Adaptation Relationship Overhauls in The DCU.
Comic Books:
- Batman '66:
- Most versions of Harley Quinn depict her as having been manipulated into becoming the Joker's girlfriend, of which she ends up poorly abused in the process. Here, Joker certainly dupes her, but he never actually goes so far as to physically abuse her, and while it's implied she does have a mild crush on him (at least before her accident), she never acts on it in the comic continuation. The Stinger of Batman vs. Two-Face, however...
- Post-Crisis Poison Ivy was never particularly close to her parents, and her New 52 iteration had a particularly abusive father who killed her mother and buried her in the backyard. Here, this Ivy loved her father deeply and was motivated to get revenge on the university for not helping him after he died.
- Batman '89: Barbara Gordon was never involved with Harvey Dent in the main DC universe, while here, she is his girlfriend and fiance.
- Deathstroke: While still complicated, Rose and her father Slade's relationship is more stable in Rebirth compared to her Pre-Flashpoint version. While she still likes doing things to piss Slade off like marrying his former tech-guy, she no longer Hates Their Parent showing multible times that she loves and cares for him and wants him in her life.
- Green Lantern: Earth One: While Abin Sur usually survives long enough to pass on his ring to Hal, here he died centuries ago and Hal takes the ring from his mummified corpse. This results in Kilowog taking Abin Sur's role in providing Hal with exposition on the Green Lantern Corps and how the power ring works.
- Just Imagine... Stan Lee Creating the DC Universe: Lois Lane is depicted as Superman's agent trying to talk him into accepting endorsements to boost his image. It is eventually revealed in the Tales from Earth-6: A Celebration of Stan Lee one-shot that the Just Imagine Superman dated Lois for a while before breaking up with her, in contrast to most incarnations of Superman and Lois Lane being married or at least dating.
- Smallville Season 11:
- The Yellow Lanterns were created by the Guardians to back up the Green Lantern Corps instead of being an antagonistic force like the Sinestro Corps.
- This Dick Grayson was never adopted by Bruce as a child, with it implied that his parents are in fact still alive, and by the time they do meet it is when Dick is an adult.
- Steve Trevor and Diana Prince have never been childhood friends before, and he wasn't an ex of Lois' in the comics. Also the idea of Hippolyta raising him after they leave Themyscira has never appeared in nay prior adaptation.
- Superman:
- Pre-Crisis, Jor-El was merely General Zod's jailer. Post-Crisis and every interpretation since, inspired by the first two Reeves films, their relationship is more personal.
- In Superman: Space Age Superman and Batman are never as close here as they are in the comics and most other adaptations. Notably, despite both being active for over 20 years, Superman never learns that Batman’s secret identity is Bruce Wayne, even after Batman’s death.
- In Wonder Woman Ares is the sworn enemy of the Amazons. In Greek Mythology, the first Amazons were daughters of Ares (including Hippolyta who is still his daughter in most comics), and he was said to be one of the few gods that they worshiped. This has a lot to do with the Amazons' overall Adaptational Heroism.
- Hercules gets some Adaptational Villainy in DC Comics Wonder Woman, having raped Hippolyta in the past. In the myths the two got along pretty well, until Hera forced a conflict between them. Even then, he killed her based on a misunderstanding; there was no rape involved.
- Wonder Woman (1987): Large changes were made to Diana's relationships with her Earth-Two, Earth-One and tv series boyfriend/husband Steve Trevor who is older than her in this continuity and in a relationship with the local radically different version of Etta Candy.
- Wonder Woman (Rebirth): Dr. Anderson and Ferdinand were dating in the Post-Crisis continuity, here Anderson dies while still allied with Cale — who is more sympathetic — so they are never anything other than enemies.
Films:
- DC Extended Universe:
- Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice: Barry Allen's age lift and lack of experience makes him the most junior member of the Justice League in the films, whereas the comic version is usually just as experienced as the rest of them — Wally West, Barry's successor as the Flash in the comics, is usually somewhat younger than most of the League, but he's never painted as inexperienced like DCAU Barry is, since he started superheroics as a kid.
- Birds of Prey (2020): Normally Victor Zsasz is a disturbed loner that the majority of Batman's rogues know to steer well clear of for concern they'll be his next mark, here he's fanatically loyal to — and obsessed with — his boss Roman Sionis, mirroring Harley's former situation.
