How were your favorite supervillains created? Discover the secret of their origin

Dr. Dom

Born in July 1962 under the pencils of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Doctor Doom is one of the most iconic (and charismatic) villains in the Marvel Super Heroes galaxy. Death itself, often represented by the Grim Reaper, served as an inspiration. “This is the reason for the hood and armor to emphasize the inhuman side of metal” Kirby explained, “Death is merciless, and the envelope of flesh contains exactly this pity.”

Harley Quinn

Appearing in the Batman animated series in September 1992, Harley Quinn, the Joker’s former psychiatrist who eventually falls in love with her patient, was so popular that DC Comics decided to bring her into the comics to the great delight of their fans.

As such, he was granted the rights to his own comic in October 1999. It is to the duo Paul Dean and Bruce Timm that we owe its creation… with Dean’s slight advantage: he sought inspiration from the soap opera Days of Our Lives. on NBC. More specifically, A A dream sequence where actor Arlin Sorkin is dressed in a Harlequin costume.

After her appearance in the animated series, Harley Quinn’s popularity literally exploded. He has especially appeared on screen in video games and brilliantly. Thus, the character appears in the Batman saga: Arkham, (Aylum, City, Origins & Knight). Paul Dean, who originated the character and wrote the screenplay for the two video games Batman: Arkham Asylum and Arkham City, Harley takes a big place there, bringing to the fore and deepening her history, as well as her relationship with the Joker. .

Also note that it’s actor Arlin Sorkin who voices the character, not only in video games, but also in animated series and animated movies!

In late 2014, Margot Robbie joined the cast of Suicide Squad. If she seems logically prominent on the film’s poster, the competition for the role was tough, judging by the list of candidates considered for the role: Imogen Poots, Felicity Jones, Alison Brie, Mila Kunis, Olivia Wilde, Rachel McAdams, Zooey Deschanel, Lindsay Lohan, Kat Dennings, Jennifer Lawrence , Alice Eve, Amanda Seyfried, Evan Rachel Wood and Emma Watson. Only this ! He has since reprized his role in Birds of Prey and The Suicide Squad.

penguin

Between Bob Kane and Bill Finger, it came down to who covered the most… The origin of the Penguin character, who appeared in December 1941 in St. Detective comics n°58, differs between the two authors. Finger claimed to be inspired by the Emperor Penguin, which he said reminded him of “Those English aristocrats in their tuxedos.”

As for Bob Kane, he claimed the inspiration came from Willie the Little Penguin, the brand’s mascot. KOOL cigarettesIntroduced to the market in 1933. We will give you a decision.

Magneto

First appearing in September 1963, the Magneto character was created by the Stan Lee/Jack Kirby tandem. They chose the charismatic leader Malcolm X, spokesman for the Nation of Islam, who would be assassinated in 1965, as their model of inspiration.

1963, a troubled time in the United States, then in the midst of the Civil Rights Movement. From a completely symbolic point of view, Martin Luther King will be taken as a model for Charles Xavier. The latter and Erik Lensherr, the future Magneto, initially campaign together in favor of mutants before they become enemies.

Martin Luther King and Malcolm X also campaigned together for civil rights. “I didn’t think of Magneto as a villain.” Stan Lee explained, He was just trying to get back at people who are racist against mutants. He tried to protect them, but since the society did not treat them fairly, he decided to teach them a lesson. He’s still a dangerous person, but I never thought of him as a villain.”

Bane

In the early 1990s, DC Comics wanted to give Batman a new impetus with a strong narrative force. Something less radical than the death of Superman. Why not create a new villain who can defeat Batman in single combat and break his spine in the process, without killing him?

This is how Bane’s character was born in January 1993 under the pencils of Chuck Dixon, Doug Moench and Graham Nolan.

While the latter suggested the idea of ​​giving him the appearance of a Mexican luchador (masked wrestler), the trio was heavily inspired by the character of Doc Savage, who, before the film, was a comic book character. by Shadow Comics. Below is the cover of the first issue, published in March 1933.

They added a backdrop inspired by Alexandre Dumas’ story The Count of Monte Cristo, in which Edmond Dantes spent 14 years in prison before breaking out and seeking revenge. Let’s remind you that Bane was born in a self-governing prison and spent his childhood during his father’s life sentence…

In the movie, Bane will appear in the guise of Tom Hardy, impressive. Just forget about the pathetic 1997 version of Batman & Robin.

