Jim Starlin

Jim Starlin created Thanos, and many of Marvel’s biggest cosmic characters like Adam Warlock, Gamora, and Drax the Destroyer.  Starlin admits that seeing his characters adapted onto the big screen has been a mixed bag.

While attending Niagra Falls Comic Con, he described the experience by saying:

“Blessed, damned, it’s a mixture. It depends on my time of my day.  You know, we were quite comfortable being little cult characters, him and I, and so it’s taken a little adjusting to becoming pop icon and his daddy. So it’s surreal. It’s opened up tremendous opportunities to me, at the same time, it’s caused a few little difficulties, which I won’t go into. But more often than not, it’s been positive.”

But just because Starlin created Thanos doesn’t mean he wrote every comic book that featured the character.  Perhaps Thanos’ most notorious adventure came in the pages of 1979’s ‘Spidey Super Stories’ #39, in which he zipped around in a helicopter with his name printed on it for easy identification.  This infamous accessory has taken on a life of its own as a popular meme source and has actually been made into a real Hot Wheels toy.

 

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But Starlin thinks it made a more direct influence on the films.  In ‘Endgame’, Thanos wields a spinning double-bladed weapon, which he uses to– among other things– break Captain America’s shield.

Starlin says that the weapon “brought back the memory of the Thanos helicopter… I’m never gonna forgive them for that [laughs].”

The ‘Spidey Super Stories’ comics were a tie-in to the PBS children’s educational program ‘The Electric Company’ and aimed at elementary school kids.  So they could be more than a little goofy.  In this one, kids came across the Cosmic Cube and used it to wish for stuff like ice cream.

 

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This lighter tone may also explain this issue’s guest-star, The Cat.  The Cat, a.k.a. Greer Nelson had starred in her own comic in 1972, which only lasted for four issues.  She then evolved into Tigra in 1974, and went on to a more notable career, even joining the Avengers.

Her old suit was modified and worn by Patsy Walker who operated as Hellcat, and was active at the time that this comic was published.  But since this book was for little kids, I guess they couldn’t call her “HELLcat.”  So, The Cat was back.  (She was even colored with red hair, the color of Patsy’s.  Greer had black hair as The Cat.)

Most fans are probably happy that Thanos at least had a weapon which was a nod to the Thanos-Copter.  There was actually a Change.org petition for the Russo Brothers to use the ACTUAL Thanos-Copter in the film.  Guess this is as close as we came.

‘Avengers: Endgame’ is still playing in theaters, now with extra footage after the credits.  It still needs to make about $23 million to dethrone ‘Avatar’ to become the #1 movie of all time, so if you have the time, go back and check it out.

 

Source: ComicBook.com