George R. R. Martin thinks Marvel movies have a villain problem

George R.R. Martin really liked "Ant-Man", but in the author's opinion, the film had one big problem that it shares with almost all of the Marvel movies: The villain.

Martin took to his LiveJournal to post about the movie:

"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"

What's interesting about Martin's critique of Marvel villains is how it zeroes in on the visuals of these movies' big conflicts. Action is at its best when it tells a story, and the dynamics of a hero learning about and trying to overcome a villain with totally different abilities allows for all sorts of fun, high-stakes moments.

Of course, there is also a problem with making these villains memorable, even though they're being played by incredible actors.