Characters who all of a sudden look like actors

[IronPalm]

I was wondering if anyone else has a problem with this. When Ultimate Nick Fury was originally introduced he had a full head of hair and didn't have Sam Jackson look to him.
I assume that Hitch started this and it seemed fine to me at the time...and I also think that it is funny that it has obviously influenced Marvel Studios casting practices.

But then we have Tommy Lee Jones (Deodato?) as Norman Osbourne, and Angelina Jolie (Dell'Otto) as Daisy Johnson. am I missing any?

I wonder if others feel that this can get a bit...I dunno cheesy

[ThisMortalSoil]

I like Samuel L. Jackson as Ultimate Nick Fury better than his original Ultimate depiction, but I would not want to see Marvel take this route again

[Wild Card13]

I was wondering if anyone else has a problem with this. When Ultimate Nick Fury was originally introduced he had a full head of hair and didn't have Sam Jackson look to him.
I assume that Hitch started this and it seemed fine to me at the time...and I also think that it is funny that it has obviously influenced Marvel Studios casting practices.

According to Millar, when they were writing Ultimates, they decided that the original Nick Fury had been based off of Dean Martin because back then, Dean Martin had been the "king of cool." They then decided that in today's day and age, the king of cool (quite rightly) was Samuel L. Jackson, and so obtained his permission to use his likeness. Plus, Jackson's a lifelong comics fan. When offered the role of Nick Fury, he jumped at the chance. Really, Hitch didn't have any great influence on Marvel Studios; it was all there all ready.

But then we have Tommy Lee Jones (Deodato?) as Norman Osbourne, and Angelina Jolie (Dell'Otto) as Daisy Johnson. am I missing any?

I wonder if others feel that this can get a bit...I dunno cheesy

I notice in X-Men Legacy, most of the major characters tend to look like their actors from the movie franchise, in particular Xavier. To be honest, though, it really doesn't bother me. Those actors were picked for their resemblance to the characters, so I'm good with artists using them as a model. As the option says, it's just art.

[augmental]

So does this mean we are getting a Thunderbolts movie?!!!!! Scripted by Ellis???

[Monty_Cristo]

it's a smart move to make them familiar faces. perhaps if they had done this sooner, it wouldn't be so hard to cast Captain America and Thor.

[wooten16]

Angelina Jolie (Dell'Otto) as Daisy Johnson

Didn't they do that on purpose?

[IronPalm]

Didn't they do that on purpose?

yup, but that's the point.

[hierro_boshid0]

I know they did a cover for Ironman with Tom Cruises face for Tony Stark's, but thats when Tom Cruise already had the roll to play Stark.

That was before he tried to eat Oprah Winfrey

[hierro_boshid0]

Deadpool also made a reference that he looked like Ryan Reynolds back in early C&DP. And thats when a Deadpool movie was bein heavely discussed after Blade 3 came out.

[protege]

Well, I'd love it if some of my favorite movie and tv actors looked like marvel characters, but i couldn't tell you who should resemble whom. However, if Nick Fury started resembling David Hasselhoff after the TVmovie, i'd be royally cheesed off.

[hierro_boshid0]

http://i28.tinypic.com/fum9td.jpg

[Big Red Spider]

A friend of mine mentioned the Jolie reference. I thought he was full of it. I guess it just blew by me.

[Augusto]

I saw Elektra looking like Jennifer Lopez. I don't remember when or where, but I hate it.

http://www.yelims.com/IPB/Smiley-IPB-315.gif

[Weapon Ick]

I'm all for anything that adds more variance to people's looks in comics. For various reasons many hero's civilian idenentities are pretty similar and sometimes it's confusing to try to tell them apart. Hawkeye, Hank Pym, Mar-Vell, Captain America, Iron Fist etc, all look basically the same with their masks off. The same could be said for Moon Knight, Darkhawk and Spider-Man.

If character models based off celebrities makes it easier to identify them then I see nothing wrong with it.

[ThisMortalSoil]

I'm all for anything that adds more variance to people's looks in comics. For various reasons many hero's civilian idenentities are pretty similar and sometimes it's confusing to try to tell them apart. Hawkeye, Hank Pym, Mar-Vell, Captain America, Iron Fist etc, all look basically the same with their masks off. The same could be said for Moon Knight, Darkhawk and Spider-Man.

A while ago, before I seriously got into comics, I was flipping through the first New Avengers TPB and mistook Matt Murdock for Scott Summers. Red sunglasses, similar hairstyles.

[Weapon Ick]

A while ago, before I seriously got into comics, I was flipping through the first New Avengers TPB and mistook Matt Murdock for Scott Summers. Red sunglasses, similar hairstyles.

