George R.R. Martin criticizes how villains are written in the Marvel Universe
George R.R. Martin knows villains. In fact, it could be argued the villains he created for his Song of Ice and Fire series are some of the most despicable and complex villains in literature. Recently, the author went on a tirade of sorts on his Live Blog, expressing his distaste for what he calls the “Marvel movie trope where the bad guy has the same powers as the hero.”
Martin, a self-professed Marvel fanboy who traces his devotion all the way back to the Merry Marvel Marching Society, wrote a favorable review of Marvel’s Ant-Man before letting loose with his less complimentary thoughts on villains in the Marvel universe.
"I am tired of this Marvel movie trope where the bad guy has the same powers as the hero. 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."
George has a point here, and as a Marvel fanboy myself, I completely agree. A lot of these films do indeed feature villains with the kinds of powers Martin objects to. However, the Marvel Universe movies have proven wildly popular, and there’s something to be said for continuing with a successful formula.
And here’s where the world of Westeros diverges from the world of Marvel. In Martin’s story, the bad guys seem to always win. Ramsay Bolton can flay, torture, and rape anyone he pleases without so much as a slap on the wrist…yet. With Marvel, the villains may obtain super-human powers, but the heroes will always stop them, and they do it within the confines of a two-hour film or short series run of a comic book.
So, while I agree with George on the tropish nature of villains in the Marvel universe, I don’t think comparing those villains to ones menacing Westeros is entirely fair.