Hooray for Hollywood!

No, this doesn't have anything to do with the writer's strike (there are few things on Earth I care less about), but rather an interesting (and somewhat peculiar) obsession with Hollywood that turned up in a number of Silver Age Marvel comics.  Considering co-founder Stan Lee's later association with Tinsel Town, it should come as no surprise that several Marvel heroes found themselves swept up into Hollywood-themed evil schemes.

Let's begin with one of the earliest (and strangest) of these showbiz shenanigans.  In Fantastic Four #9 (1962), a seriously cash-strapped F.F. received a timely telegram from S.M. Studios offering them one million dollars to star in a movie (click on the panel to the left for a larger view).  When they arrived in Hollywood, they discovered the mysterious producer was none other than....the Sub-Mariner??!!  Chomping on a cigarette holder, no less!

Obviously, Prince Namor's character hadn't quite been nailed down yet, since it's difficult to imagine the imperious Sub-Mariner we know now wasting his time and undersea treasure creating his own Hollywood studio.

Here's another early appearance of a supervillain who was quite different from what he would later become.  Amazing Spider-Man #14 (1963) featured the first appearance of the Green Goblin, who was hired to lure Spider-Man out to Hollywood to star in a phony movie (note the first, and only, appearance of the Goblin's mechanical flying broomstick).

Naturally, Spider-Man accepted the offer and soon found himself in this incredibly surreal rehearsal scene with the Enforcers and the Green Goblin (who would one day become his deadliest and most psychotic adversary).

In Captain America #106 (1968), Steve Rogers was informed by a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent that a Hollywood studio was distributing propaganda films of Cap committing atrocities.  It was all a Communist-funded scheme to lure Cap to Hollywood to face a robotic double!

Finally, in Thor #130 (1966), the mighty Hercules was offered a deal by the producer of Stardust Studios, who turned out to be none other than Pluto, the Roman god of the Netherworld (and Herc's evil uncle)!

This endearing trend seemed to be a "Marvel Exclusive", since I don't recall rival DC Comics sending any of their hapless heroes into Hollywood's web of evil and intrigue.  Please correct me if I'm wrong...or if you know of any more Marvel superheroes in Hollywood!

Comments

[Pat Curley]

Here's a couple I can recall:

Batman #103 features Bathound, Movie Star, with Ace getting the red carpet treatment, and Detective #232's cover story was The Outlaw Who Played Batman, in which a major motion picture is made of the Caped Crusader's life. The latter is kind of an interesting story because it's done like a "reality" TV show where Batman supervises the choice of an actor to portray him. Of course, there were a lot of what I call "Celebrity Batman" stories in the late 1950s that touch on Batman as the equivalent of a movie star; see Batman #91's Batman's Publicity Agent, or Batman #92's The Fanmail of Danger for some examples.

[suedenim]

And Charlie Vicker played Green Lantern on a TV show, then wound up actually becoming a GL:

http://glcorps.dcuguide.com/profile.php?name=charlievicker

[Rich]

Man, how long before some writer takes the Goblin's rocket broom out of storage? I could totally see Fred Van Lente getting that into a Marvel Adventures book.

Nice to see the glasses/secret identity thing doesn't just work for Clark Kent.

[Mark Engblom]

Pat, you're amazing! I really appreciate your exhaustive Silver Age knowledge (as well as your excellent website).

Superman also had plenty of run-ins with movie makers. One that springs to mind is Superman's "Return to Krypton", where he not only got involved with shooting a movie, but he also fell in love with one of its stars, Lyla Lerrol. But you already knew that, didn't you?

Still...no DC stories (including the ones you cited) come to mind that involve nefarious movie makers like Marvel was so fond of.

[Mark Engblom]

suedenim-

That's right...I'd forgotten about that guy. Thanks for the refresher!

[Mark Engblom]

"Man, how long before some writer takes the Goblin's rocket broom out of storage? I could totally see Fred Van Lente getting that into a Marvel Adventures book."

Yeah, that would be a great idea for a story. I could imagine some two-bit thug or third-string villain finding the Goblin's old Flying Broomstick and using it for his own hairbrained schemes.

"Nice to see the glasses/secret identity thing doesn't just work for Clark Kent."

You'd think Hercules would recognize his dear old Uncle....but then again...it's Hercules.

[Marionette]

Also note that the lady on the right in that last Hercules picture is Wonder Woman's mom, Queen Hippolyta, in a rare non-DC appearance.