Yeah, I've made that same mistake as well.

For fun, I scanned this from Marvel: Year in Review 1991.
http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/1133/masterraceef7.th.jpg (http://img294.imageshack.us/my.php?image=masterraceef7.jpg)

[JonniRandom]

Yeah, I've made that same mistake as well.

For fun, I scanned this from Marvel: Year in Review 1991.
http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/1133/masterraceef7.th.jpg (http://img294.imageshack.us/my.php?image=masterraceef7.jpg)

Hehe, I found that minorly amusing:cool:
I wish there were more minorities in comics...

[cernunnos]

I happen to like Norman Osborn's Tommy Lee Jones look.

[Augusto]

I'm all for anything that adds more variance to people's looks in comics. For various reasons many hero's civilian idenentities are pretty similar and sometimes it's confusing to try to tell them apart. Hawkeye, Hank Pym, Mar-Vell, Captain America, Iron Fist etc, all look basically the same with their masks off. The same could be said for Moon Knight, Darkhawk and Spider-Man.

If character models based off celebrities makes it easier to identify them then I see nothing wrong with it.

This could work for me if they stick and make it permanently:
one hero: one face. This would make hero faces more recognizables in the long term.
But if every pencilist that comes along draws the one he likes, it's the same all over again.
http://www.yelims.com/IPB/Smiley-IPB-279.gif

[Alphaxman]

In the new issue of X-Factor, Raimondi model Vierie Cooper after Gwyneth Paltrow.
And Ironman artist De La Torre model Tony after Timothy Dalton.

[Shyft]

In the new issue of X-Factor, Raimondi model Vierie Cooper after Gwyneth Paltrow.
.

i noticed that one.

i personally like it. It gives variety when artists like McNiven and Bachalo, despite being great artists, give everyone far too similar faces.

[Big Red Spider]

http://i28.tinypic.com/fum9td.jpg

I don't know maybe a thinner Joey Fatone.

[princesa]

I think all told its a good thing. Certainly doesn't hurt.

[anville1]

Ken Connell in the "newuniversal" series was totally Sawyer from "Lost"

[anville1]

Not that this is a new trend. C.C. Beck based the original Captain Marvel ("Shazam!") on Fred MacMurray.

[Alan2099]

While some artists do it okay, more often than not, I find it pulls me out of the story, as I stop seeing the characters as who they're supposed to be and instead focus on trying to figure out which actor they're supposed to be based on.

[Polaris Rocks]

Magneto was being portayed like Ian McKellen during the Uncanny Extremists arc. It was like the artist added 25 years to him.

[phantom1592]

While some artists do it okay, more often than not, I find it pulls me out of the story, as I stop seeing the characters as who they're supposed to be and instead focus on trying to figure out which actor they're supposed to be based on.


To be honest, That's why I hate seeing big names playing in superhero movies. If the actor is too well known then I stop seeing "batman" and start seeing Val Kilmer. I would much rather they go the Christopher Reeve/Mark Hamill route and cast unknowns in key roles so that I can (even years later) say THAT is SUPERMAN. I still don't see CR, Just Superman. I want to get drawn into the story not the cast list.

I also think that this DOES taint casting choices. The moment they started talking about Ultimates and Nick Fury movies the only name that comes to mind is Sam Jackson. If they had just gotten some random black guy off the corner who happens to be a fantastic actor and him play the part, everyone would still be griping that it should have been SJ.

Not only does it force people to think only big names, IF they are able to fill a cast list for something like Avengers or JLA, its gonna cost a fortune just to pay the actors, and you'll have a hard time keeping them for sequels because of other obligations.

I would rather have them draw a few different hairstyles or distinguishing marks or "something" than have Captain America look like "__________"

[IronKing]

That Greg Land Phoenix cover looks just like Kate Beckinsale.

And I remember seeing Courtney Cox's spitting image in some book. Can't remember where. Iron Man, maybe.

[The Joker]

I definately remember seeing a resemblence between Supes and Jim Caviezel a few years back.

http://img60.imageshack.us/img60/4215/doubleth0.jpg

[Iron Maiden]

According to Millar, when they were writing Ultimates, they decided that the original Nick Fury had been based off of Dean Martin because back then, Dean Martin had been the "king of cool."

Depite what Millar might think, Dean Martin had very little, if anything to do with the original Nick Fury, as he first appeared in the Howling Commandos, Strange Tales (as Agent of SHIELD) and the Fantastic Four. Dean's Matt Helm movies were an offshoot of James Bond and were more than a bit cheesy. Fury is probably a little of Bond and Jack Kirby mixed in.

