The debate over who deserves credit for the creation of Marvel’s most famous characters has been raging for decades.
While Stan Lee is often seen as the face of Marvel, and is officially credited with creating nearly all of the publisher’s Golden Age heroes, his rise to fame came largely on the back of his more unheralded artists.
The fact that Lee was given credit for both Marvel’s success, and its characters, was at the crux of a decades-long feud between the comic book icon and legendary comic book artist Jack Kirby.
A Continuing Argument
Although both Lee and Kirby have now passed on, the debate over who deserves credit for what continues to rage on.
Photo: Comicbook.com
The latest flair-up comes on the heels of the new “Stan Lee” documentary that debuted on Disney+ on Friday.
In the film, Lee takes credit for creating a wide variety of characters such as The Fantastic Four, Iron Man, the Hulk, Thor, Spider-Man, and the X-Men.
While Lee was certainly instrumental in getting these books off the ground, the portrayal of the late Marvel icon as being the driving force behind those characters’ creations has led Neal Kirby, son of Jack Kirby, to express his distaste with the new documentary.
“It should be noted and is generally accepted that Stan Lee had a limited knowledge of history, mythology, or science,” Kirby wrote. “On the other hand, my father’s knowledge of these subjects, to which I and many others can personally attest, was extensive. Einstein summed it up better; ‘More the knowledge, lesser the ego. Lesser the knowledge, more the ego.’”
Kirby Questions The Gospel According to Lee
In the decades prior to his death, Lee increasingly took credit for creating Marvel’s famous roster of heroes, often downplaying the contribution of the artists who brought them to life.
“You will see Lee’s name as a co-creator on every character, with the exception of the Silver Surfer, solely created by my father. Are we to assume Lee had a hand in creating every Marvel character? Are we to assume that it was never the other co-creator that walked into Lee’s office and said, ‘Stan, I have a great idea for a character!’ According to Lee, it was always his idea.” Kirby continued.
One particular segment of the documentary that angered Kirby, was Lee taking credit for the Fantastic Four.
Photo: Complete Set
According to the younger Kirby, while Lee gave “only one fleeting reference” to his father, Jack Kirby had actually created the team for DC Comics. Kirby then continues by noting that Ben Grimm (The Thing) was named after his father’s real name, Benjamin, and Sue Storm was named after his daughter, Susan.
Photo: CBR
As with most things, the truth behind who created Marvel’s mightiest heroes likely lies somewhere in between the two sides. Lee was clearly instrumental in coming up with the genesis of much of the Marvel roster, while artists such as Kirby and Steve Ditko were more involved than Lee would later admit.
The success of Marvel’s early comics was a result of the combination of generational talents, and it is a shame that egos eventually drove them apart.
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