Mark Millar is undoubtedly one of the most well-known and influential comic book writers in the industry today. Period. After writing for several DC titles in the 90’s, Millar was instrumental in establishing the Ultimate Universe under the Marvel imprint in the early 2000’s. Then, beginning in 2004, the Scotsman established “Millarworld” – his own label with which he could craft stories centered on his own unique, personally-created characters. Millar’s satiric, yet crudely refreshing perspective on the superhero and action genres now reaches more fans than ever before. Why is that? Because of the success his stories have found on the big screen.
Beginning with his work with Ultimate Marvel, it’s clear that Millar always had cinematic aspirations for his stories. Rather than pigeonhole his work to appeal to only comic book readers, Millar – a self-professed cinephile – has also always been influenced by films. He doesn’t simply pay homage to films, yet also finds ample opportunity to lampoon them, too.
In his immensely influential series The Ultimates, Nick Fury was famously reimagined as a black character, with actor Samuel L. Jackson as his inspiration; this casting would of course come true years later, including a none-too-subtle 9-picture deal. Millar also toyed with the idea of the Avengers as celebrities, showing Tony Stark on a date with Shannon Elizabeth in space, as well as the Hulk trying to murder Freddie Prinze, Jr. after the latter went out on a date with Betty Ross. Over the years, Millar’s fresh take on characters both new and old has cemented his status as a truly entertaining writer; and even more recently, he has also proven why comic books and their film adaptations don’t need to be mutually exclusive, but rather integral counterparts that accentuate the strengths of each respective medium.
The first adaptation of his work was 2008’s Wanted, the thrilling, action-packed film starring James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie, and Morgan Freeman. The film revolves around Wesley Gibson: an unimposing, office-dwelling pushover, as his life is upended by the news that he’s the son of an acclaimed assassin, with similarly superhuman capabilities. Wesley is initiated into a secret society of fellow assassins, where he hones his skills, and becomes involved in the complex machinations of “The Fraternity.” Russian director Timur Bekmambetov showcases plenty of fast-paced, bullet-curving, high-octane action that has become essential to any Mark Millar adaptation. The comic upon which it was based, though likewise comprised of amoral, wanton violence, is far more – shall I say – “comic booky.”
Mark Millar’s Wanted was a 6-issue parody of the invincible, righteous, caped crusaders that are typically seen in popular comics by Marvel and DC. The premise? “The bad guys won. Led by Professor Solomon Seltzer, ALL the supervillains finally teamed up and destroyed all the superheroes in a cataclysmic battle back in 1986.” Millar’s trademark sarcastic, action-packed, profanity-ridden debauchery is on full display here in this sendup of the superhero genre. There’s literally a character named “Shit-Head” – described as “the collected feces of the six hundred and sixty-six most evil human beings that ever walked the earth.” Though it wouldn’t have been the first film to portray an anthropomorphic, evil shit-monster on screen (e.g., Kevin Smith’s Dogma), the film adaptation of Wanted deviates from its source material in a number of ways.
First off, Millar once again incorporated “dream casting” in his depiction of several characters. In addition to many of the ancillary supervillain characters serving as parodies of classic Marvel and DC characters, he also based the appearances for Wesley and Fox on Eminem and Halle Berry, respectively. Though this obviously didn’t come to fruition, it serves as another example of how the real world often infiltrates his comics in fun, unique ways. While much of the tone and initial premise of Wanted remains intact, all of the references to superheroes and supervillains are omitted. Some comic-purists may argue that the film does not faithfully capture Millar’s parody of superheroes; yet, the creator himself was highly involved throughout the film’s development process.
In an interview after the release of the film, Millar noted, “It’s not like the old days where the creators get ripped off. We comic guys own these properties now and we’re involved at various stages throughout the entire production.” He also mentions that the book has a plethora of references, allusions, and parodies of classic Marvel and DC characters; therefore, a strict adaptation of the comic could possibly lead to legal trouble. As for his feelings on his comics being adapted onscreen? Millar said, “As the writer of the original material, it’s weird passing your wee baby over to someone else, but this was like putting someone up for adoption and seeing him come back as Einstein. It’s the best comic adaptation I think I’ve ever seen and hopefully heralds a whole new type of superhero material.” Millar’s comments could not have been more accurate an indicator for what was to come in future adaptations of his work.
