Marvel Comics writer Stan Lee died last week at the age of 95. Lee created hundreds of characters including Spider-Man, Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, and Ant-Man. Lee intentionally did not identify any of his characters as Jewish, though he noted how Judaism influenced his writing, stating “To me you can wrap all of Judaism up in one sentence, and that is, ‘Do not do unto others…’ All I tried to do in my stories was show that there’s some innate goodness in the human condition.” Lee noted his approval when subsequent writers ascribed the Jewish religion to some of his characters. What Jewish activity did a Stan Lee-created character participate in?
Stan Lee by Gage Skidmore is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
A. The Thing, whose real name was Ben Grimm, came upon an unconscious, and seemingly dying, Mr. