What Marvel Character Has Changed The Most From Their Debut?

[DrNewGod]

I'm not talking about changes in which character carries a name, like the many different Captain Marvels, I mean which character is the most remarkably different than what their original creator gave us?

My vote actually would be the current Captain Marvel, Carol Danvers, who began existence as backup love interest/Lois Lane-esque secret identity threat in Mar-Vell's original feature way back in the day.

[Digifiend]

Beast. Originally looked human, and was a bit of a jock. Nowadays, he looks like a blue animal, and he turned out to be one of the smartest people in the Marvel Universe.

Songbird and Mach. These two started out as villains, Screaming Mimi and Beetle. Nowadays they're both trying to work for good, not evil. The other Thunderbolts keep relapsing into villainy, but not Melissa and Abner.

Janet Van Dyne. Originally a flighty fashion-obsessed teen sidekick to Hank Pym, she matured greatly and ended up leading the Avengers and learning a lot of science - she's now the head of the Ant-Man family, owning all the patents to the Pym tech.

[TheCape]

Probably Wolverine, Len Wein and Roy Thomas intended him to be a teenager that was mean to be sort of a Canadian Spider-Man with Claws instead of webs, and super-senses instead of Spider-Sense. That's definetly not what he is today, he is an century old man that might be immortal (at least when it comes aging) and is heavily inspired by Clint Eastwood.

Plus his claws were supposed to be part of his gloves instead of coming from his body. And that's just the first of many retcons. Also he wasn't supposed to have amnesia, in spite of what the cartoon and Fox movies popularized about him.

The next one might be Daredevil, i know less about him, so his fans can correct me, but for what i understand he originally was sort of like an Spider-Man that have some spooky adventures ocasionally, until Miller came and added a lot to the past of the characther (his training, his relationship with Elektra, his anger issues, etc) and overall turned him into a more noir characther. But as i said, i don't know as much about him, pre-Miller, my limited knowledge came from a friend here in CBR.

[your_name_here]

Nova went from Spider-Man/Green Lantern mix-up to a cosmic war-hero.

[Alan2099]

Groot was originally a king sized war conquering monarch who spoke perfectly fine.

His current team mate Starlord was originally a cold hearted murdering vengeance driven jerk who who's mother was murdered by aliens before his eyes as a child and how he along with his intelligent space ship explored cosmic philosophy.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

It would be interesting to find characters who are "unchanged" or least changed because I think practically all the major characters changed from how they were originally introduced (though obviously Marvel people under Quesada would froth at the mouth in denial they have).

[Frontier]

It would be interesting to find characters who are "unchanged" or least changed because I think practically all the major characters changed from how they were originally introduced (though obviously Marvel people under Quesada would froth at the mouth in denial they have).

Steve Rogers hasn't changed much.

[Huntsman Spider]

It would be interesting to find characters who are "unchanged" or least changed because I think practically all the major characters changed from how they were originally introduced (though obviously Marvel people under Quesada would froth at the mouth in denial they have).

Steve Rogers hasn't changed much.

I would cite Spider-Man, in spite of Marvel's constant attempts to revert him to what (they think) he started as. Steve Rogers is more of a believer in the rights and dignity of all peoples and refuses to be beholden to the U.S. government, especially when he perceives it to be out of step with his morals, compared to the patriotic symbol he started as. Speaking of Steve/Captain America, his partner Bucky is extremely different from how he debuted as well, being a covert operative as opposed to "kid sidekick."

[Cth]

Hulk is a pretty good candidate.. the title has always been about change.

[XPac]

Flash Thompson changed a lot.

He started off as a bully to Peter Parker and ended up as Venom Symbiote.

[Huntsman Spider]

Flash Thompson changed a lot.

He started off as a bully to Peter Parker and ended up as Venom Symbiote.

And even dying as a hero and Peter's best friend.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

Steve Rogers hasn't changed much.

He was introduced in the Timely Era as a true blue propaganda hero, and then, resurrected in the Marvel era after going under ice. Then he evolved into the guy who fought Nixon, and became Nomad - the Man without a country. Then he became "loyal to nothing, general, but the dream" and became a more anti-authoritarian superhero.

So I'd argue even he's changed much. Heck Kirby's MADBOMB, which he wrote in the 70s, featuring him and Falcon, is all about Cap's view of American patriotism changing. You can argue that he's true to the original intent but it's definitely a way off from the context in which his earliest stories were written.

[DigiCom]

Probably Daredevil. Started out as a Spider-Man clone with a different gimmick, and was so radically transformed by the Miller Era that portrayals that resemble his original depiction are the exception, not the rule. (There are really only two, Kesel & Waid, and even the Waid run treated it as something unusual)

[Frontier]

He was introduced in the Timely Era as a true blue propaganda hero, and then, resurrected in the Marvel era after going under ice. Then he evolved into the guy who fought Nixon, and became Nomad - the Man without a country. Then he became "loyal to nothing, general, but the dream" and became a more anti-authoritarian superhero.

So I'd argue even he's changed much. Heck Kirby's MADBOMB, which he wrote in the 70s, featuring him and Falcon, is all about Cap's view of American patriotism changing. You can argue that he's true to the original intent but it's definitely a way off from the context in which his earliest stories were written.

I dunno, he still seems like the stalwart, idealistic, passionate, and inspirational Sentinel of Liberty he's always been. Some of the details may have changed, his faith in the US government may have changed, but his inner character is still the same otherwise he wouldn't be Steve Rogers. To where I can believe that he was always loyal to nothing but the dream even back during the Golden Age.

[K7P5V]

Flash Thompson changed a lot.

He started off as a bully to Peter Parker and ended up as Venom Symbiote.

And even dying as a hero and Peter's best friend.

Agreed. Idolized Spidey during his youth, and eventually became a crime-fighting super-hero in his own right.