass in ''Film/SpiderMan2'' and lacking the silly qualities of his comic version, but like the Goblin still got fairly easily defeated once Peter went all out in the climax. In ''No Way Home'', Doc Ock right off the bat is able to match MCU Peter in the Tony Stark-made Iron Spider Suit and would've killed him, if not for the nanotech saving Spidey's life at the last second. [[spoiler: In the FinalBattle, Otto manages to defeat Electro and save his version of Spider-Man and the Webbverse Spidey in the process.]]
33** Electro gets a good deal of this. Already a case of AdaptationalBadass in ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan2'' compared to his (often mocked) comic version, being a PersonOfMassDestruction who can reform himself like Doctor Manhattan, in ''No Way Home'' he displays MagnetismManipulation and gets further powered up with an Arc Reactor. He's so powerful [[spoiler: he would've killed both the Raimi and Webbverse Spider-Men if not for aforementioned Doc Ock's BigDamnHeroes moment.]]
34** The Lizard, although downplayed compared to previous examples, still gets this to a degree. In his film, while very strong and deadly, he still got overpowered by a teenage Spidey and George Stacy, a middle-aged cop with a shotgun. In ''No Way Home'', Lizard is able to wound Doctor Strange off-screen, [[spoiler: takes on multiple versions of Spider-Man in the climax, almost kills MJ and Ned, and actually assists the other villains, throwing MCU Peter back to Norman during the apartment fight.]]
35* Overlapping with AscendedExtra in ''Film/DoctorStrangeInTheMultiverseOfMadness'', [[spoiler:Maria Rambeau, who in comics is just a normal mother and housewife, is the Captain Marvel of Earth-838 instead of Carol and manages to be the last one standing against Wanda herself. Although it's fair to note the [[Film/CaptainMarvel2019 MCU version]] of Maria was already cooler than her comic version, who was a former seamstress rather than an AcePilot.]]
36* ''Series/{{Hawkeye|2021}}'' does this to Clint himself, specifically compared the Creator/MattFraction comic which the series takes heavy influence from. In the comic, Clint spends most of the series a frequent screw-up who is just barely managing to scrape by against threats like the Tracksuit Mafia. In the show, however, Clint is a Film/JohnWick-esque MookHorrorShow who as he [[LetsGetDangerous shows]] in Episode 5 could’ve annihilated Echo and her gang at any point if he had actually wanted to. This is likely a result of [[DecompositeCharacter giving Hawkeye’s loser qualities from the comic to Kate Bishop]] whilst retaining Clint’s competence from the films for the sake of consistency. [[spoiler:What makes this impressive is that [[TheDreaded Kingpin]] himself mentions being displeased by the fact that Ronin has returned and that an Avenger is now involved in his business, meaning [[HorrifyingTheHorror he is scared of Clint]] as both Hawkeye ''and'' Ronin.]]
37* ''Series/{{Moon Knight|2022}}'':
38** Zigzagged with TheCowl Marc Spector/Stephen Grant himself. On the surface, he plays this straight, being given AdaptationalSuperpowerChange in the MCU from the [[ComicBook/MoonKnight comic]] where he’s [[DependingOnTheWriter mostly]] a BadassNormal who’s [[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane possibly]] enhanced through the Moon and Khonshu, to having genuine SuperStrength, SuperSpeed, SuperToughness, {{Flight}} and can be a HenshinHero with the suit. But on other hand, even with explicit superpowers, the show’s Moon Knight isn’t nearly the stone-cold badass as the comic version is who’s gone toe to toe with the Punisher, Spider-Man, Thor, and even the Incredible Hulk. [[spoiler: Jake Lockley, the brutal third personality, is closer to how Moon Knight generally is in modern comics.]]
39** Played straight with Layla El-Faouly who is an {{expy}} of Marlene Alraune, Moon Knight’s wife from the comics. The comic version is a mild ActionGirlfriend who has some combat skills but is greatly overshadowed by her husband. [[spoiler: In the show, on the other hand, after becoming Taweret’s avatar, she transforms into a FlyingBrick superhero herself and [[BattleCouple joins Moon Knight]] in kicking ass during the FinalBattle.]]
40** Arthur Harrow in the comics is a NonActionBigBad and Nazi wannabe who is only a minor annoyance for Moon Knight. Here, he’s the powerful leader of the {{cult}} of Ammit and the former Moon Knight before Marc who is able to manipulate and fool Egyptian Gods and kill “unworthy” people with just a touch. [[spoiler: After awakening Ammit and being powered up by her, he is able to fight Moon Knight himself with his staff in [[AirJousting mid-air]] and [[CraterPower create big craters in the ground]].]]
41* ''Series/LukeCage2016'': Diamondback in the original comics was a [[TokenMotivationalNemesis very small-time villain that nonetheless had a big influence]] on Luke's past, his main gimmick being fighting with knives and he didn't get to live very long after his introduction, as he was accidentally killed by his own weapons. He is far deadlier in the TV show, being a dangerous mercenary/arms dealer that [[TheDreaded instills fear in everyone who knows his name]], including Cottonmouth. He is capable of [[QuickDraw killing several people in rapid succession]] and instead of knives, he uses a [[PowerFist powered glove]] that he can use to kill people with just one hit, which he later upgrades to wearing a snake-themed PoweredArmor to fight against Luke hand-to-hand.
42* ''Series/IronFist2017'': Harold Meachum was a broken and crippled old man who wanted nothing more than to be put out of his misery. In the series, he is younger, able-bodied and capable of fighting as well as [[spoiler:immortal as a result of striking up a deal with the Hand.]]

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