Fans of comic book characters have read many comic books with them for a while, and learned a lot about them. They still don't know everything there is to know about these characters, just like the general audience doesn't, and might go by what they know about the films. So, here are five facts about famous comic book characters that fans and non-fans may or may not know.
1. Superman Was Based On Moses
Superman was created by two Jewish-American teenage boys, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, in 1938, and published by DC Comics. He was loosely based on biblical figures, such as Moses and Samson, whom Siegel and Shuster most likely learned about within their religion. The similarites with Samson are that of superhuman strength, but the similarites with Moses are much deeper.
They both have similar origins, with the overall theme of being a man out of time and place, and accepting who you truly are. Both have inner pain and angst, from being adopted, and not knowing their birth parents, to saving mankind no matter the cost. Also, Superman's birth name, Kal-El comes from the Hebrew word "El", meaning "God", or from the term "Qal-El", meaning "swifter of God", depending on what you want to believe.
2. Spider-Man's Costume Was Originally Designed By Jack Kirby When the concept of Spider-Man was first pitched to Marvel Comics, writer Stan Lee needed an artist to design the character. So, he requested artist Jack Kirby to design the costume, of whom he co-created many Marvel Comics characters with, such as Fantastic Four, The Avengers, and the X-Men. But, Kirby's initial design was too brawny and masculine, unlike Lee's idea of a lean, lanky teenage boy. So, artist Steve Ditko eventually got the job, and created the iconic red and blue costume we know of today.
3. Catwoman Originally Wore A Cat Mask When Catwoman first appeared in
Batman #1 in 1940, she wasn't the cowl-wearing seducing cat burglar we know today. She was actually a supervillian, who wore a cat-like face mask.
4. Tony Stark Was Based On Howard Hughes When Iron Man was first created for Marvel, he was supposed to be a character that people probably wouldn't like, and be a rich arms dealer. So, Stan Lee took on the task, by making the character Tony Stark; an arrogant, billionare weapons dealer, and industrialist. And he accomplished.
5. Wolverine Was Almost Called "The Badger" Writer Len Wein was trying to come up with a short, grizzy Canadian superhero, who would be the "Captain America" of Canada. He went with a couple of names to go with the character, "The Badger" and "Wolverine". Well, let's just say, he went with the better choice.