The Marvel Universe is vast, weird, and endlessly fascinating. From behind-the-scenes surprises to comic book oddities, this fifth installment dives deeper into the secrets, scandals, and stories that make Marvel legendary.
Missed the earlier parts? Catch up here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5
1 Iron Man’s Unexpected Origin Story
When Marvel Studios began developing the 2008 “Iron Man” movie, Iron Man was considered a very minor character by the fans. Therefore, about 30 writers declined to write the script for this movie. To introduce the character and clarify that he wasn’t simply a robot, Marvel produced three animated “advertorials.”
2. When Marvel first offered Don Cheadle the role of War Machine in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, they gave him just one hour to decide on the 12-year commitment. Upon learning he was at his kid’s birthday party, the Marvel representative generously extended the decision time to two hours.
3. In the 1990s, Marvel released its financial reports in comic book form. These comics featured iconic characters like Spider-Man and the Incredible Hulk discussing revenue sources and future business plans.
4. Marvel fans campaigned online to cast Donald Glover as the lead in “The Amazing Spider-Man.” Although unsuccessful, his character in “Community” wore Spider-Man pajamas as a nod. This inspired a Marvel writer to create Miles Morales, the first Black Spider-Man. Glover later portrayed Miles’ uncle in “Spider-Man: Homecoming.”
5. Actress Dorothy Steel made her big film acting debut at the age of 91 as a tribal elder advising Chadwick Boseman in Marvel’s “Black Panther.” After sending in her audition tape, Marvel executives seeing it exclaimed, “Who is that old lady? We want her.” She had begun her acting career at the age of 88.
6 Emily Blunt’s Black Widow Miss
Emily Blunt was initially cast to play Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow) in the MCU. However, she had to fulfill a contractual obligation to appear in “Gulliver’s Travels,” a film she “didn’t want” to be in, preventing her from taking on the role.
7. During the production of “Thor: The Dark World,” Marvel decided to designate the Aether and previous MacGuffins as Infinity Stones. To distinguish each stone, they changed the red Orb in “Guardians of the Galaxy” to purple in post-production.
8. While serving in the army, Stan Lee never missed a deadline for Timely Comics (Marvel in the 1940s). When he discovered withheld mail, he broke into the mailroom, unhinged the mailbox with a screwdriver, and submitted his assignment, nearly facing jail time for his actions.
9. After Barry Allen “died” in DC Comics, Marvel Comics introduced an amnesiac speedster with blonde hair and a red suit who couldn’t remember his name but knew it sounded like “Buried Alien.” In his first appearance, he was named the “fastest man alive.”
10. Upon his death in 1996, Marvel Comics writer Mark Gruenwald requested his ashes be mixed with the printing ink for the collected edition of his series “Squadron Supreme.” As a result, most first printings of the book likely contain his remains.
11 Harlan Ellison’s Hulk Comic Credit
Marvel Comics initially failed to credit writer Harlan Ellison for using one of his stories in “The Incredible Hulk” comic. Although Ellison could have successfully sued, he settled for a standard writer’s fee and a lifetime subscription to all Marvel publications.
12. In Marvel’s main universe, Sir Isaac Newton once held the title of Sorcerer Supreme, a role that was later assumed by Doctor Strange.
13. In 2011, the Florida Department of Citrus created Captain Citrus, a fictional mascot based on Captain America, initially named “Ollie the Orange.” In 2014, Florida paid Marvel around $1 million to redesign and promote the character.
14. From 1984 to 2004, Marvel owned the rights to the name Hulk Hogan. They received $100 for each match he wrestled and royalties on merchandise and projects involving his name. In 1996, Hogan avoided these fees by adopting the moniker “Hollywood” Hogan.
15. In Marvel Comics, Doctor Doom’s armor contains splinters of the True Cross, designed to protect him from vampires.
16 Marvel and DC’s Market Share
Marvel and DC jointly account for only 7.6% of comic sales in the U.S. (as of 2023). The largest comic book publishers in the USA are Viz, known for manga, and Scholastic, famous for children’s comics like “Dog Man” and “The Babysitters Club.”
17. Steve Englehart, co-creator of Mantis, expressed dissatisfaction with her portrayal in the “Guardians of the Galaxy” movies, feeling it deviated from his original vision of a telepathic martial artist.
18. Karen Gillan shaved her head for her role as Nebula in “Guardians of the Galaxy.” Marvel then crafted a wig from her own hair, which she wore on the show “Selfie.”
19. In the mid-1990s, James Cameron was in talks to direct a Spider-Man movie with Leonardo DiCaprio set to star in a “gritty” version. However, lawsuits and Marvel’s bankruptcy in 1996 halted the project.
20. Marvel used to issue paychecks with vouchers on the back, requiring creatives to renounce all rights to their creations upon signing. This meant they couldn’t cash their paychecks without also signing the voucher.
