Adaptational Attractiveness / X-Men Film Series

Trust us, don't call her a Bombshell, it won't go well for you.

A lot of characters in the X-Men Film Series are more attractive than their comic book counterparts:

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• X-Men:
  • Wolverine is played by the Tall, Dark, and Handsome Hugh Jackman, whereas in the comics the character was the butt of jokes about his stocky build and short height. Also, rather than an ill-mannered thug, Wolverine is a James Dean-esque bad boy in the film series.
  • Toad is a short, ugly little hunchback in the comics. Here, he's played by Ray Park◊ with some very half-hearted attempts at uglying him up. However, in X-Men: Days of Future Past, the younger Toad has many more noticeable bumps and wrinkles on his face.
  • Rogue is a Played With case as Anna Paquin is in NO WAY, shape, or form unattractive (quite the opposite, she’s one of the most beautiful actresses of her generation, just watch any episode of True Blood). Her character Rogue, however, is widely considered one of the most beautiful of all the female X-Men to the point where if there was a Mt. Rushmore of most attractive X-Men, she would no doubt be up there. Anna Paquin is more of a natural beauty, whereas comic Rogue is gorgeous in a voluptuous, idealized kind of way. Her film counterpart at least plays this straight concerning Rogue's first appearance when joining the X-Men, where she was more butch and homely compared to later comics.
• X-Men: The Last Stand:
  • Callisto.◊
  • Comics Leech resembles a pseudo-amphibious humanoid creature (not like that's a bad thing). See here◊ for comparison.
  • Quill looks like an actual person rather than a freaky man/porcupine hybrid.
• X-Men Origins: Wolverine:
  • Victor Creed◊ A.K.A Sabretooth is played by Liev Schreiber, who much like Hugh Jackman is Tall, Dark, and Handsome, a stark contrast to the near seven foot tall monstrous Beast Man of the comics.
  • Gambit in the movie has normal blue eyes, instead of the black sclera and red irises which was the reason he was abandoned as a baby in the comics.
• X-Men: First Class:
  • Professor X in the comics was never depicted being gorgeous like James McAvoy, and instead of being bald for his entire adulthood, the film version is blessed with luxurious locks when he's a younger man. He's aware of how good-looking he is, and is a Proud Beauty in this movie and X-Men: Apocalypse.
  • In the comics, Beast's original (human) form included oversized hands and feet. Here, his feet are different than normal, but they are still the right size, and he has no problem passing for an ordinary human.
  • In the comics, Sebastian Shaw, is a thuggish-looking, middle-aged businessman with a heavy build best described as "gorilla-like." In this film, he's played by a suave Kevin Bacon.
  • The comic book version of Riptide is nowhere near as handsome as the movie version.◊
  • In the comics, Darwin had bulging eyes, slits for a nose, and reptilian grey skin. In the movie, he looks like a normal human. Compare the two.
• X-Men: Days of Future Past: In The Stinger, the adolescent En Sabah Nur reaches Dude Looks Like a Lady levels. In X-Men: Apocalypse, one of his mutant hosts is a shirtless Oscar Isaac, and even in his "ascended" Apocalypse form, he lacks his comic counterpart's distinct squashed pug face.
• Caliban is a Phantom of the Opera-esque freak in the comics, in X-Men Apocalypse and Logan he’s played by Tómas Lemarquis and Stephen Merchant respectively who are both a far cry from the comic version.
• Deadpool (2016):
  • By nature of being played by Ryan Reynolds, Wade Wilson is much more handsome in the film than his comic counterpart. Even when his face is scarred, it's still hard to say he's ugly given Reynolds' natural attractiveness is still prevalent. This is Played for Drama; unlike the comics (where Deadpool doesn't like his scars, but has come to accept them and still actively pursues romance in spite of them), Wade is so ashamed of his scars that he can't even bring himself to approach Vanessa.
    • Given a bit of Lampshade Hanging at the end, when Vanessa finally sees Wade's scarred face. She notes that while it is somewhat jarring at first, after a brief adjustment period she'll still find him attractive.
  • Negasonic Teenage Warhead is prettier in the movie-verse◊ than in the comics; the latter is slightly creepy-looking. Exaggerated even more in the sequel where even the buzzcut punkish appearance is toned down for a more glamorous look with longer hair◊.
    • Notably, since the film adaptation's release, the character has returned to the comics with a new appearance closely matching the film's version.
• Donald Pierce is a feral looking Cyborg-man in the comics. In Logan he’s played by the rugged Boyd Holbrook.

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