In the beginning, as the WWII era sargeant, he was largely based on Jack Kirby himself, drawing from his experience as a soldier in WW2. According to Mark Evanier's book, "Kirby:King of Comics" It was Stan who suggested adding the eye patch when they brought the character to the present to make it easier for readers to distinquish the older Nick Fury from the younger version appearing in "Howling Commandos". Kirby had begun experiences vision problems with one eye at that time, something no one at Marvel knew at that time, so he found it surprising that a character he considered one of his alter egos had lost the use of one eye.

[samson]

I just picked up the Messiah Complex HC yesterday and the "Professor Picard X" really took me out of the moment. :/

[Decepticons_Rule]

I love the Ultimate Samuel L. Jackson, and whenever Xavier is drawn to resemble Patrick Stewart, that's cool as well.

I just hope artists don't make this a trend.

Classic Magneto and Wolverine are much, much better than their movie counterparts. Not to mention Rogue and Mystique.

I want my Rogue sexy! Not shy and average-looking.

[hunter_peterson]

Did you hear that Deadpool's in Wolverine? They're rumored to be prepping the character for a spin-off.

[Decepticons_Rule]

I heard, hopefully he comes off as both funny and badass.

Being an annoyance to Wolverine would be cool too.

[Kage Kisaragi]

A while ago, before I seriously got into comics, I was flipping through the first New Avengers TPB and mistook Matt Murdock for Scott Summers. Red sunglasses, similar hairstyles.

Hahaaaaaaaaaaaaah!! technically if you actually blind Scott he'd function much on the same level considering all the blind man training Scott has done. He and actually fight pretty while blindfolded/in total darkness.

[Genki_Desu]

As with many things in "The Ultimates" - it was really funny when they did it in The Ultimates, but loses its coolness if everyone jumps on the bandwagon. I LOLed when I read issue 1 and saw Sam Jackson as Nick Fury - genius!

[protege]

I just picked up the Messiah Complex HC yesterday and the "Professor Picard X" really took me out of the moment. :/

That reminds me- i probably wouldn't mind if the beast suddenly started looking like the Kelsey Grammer version.

[Don Quixote]

Daisy Johnson always looked like Angelina Jolie, so it never really bothered me. I quite like the character, and I like Angelina Jolie, especially with that Hackers-era look.

Nick Fury looking like Samuel L Jackson didn't bother me as long as it was only in the Ultimate verse, where all the characters are different people anyway. But now he's disguising himself as a bald black guy in 616, and Jackson is playing him in the Iron Man (and, I assume, Marvel movies still to come) it's getting annoying. I like the 616 Fury as he is, there's no need to mess with the character.

I've noticed some artists draw Xavier to look exactly like Patrick Stewart, and I don't mind that, either. the Stewart version looks less creepy than Xavier traditionally has, in my opinion.

[elixir86]

I think Larroca's Storm during THe Extremist arc (UXM) was shaped onto Beyoncè

[Capt USA]

Ali Larter = Sharon Carter, at least as the book has evolved.

I have no problem with them basing it upon an existing looking actor, it was what was done in the early day of comics, and adds variance to the similar looking characters we had for quite some time.

[Adset]

That Greg Land Phoenix cover looks just like Kate Beckinsale.

And I remember seeing Courtney Cox's spitting image in some book. Can't remember where. Iron Man, maybe.

Yup. Back in the Kurt Busiek/Sean Chen Heroes Return era

[carabas]

Jackson is playing him in the Iron Man (and, I assume, Marvel movies still to come).I think that one was pretty much a given once notoir fanboy Samuel L.Jackson gave his consent to use his likeness for Ultimate Fury in the comics.

[G. Wayne]

Wasn't there a joke in Marvel Comics Presents recently that someone kept getting on Blades nerves by calling him Wesley?

I don't mind it, for the most part. Depends on how it's done. When Phil Jimenez aged Magneto like 20 years to bring him more in line with McKellan a while back, didn't work so well for me. Professor Picard depends on the artist. The guy on X-Men Legacy, (Eaton, I think?) had Picard pretty jarringly featured early on, but he's softened it up since.

[Greg Anderson]

Wasn't there a joke in Marvel Comics Presents recently that someone kept getting on Blades nerves by calling him Wesley?



Hahaha! Really? That is too funny. :biggrin:

[Catlin]

Depite what Millar might think, Dean Martin had very little, if anything to do with the original Nick Fury, as he first appeared in the Howling Commandos, Strange Tales (as Agent of SHIELD) and the Fantastic Four. Dean's Matt Helm movies were an offshoot of James Bond and were more than a bit cheesy. Fury is probably a little of Bond and Jack Kirby mixed in.

