Panthers, Widows and Wolves: Marvel Widens the Spectrum

Superheroes represent an ideal of human perfectibility, and Stan Lee, Roy Thomas and the artists at Marvel Comics clearly thought that ideal ought to embrace a wider spectrum of humanity.

So they introduced the world’s first black superhero,  (the Black Panther in Fantastic Four 52, July 1966), then launched a female superhero into her own solo feature (the Black Widow in Amazing Adventures 1, Aug. 1970) then unveiled an Asian superhero (Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu in Special Marvel Edition 15, Dec. 1973). And in between, they introduced a Native American superhero (Red Wolf in Avengers 80, Sept. 1970).

Created by Roy Thomas and John Buscema, Red Wolf was William Talltrees, a young man whose Cheyenne family was extorted and murdered by corrupt businessman Cornelius van Lunt. To avenge them, he adopted the legendary persona of Red Wolf, gaining vaguely defined powers from the Native American god Owayodata and a partner, an actual wolf named Lobo.

A 19^th century incarnation of Red Wolf was presented when the superhero was featured in his own short-lived title.

I always suspected that had Red Wolf’s power set been a little more unique and sharply defined, he might have proven more durable.

“Red Wolf marked the first time that an America Indian had assumed the role (of mysterious avenger), and it certainly should be remembered at least for breaking ground in a new direction, even if it proved temporarily unsuccessful,” Maurice Horn wrote in Comics of the American West.

In the movies at roughly the same time, actor and writer Tom Laughlin introduced his half-Indian ex-Green Beret avenger, Billy Jack.

“We must applaud Red Wolf for many reasons,” wrote Michael A. Sheyahshe in Native Americans in Comic Books. “The comic contains a character who is the first major Native superhero, one who is a complex character, more human than many other Indigenous characters, and one that even has his own sidekick.”

Of course, DC Comics had already introduced a Native American superhero — wincingly called Super Chief — almost a decade before. But that, as they say, is another story…

Iron Fist: Legacy and the Living Weapon

Iron Fist, a superhero created by Roy Thomas and Gil Kane for Marvel Premiere 15 (May 1974), was the result of pop cultural cross-pollination.

The Marvel Age of Comics was already more than a decade old, and to freshen it up the Bullpen tried superhero titles reflecting popular trends.

Thanks to a relaxed Comics Code, more vivid horror stories could then be published, so Ghost Rider was born in Marvel Spotlight 5 (Aug. 1972).

Martial arts had been popularized by the David Carradine TV series Kung Fu in 1972 and the Bruce Lee movie Enter the Dragon in 1973. Add the superhero trappings of a lost-child Tarzan origin, a secret identity, a colorful costume and the ability to focus chi into a punch of overwhelming power, and you have Iron Fist.

The character is presented in his Netflix series as a kind of billionaire super-Buddhist. And that may well ring a bell.

Comics readers might remark on the similarity of Danny Rand to Adrian Veidt, the superhero Ozymandias created by by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons for their 1986 Watchmen graphic novel.

Well, yes, and there’s a reason for that.

Iron Fist was in part an homage to Amazing-Man, Bill Everett’s original variation on the Superman theme introduced in Amazing-Man Comics 5 (Sept. 1939). That Tibetan-trained super-being also inspired Pete Morisi to create Peter Cannon, Thunderbolt for Charlton Comics in 1966. And Moore and Gibbons used Thunderbolt as the template for Ozymandias.

The history of superhero comics is a wonderfully multi-faceted and multivariate thing.

The Day Marvel Comics Stood Still

In guided imagery, asked to picture a wise being, I always think of Michael Rennie as Klaatu.

He starred in my favorite science fiction film, 1951’s The Day the Earth Stood Still, as an alien ambassador who lands on the Washington mall and is attacked. Captured, Klaatu escapes easily to disguise himself as human and explore our planet. Befriending a boy, Klaatu turns not to political leaders but to a thinly disguised Albert Einstein to get across his message of universal peace and civilization.

When he’s shot and (temporarily) killed, Klaatu sends his friend Patricia Neal to speak the words “Klaatu barada nikto” to his giant robot Gort, who will otherwise incinerate humanity for its violence against him.

The film, brilliantly directed by Robert Wise, was based on the Harry Bates story Farewell to the Master (published in the October, 1940, issue of Astounding magazine).

Twenty-two years later, Marvel Comics’ Roy Thomas secured the short story rights for a comic book adaptation by penciller Ross Andru and inker Wayne Howard in Worlds Unknown 3 (June, 1973).  Thomas had been a fan of the film since childhood, but Andru had never seen it — a fact that insured a fresh visual interpretation for the comic.

This 65-year-old film, with its stern warning about the human capacity for panic, prejudice and mass violence, remains both entertaining and meaningful. Patricia Neal, who expected the film would be B-movie crap, was delighted to be wrong.

“My first film of the new Fox contract was going to be a science fiction thriller called The Day the Earth Stood Still,” the Oscar-winning actress wrote in her autobiography. “I was not encouraged in the least, but I did not want to begin my career at Fox by going on suspension. The director was Robert Wise, who had been good to me in the past. He believed in the project and wanted me to do it. I am very glad I said yes. I worked with an old friend, Hugh Marlowe, and a new one, Michael Rennie.

“I do think it’s the best science fiction film ever made, although I admit I sometimes had a difficult time keeping a straight face. Michael would patiently watch me bite my lips to avoid giggling and ask, with true British reserve, ‘Is that the way you intend to play it?’”

Neal needed whatever laughs she could get in 1951. The press was busy hounding her about her ongoing affair with actor Gary Cooper.

“I was no longer the young darling of Hollywood,” she recalled. “I was the unsympathetic side of a triangle. Gary sensed my increasing anxiety and grew more tender toward me.”

“The press was relentless now. They followed me everywhere, even onto the set, but I would not speak to them. The publicity department made up responses for me to their questions about Gary. So in print, I could be vague (‘We’re just good friends’) or cute (‘If I were in love with him, I’d be silly to advertise it. After all, he is a married man.’) or even haughty (‘I do wish people would find something else to talk about’).

“Dear Michael, who was as exasperated as I was, thought I should honor their questions with my favorite line from the film.

“ ‘Miss Neal, did you break up Gary Cooper’s marriage?’ “ ‘Klaatu barada nikto!’

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In novels like Slan, The World of Null-A and The Silkie, A.E. Van Vogt explored the superman concept. The strange left turns of his stories are sometimes criticized, but he wrote his fiction through a hypnagogic technique, taking brief naps to come up with new plot angles. I find the dream logic of his stories intriguing.

Some dreams are, of course, nightmares. Van Vogt often explored the theme of monsters as well as supermen. He offered unique takes on the science fiction monster genre in novels such as Voyage of the Space Beagle, a clear precursor to Star Trek.

The story here, Black Destroyer, was published in the July 1939 issue of Astounding and adapted for Marvel Comics by Roy Thomas, Dan Adkins and Jim Mooney in Worlds Unknown 5 (Feb. 1974). The tentacled, cunning super-panther Coeurl is not the kind of kitty you want to bring home, but he ends up on board the exploratory starship Space Beagle anyway. The events that follow were echoed in the 1979 Ridley Scott film Alien.