As a product of the late 80s and early 90s, I grew up seeing comics go through a pretty dark period of taking campy, colorful heroes and putting them through the angsty, gritty vortex of "X-treme" edgy violence and style. I saw adaptations that took what were fundamentally children's properties and try and "mature" them up for adult (or at least mid-teen) sensibilities. Most of these endeavors have, well... NOT... stood the test of time. Even today, I roll my eyes at the sheer concept of turning peppy Speedball into "Penance".
But then I think about a few that, oddly enough, really did, to the point that we just sort of accept that what we got was an improvement over what came before.
For comics, a few that I recall...
Angel -> Archangel
Good ol' Warren was not one of the more popular X-men, even though he was a founding member. His ability to flap his wings and fly grew progressively less impressive when characters like Storm fly like a goddess riding lightning or Rogue could just zip around with ease. I'd argue that Warren getting the Horseman of the Apocalypse treatment was the best thing that could have happened to him. A new, darker look and design. His fluffy and brittle wings replaced with weaponized steel razors. It was silly and edgy... but I think most agreed it gave him a boost he never had before, and few wanted him to go back.
Bucky -> Winter Soldier
Similarly, it's almost impossible to reconcile the super-spy and one-time Captain America Bucky Barnes with the plucky kid sidekick he was created to be. Bucky had, ostensibly, been written out for decades, but his re-emergence as a prominent power player in the Marvel universe - and his now well-known recognition in the MCU - means that the darker, more deadly interpretation has long overshowed his original portrayal.
And for something like cartoons or TV shows... Reboot springs to mind.
Sort of another "plucky, silly kid grows up to be a badass" take, Enzo going from a slightly insufferable younger brother tag-along to a gun-toting, grizzled war vet was quite the welcome surprise to this show, and I recall a lot of people being very happy with that change.
Anyone else spring to mind? Who got the gritty, darker treatment and had it stick?
But then I think about a few that, oddly enough, really did, to the point that we just sort of accept that what we got was an improvement over what came before.
For comics, a few that I recall...
Angel -> Archangel
Good ol' Warren was not one of the more popular X-men, even though he was a founding member. His ability to flap his wings and fly grew progressively less impressive when characters like Storm fly like a goddess riding lightning or Rogue could just zip around with ease. I'd argue that Warren getting the Horseman of the Apocalypse treatment was the best thing that could have happened to him. A new, darker look and design. His fluffy and brittle wings replaced with weaponized steel razors. It was silly and edgy... but I think most agreed it gave him a boost he never had before, and few wanted him to go back.
Bucky -> Winter Soldier
Similarly, it's almost impossible to reconcile the super-spy and one-time Captain America Bucky Barnes with the plucky kid sidekick he was created to be. Bucky had, ostensibly, been written out for decades, but his re-emergence as a prominent power player in the Marvel universe - and his now well-known recognition in the MCU - means that the darker, more deadly interpretation has long overshowed his original portrayal.
And for something like cartoons or TV shows... Reboot springs to mind.
Sort of another "plucky, silly kid grows up to be a badass" take, Enzo going from a slightly insufferable younger brother tag-along to a gun-toting, grizzled war vet was quite the welcome surprise to this show, and I recall a lot of people being very happy with that change.
Anyone else spring to mind? Who got the gritty, darker treatment and had it stick?