Dino Manelli, of the Howlers, was the one based off of Dean Martin.

[Bob-el]

When the Mighty Avengers issue came out focusing on Nick Fury, I had the nagging feeling that the artist was modeling his version on a real actor but I couldn't figure out exactly which one. Then I mentioned it to someone else and they nailed it. He's the spitting image of one of the actors on Prison Break. Dominic something, I forget the last name (Purcell, maybe) but he plays Michael Scoffield's older brother Lincoln.

[HeckBoy]

Honestly, except for Samuel L. Fury, I don't really notice any of the other likenesses (I guess I can also count Patrick Xavier but they look so much alike anyway it doesn't really phase me anymore).

[La Fea]

Seeing Gwenyth Paltrow in my comic books destroys me a little bit inside.

Just a little.

[Augusto]

Somewhere I saw She-hulk looking like Jennifer Lopez.

http://www.yelims.com/IPB/Smiley-IPB-279.gif

[Monty_Cristo]

i'm all for Taskmaster looking like Mark Wahlberg; as in Wahlberg playing the lead in a Taskmaster movie. they're both brooklyn raised.

http://media.comicvine.com/uploads/0/308/88684-34131-taskmaster_super.JPG

[RolandJP]

Casandra Nova looks just like an idaho potato.

[DeeSnider]

I find almost every book Salvador Larocca draws to be this way. I don't like it as it always completely pulls me out of the story. New Universal was especially bad when he was drawing it, you had half the cast of The Sopranos, Sawyer from Lost, James Cromwell, Angelina Jolie, Gene Hackman, Bruce Willis, Johnny Depp and Nicole Kidman. Now Pepper Potts in his Invincible Iron Man looks like Nicole Kidman, and Iron Man just looks like Errol Flynn.

I notice it in other artists from time to time and it usually doesn't bother me as much, but I feel like Larocca goes a little overboard a lot of the time.

[EuropaBambaataa]

Honestly, except for Samuel L. Fury, I don't really notice any of the other likenesses (I guess I can also count Patrick Xavier but they look so much alike anyway it doesn't really phase me anymore).

I actually always saw Charles as looking like Yul Brynner.

[The Black Guardian]

Not just actors, but not too long ago in Uncanny X-Men, Larocca drew Val Cooper looking like Hillary Clinton. If it's too blatant, it spoils my suspension of disbelief a bit.

[pariah-1972]

Didn't Magneto used to look like that old dude from Planet of the Apes a long time ago?

[RedRonin]

I don't mind it as long as it's consistent. Tommy Lee Jones as Norman was the same panel to panel. People like Land and Larroca change whoever they are tracing from panel to panel.

[RedRonin]

http://i28.tinypic.com/fum9td.jpg

I still don't see it. Especially since Granov uses his friends as refrence.

[RedRonin]

Yeah, I've made that same mistake as well.

For fun, I scanned this from Marvel: Year in Review 1991.
http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/1133/masterraceef7.th.jpg (http://img294.imageshack.us/my.php?image=masterraceef7.jpg)

HA.

That's pretty damn funny.

[$5 Milkshake]

It drives me nuts that half the characters in the MU look like Tommy Lee Jones.

[pariah-1972]

It drives me nuts that half the characters in the MU look like Tommy Lee Jones.Like who? for example?

[$5 Milkshake]

Like who? for example?

lol I was obviously over exaggerating on the amount for my own amusement :wink:

HOWEVER, yeah, Torre on Iron Man draws Dum Dum as Tommy Lee Jones, and Deodato on Thunderbolts draws Norman Osborn as Tommy Lee Jones.

And it does annoy me.

[pariah-1972]

Thats kind of weird since Tommy is not the best looking actor in the biz.

[RedRonin]

Thats kind of weird since Tommy is not the best looking actor in the biz.
Well it's not like Stark or Cyclops is being drawn as Jones. Dugan and Osborn aren't going to win beauty pageants any time soon. I think it was great "casting" in both the Iron Man and Thunderbolts cases.

[IronPalm]

That reminds me- i probably wouldn't mind if the beast suddenly started looking like the Kelsey Grammer version.

I wouldnt mind if he looked like anything but how he looks now.

[tangentman]

As a poster mentioned with C.C. Beck, comic book artists modeling their characters after real-life people is old hat. Charles Marston & Harry Peter drew visual references from the women in Marston's life when they conceptualized Wonder Woman. Marvel got in an ASSLOAD of trouble back in 1989 when Jackson Guice used a photo of Amy Grant to portray Morgana Blessing on a Doctor Strange cover. In Alias, Michael Gaydos' rendition of Jessica Drew/Spider-Woman looked suspiciously like Jennifer Connelly.