15 Most Controversial & Costly Blunders in History
21 Black Panther’s Name Change History
The superhero Black Panther, who debuted in 1966, predates the founding of the Black Panther Party. To avoid confusion, Marvel changed his name to “Black Leopard” in 1972, but this change did not last long.
22. Marvel’s first movie, “Howard the Duck” (1986), was a box office failure. Although it cost an estimated $37 million, it grossed under $38 million internationally, netting less than $1 million.
23. Robert Downey Jr. was almost cast as Dr. Doom in “Fantastic Four” (2005). Nineteen years later, he was confirmed to play Dr. Doom in the MCU.
24. The Marvels (2023) holds the record for the largest estimated nominal loss for a movie, totaling $237 million (as of May 2025).
25. The Ninja Turtles are a parody of Daredevil (Marvel). Both were created from the same radioactive accident. Daredevil battles “The Hand,” while the turtles face “The Foot.” Additionally, Daredevil’s mentor is “Stick,” whereas the turtles’ mentor is “Splinter.”
RE: Fact #31 (Amalgam Comics Unites DC and Marvel) – That’s pretty funny. There’s was also a Bruce Wayne: Agent of SHIELD thing in the Amalgam Universe, along with Dark Claw.
RE: Fact #38 (Marvel Declines DC’s Characters in 1984) – They were both hilariously dumb.
RE: Fact #21 (Black Panther’s Name Change History) – It’s just a coincidence that Black Panther always puts himself on the line for his brother, never runs from a fight, and is a complex dude that only his lady gets.
RE: Fact #25 (Daredevil and Ninja Turtles Parody) – It’s not a parody, but they really loved the Daredevil comics and drew a lot of inspiration from them.
RE: Fact #9 (Marvel’s “Buried Alien” Tribute) – “Buried Alien” was clearly about Barry Allen, the Flash. He had a similar name, wore a ripped red suit with yellow bits, felt like he had lightning inside, came from another world, and his last memory was a running theme – just like Barry’s death in Crisis on Infinite Earths. And to top it all off, he’s called the “fastest man alive,” which felt right to him. Since Barry’s back in the DC Universe after Final Crisis, I doubt we’ll see “Buried Alien” again.
RE: Fact #46 (Marvel’s Iconic No-Prize) – “No-Prize” is a weird name for an award, huh? Is it like a sarcastic award for people who get too hung up on tiny details in comics?
RE: Fact #16 (Marvel and DC’s Market Share) – Comic books can be intimidating for newcomers, unlike manga, which is usually pretty accessible. Plus, comics switch artists a lot, while manga usually has the same writer and artist.
RE: Fact #42 (Mr. Fantastic’s Retconned Romance) – Six years isn’t a huge age difference, especially if they only met then and there wasn’t any creepy stuff going on. Plus, in the story, Reed Richards was taking college courses at 14, so it might be even less.
RE: Fact #4 (Donald Glover’s Spider-Man Influence) – Wow, I had no idea Miles Morales was so new! I figured he was from the 80s or 90s and only just became popular.
RE: Fact #50 (Tony Stark Owns Area 51) – Makes sense.
RE: Fact #37 (Asgardians and Irish Gods Unite) – TOOaha Day DAN-un, right? One of them is Taranis, the thunder god. He’s actually a version of an older god, the one Thor and Donnar are named after.
Lots of PIE thunder gods have “tha/tho” in their names – like the Hittites’ Tarhun and the Thracians’ Zbelthurdos (whose name basically meant he knocked you flat!).
Even some non-Indo-Europeans got in on this, like the Sami in Finland with their Horagal, a Thor-like thunder god.
“Thunder” comes from way back – mid-13th century Old English, from Proto-Germanic and even older Proto-Indo-European roots meaning “to resound” or “thunder”.
RE: Fact #43 (Brigitte Nielsen’s Canceled She-Hulk) – Looking at that picture, it was probably a good thing.
RE: Fact #26 (Pre-Marvel Daredevil Hero) – A wolf, but thinking like a person?
RE: Fact #11 (Harlan Ellison’s Hulk Comic Credit) – Harlan Ellison would make a cool comic book character name.
RE: Fact #27 (Russo Brothers’ MCU Opportunity) – I worked with the Russo brothers on one of their TV shows, and something people miss is how much they care about the actors’ performances, especially in big group scenes. They’ll do tons of takes to get it perfect—I’ve seen roundtable scenes with dozens and dozens of takes! For one key scene, each actor had 10 to 25 takes of every line to choose from. It was a lot of work, but the results were amazing. They’re perfectionists, and it shows. Even on shows like *Community*, you could see they had a really cinematic style, unlike most TV sitcoms.
RE: Fact #15 (Doctor Doom’s Protective Armor) – Seriously, though, he lives in a world where vampires are real – so it makes sense he’d prepare, right?
