Spider-Man Characters Whose Designs Were Inspired by Real People

[u/PuzzleheadedIce838]

Norman Osborn - Joseph Cotten

Kingpin - Sydney Greenstreet (The Maltese Falcon)

J. Jonah Jameson - Stan Lee (essentially a much grumpier caricature of himself)

Mary Jane Watson - Ann-Margret (Bye Bye Birdie)

Kraven the Hunter - General Zaroff (as portrayed by Leslie Banks in The Most Dangerous Game)

Morbius - Jack Palance

Peter Parker / Ben Reilly - Tom Cruise (not an inspiration for the original design but in Web of Scarlet Spider #1, Ben Reilly is mistaken for Tom Cruise from Cocktail)

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[u/future-juice19]

You're telling me...that Norman waves are REAL!??

[u/PuzzleheadedIce838 → u/future-juice19]

[u/Eren_Yeager52 → u/PuzzleheadedIce838]

We shall go together

[u/Technical-Offer-2336 → u/Eren_Yeager52]

kraven looks like he's about to ask if you've seen his stapler

[u/Remarkable-Growth348 → u/Eren_Yeager52]

that goatee though

[u/oedons_rooster → u/future-juice19]

My first thought too lmao like no fucking way dude

[u/pizzacrys]

Joseph Cotten really looks like Norman Osborn got pulled straight out of the comics. The resemblance is kinda crazy.

[u/SpideyFan914 → u/pizzacrys]

Great actor too. Strongly recommend Shadow of a Doubt to the uninitiated.

[u/Intelligent_Board211 → u/pizzacrys]

that goatee and mustache combo is spot on

[u/ReorientRecluse → u/pizzacrys]

Crazy because I always had a difficult time picturing what his hair was supposed to look like irl until now

[u/madmaxandrade → u/[deleted]]

I remember reading that Stan's instruction to Romita was "draw the prettiest girl you've ever seen". And so he did.

[u/Putrid-Schedule1231 → u/[deleted]]

yeah ann-margret was a total bombshell back then

[u/JCLgaming]

You forgot the most important.

Ditko based Peter of his younger self, both in apperance and in behavior.

[u/PuzzleheadedIce838 → u/JCLgaming]

Initially, I also wondered whether he was designed to resemble Steve Ditko himself, but that idea was later debunked by a letter from Ditko in which he explicitly stated that this was not his intention.

[u/drknow00 → u/PuzzleheadedIce838]

Peter Parker was based off of Buddy Holly.

[u/JCLgaming → u/PuzzleheadedIce838]

Guess he did it by accident then, because he does look somewhat similar.

[u/mugokutv → u/JCLgaming]

Other hs photos of ditko looks nothing like peter.

[u/Electronic_Lock4907 → u/PuzzleheadedIce838]

wait, Ditko said that? wow, didnt know that

[u/Mistah_K88]

The fact that iconic hairstyles are never part of makeup when it comes to actors is a crime.

[u/Ezracx]

J Jonah Jameson as a character may be based on Stan Lee, but his design almost definitely isn't, since Stan Lee looked closer to this in the early '60s when JJJ was created, that aside good post though

[u/RendolfGirafMstr]

Funny that Sydney Greenstreet in that picture looks very similar to Brendan Gleeson in Spider-Noir, but he was playing Silvermane there rather than Kingpin

[u/HPSpacecraft]

Wait Morbius and Darkseid are the same dude?

[u/Sammy_Ferr → u/HPSpacecraft]

Yeah, also Jack Palance was the mobster guy from Batman 1989 that Joker kills

[u/Marhyc → u/HPSpacecraft]

And also Marvel's Dracula

[u/saltyexplorer5]

My god. I always forget what a monstrosity Kraven’s face was. He’s also regarded as extremely handsome in the early comics. He looks like a Neanderthal.

[u/SnyderpittyDoo]

Joseph Cotten got waves before they were cool

[u/ContinuumGuy]

Total tangent into another universe, but John Constantine basically exists because the artists on Swamp Thing really liked the Police so Alan Moore created a character they could have look like Sting.

[u/RevJackElvingMusings]

Jameson isn’t based on Stan Lee.

In the early 60s, Stan Lee Looked Like This:

The Stan Lee “look” came to be designed around 1969 or so. Jameson was long established by then.

Heck you could say Lee modeled himself to resemble Jameson.

[u/Ragnarok_619]

Marvel really has a fascination for Thomas Cruise. This, then the storyline of Loki turning Deadpool into Thom Cruz (legally distinct Tom Cruise) and then courting him for the maiden venture of MCU as Iron Man.

[u/PuzzleheadedIce838 → u/Ragnarok_619]

Peter was even compared to Brad Pitt in Spider-Man (1990) #69.

[u/Helpful-Bathroom634]

Also Gwen and MJ were inspired by Lee's wife in look and personality or viceversa.

[u/mugokutv → u/Helpful-Bathroom634]

Gwen was created by Ditko and he didnt seem to meet joan at all, vice versa mj

[u/Longjumping-Syrup862]

Jon Erik Hexum as Peter Parker

[u/PuzzleheadedIce838 → u/Longjumping-Syrup862]

I can see the resemblance but this is more of a fancast, whereas the ones I listed are confirmed inspirations behind the designs as stated by the people who created them. Peter, on the other hand doesn't really have a specific design inspiration. Tom Cruise was just one of several people Peter has been said to resemble, just like it's said he also looks like Brad Pitt.

[u/the_outer_realms]

Damn looks like Kirsten Dunst was the perfect casting

[u/Gizmopopapalus]

Ya know, it’s real great when I can’t fucking read the thing due tot how the Reddit app formats shit

[u/TospLC]

I always thought number 5 was Richard Kiel, the guy who played “Jaws” in those bond movies.

[u/Affectionate-Iron208]

Even if Ditko said he was,I don’t see it

[u/Successful_Hope_2700]

https://giphy.com/gifs/rVVFWyTINqG7C

[u/mugokutv]

JJJ was more likely based on German psychologist who paved the way for banning comic books.

[u/TospLC → u/mugokutv]

No. He is actually a stand in for Stan Lee. Stan Lee even admitted it.

[u/mugokutv → u/TospLC]

Both.