Marvel’s New Addition to Wolverine’s List of Creators Draws Controversy

Marvel’s decision to add a new name among Wolverine’s creators in the upcoming film Deadpool & Wolverine has sparked controversy among fans and comic creators alike.

It has been revealed that Roy Thomas, former editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics, will be credited as one of the four creators of Wolverine. The other creators of the character include the late writer Len Wein, artist Herb Trimpe, and designer John Romita Sr. The news sparked a Facebook post from writer Bobbie Chase, who worked at Marvel in the 1980s and 1990s, asking others to discuss the true creators of the character as well as the implications for editors-in-chief to claim creation over other characters.

Chase also mentioned speaking to Wein’s widow about the changes, saying, “Recently my friend and Len Wein’s widow, Christine Valada, got a call from Marvel executive David Bogart, informing her that in the upcoming Wolverine & Deadpool movie, Roy Thomas will now be credited as the co-creator [of Wolverine], and David said it’s a done deal. […] Of course Christine is seriously concerned about Len’s legacy. Len was profoundly important to the comic book industry, and that legacy is being changed for the worse, six years after his death.”

Chase’s frustrations about this change stemmed from the fact that the other creators of Wolverine have all died, making it hard to dispute the authenticity of Thomas’ addition to the list. She said: “I’m no Marvel historian, and have never claimed to be. Carr, Craig and I were wracking our brains Sunday night trying to figure out who else might have been around at the time who would know the answer to all of our questions. Please, weigh in to this discussion, and If I’m way off base, tell me so. In which case, I’ll be taking credit for Danny Ketch, Ghost Rider. Once writer Howard Mackie and artist Javier Saltares are dead, of course. And maybe after my former assistant editor, Christian Cooper’s death as well, for good measure.”

Other artists in the comic industry have also taken to social media to share their frustration with Marvel adding Thomas to the list of Wolverine’s creators. Rob Liefeld, co-creator of both Deadpool and Cable expressed his frustration with the changes after hearing from Wein’s widow in a Facebook post. “I was immediately distraught and terribly upset. I have been simmering ever since. I have received hundreds of requests in the last 24 hours to weigh in on this matter and I will. Believe me, it’s coming. I just need more time to settle,” Liefeld said.

While not directly referencing the Wolverine situation, writer Mark Waid also appeared to weigh in on Facebook, saying: “A rule in comics: Staff editors don’t get to claim a co-creator credit on characters their writers and artists create for them. Throwing out suggestions and brainstorming is part of the editor’s job. Change my mind. I’m kidding. You’ll never change my mind on this.”

Deadpool and Wolverine is scheduled to be released in theaters this July.

Source: Bobbie Chase, Rob Liefeld and Mark Waid