In February of 2008, the first issue of Kick-Ass was released. Once again, Mark Millar crafts a brutally, bloody origin story for an awesome new superhero – however, Dave Lizewski is unlike any other hero seen in comics before. Why’s that? For starters, he isn’t exactly “super.” Whereas Wanted lampooned the vastly populated universes of superpowered characters that readers have grown accustomed to in comics, Kick-Ass is firmly grounded in reality. Superpowers solely exist within comics and movies. In this comic, there are no caped men jumping off rooftops; and if they do, they promptly plummet to their death. Dave Lizewski isn’t bit by a radioactive spider or exposed to gamma radiation – he just kinda, goes for it…
Like most other 15 year-old comic book geeks, Lizewski is bored by his high school experience, wishing his life was more like the just, morally righteous world that exists in superhero comics. At last, he poses the question: “Why do people want to be Paris Hilton and nobody wants to be Spider-Man?” So he dons a scuba suit as a makeshift costume, taking the streets as… Kick-Ass. Get it? And it’s not long before he receives a harsh reality check. In the last pages of issue 1, Kick-Ass engages a couple of criminals for the first time, only to be beaten, stabbed, and inadvertently plowed by a moving vehicle.
The unabashedly perverse, violent action you’ve come to associate with Mr. Millar is on full display from the very first issue. With compelling characters, John Romita Jr.’s terrifically vibrant visuals, and an irreverently sardonic take on the superhero genre, Mark Millar always had sights on the big screen. In fact, Kick-Ass the film was developed concurrently with the writing of the comic book, as Matthew Vaughn‘s directorial effort was released in April 2010, just two months after the final issue of its comic book counterpart.
Though the film is as faithful an adaptation as comic fans could hope for, there are a few understandable alterations. Like Wanted – some of the more uncanny, nihilistic elements from the comic are omitted from the film. Millar even subtly addresses his own feelings on comic book adaptations in the very first pages of Kick-Ass. Dave and his friends argue over some of the decisions made in comic book movies that only fanboys obsess over – particularly singling out Galactus’ depiction as a massive dust cloud (rightfully so) and the viability of Peter Parker’s web-shooters. Though Dave is an admitted comic book fan, he himself says, “What works on the page doesn’t always work on the screen.” After learning this lesson firsthand with the development of Wanted, it’s clear that, beginning with Kick-Ass, Millar started to consider more than ever before how his comics would be adapted for the screen.
The film served as the introduction for many to Aaron Taylor-Johnson; his whiny, nasally take on an American teenager not only masks the actor’s British accent completely, but it also helped to evoke a sense of relentless neuroticism that wasn’t there in the comics. Perhaps overshadowing the film’s star, Chloë Grace Moretz‘s portrayal of Hit-Girl was one of the most satisfying elements of the film. The film even caused some controversy upon it’s release because of the four-letter “c-word” said by the (at the time) 11 year-old Moretz. Last but not least, Nicolas Cage turned in one of his best performances in years with the role of Big Daddy, reminding movie-goers that he is indeed a real actor capable of real entertainment.
The sequel, however, didn’t exactly recapture the magic of the original. After Matthew Vaughn decided to adapt a different Mark Millar comic as his next film, Jeff Wadlow wrote and directed Kick-Ass 2 in his stead. While the first film served as a breath of fresh air that perfectly strayed the line between parody and homage to the superhero genre, the sequel tries to up the ante in both regards, yet fails in the process. The loss of Nicolas Cage, believe it or not, is felt throughout. Big Daddy’s relationship to Hit-Girl – the heart of the first film – doesn’t have a proper successor here; instead the Kick-Ass/Hit-Girl relationship unfortunately takes a romantic turn that never really makes any sense. And the addition of Jim Carrey to the cast was probably intended to fill the loss felt by Cage, but he isn’t given much to do as Colonel Stars and Stripes, notwithstanding the comments Carrey made before the film’s release, in which he stated “in all good conscience I cannot support that level of violence.”
In short, Kick-Ass 2 does not live up to the original, nor is it a more entertaining film than the first Millar adaptation, Wanted. Though his work has become identified with bloody, bone-breaking carnage, Mark Millar’s writing also has a ton of heart. In his comics, Mark’s use of violence helps to subverts readers’ expectations; whether it’s the relationships between the characters, or his propensity for honoring past superhero canon, Millar’s comics are not mindless or nihilistic.
