Comic book adaptations dominate multiplexes and streaming services, presenting a seemingly endless parade of capes, cowls, and cosmic clashes. The Marvel Cinematic Universe and DC have made characters like Spider-Man and Batman household names, firmly cementing the superhero genre as a box office juggernaut. It feels like almost every major blockbuster these days has roots somewhere in the panels of a comic book or graphic novel. However, the medium is far broader than just superheroes. For decades, creators have utilized comics to tell stories across every conceivable genre, ranging from gritty crime thrillers and introspective character studies to mind-bending horror and historical fiction. Many of these stories end up getting movie adaptations, although cinephiles are not always aware of that.
Because the source material isn’t always about saving the world in spandex, some truly excellent film adaptations of comic books consequently fly completely under the radar. This list highlights ten films that people forgot are comic book adaptations, originating in sequential art.
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The 2020 Netflix hit Extraction swiftly became one of the platform’s most-watched original films by delivering high-octane action and spectacular stunt work. The film stars Chris Hemsworth as Tyler Rake, a black ops mercenary tasked with rescuing the kidnapped son of an Indian drug lord from Dhaka, Bangladesh. Directed by Sam Hargrave, a veteran stunt coordinator, the movie showcases breathtaking, visceral combat and extended, seemingly single-take action sequences that impressed audiences. In addition, Hemsworth’s portrayal of the haunted, highly skilled Rake effectively anchors the relentless chaos.
What many viewers might not realize, however, is that Extraction‘s intense narrative is pulled directly from the pages of a graphic novel. The film is based on Ciudad, created by Ande Parks, Joe Russo, Anthony Russo, Fernando León González, and Eric Skillman. While the movie makes some deviations from the source material, the core story of a mercenary navigating a deadly extraction mission remains largely intact. Extraction‘s grounded, gritty, and modern military action feel isn’t what typically springs to mind when thinking of comic book movies, making it a prime example of a hidden adaptation.
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Released in 2020 after a troubled production, The Empty Man initially went unnoticed but has since gained a significant cult following for its unsettling atmosphere and ambitious cosmic horror. The film follows James Badge Dale as James Lasombra, a former detective haunted by personal tragedy who investigates the disappearance of a young girl. His search uncovers links to a sinister local legend and a secretive cult. Building on this foundation, director David Prior masterfully crafts a film dripping with dread, slowly escalating from a terrifying prologue into a complex mystery involving madness, ancient entities, and existential terror.
The movie’s journey into otherworldly horror actually originates from a comic book series published by Boom! Studios. Specifically, The Empty Man comic was created by writer Cullen Bunn and artist Vanesa R. Del Rey, first appearing in 2014. That series explores a nation gripped by the “Empty Man disease,” which causes insanity and violence, effectively blending procedural investigation with deeply unsettling supernatural elements. Although the film adaptation takes considerable liberties with the comic’s plot, it successfully captures the source’s disturbing tone and focus on psychological and cosmic dread, ultimately offering a type of mature, philosophical horror rarely associated with comic adaptations.
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The Hughes Brothers delivered a stylish and atmospheric take on the Jack the Ripper legend with 2001’s From Hell. Starring Johnny Depp as Inspector Frederick Abberline, a police investigator plagued by opium-fueled visions, and Heather Graham as Mary Kelly, a sex worker targeted by the killer, the film plunges viewers into the grimy, fog-choked streets of Victorian London. As Abberline delves deeper into the mystery surrounding the murders, his investigation gradually uncovers a conspiracy reaching into the highest levels of society, all while he races to stop the gruesome killings terrorizing Whitechapel.
This dark cinematic mystery is loosely based on the acclaimed, sprawling graphic novel From Hell, written by the legendary Alan Moore and illustrated by Eddie Campbell. Originally serialized between 1989 and 1998, Moore and Campbell’s meticulously researched work uses the Ripper murders as a springboard to explore complex themes of misogyny, class structure, Masonic conspiracies, and the nature of the 20th century. While the film streamlines this dense narrative into a more conventional thriller, focusing primarily on Abberline’s investigation and relationship with Kelly, it crucially retains the source’s grim atmosphere and conspiracy elements. In doing so, it adapts a challenging and distinctly adult graphic novel that stands far apart from typical comic fare.
