The Killer’s 10 Biggest Changes To The Original Graphic Novels

Warning: This post contains major spoilers for The Killer

David Fincher’s The Killer is based on the French graphic novel of the same name, and one can expect there are multiple differences between the source material and its film adaptation. Starring Michael Fassbender as the eponymous character, The Killer follows the assassin on a vengeful hunt following a hit job that goes sideways. The original comics were written by Matz with art by Luc Jacamon and, given their length (five volumes altogether), there are bound to have been changes made for the film.

Fincher’s The Killer has been in development for more than a decade, since 2007, but it wasn’t until 2021 that the acclaimed director was able to really get going on the film under his deal with Netflix. The Killer first played at the Venice Film Festival and has since received mostly positive reviews from critics. As for the source material itself, screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker adapts certain parts of the graphic novels but not all of them. With several aspects of the comics left out or altered entirely, the biggest changes made to the film reflect this, though Fincher’s adaptation also remains loyal to the source material in many respects.

10 The Killer Graphic Novel Gives Michael Fassbender’s Killer A Backstory

The Killer movie doesn’t include the femme fatale

The Killer comics give Michael Fassbender’s character a proper backstory. The film doesn’t explore how The Killer came to be an assassin, or what his family life was like before he began working as a contract killer full-time. In the comics, a woman The Killer slept with while in college introduces him to the assassin world. Like the hitman, the character isn’t given a name, but she does influence The Killer, and her brief role in the story affects the rest of his life. Granted, the comics don’t provide too much information on the people in The Killer’s life, but it gives readers far more input than Fincher’s film does.

9 David Fincher’s The Killer Doesn’t Have Flashbacks

The Killer comics flash back to past kills

The Killer graphic novel, like the movie itself, includes inner monologues from the titular character. But while Fassbender’s assassin goes about his daily activities while waiting for his target to show up, the comics use the monologues to provide readers with context in the way of flashbacks. Specifically, The Killer graphic novel flashes back to the assassin’s first few kills — including his very first one where he murders someone using a bat — as well as glimpses into other parts of his past. The flashbacks don’t provide a massive info dump; rather, they’re used only when necessary to enhance the story that is being told.

8 The Killer’s Homebase & Retirement Is Not In The Dominican Republic

The Killer retires to Venezuela in the comics

In The Killer movie, the titular character has ties to the Dominican Republic. It’s where he has a mansion, where he lives with his girlfriend Magdala (Sophie Charlotte), and where he goes to retire after The Killer’s ending. In the graphic novels, however, The Killer often returns to Venezuela, not the Dominican Republic. The assassin has an estate in a remote part of Venezuela, and it’s where he spends his days when he’s not on a job. He’s settled into his life there, happy that the people don’t ask too many questions about his life. In another volume, The Killer retires to Mexico before he’s pulled back into his job.

7 The Killer Doesn’t Use 70s Sitcom Characters For Aliases

Michael Fassbender’s movie aliases include Cheers’ Sam Malone

The Killer employs a plethora of aliases in Fincher’s adaptation, and they’re notable because they’re often the names of characters from popular 1970s sitcoms. Sam Malone, George Jefferson, and Archie Bunker are among a few of them. In the comics, however, the assassin doesn’t use fake IDs based on fictional 70s characters. This is likely because The Killer is a French character who doesn’t have a penchant for classic American sitcoms the way Fassbender’s version of the character might; conversely, it’s a nod to the audience. While they seem random at first, The Killer’s aliases become more obvious over time for those who can spot them throughout the film.

6 The Killer Graphic Novel Is Focused More On Geopolitics

David Fincher’s film is more centered on revenge

The Killer is not only a hitman in the comics, but he’s often embroiled in geopolitical affairs that involve Cuba, Venezuela and the United States. At one point, the assassin works for people who are exploiting oil, and The Killer becomes entangled in political violence. In The Killer Vol. 4: Unfair Competition, the eponymous character even finds himself heavily involved with an oil company responsible for Cuba’s off-shore deposits. The Killer also tends to work with members of the Colombian cartel, who send him on hit jobs.

He may be an assassin, but his connections and the targets he’s often hired to kill put him in situations where he’s dealing with powerful government and corporate types, as well as political jobs that greatly affect the stabilization of countries. The film simplifies The Killer’s involvement outside the scope of his job; The Killer never reveals why Claybourne hired him for a contract kill, but he spends the majority of the film hunting down the assassins paid to kill him for revenge. Fassbender’s character is less involved in anything above his pay grade.

5 The Killer Movie Takes Place In The Present Day

The graphic novel doesn’t specify the time period

While The Killer doesn’t provide the exact date, David Fincher’s film is clearly set in the present day. Cell phones, smartwatches, and the like reveal as much. The graphic novel, however, doesn’t specify the era in which The Killer operates. The original comic was first published in 1998, and it’s believed to be set in the 1970s due to its focus on Venezuela, Cuba, and the US. However, the timeline of events isn’t confirmed. Regardless of the time period, The Killer is a timeless tale. Its premise can be adjusted to suit the era, but it doesn’t really matter to the film at least.

4 The Killer Retires To Venezuela Before Becoming A Target In The Comics

Fassbender’s movie character doesn’t retire until the end

In Fincher’s film, The Killer doesn’t retire to the Dominican Republic until the very end of the film. He had to get his affairs in order before feeling safe enough to leave, and The Killer knew he was unsafe as soon as he arrived back home to an attack on Magdala. In the comics, The Killer screws up the hit job, but he decides to retire to Venezuela right after. He doesn’t realize he’s been betrayed by people he trusts until later, whereas in The Killer movie the assassin’s entire plot involves tracking down Hodges and Claybourne after realizing the former wanted to tie up loose ends.

3 The Killer Graphic Novel Is Set Over 8 Years

The Killer’s movie events occur over a week

When The Killer opens, Michael Fassbender’s assassin has been staking out inside a WeWork for a few days waiting for his target to appear. After the botched job, The Killer quickly extricates himself from the situation and returns to the Dominican Republic before flying back out again on a mission for revenge. By the end of The Killer, it’s likely been about a week or less since the start of the film. In the comics, however, The Killer’s overall story takes place over the course of eight years, and his journey follows multiple events and moments in his life and job.

2 The Killer Eventually Kills His Intended Target In Paris

Fassbender’s Killer never returns to Paris

The Killer misses his shot and immediately goes on the run in the movie. And while the assassin also messed up the hit job in Paris in the comics, he ultimately does gun down his intended Paris target. But The Killer only does so after killing several other people before returning to finish the job he started. In Fincher’s film, The Killer leaves the target behind entirely and retires to a beach in the Dominican Republic. However, should there be a sequel to The Killer, it’s possible the assassin will return to finish the job he was hired to do.

1 Michael Fassbender’s The Killer Doesn’t Have A Wife & Son

The Killer movie only includes the assassin’s girlfriend

Because Matz and Jacamon’s The Killer follows the title character over several years, the comics eventually include the assassin’s wife and son, who are introduced in The Killer Vol. 3. In The Killer movie, however, Fassbender’s character only has a girlfriend who he seems to care for greatly. He and Magdala live together, and she’s there when he finally retires at the end of the film, but they aren’t married, nor do they have a son.