In many instances, superhero origins have been inspired by celebrities and pop culture.
The comic book industry has always had an organic, symbiotic relationship with the rest of the culture; sometimes giving, sometimes taking. Along the way, many superheroes got their look or attitude from popular actors, and many stories were loosely inspired by popular films or books.
For instance, originally Hal Jordan (Green Lantern) had his appearance modeled after Paul Newman. What I find interesting about this is that Paul always played more of the anti-hero character (Hud, Harper, Cool Hand Luke) whereas Green Lantern, in the early days, was a straight-up hero, although in recent years he’s been made into more of an antihero, constantly shown playing by his own rules. I think some of Hal Jordan’s recklessness owes something to Newman’s characters.
Another example: Captain Marvel (SHAZAM) was modeled after Fred MacMurray, star of famous films like Double Indemnity and The Apartment. At the time of Captain Marvel’s creation though, he was mostly known for screwball comedies.
A more recent example: Popular Marvel writer Brian Michael Bendis is said to have been inspired to create the Miles Morales Spider-Man character for the Ultimate Universe after seeing Donald Glover wearing Spider-Man pajamas on the NBC show Community.
Plus, many celebrities have participated with comic writers and artists to recreate their likenesses in comics. Alice Cooper hired Neil Gaiman to write a comic about him. The band KISS have been turned into comic characters. Rashida Jones (Ann Perkins on Parks and Recreation) plays a large role in a comic called Frenemy of the State.
Corey Pung has recently published a book titled “The Madness of Art: Short Stories.” It can be found on Amazon.com or Barnesandnoble.com. It’s only available in electronic form. Check him out here. For more of his thoughts on comics, check out More Than You Want to Know About Comic Books!