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Netflix scored another action hit in 2020 with The Old Guard, directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood. The film stars Charlize Theron as Andy (Andromache of Scythia), the millennia-old leader of a small, covert group of immortal mercenaries. Their long-held secret becomes exposed after taking a mission from a former CIA operative, Copley (Chiwetel Ejiofor). Simultaneously, a new immortal, U.S. Marine Nile Freeman (KiKi Layne), emerges, forcing the team to fight for their survival against forces seeking to exploit their power, led by pharmaceutical executive Merrick (Harry Melling). The film skillfully balances these thrilling action sequences with compelling explorations of found family, the burden of immortality, and historical trauma.
The Old Guard movie is a direct adaptation of the Image Comics series of the same name, created by writer Greg Rucka and artist Leandro Fernández. Rucka himself penned the movie’s screenplay, ensuring a faithful translation of his characters and core concepts from the page to the screen. Consequently, the film successfully captured the blend of modern action and deep historical backstory present in the comic, introducing a unique superhero concept rooted in Rucka’s grounded character work.
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Charlize Theron further established her action credentials in 2017’s Atomic Blonde, a stylish Cold War spy thriller directed by David Leitch. In the movie, Theron plays Lorraine Broughton, an elite MI6 agent sent to Berlin just before the Wall falls in 1989. Her challenging mission involves retrieving a vital list of double agents and investigating the murder of a fellow operative. This dangerous task forces her into uneasy alliances with embedded station chief David Percival (James McAvoy) and requires navigating a treacherous landscape of espionage and betrayal. The film is particularly renowned for its intense, brilliantly choreographed fight sequences and its cool, neon-drenched aesthetic, making it a visual standout.
Beneath the slick spycraft and brutal action of Atomic Blonde lies a graphic novel origin story. The movie is based on the 2012 comic The Coldest City, written by Antony Johnston and illustrated by Sam Hart. That graphic novel provides the core narrative framework of Broughton’s mission within the powder keg atmosphere of late-’80s Berlin. However, the film adaptation, driven by Theron as a producer, significantly amplified the action and added elements like Broughton’s relationship with French agent Delphine Lasalle (Sofia Boutella), which was absent in the original comic.
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Before its transition into a television series, Snowpiercer arrived as a visceral and thought-provoking 2013 film directed by Bong Joon Ho. Set in a frozen future where the Earth’s only survivors perpetually circle the globe aboard a massive train, the story follows Curtis Everett (Chris Evans). As a resident of the impoverished tail section, he spearheads a rebellion against the train’s rigidly enforced, brutal class system. Their journey forward through the train reveals increasingly opulent and bizarre carriages, exposing the decadent elite led by the enigmatic Wilford. At the same time, Tilda Swinton delivers a memorable performance as Wilford’s ruthless second-in-command, Mason, adding a layer of unsettling authority to the oppressive regime.
Snowpiercer‘s unique post-apocalyptic premise originates from the French graphic novel Le Transperceneige, first published in 1982 and created by Jacques Lob and Jean-Marc Rochette (with later volumes involving Benjamin Legrand). This foundational graphic novel established the core concept of humanity’s last remnants surviving on a perpetually moving train after an environmental catastrophe. While Bong Joon Ho’s adaptation introduces new characters like Curtis and specific plot points, it retains the source material’s potent allegory for social inequality and revolution. Ultimately, the film effectively translates the claustrophobic, linear setting of the comic into a critically acclaimed cinematic experience that resonated worldwide.
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Terry Zwigoff’s 2001 film Ghost World stands as a celebrated cult classic, admired for its pitch-perfect portrayal of teenage ennui and alienation. Starring Thora Birch as Enid Coleslaw and Scarlett Johansson as Rebecca Doppelmeyer, the film follows the two cynical best friends as they navigate the summer after high school graduation, feeling unsure of their futures. Their aimless wandering leads them to prank a lonely, middle-aged record collector named Seymour (Steve Buscemi), an act which unexpectedly results in an unlikely and complicated friendship for Enid that ultimately tests her bond with Rebecca. Through these interactions, the film captures a specific feeling of suburban listlessness and sarcastic detachment often felt during that transitional period.
