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When Marvels Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 was first released, MCU fans were instantly obsessed with the new team of superheroes. Starlord, Gamora, Drax, Groot, and Rocket were all instant fan favorites. But the films villain Ronan the Accuser, although stoic and intimidating, was mostly forgettable. Though Ronan's brief role in Guardians of the Galaxy and the MCU as a whole has a deceptively large impact on Avengers: Infinity War, the Accuser's appearances in Marvel comics paint an entirely different portrait.
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You will never rule Xander
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No. I will cure it! For many MCU fans, Ronan the Accuser is the sort of forgettable villain from Guardians
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of the Galaxy. He's really angry, and very blue. And that's about it
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I don't recall killing your family. I doubt I'll remember killing you either
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Though Ronan's brief role in the MCU has a deceptively large impact on Avengers Infinity
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War, the accuser's appearances in Marvel comics paint an entirely different portrait
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one that may shock those unfamiliar with the character's complicated legacy. Ronan? I'm sorry, Mr. Quill, I truly am. But I want no part of this transaction if Ronan is in
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the world. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Who's Ronan? The Marvel Cinematic Universe features some of
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the best villains in superhero history, and sometimes we almost find ourselves rooting for
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them. But for every extravagant lawbreaker like Loki and Baron Zemo, there's a dozen dull
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mindlessly evil characters like Lofi or Hela just waiting to lose our attention
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The studio thrives at serving dynamic bad guys with a fresh vision. From the bald and
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criminally conniving scientist in The Amazing Spider-Man issue number two to the blue-collar
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dad trying to make a living in Homecoming, character changes like the vulture allows
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the audience to question what it means to be a villain. You don't understand how the world works
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Yeah, but I understand that selling weapons to criminals is wrong. How do you think your buddy Stark paid for that tower
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In the first Guardians of the Galaxy film, Ronan is introduced as the brooding leader of the Kree
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The character does get some brutal moments in the film, and his malevolent force is so strong
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he can even take on Drax the Destroyer. With his Kree army and a lust for destruction
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the accuser delivers stakes that feel massive in scale. But while certainly a formidable opponent
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for Star-Lord and his ragtag crew, the cartoonish nature of Ronin is a far cry from even the
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earliest MCU baddies Iron Man 2 Whiplash for example was originally written in the comics as a Stark international electrician who decided to steal from his boss In subsequent series and in the film however the villain has an anguished cause
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driving his destructive path. While compelling villains are a major factor in the studio's success
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these adaptations come with a cost. From subtle changes to complete overhauls
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MCU bad guys rarely resemble their ink and paper counterparts, and not always for the better
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Figured my rugged good looks would make that obvious. Ronan the Accuser first appeared in Fantastic Four number 65
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In the issue, Ronan arrives on Earth to sentence the Richards family for crimes against the Kree Empire
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Right off the bat, the Accuser is tough and even came equipped with his universal weapon
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In fact, the character is extremely similar to his MCU avatar. Well, aside from the blue skin
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We'll come back to that. After his quick disposal by the Fantastic Four, the Accuser continued to show up in Marvel's cosmic-themed issues
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Fighting everyone from former ally Captain Marvel, the Silver Surfer, and even Iron Man
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Ronan always brought the heat, even if he rarely stuck around for very long
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But comic books need middling bad guys like the Accuser. A good old-fashioned straightforward villain can help make someone like Thanos feel extra
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terrifying when he finally comes along. Ronan seemed destined to remain a menacing but all-purpose foe
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In true comics fashion, Ronan's costume and skin tone changes likely occurred due to cost-cutting
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colorization methods. From flesh tones to full color washes, he slowly evolved into the blue-skinned
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hammer-wielding royal Kree we know from the films. I only ask that you take this matter seriously
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The only matter I do not take seriously, boy, is you. Eventually, Ronan took on a more noble role
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in Marvel Comics, though. Starting with Keith Giffen's Annihilation series in 2006, the accuser
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rose the ranks of simple bad guy to an unlikely anti-hero of sorts
