"Game of Thrones" creator George R.R. Martin has a bone to pick with Marvel Studios.
Well, not exactly. He just isn't thrilled with their latest offering, "Ant-Man," and some other aspects of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
While Martin, a self-processed Marvel fan, conceded that Darren Cross, played by Corey Stoll ("The Strain") makes "a decent villain here," he also lamented Marvel's worn bad guy formula.
"...I am tired of this Marvel movie trope where the bad guy has the same powers as the hero," Martin said in a blog post entitled "Me and Ant-Man." "The Hulk fought the Abomination, who is just a bad Hulk. Spider-Man fights Venom, who is just a bad Spider-Man. Iron Man fights Ironmonger, a bad Iron Man. Yawn. I want more films where the hero and the villain have wildly different powers. That makes the action much more interesting."
You could also make the case that "Iron Man 2," "Thor," both "Captain America" films and "Avengers: Age of Ultron" all had striking similarities between their villains and heroes as well. Fortunately, Phase 3 of the MCU is looking a bit more diverse.
"Doctor Strange" will introduce mystical elements while "Black Panther" and "Captain Marvel" will finally give fans a non-white and male hero to root for. The "Spider-Man" reboot also promises to be different after five big screen adaptations to date have covered much of the Peter Parker mythos.
Martin knows a thing or two about creating quality villains. Many of the characters, especially the evil ones, in his "A Song of Ice and Fire" novels are fully drawn out and three dimensional. They have multiple layers and are even relatable and sympathetic in certain instances. Taking his constructive criticism to heart could pave the way for a Big Bad to finally rival Loki in appeal within the MCU.
Marvel's next offering will be "Captain America: Civil War" scheduled to hit theaters in May of 2016.