Zwigoff’s quintessential indie dramedy draws its story directly from the alternative comic book Ghost World by Daniel Clowes. First serialized in Clowes’ anthology comic Eightball from 1993 to 1997, the comic strips focused on the drifting conversations and observations of Enid and Rebecca, perfectly capturing their personalities and the strange characters inhabiting their town. Clowes co-wrote the screenplay with Zwigoff, expanding the narrative slightly while faithfully retaining the comic’s distinctive voice and focus on character over plot. Ghost World‘s quiet, observational style is far removed from typical comic adaptations, making its origins a surprise to many who appreciate the film’s unique charm.
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Sam Mendes followed his Oscar-winning debut American Beauty with 2002’s Road to Perdition, a visually stunning and somber crime drama set during the Great Depression. In the movie, Tom Hanks stars as Michael Sullivan Sr., a loyal enforcer for Irish mob boss John Rooney (Paul Newman in his final live-action film role). When Sullivan’s son, Michael Jr. (Tyler Hoechlin), witnesses a mob hit carried out by his father and Rooney’s volatile son Connor (Daniel Craig), it sets off a tragic chain reaction. This devastating event leads to the murder of Sullivan’s wife (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and younger son, forcing Sullivan and Michael Jr. to go on the run, seeking vengeance while being pursued by a chilling hitman, Harlen Maguire (Jude Law).
The acclaimed film, noted for Conrad L. Hall’s Oscar-winning cinematography and its exploration of father-son relationships and the consequences of violence, is actually an adaptation of a graphic novel written by Max Allan Collins, illustrated by Richard Piers Rayner, and published by DC Comics’ Paradox Press imprint in 1998. That graphic novel tells the story of Michael O’Sullivan (renamed Sullivan for the film) and his son’s journey for revenge against the Looney crime family (renamed Rooney). While capturing the source’s pulpy tone and themes, the film elevates the material with prestigious production values, thereby obscuring its comic book lineage for many viewers who primarily see it as a classic crime film.
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Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg teamed up for the entertaining 2013 action-comedy 2 Guns. In it, Washington plays DEA agent Bobby Trench, while Wahlberg portrays U.S. Navy intelligence officer Michael Stigman. Unbeknownst to each other, both men are undercover attempting to infiltrate a Mexican drug cartel led by Papi Greco (Edward James Olmos). Their plans go awry when they attempt to rob what they believe is cartel money stored in a small-town bank, only to discover millions more than expected. Consequently, Trench and Stigman realize they’ve both been set up and must now work together to survive being hunted by both the cartel and their own agencies, leading to explosive confrontations and shifting alliances.
The buddy-cop movie, directed by Baltasar Kormákur, traces its roots back to a comic book series. The film was based on the five-issue limited series 2 Guns created by writer Steven Grant and artist Mateus Santolouco, published by Boom! Studios in 2007, which provided the central premise of two undercover agents from different agencies, unwittingly targeting each other before being forced to team up after a heist goes wrong. The film adaptation leaned heavily into the charisma and chemistry between Washington and Wahlberg, delivering a fun, explosive action flick whose comic origins aren’t immediately apparent.
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James McAvoy stars as Wesley Gibson, a downtrodden office worker suffering from anxiety attacks, in the hyper-stylized 2008 action film Wanted. His miserable existence is completely upended when he meets the enigmatic Fox (Angelina Jolie), who reveals that his recently murdered father was a member of the Fraternity, a centuries-old secret society of assassins. Subsequently recruited by the Fraternity’s leader, Sloan (Morgan Freeman), Wesley undergoes brutal training to unlock his own inherited abilities and hunt down his father’s killer, Cross (Thomas Kretschmann). Directed by Timur Bekmambetov, the resulting film is known for its physics-defying action sequences, including its signature “curving bullets,” which became a major talking point upon release.
Wanted, the movie, is loosely based on the comic book limited series of the same name by writer Mark Millar and artist J. G. Jones, published by Top Cow Productions as part of the Millarworld imprint starting in 2003. However, the film makes significant departures from this source material. While the comic also features Wesley Gibson discovering his legacy and joining a secret organization, the Fraternity in Millar’s version is a cabal of supervillains who secretly took over the world after defeating all the superheroes. The film jettisoned the supervillain angle entirely, focusing instead on a league of assassins, ultimately transforming the edgy, cynical comic into a more mainstream, albeit R-rated, action blockbuster.
Which other great movies took you by surprise when you found out they were based on comics? Let us know in the comments!
While Marvel and DC keep ruling the comic book movie game, Hollywood has a surprisingly vast catalogue of comic book adaptations. Read More