So, why bother with something as awesome as the True Cross when garlic does the trick? Oh yeah, it’s Doom. Gotta be flashy or nothing.
RE: Fact #18 (Karen Gillan’s Nebula Transformation) – She’s super sassy.
Karen Gillan is seriously talented! I first saw her in a Jumanji trailer, then freaked when I saw her in the Avengers credits. Turns out I’d already seen her in Oculus. So, she’s done comedy, serious action, and a killer horror movie – wow, what a range! She’s got me thinking about checking out Dr. Who now.
RE: Fact #32 (Godzilla Battles Marvel’s Heroes) – Ant-Man could’ve easily snuck past Godzilla with the Avengers and still had plenty of space.
RE: Fact #4 (Donald Glover’s Spider-Man Influence) – Donald Glover totally took over the Troy character.
Check out the first three Community episodes. At first, Troy’s this self-centered jock, all muscles and arrogance.
Then, bam! Donald Glover made Troy into… well, Donald Glover. A sweet, sensitive theatre kid who’s crazy about pop culture.
RE: Fact #2 (Don Cheadle’s Quick Decision Role) – That article only used a picture where Robert Downey Jr. is huge and Don Cheadle’s face is tiny! Did the editor have, like, five minutes to put that together?
RE: Fact #6 (Emily Blunt’s Black Widow Miss) – I get why some folks don’t see her as a good Natasha after all these years of Scarlett Johansson.
But think about seeing her in *The Devil Wears Prada* and then wondering if she’d be a good Mary Poppins. We tend to box actors in based on the roles they’re known for. People freaked when Heath Ledger was cast as the Joker because of his roles in *Brokeback Mountain* and *10 Things I Hate About You*.
RE: Fact #35 (Fantastic Four’s Unconventional Debut) – I don’t get why Galactus is always painted as a bad guy; he’s just eating! It’s like calling a lion a villain. And if he kicks the bucket, a huge chunk of the universe goes with him. So what if he needs to munch on a few hundred planets to survive? There are tons of planets out there—even if he eats a tiny fraction, it’s still a crazy number.
RE: Fact #10 (Mark Gruenwald’s Unique Legacy) – It’s a fun comic to flip through.
RE: Fact #26 (Pre-Marvel Daredevil Hero) – He’s been in tons of indy prints over the years, since he’s public domain. I really like the version you mentioned, the one where he’s mute and becomes a boomerang expert because of that boomerang-shaped scar he got as a kid.
RE: Fact #4 (Donald Glover’s Spider-Man Influence) – So, the writer, Brian Michael Bendis, saw Donald Glover in the Spider-Man suit and thought, “That’s a story I want to read!” Miles Morales is Black and Puerto Rican, just like Glover’s character, Aaron Davis, aka the Prowler. He’s not a huge deal in the *Spider-Man: Homecoming* movie, but in the comics, he’s a bad guy. And get this – Glover even voiced Miles in some *Ultimate Spider-Man* episodes! There’s even a cool nod to all this in *Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse*: when Miles goes to his uncle Aaron’s place, the TV’s showing that scene from *Community* with Glover in his Spider-Man pajamas.
RE: Fact #33 (Stan Lee’s Alliterative Naming Strategy) – Walter White
RE: Fact #49 (Spider-Man’s Controversial Black Costume) – I had that comic where Spidey first got the black suit. Think it was Secret Wars #6, or around there.
RE: Fact #8 (Stan Lee’s Army Mailroom Incident) – While serving in the Army, Lee got weekly letters from the Timely editors every Friday, laying out their assignments and deadlines. He’d write the story and send it back by Monday. One week, the mail clerk missed his letter, saying there was nothing there. But the next day, Lee saw a Timely Comics envelope in his box. Not wanting to miss the deadline, he asked his officer to open the mailroom, but got a no. So, he grabbed a screwdriver, took the mailbox hinges off, and got his assignment. The mailroom officer ratted him out to the base captain, who didn’t like Lee at all. Lee faced tampering charges and could have ended up in Leavenworth. Luckily, the finance colonel stepped in and saved him.
Guess that mailroom guy wasn’t very helpful.
RE: Fact #3 (Marvel’s Quirky Financial Reports) – Hulk smashes the year’s earnings projections!
RE: Fact #29 (US Government’s Influence on Marvel Films) – This fact is kinda bogus.
Film companies wanting to use US military stuff in movies? The DoD helps out, even plans scenes, but only if the military looks good. They check the script first, obviously. Think *Top Gun*—totally! *Apocalypse Now*? No way.
RE: Fact #24 (The Marvels’ Record Loss) – Seriously, The Lone Ranger cost 250 million?! That’s insane.
RE: Fact #27 (Russo Brothers’ MCU Opportunity) – That’s why you often see nods to their online community in their films.