Legendary Marvel Comics artist John Romita Sr. died on Monday. He was 93 years old.
His death was announced by his son and fellow comic book artist, John Romita Jr., on Tuesday.
I say this with a heavy heart, My father passed away peacefully in his sleep. He is a legend in the art world and it would be my honor to follow in his footsteps. Please keep your thoughts and condolences here out of respect for my family. He was the greatest man I ever met. pic.twitter.com/Pe2K3ywbWX
— John Romita JR (@JrRomita) June 14, 2023
Romita became the second artist to work on The Amazing Spider-Man after co-creator Steve Ditko. His first issue was The Amazing Spider-Man #39 in 1966, which revealed the Green Goblin’s true identity as Norman Osborn. During his time on the book, Romita would become one of the most influential Spider-Man artists in the character’s history.
Romita and writer Stan Lee would later introduce Mary Jane Watson in her first full appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #42. The character would then go on to become Peter Parker’s primary love interest, as well as his wife from 1987-2007. In director Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy, Mary Jane Watson was played by Kirsten Dunst. She was voiced by Zoë Kravitz in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and by Melissa Sturm in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
Romita also worked on the art for The Amazing Spider-Man #50, which told the story “Spider-Man No More!” In the story, Peter decides to quit being Spider-Man. The story was one of the main inspirations for 2004’s Spider-Man 2, which starred Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man/Peter Parker. The movie even recreated the iconic comic book image of Peter leaving his Spider-Man costume in a trash can. The issue was also the first appearance of the Kingpin/Wilson Fisk. The character would later be played in live action by Michael Clarke Duncan in the 2003 Daredevil movie and by Vincent D’Onofrio in the Netflix Daredevil series. Liev Schreiber voiced the Kingpin in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
During his run on The Amazing Spider-Man, Romita co-created the villains the Rhino and the Shocker. He also co-created the supporting character Robbie Robertson and Gwen Stacy’s father George Stacy.
Romita also co-created the Punisher/Frank Castle, who was introduced in The Amazing Spider-Man #129 in 1974. The character was played by Dolph Lundgren in the 1989 film and by Thomas Jane in the 2004 film. Ray Stevenson played Frank Castle in 2008’s Punisher: War Zone. In the Netflix Daredevil series, the Punisher was played by Jon Bernthal. Bernthal later starred in The Punisher spin-off series, which ran from 2017-2019 on Netflix. Bernthal will reprise the role in the upcoming Disney+ series Daredevil: Born Again.
Another character that Romita co-created was Luke Cage, who was first introduced in Luke Cage, Hero for Hire #1 in 1972. The character was played by Mike Colter in the Luke Cage television series, which ran from 2016-2018 on Netflix. Colter also played the character in Jessica Jones and The Defenders.
Romita also co-created the popular X-Men character Wolverine. Wolverine made his first full appearance in The Incredible Hulk #181 in 1974. He later joined the X-Men in Giant-Size X-Men #1 in 1975. Hugh Jackman began playing the character in 2000’s X-Men. Jackman would continue to play the character for 17 years before announcing his retirement from the role after 2017’s Logan. However, Jackman will return to play Wolverine in Deadpool 3, which is scheduled to be released on May 3, 2024.
Yuri Lowenthal, who voices Spider-Man/Peter Parker in Insomniac Game's Spider-Man video game series, tweeted:
When I think of my first memories of Spider-Man, they were all John Romita Sr covers. He was as integral to creating the Spidey I remember as Uncle Ben was. Thank you, John, for drawing some of my greatest memories.
— Yuri Lowenthal (@YuriLowenthal) June 14, 2023
James Gunn, director of Guardians of the Galaxy, The Suicide Squad, and the upcoming film Superman: Legacy, tweeted:
Sorry to hear about the great comic book artist John Romita Sr passing at the age of 93. My brother & I wrote Mr. Romita when we were young kids & sent him drawings of superheroes we were working on. He wrote us back, telling us what he liked about the drawings! A truly… pic.twitter.com/VV1slBPmwH
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) June 14, 2023
Kevin Smith, director of Clerks, Mallrats, and Chasing Amy, tweeted:
My condolences, sir. Your Dad (like you) is a legend who elevated comic books and art in general. He was a big bucket of win and he will be missed. https://t.co/R6mIZLRLxO
— KevinSmith (@ThatKevinSmith) June 14, 2023
Comic book writer/artist Todd McFarlane, who co-created Venom, tweeted:
Passing of the great artist/person JOHN ROMITA SR. He was an inspiration to so many of us in the comics world. Here’s a quick story… pic.twitter.com/iJE0vDjx1s
— Todd McFarlane (@Todd_McFarlane) June 14, 2023
Dan Slott, who wrote the Spider-Verse comic book storyline that inspired the animated films, tweeted:
My intro to Spider-Man was a cartoon John Romita Sr. was the art consultant on.It was John Romita art that caught my eye one day while biking home from elementary school. It was on a poster in the window of 7-11 that said Spider-Man was coming to my town to sign comics.1/2 pic.twitter.com/K6f9JLicq0
— Dan Slott (@DanSlott) June 14, 2023
I had to meet him!Dad said if I did chores he'd start me on an allowance: 25¢ a week so I could buy comics. He gave me an extra quarter so I could buy 2.One of those 1st comics I ever bought was a John Romita comic.That cartoon, that poster & that comic changed my life.2/2 pic.twitter.com/lQpoiGhtU7
— Dan Slott (@DanSlott) June 14, 2023
Paul Dini, a writer for Batman: The Animated Series, Superman: The Animated Series, Batman Beyond, and the Batman: Arkham video games, tweeted:
RIP John Romita Sr. The Greatest. pic.twitter.com/LsQ1GlL46Z
— Paul_Dini (@Paul_Dini) June 14, 2023
DC Comics tweeted:
DC extends its deepest condolences to the family, colleagues, friends and fans of iconic artist John Romita Sr. One of the last great creators from the 60’s, he was best known for his pivotal work on Spider-Man at Marvel. We were so honored when he came out of retirement to draw… pic.twitter.com/omOWrV6Rae
— DC (@DCOfficial) June 14, 2023
Marvel Comics tweeted:
John Romita Sr. was a pillar of the Marvel Universe, and his talent defined decades of Marvel's most well-known stories and characters. The Marvel family has lost one of its legends, and we mourn the loss of a creative giant. Our hearts are with his family and loved ones. pic.twitter.com/Wj0I7TPuNs
— Marvel Entertainment (@Marvel) June 14, 2023