- Justice League: Steppenwolf is one of Darkseid's most trusted servants in the comics because he doesn't want the throne of Apokolips. Here, Darkseid has no faith in Steppenwolf's abilities and even less trust in him after Steppenwolf joined a coup against Darkseid, and banished him from his empire. The most telling difference is that Darkseid went out of his way to resurrect Steppenwolf after he was killed in the comics, but simply crushed Steppenwolf's severed head under his boot in the movie.
- Suicide Squad: In the comics, Captain Boomerang is The Friend Nobody Likes, with the rest of the Squad treating him with mild annoyance and best and more commonly outright disgust. Here he gets along fairly well with the other Squad members, and he and Harley are even shown to be friends.
- DC Showcase – Batman: Death in the Family: In the comics Tim's relationship with Jason has always been problematic and he joins Batman not long after Jason's death. In Death in the Family he becomes Jason's sidekick and they seem to have a far closer bond than any canon since Tim convinces Jason to stop killing.
- Injustice (2021): In the animated adaption Superman doesn't enter a relationship with Wonder Woman, who does try to kiss him at one point. This is understandable as it hasn't been long since Lois' death.
- Tomorrowverse:
- Batman: The Long Halloween:
- In the comic, Don Falcone is quite protective of his son Alberto, and is adamant that he not get involved in "the business". This makes Alberto resent Don Falcone for rejecting any of Alberto's attempts to advise him. In the animated version Falcone considers him The Un Favourite and is dismissive of him, openly mocking his Oxford education and even physically threatening him.
- Batman and Catwoman have a comparatively more amiable relationship here than in the original comic, even already knowing one another's secret identities, something that usually happens much later in Batman's career (with The Long Halloween being set in his early years).
- Downplayed example. In the beginning of the film, Falcone's nephew, Johnny, had agreed to testify against his family before he was gunned down by the Holiday Killer, leading Harvey and others to suspect Falcone himself of being the murderer. In the comics, Johnny agreed to testify but backed out after Falcone tried to have him killed, putting him back in Falcone's good graces again until his murder. In the comic, Harvey is also glad that Johnny got what he deserved in the comic, while here, he's enraged that Johnny was bumped off right before he was going to testify.
- Batman: The Long Halloween:
- Wonder Woman (2009): Continuing from the comic books (see above), Ares here is not only an enemy of the Amazons, he raped Hippolyta at some point in the past. In the original myths, he's her father.
Live-Action TV:
The following have their own pages:
- Doom Patrol (2019):
- Rita Farr/Elasti-Woman/Gertrude Cramp:
- In the comics, she died at the end of the Silver Age, and stayed dead for decades afterwards, never having any relationship with Jane or Dorothy, who came later. In this version of the team, she is on the team with both of them, and even briefly tries to parent Dorothy.
- In the comics, she was Happily Married to Steve Dayton. In this show, they dated briefly, and she does not like to talk about it.
- In the comics, she never encountered the Brotherhood of Dada. In this show, she was a member of it, and even had a thirty-year relationship with Malcolm.
- In the comics Dr. Tyme liked to claim he was the arch-nemesis of the Doom Patrol, but here it's clear he prefers to be left alone, partying in his time capsule for as long as he wants without caring about the Patrol.
- Ronald Evers was best friends and later enemies with Cyborg in the comics. Now, as Roni, the two are lovers in the show.
- By the end of the series, Larry Trainor and Mr. 104 are a couple, when their comic counterparts were never in any sort of relationship.
- Rita Farr/Elasti-Woman/Gertrude Cramp:
- In Legends of the Superheroes Ray Palmer/The Atom is getting married to Giganta, while in the comics the two had barely interacted.
- Lucifer (2016): In the Lucifer comics the title character and Mazikeen are lovers. In the tv show they're close friends who used to have casual sex in the past and have no romantic feelings for each other.
- The Sandman: In the show, Rose Walker and Lyta Hall are established friends when we first meet them, and Lyta accompanies Rose on her search for her long-lost brother Jed. In the comic, Lyta was somebody Jed had met, and she and Rose never met until after Rose found Jed, and never got on very well. Part of the reason for such a big change is that Lyta is a Composite Character in the TV version, taking on the role played by Rose and Jed's mother in the comic.
- Smallville: This version of Booster Gold decides to mentor Jamie Reyes, a relationship they have never had in the comics or other adaptions.
