Stan Lee is the face of Marvel
Comics. The man, who has practically made a cameo appearance in most of the
Marvel Studio films, has been the lead on creating an entire superhero universe
that is beloved by millions of fans. Of these many heroes, Lee’s favorite
creation, Spiderman, was not made solely by him. Comic book artist Steve Ditko
was heavily influential on the design of the character. From the look of
Spiderman’s webbed suit, to the young adult struggles that characterized Peter
Parker, Ditko’s influence can be seen through different facets of Spiderman. Ditko
passed away in late June at the age of 90 after a career working with both
Marvel and DC comics; however, he was a very private man who rarely gave
interviews and ended up leaving Marvel Comics in 1966 after a supposed
disagreement with Stan Lee about the direction of certain characters (Atlantic).
Steve Ditko may not have been in the spotlight for a majority of his career,
but his influence on comic books are still seen in a modern context.
In 2017’s Spiderman: Homecoming, there’s a scene late in the movie where,
after fighting the Vulture at his lair, Peter is trapped under a pile of rubble
as the rest of the building begins to crumble. Panic begins to set in as he
realizes that he is too weak after the fight to get himself free. He begins to
scream frantically for help doubting his abilities as a hero. As he
struggles to lift the support beams, he sees his reflection in a puddle with
half of his face showing the frightened young man, and the other showing his
homemade Spiderman mask. Seeing these two halves inspires in him the confidence
and strength to escape from the crumbling building and pursue Vulture. Besides
being a great scene in the film (link below), it also showcases what Ditko
brought to Spiderman’s character, vulnerability. While some heroes have powers
to fight other worldly characters or have riches and resources few superheroes
can attain, Peter Parker lacks these tropes.
Ditko was a realist, and this
influence is seen throughout his story-telling and character design. Underneath
his persona as Spiderman, Peter is a normal young adult (minus the spider powers)
with a story similar to many who struggle in their early life. Even his rogue’s
gallery is packed with characters that underneath their villainous costumes, are
normal people who happen to use their abilities for crime. The Vulture from Spiderman: Homecoming is a great example
of Ditko’s style with him being a construction worker before deciding to create
his flight suit from the alien technology left from the first Avengers movie. Peter’s
costume also exhibits this realism. Instead of having armor or gadgets to
support his crime fighting, Spiderman’s outfit leaves him exposed with many
versions of the character making the costume himself out of materials found at
his home. These are just a few examples of what Ditko brought to Spiderman’s
character.
Growing up, I knew about famous
comic character creators: Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Bob Kane, and Joe Shuster but
never knew much about Steve Ditko. Hearing that he had passed away prompted me
to research how important he was to the characters I read on a comic book page
or watched on a screen. Learning of the man’s accomplishments from his
innovative work with both Marvel and DC, it was difficult to figure out what to
say about him. I chose to talk about Spiderman because Peter Parker is the
perfect example of Ditko’s influence on comics. He brought realism to a genre
known for the exact opposite and to see that style in modern superhero
storytelling proves Steve Ditko was unique.
Leave
a comment below about your favorite comic book characters or the creators
behind those characters!
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