Fans of movies that have been adapted from written materials have always been of two minds. The casual fan usually has no problems with the film, unless it is a stinker, while those who know the back story either from comics or books can feel let down with the final product. This could be to certain elements being left out or a character cut and his part added to another character or just a total change in the story.
Enter Marvel. Up to now I admit they have been successful. Great casting combined with excellent story tellers and telling have kept us viewers heading to the theaters and buying the DVD’s. They are doing something right and no one can deny that. The problem begins with Ant Man and the upcoming Age of Ultron and the direction they went for both stories. For the uniformed (which I was until my friend set me straight) Ultron was not created by Tony Stark in the comics as the next Avengers portrays, but by the original Ant Man, Hank Pym. The original Avengers cast are already well established with each having their own character franchises that run in the same world. That leads to the question to why did they change the creation of Ultron? Tony Stark and the rest of the Avengers are already well established as I have already stated, so why not take what looks to be an amazing story and use it to introduce the next character they want to be part of the team?
Is it money? Does having Tony Stark create Ultron make that much of a difference at the box office? Why take an already established story line and change it for a cast and a movie that already has traction? There are so many different story options the Avengers series could have gone with and still drawn in the crowds. The writers and producers of Ant Man could have taken that story in a couple of directions with the inclusion of Ultron. The fact that he could have been included in Avengers 2 would have been a great way to introduce him to the casual fan and it would have shown the scope of his intelligence and how he rivaled, if not surpassed Tony Stark. Having Pym create Ultron could have led to him meeting the Avengers and the introduction of the Ant Man suit. Ant Man may be well known by those who have read the comics and grown up with him, but to the casual fan he is not someone that is well known other than perhaps his name.
I can sit here and hypothesize all I want on what they could have done and what could have been. We all know in the end that we will probably enjoy both movies that hit theaters later this year. It just bothers me when they change the origin of character for no apparent reason other than to make as much money as possible. It isn’t always about getting the biggest bang for your buck. Ultron would have been a fantastic way to have introduced Ant Man and the man that plays him, but while Marvel’s mishap may not cost them on the bottom line it will leave many longtime fans wondering what could have been.