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As enforcer of Cree law on his home world, Ronan acts as a sort of galactic Judge Dredd
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His tactics and nature may seem extreme to citizens of Earth but the series betrays his efforts as earnest By the end of the series Ronan stands up for his people against all odds and is called upon to become Emperor of the Kree Quite a change from a guy who tried to do this Deploy ballistic warheads Annihilation
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Ronan could not be further removed from the spooky, Sith-like boogeyman from the MCU
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and the gulf only gets wider. In Annihilation Conquest, Ronan even has something of an alliance
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with Peter Quill, although certainly not without butting heads. The accuser of Marvel Comics
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would do anything to save his empire. From serving alongside Nova and the Corps
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to bowing before the Inhumans to bring an end to a terrible war
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he has proven time and again to be so much more than your typical villain
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Heck, the guy even attempted to wreck Thanos at one point. But these changes to Ronin for the silver screen
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do serve a purpose. Guardians of the Galaxy is a fun retro space adventure
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but a throwback tone like Guardians requires a simple evil nonetheless. Someone less flashy than the swashbuckling Venatar crew
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a villain with a punchable face and axes to grind. And that is exactly what makes a stickler like Ronan
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such a great foil to Quill's charms. What are you doing? Dance off, bro. Me and you
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Fans of Marvel Comics get to see a slightly more accurate version of Ronan
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in the MCU's Captain Marvel. To decimate the Kree's most hated foes, the Skrull
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Ronan is dispatched by the Empire. On Earth, he attempts to eviscerate the planet's surface
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in the name of his people, but is thwarted by Captain Marvel. Rather than continuing the fight like a madman as he would in Guardians
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Ronin sees the power of Captain Marvel and smartly retreats. And to that end, Ronin's ultimate betrayal of Thanos in service of the Kree
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while short-sighted, is also quite a statement on who he is as a character
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I will unfurl 1,000 years of Kree justice on Xandar and burn it to its core
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And Thanos, I'm coming for you. Even if he was seen as a terrorist by his own people Ronan still sought to serve them relentlessly as he did in the comics Unlike Black Panther Killmonger a high watermark for radical villainy the accuser was never meant to be that kind of baddie
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The goal of the MCU's Ronan was not to showcase a semi-relatable outlaw
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but rather to highlight what sorts of evil the Guardians can overcome as a team
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It's also apparent that overly enthusiastic enforcers rarely go well with audiences
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It's cool to see a judgmental goon like Ronan take a beating from Galaxy's Finest
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but rooting for the guy is just a tough sell. It is weird that someone with such rich history
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was given the shortest straw. There is so much nobility and uniqueness
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behind Marvel's most hooded brute that audiences will never get to see
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For many comic fans, it's a bitter pill to swallow, and the MCU's willingness to build up its supervillains
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has had repercussions on their output as a whole. By spending so much time and effort developing Thanos
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as the only true threat, lesser villains have often been cast off too quickly
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Just look at how the MCU misused the Red Skull. You are failing
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The character could be a universe-level threat if treated correctly, but between Hugo Weaving hating the makeup
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and Marvel seemingly eager to move on to more complicated relationships like Bucky
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the character was relegated to a literal crossing guard on an alien world
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But it cast me out, banished me here. Superhero stories get more compelling with frequent appearances from familiar foes
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When a villain powers up after a defeat, every character involved means more to us
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By underdeveloping MCU bad guys like Ronan the Accuser, the studio now struggles to find
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an interesting evil in a post-Thanos world. Without a good villain sitting in the dust of the Infinity War to herald his arrival
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is it any wonder the introduction of Kang felt entirely unearned? But perhaps much like the comics, the MCU genuinely needs someone like Ronan the Accuser
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to fill the gap. Someone for our heroes to blast off against with honor and valiance
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A villain to make those cosmic champions stand out in a galaxy of wonder
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Because sometimes you just need a big, mean blue guy