Kaid

Colossus Wilson Fisk, King of the Underworld, better known as Kingpin, is Daredevil’s mortal enemy. Despite having no superpowers, he is gifted with extraordinary strength and can bring Spider-Man a lot of trouble. It was created by the duo Stan Lee and John Romita in July 1967.

Its origin lies in the British actor Sydney Greenstreet, more specifically in the composition he gave to John Huston in The Maltese Falcon as the shadowy Casper Gutman.

While the character first appeared in Amazing Spider-Man n°50, it was in issue #170 that he encountered a blind vigilante. Below is the cover of the issue in question. The painting is by Frank Miller.

In the series Daredevil, Hawkeye and Echo and soon Daredevil: Born again, the Kingpin is played by Vincent D’Onofrio.

bilateral

If we acknowledge that it is the Bob Kane/Bill Fingers duo that we owe the creation of the two faces of the character that first appeared in August 1942, the balance still tips slightly in Kane’s favor.

in his autobiography, batman and meKane explains that he sought inspiration from the major works of Robert Louis Stevenson, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886) and more specifically in Ruben Mamoulian’s 1931 film version.

Added to this is the influence of the 1939 Pulp comic strip. Black Book Detective Magazine, who developed the story of a character called Black Bat, who, contrary to what his name suggests, has nothing to do with Batman. In one of his stories, the Black Bat Brand case, a district attorney named Tony Quinn is blinded by a stream of acid thrown by a mobster in the middle of a courtroom…

cat woman

Created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger, Selina Kyle, a.k.a. Catwoman, appeared in May 1940. Kane revealed in his autobiography that his creation was a cross between his cousin, Ruth Steel, mixed. sexual attractiveness The femme fatale of the iconic actress of the 1930s: Jean Harlow.

And why cats? Creator’s response: “I thought women were cat creatures and men were more like dogs. While a dog is a loyal and friendly companion, cats are detached, less trustworthy. I felt more warmth with dogs around me, cats are just as difficult to understand… as women “.

Red skull

The American public first discovered the Red Skull character in December 1940. Created by screenwriters Ed Heron and Joe Simon, this character played by Jack Kirby is one of Captain America’s mortal enemies. The origin of its creation is quite amazing.

Joe Simon tells it in his autobiography, My Life in Comics: “There was a big sundae sitting in front of me with vanilla ice cream coming down the side. It was intriguing. It looked like Sundae had arms and legs and feet. So I thought, ‘That would be an interesting villain.’ We could. Just call it ‘Sunda’ and give it a face and sweat.”

“Then I looked at Sandel again and noticed a big cherry sitting on top that looked like a skull. I thought, ‘Red Skull… that’s a cool sounding name!’

Joker

“What I want to know is how did his victim’s face turn into that horrible smile?” Robin calls out to Batman next to him, who replies: “Probably thanks to some drug that tightens the facial muscles. The Joker was smart, but a devilish killer. Too smart and deadly to literally be free!”

So ends – or almost – the comic about the character of the Joker for the first time, in April 1940. The character is already well explored, in eleven pages he is described as an authentic maniac, a murderer and a pervert who takes obvious pleasure. In finding original ways to kill.

The Joker is Batman’s oldest and deadliest enemy. If the authorship of its creation is generally attributed to the duo Bob Kane and Bill Finger, comic book artist Jerry Robinson, who worked with the duo, also claims.

“I knew that every great hero had an anti-hero who was stronger, that these characters were going up against powerful antagonists.” Robinson will say. “Then I started to think and I said to myself: he is a person who has a certain sense of humor, he is a joker. I immediately associated this idea with the Joker figure in the card game with this funny smile. I made my first drawing of the Joker; Actually a playing card with the Joker’s face on it.

“When I showed my drawing to Bill and Bob, Bill said it reminded him of the actor Konrad Veidt’s face in the movie. the man who LaughsAdapted from Victor Hugo.

And Jerry Robinson concludes: “Bill and Bob can take credit for creating the character, we all had a hand in it. But the concept came from me. Bill finished his story based on my concept. He wrote the story, so he really co-created the character, while Bob and I did the visuals. part.”

We Need to Suspect: In this unresolved fight over the Joker’s paternity, the version of the facts offered by Bob Kane is completely different. In his autobiography batman and meHe writes: “Finger and I created the Joker. Bill was the writer. Jerry Robinson came to me with a Joker playing card. He looked like Konrad Veidt, the actor in ‘The Man Who Laughs,’ according to Victor Hugo. Finger had a photo album of the actor and he showed it to me and said, ‘Here’s the Joker. “. It’s okay Jerry, he just brought me a playing card.” Not a fair game, Bob…