Steve Ditko, the reclusive Marvel co-founder and Ayn Rand devotee behind Dr. Strange
Marvel blockbuster Dr. Strange is set to dominate the box office this weekend, but the man who created its title character likely won't get a cent.
Comic book legend and Dr. Strange creator Steve Ditko has been living in the shadow of his work for decades.
But while you may not be familiar with his name, you're almost certainly familiar with his art.
Ditko is the co-founder of Marvel and the co-creator of Spiderman. Without him, we wouldn't have the villainous Green Goblin or Peter Parker's "spider-sense."
In fact, if it wasn't for Ditko we might not have heard of Peter Parker at all.
"I think [the Spiderman universe] would be just like Superman, Batman, D.C. where the alter-egos were virtually irrelevant," Blake Bell, author of Strange and Stranger: The World of Steve Ditko, tells Day 6 host Brent Bambury.
People tend to refer to him as if he's the J.D. Salinger of comics. But he's only not interested in the cult of celebrity and fame.- Blake Bell on Steve Ditko
"Steve Ditko was almost primarily responsible for bringing the alter-ego into the comic book narrative."
But in 1966, Ditko walked away from Marvel, reportedly giving up all rights to the characters he created. And according to Bell, Ditko is unlikely to see a penny in royalties from the Dr. Strange film.
"There's no evidence that he has received any money from any of the Spiderman movies or this movie."
Cutting ties with Marvel
In Marvel's earliest days, Ditko collaborated closely with fellow co-founder Stan Lee.
But as the decade wore on, Ditko became disillusioned with the industry, says Bell. He felt that he was not being fairly credited or compensated for his work as a storyteller.
Ditko's working relationship with Lee began to deteriorate. By the time Ditko finally walked away from Marvel, he and Lee had not spoken in a year.
"This entire atmosphere caused him to say, 'Enough -- I'm going to walk away from it and leave it all behind."
While Stan Lee went on to become one of the most famous names in comics as the public face of Marvel, Steve Ditko faded into relative obscurity. His last formal media interview was in 1968.
"He is a man who has always said, 'The work speaks for me," says Bell.
Ayn Rand devotee
While various factors influenced in Ditko's decision to walk away from Marvel, his political devotion to objectivism and Ayn Rand played a central role, says Bell.
"I would say you've never seen a creator perhaps in any medium apply those principles more to his professional and personal life than Steve Ditko," says Bell.
Well into the early 1990s, Ditko did perfunctory work for mainstream comic companies to pay the bills, but focused the majority of his efforts on objectivist art that he often gave away for free.
"Here's the co-creator of Spiderman at the top of his game — Spiderman's the most popular character by now at the end of the sixties — and he's giving away ten-page stories on his superhero 'Mr. A.'," says Bell.
Ditko as Dr. Strange?
Ditko's name may not be attached to the latest Dr. Strange film, but Bell says the neurosurgeon-turned-superhero actually has quite a bit in common with his creator.
"Dr. Strange is not part of the world that we live in… he's a very singular, solitary character," says Bell. "And he's chosen that path no matter what the consequences."
Steve Ditko is not so different.
"People tend to refer to him as if he's the J.D. Salinger of comics," says Bell. "But he's only not interested in the cult of celebrity and fame."