- Stargirl (2020):
- Mike Dugan and Courtney Whitmore get along much better than in the comics. In the source, Mike resented Courtney for being the one to follow the legacy that he believed belonged to him, and the two had a much more intense Sibling Rivalry, helped by the fact they were much closer in age. He also just didn't care that much about Barbara. Here, Mike is much warmer to Courtney and Barbara and though he gets jealous of how much time Courtney and Pat spend together, after her "car accident" he's apologetic and admits he likes the idea of having a big sister.
- Cindy Burman/Shiv:
- In the comics, she was a "Well Done, Son" Guy towards her father, who treated her as nothing but an experiment and weapon, would subject her to painful enhancement when she failed him, and was more than happy to abandon her when he decided a brainwashed Courtney would make a better weapon. Here, though he's still experimented on her, he's reluctant to bring her into the ISA or use her, and is bothered by her sociopathic tendencies; meanwhile, Cindy sees her father for what he is, and resents him for what he's done to her. Eventually, she kills him.
- In the comics, Cindy bullied Courtney purely For the Evulz and later developed a personal animosity when her father dies after Courtney foiled his evil plans. Here, she actually tries to befriend Courtney, initially just to size her up as a potential Beta Bitch but later genuinely wants her friendship...then when she discovers her secret identity, decides she wants to be the one to personally defeat her as a means of proving herself to the ISA.
- Artemis Crock:
- Her and Cindy were teammates back in the comics when they joined Johnny Sorrow's new Injustice Society, but as he's Adapted Out, Cindy is the team leader instead and Artemis is subordinate to her. Making matters more extreme, she was a veteran supervillain by the time Cindy had only just started out, whereas here, Cindy was supervillaining at least a year before Artemis.
- She has no on-screen relationship with Cameron Mahkent, and hasn't even shared any scenes with him. In the comics, they were a Happily Married Unholy Matrimony supervillain couple, and she explicitly was a Violently Protective Girlfriend towards him.
- In the comics, Cameron Mahkent never knew his mother as she died in childbirth - directly because of his powers manifesting in the womb. This didn't happen, and so his relationship with his family is less strained. Notably, he was a Remember the New Guy? when introduced due to this, as the Mahkent family considered him a Black Sheep.
- Paul Deisinger was a loyal ally of Dragon King in Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E., but here the two have no connection other than Deisinger being affected by a MacGuffin that was carried by Dragon King's daughter, which she didn't even do on purpose.
- Titans (2018):
- Rose Wilson/Ravager relationship with "daddy" Slade is a mix between the Pre-Flash Point and DC Rebirth versions. Just like in the Pre-Flash Point Era, Slade refuses at first to acknowledge Rose, then he changes his mind and makes her his apprentice. By comparison with his monstrous previous incarnations, Rebirth Slade comes out as a decent father, even with all of his chronic emotional manipulations, while Rose is very much a Daddy's Girl. In the show, he cares for her, but he cares even more to use her for his revenge on the Titans.
- Don Hall/Dove I and Hank Hall/Hawk are full siblings in the comics but are only half siblings in the show.
- Wintergreen:
- Played With. In the comics, Billy Wintergreen was basically a Captain Ersatz of Alfred Pennyworth. A veteran SAS operative who later became Slade's trusted butler/mentor and the closet thing he has to a Morality Chain. In the show, Wintergreen was a US Special Forces operator who would essentially become the Diana Burnwood to Deathstroke's Agent 47. Supplying him with his weapons and armor along with any critical Intel on the targets he aims to assassinate. That said, it's shown that this Wintergreen still has a genuine friendship with Slade and even served as the best man at his wedding just like in the source material.
- Comic Wintergreen also had a very positive relationship with the Wilson children and even came close to adopting Rose as his own daughter. Here, while Rose's feeling for him are currently unknown, Jericho resents him for his part in keeping Slade hooked on the assassin lifestyle and even flips Billy off when he tries to reunite him with his father.
Video Games:
- Season 2 of Batman: The Telltale Series famously gave a role reversal to The Joker and Harley Quinn. Mr. J (here an unstable mental patient who's not yet a criminal mastermind) is the fawning, eager, lovesick minion while Harley is impassive, exploits Joker's feelings for her, and Harley is the one in charge (although she hints she has some feelings for him, but sees him as childish and wasting his potential). Two different versions of the finale take this in still other directions:
- In the "Vigilante" version, Joker will actually be willing to turn her in to the authorities for her own good, even knowing she'll hate him for it.
