Stan Lee Reveals How Marvel Used To Troll DC Way Back In The Day
If you think the rivalry between Marvel and DC Comics is a recent thing, then you should know the [...]
If you think the rivalry between Marvel and DC Comics is a recent thing, then you should know the pair actually go way back. The publishers have been competitors for decades now as both Marvel and DC have experienced their ups-and-downs. But, whenever Marvel was in the lead back in the day, it seems like Stan Lee had an odd way of trolling DC over the win.
Thanks to The Hollywood Reporter, a candid interview with Stan Lee from 1977 is now buzzing around the web. The video, which was made when Lee was in his mid-50s, sees the icon admit to trolling DC about Marvel's wins.
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"They've been trying to catch up," he explained. "They're doing the best they can, bless their innocent little hearts. We used to have a lot of fun with them when we started outselling them."
Describing DC's lineup as "miserable," Lee went on to say Marvel Comics did their best to mess with DC when it came to publications. The writer explained he and his staff knew how DC would have massive staff meetings where higher-ups would try to figure out the key to Marvel's success.
"They studied our books, and they'd say, 'You know, I noticed they use a lot of red on their covers. Maybe that's it,'" Lee said. "And they would start putting a lot of red on their covers. The minute we would learn of that, we would take all the red off our covers. And our books still sold better, and that would drive them crazy."
Clearly, it wasn't Marvel's color palate that brought comic readers to their yard. Lee even said DC tried to replicate Marvel's over-use of dialogue bubbles, but the geek legend said the rival company continued to overlook the real issue.
"It never occurred to them that we take the work a little more seriously and maybe we have a little bit more of a sense of humor," Lee suggested. "And maybe people don't like things that are a little bit stuffy. They like things that are whimsical or humorous."
There's no overt nod to which time frame Lee was referencing in the vintage interview, but fans can take a good guess. Marvel saw a boom in its popularity during the 1960s thanks to colorful series like Spider-Man, X-Men, and The Avengers. Still, the success did not last forever. By 1996, Marvel Comics was forced to file for bankruptcy, but the publisher was able to save itself with a few calculated risks. Marvel is now one of the industry's leading comic book brands thanks to its comics and expansive MCU investments.
Oh, and DC Comics is still right up there with them. After all these years, it looks like the rivalry is one that hasn't been settled quite yet.
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A young Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Tom Holland), who made his sensational debut in Captain America: Civil War, begins to navigate his newfound identity as the web-slinging superhero in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Thrilled by his experience with theAvengers, Peter returns home, where he lives with his Aunt May (Marisa Tomei), under the watchful eye of his new mentor Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.). Peter tries to fall back into his normal daily routine – distracted by thoughts of proving himself to be more than just your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man – but when the Vulture (Michael Keaton) emerges as a new villain, everything that Peter holds most important will be threatened.
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