Superhero movies are a cultural phenomenon that captivates audiences worldwide, yet they often contain intriguing details that reflect real-life inspirations. Among these, many iconic superhero characters are based on “real-life” figures that may not be widely recognized.
Nick Fury – Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel L. Jackson is one of the very few actors who have the opportunity to portray a character inspired by themselves. This concept originated in 2001 when writer Mark Millar decided to redesign Nick Fury to resemble the Hollywood superstar.
Later, Millar discussed this idea with Jackson during their collaboration on the film Kingsman, and the actor was very excited about it.
Selina Kyle – Jean Harlow
Writer and artist Kane Finger decided to create the character Selina Kyle, drawing inspiration from the iconic actress of the 1930s, Jean Harlow. In addition, Kane used images of his younger sister Ruth Steel to add more depth to Selina’s character design. Selina Kyle has since become one of the most renowned female superheroes in cinema and an essential character in the Batman films.
Wolverine – Paul D’Amato
The most famous character in the superhero genre is Wolverine, who has been portrayed by Hugh Jackman. He has even earned a Guinness World Record for being “the longest-running character portrayed by an actor.” However, the original design of Wolverine was inspired by another actor.
Artist John Byrne initially struggled with Wolverine’s design, but eventually, he drew inspiration from Paul D’Amato’s “two-tone” hairstyle in the film Slapshot to create the iconic look of the character.
Harley Quinn – Arleen Sorkin
Just like Nick Fury, Harley Quinn is also portrayed by her “real-life” counterpart. Paul Dini, one of the “fathers” of the character, took inspiration from actress Arleen Sorkin. In a later interview, Sorkin shared that Dini conceived the idea after watching her in a certain TV show.
Iron Man – Elon Musk
When creating this character in the comics, Marvel’s “father” Stan Lee used the image of industrialist Howard Hughes for both appearance and personality. However, when Iron Man made his film debut in 2012, Robert Downey Jr. referenced Elon Musk’s persona. Downey Jr. even joked that if Tony Stark were real, he would be a close friend of Musk. This was further validated when Musk made a cameo in Iron Man 2.
Source: Screen Rant