- In the "Villain" version, Joker becomes more assertive and earns Harley's admiration, with them becoming more equal parters and a borderline Outlaw Couple though you soon learn that Joker is willing to work behind her back to mess with Batman, and when the chips are down he even flees the scene, leaving her behind with a half-abashed smile.
- Injustice: Blue Beetle and Firestorm have never interacted with each other in canon, but here they're portrayed as an Action Duo for Batman's team, being The Big Guys that are used when things get serious and Heterosexual Life-Partners to each other in a manner not seen outside of a Fan Works.
Web Animation
- In DC Super Hero Girls, Starfire and her sister Blackfire have only a brief, one-sided rivalry, and once Blackfire makes a Heel–Face Turn in the movie she's introduced in, the two get along fine. One episode even has them bonding together. In the comics, they loathe each other. Blackfire even sold Starfire into slavery.
Western Animation:
The following have their own pages:
- Batman: The Brave and the Bold:
- In the comics, Steppenwolf was Darkseid's minion rather than Mongul's.
- In the comics, Takeo's motive was to Murder the Hypotenuse, his brother Makeo, for marrying Katana. Since Katana is de-aged to a teenager, Makeo is Adapted Out, and Takeo instead kills Tadashi.
- DC Super Hero Girls (2019):
- Dick and Barbara are usually friends and are frequently even love interests. In DC SuperHero Girls, they dislike each other and are rivals. Dick is brattier and meaner than the norm. He makes fun of Barbara for wanting to be Batman's second Kid Sidekick.
- Depending on the target audience, almost every version of Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy are best friends or life partners, with Harley being basically the only human Ivy has positive emotions towards. In the show Ivy can’t stand Harley only works with her alongside the other Villain Girls, and the two almost kill each other fighting over a TV remote.
- Harleen Quinzel and Barbara Gordon are best friends in their civilian identities, rather than only knowing each other as enemies.
- Rather than a romantic admirer of Joker whom he manipulated into being evil, Harleen Quinzel is just a non-romantic, Loony Fan of his who never met him until long after becoming Harley Quinn.
- Justice League: In the source material, Katma Tui and John Stewart were an Official Couple and even married, with their relationship coming to an end when Carol Ferris killed Katma. Here, she and John only had a brief fling with John instead having a relationship with Hawkgirl.
- My Adventures with Superman: Most versions of Jimmy Olsen are portrayed as Superman's plucky young sidekick. In this version, they're relatively the same age, have been working at the Daily Planet at around the same time and are roommates. A later episode reveals they met in their freshman year of college, so they have known each other at least four years by the time of the pilot.
- Superman: The Animated Series:
- In the comics, Star Boy (Thomas Kallor) girlfriend was Dream Girl. Here, while Dream Girl does make a cameo in Superman The Animated Series, it's implied that his girlfriend in this continuity is Lightning Lass, who he has some interaction with in the main continuity of the comics. Although, Lightning Lass (or rather Light Lass) and Star Boy are Bash Brothers in the Threeboot continuity of the Legion of Super-Heroes comics, which in that case makes this a Relationship Upgrade.
- Right after Superman rejected Maxima, she may have had something going on with 'Lobo.
- Superman's association with the Legion of Super-Heroes is limited to three of them visiting him one time during his teenagehood in "New Kids in Town", when in the comics (aside from several Cosmic Retcons that downplayed or outright discarded Superman's ties to the Legion, usually in relation to the established continuity at the time choosing to ignore his history as the first Superboy), the Legion had formed due to being inspired by Superman's adventures as Superboy and appreciated him to the extent that they used time travel to recruit the young Superman-to-be into their team and regularly allowed him to participate in their missions.
- Teen Titans (2003):
- In the comics, Argent/Toni Louise Moretti was close friends with Hot Spot. In this show, they don't interact.
- We may never learn if Jericho/Joseph Wilson got together with Kole like in the comics.
- Herald/Mal Duncan was Bumblebee's boyfriend and later husband in the comics. In this show, they never interact.
- In the comics, Cheshire and Speedy fall in love and have a child together. Here, they just fight.
- Teen Titans Go!:
- In the original series Beast Boy and Raven had a Like Brother and Sister relationship, while in this series they get a lot of Ship Tease before becoming an Official Couple.
- The original series Slade shadowed the Titans for ages and would never leave them alone. This Slade had nothing to do with the Titans years into their superhero career, and the Titans only go looking for him due to wanting an Arch-Enemy, while Slade still wants nothing to do with them.
