Marvel Studios Head Kevin Feige Pays Tribute To Jack Kirby

Today marks what would have the 100th birthday of comic book legend Jack Kirby, and Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige is paying his respects to “The King.”

Feige tweeted out his thoughts on Jack Kirby, who helped create the Marvel Universe and many of the most popular characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, saying that Thor: Ragnarok is an unabashed homage to Kirby’s greatness.

“MCU wouldn’t exist without him,” the tweet reads. “Thor Ragnarok is an unabashed love letter to his vision. Happy Birthday to the King. Eternal #JackKirby100”

The influence of Jack Kirby on Thor: Ragnarok has been plainly apparent since the very first trailer hit, and director Taika Waititi has been pretty open about Kirby’s influence. Kirby created the Marvel Universe version of Thor, along with Stan Lee, in the pages of Journey into Mystery #83. Kirby also co-created Marvel’s Loki, who he then used to assemble the Avengers for the very first time.

Many in the comics and entertainment industry are remembering Kirby on his birthday, including Deadpool creator Rob Liefeld, who penned an essay about how Kirby helped shape today’s entertainment landscape.

Thor: Ragnarok currently has a 4.16 out of 5 ComicBook.com User Anticipation Rating, making it the third most anticipated upcoming comic book movie among ComicBook.com readers. Let us know how excited you are for Thor: Ragnarok by giving the movie your own personal ComicBook.com User Anticipation Rating below.

Thor: Ragnarok opens in theaters on November 3, 2017.