While both Marvel and DC have hundreds, possibly even thousands, of characters in their established comic book canons, every once in a while filmmakers need to come up with a new character of their very own. More often than not, it’s because the nature of the film’s plot requires something that doesn’t exist in the comics.
Now, I’m not talking about changing a character, like what Batman Begins did with Ra’s Al Ghul, or composite characters, like Ivan Vanko in Iron Man 2. I mean characters whose names and personas never appeared in any form in the comic book source material.
Not only do none of these characters exist in the comics, in several cases there are perfectly good characters in the source material that they are replacing. In other cases, the characters actually work better than any characters in the comics. This first one, however, certainly falls in the former category…
5. John Blake – The Dark Knight Rises
Okay, so this was a bit of a gimme, but let’s at least make it clear that Blake is neither Robin nor does he have any comic book counterpart. Well, kind of. His character actually does share several character traits with the three original Robins. He is an orphan, a police officer, and eventual heir to the Batman mantle like Dick Grayson. He deduces Batman’s identity and forces himself into Wayne’s life, as did Tim Drake. And, much like Jason Todd, much of the fanbase found him a bit whiney and annoying and would have really liked to have seen him get beaten to death.
Still, there is no character quite like him in the comics and despite resembling some familiar sidekicks, he does have his own unique journey into the Batcave.
And as long as we’re talking about Batman, there’s always…
4. Rachel Dawes – Batman Begins/Dr. Chase Meridian – Batman Forever
Because these two characters basically exist for the exact same reason, it’s a bit hard to talk about one without mentioning the other. Both were inventions of the filmmakers to give confirmed bachelor Bruce Wayne a significant love interest in their respective films, since Bruce doesn’t really have any big loves in the same way Superman and Spider-Man do.
Except for Selina Kyle/Catwoman, Vicki Vale, Talia al Ghul, and a whole slew of super-powered heroines and villainesses. Bruce gets around A LOT, guys. There’s really no reason why Dr. Meridian couldn’t have been Dr. Kinsolving. And how much more interesting would the whole trilogy have been if Rachel was actually Talia al Ghul (and didn’t die at the end)?
Well, I suppose creating a character so you can kill them without annoying the fanbase too much can be a perk. Which brings us to…
3. Agent Phil Coulson – Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor, The Avengers, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Surely you all saw this one coming. Perhaps one of the greatest of the original characters on this list, and easily the most embraced, Coulson was originally created as a minor character in Iron Man that would eventually link to S.H.I.E.L.D. It seemed an odd choice to some at the time, especially since there are plenty of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents in the comics that could have taken Coulson’s place. That said, it might have ruined the reveal in the very end if it had been, say, Maria Hill instead.
Regardless, Coulson proved popular enough to reprise his role in Iron Man 2, Thor, and two Marvel One-Shots before his tragic end in The Avengers. Well, sort of, as he’s now been confirmed to appear in Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. show. In addition to becoming a regular in the MCU, Coulson has now actually been written into the comics and has also made an appearance in the Amazing Spider-Man cartoon show.
Considering Marvel is willing to bring him back from the dead, it’s likely we’ll see a lot more of Coulson in the years to come. And we’re okay with that.
2. Dr. Erik Selvig – Thor, The Avengers
I’ll have to admit, I’m not actually familiar enough with Thor lore (comic book or otherwise) to comment on whether there was anyone else who could have taken Selvig’s place, but then, I also didn’t know he was an invented character until I looked him up.
All things considered, I think Selvig was used quite well. Unlike Hawkeye, we didn’t care as much about him being one of Loki’s brainwashed lackies for most of the film. In fact, I thought it was quite clever to keep Selvig around in such a major role in The Avengers.
1. Whistler – Blade, Blade 2, Blade Trinity
Now, having never actually read a Blade comic, this one was a complete shock to me. With appearances not only in the Blade films, but also in Spider-Man: TAS in 1996, I assumed that Whistler was an essential part of the Blade mythos. Had I never written this article, I might never have learned that Whistler was actually a creation of David S. Goyer for the Blade film. Which, considering Goyer was also part of team responsible for Rachel Dawes and R. John Blake, makes one wonder if there’ll be any new characters in his Man of Steel script…
Personally, I think Whistler is an excellent character and fits in quite neatly into Blade’s world. It makes sense that Blade would need a mentor like Whistler, and it doesn’t seem like he’s pushed any other characters to the wayside in his inclusion (like Goyer’s other creations…). Despite proving a popular character in the film franchise, Whistler still has yet to make the transition to retcon status, leaving Agent Coulson as the only one on this list who was actually appeared in non-tie-in comics since his creation.
Were you surprised by any of the characters on this list? Are there any you would like to see retconned into the comics? Or are there any we left out? Sound off below!