Writer/Director Jeff Wadlow apparently tried too hard to replicate the trademark sardonic voice that Millar is known for. The first Kick-Ass received a 76% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, whereas the sequel received a measly 30%. Kick-Ass 2 is peppered with potentially-offensive jokes involving racism, sexism, homophobia, rape, incest, and even features an action scene at a funeral. Though Millar is never one to shy away from offensive material (the funeral scene is in the comic, as well as an even more horrific scenes of violence that was toned down for the film), the film seems to push the boundaries simply with the intention of offending its viewers, rather than subverting the very reasons why someone might actually be offended. Kick-Ass 2 in some ways is a prime example of why comics and films are two distinctly different media that should be treated as such. Luckily, the next Millar adaptation would be much more successful with fans both new and old.
While bonding between takes of filming Kick-Ass, Millar and director Matthew Vaughn developed a concept for a new project on which they could collaborate: a send up of the action-spy genre that both honors the James Bond-type films of the 60’s and 70’s, while breathing new life into it for the younger generations. Mark Millar’s The Secret Service was released bi-monthly in 2012-2012 and, interestingly enough, Matthew Vaughn is credited as “co-plotter” throughout the series. The script for the film was written alongside the production of the comic, just like the first Kick-Ass. Although the two developed the ideas together, the adaptation still differs from the comic in countless ways. Characters are omitted, renamed, or given a complete overhaul; yet, the English tone of the comic is kept fully intact. As a result, when comparing the comic versus the film, the advantages of each respective medium is highlighted, firmly solidifying Millar’s sensibilities as a creative genius. The product of Millar and Vaughn’s adept collaboration is Kingsman: The Secret Service.
Because the comic and film were developed alongside each other (and, because films take significantly longer to produce), Vaughn’s film hand picks certain elements to adapt, leaving many others along the wayside. The overall premise remains the same, in which a troubled youth is recruited to be a part of the MI6, ultimately tasked with stopping a plot that would kill off over 75% of the world’s population. Taron Egerton, despite the lack of name recognition, brings a ton of charisma to the role of Eggsy. Colin Firth absolutely kills it as the suave, mentor super-spy. And, in a role created exclusively for the film, Samuel L. Jackson parodies the diabolical villains inherent to classic spy movies with his character of Richmond Valentine, speaking with a lisp for the entirety of the film. The comic book counterpart to Valentine is particularly bland and forgetful, with no defining characteristics other than a nefarious plot, so it’s nice to see that Vaughn gave him something more to do.
While the third act of the films is very reminiscent of the final issue of The Secret Service comic, the conclusions could not have been more different (for those who haven’t yet done so, go read the comic!). In an interview with /FILM, Millar spoke precisely about the nuances of comic book film adaptations, stating, “Your sense of excitement and your adrenaline in a movie is being developed over a two hour period. With a comic it’s a lot more episodic and they just have a slightly different vibe. So in translation these things are always gonna be a little bit different.” After being involved in so many adaptations by now, it’s evident that Millar has grown extremely confident in his work, honing in on the strengths of each medium, and ultimately delivering the proper product to the intended consumer.
Due to his proven track record, Millar was hired by 20th Century Fox to serve as a creative consultant on their comic book adaptations: namely, their X-Men and Fantastic Four films. Given that he had a hand in introducing both superhero teams to Marvel’s Ultimate Universe, it should come as no surprise to fans. I’ve written on this site before about my hopes for the upcoming Fantastic Four reboot. After serving in a similar role for several successful comic book adaptations in recent years, along with one forgettable dud (sorry, Kick-Ass 2 fans!), Millar is the perfect man to shepherd the future of Marvel’s oft-forgotten first family. Also, if recent rumors are at all truthful, fans may be getting an adaptation of Millar’s Old Man Logan storyline for the James Mangold-directed, 2017 Wolverine film that will serve as Hugh Jackman’s swan-song to the character.
And if that’s not good enough, fans’ prayers will be answered on May 6th, 2016 when Millar’s famous Civil War storyline is given the big screen treatment. Although the writer admittedly doesn’t have a professional relationship with Marvel Studios, it has the chance to become the biggest, most successful adaptations yet of Millar’s comics. Captain America: Civil War, which will feature Chris Evans‘ super-soldier going toe-to-toe with Robert Downey Jr.‘s Iron Man, has such lofty expectations that it even scared off Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice from its originally planned, prime blockbuster release date. Currently the king of comics, it won’t be long before Mark Millar is considered the king of movies, too. Not so bad for a geeky kid from Scotland with dreams of someday writing comics, eh?
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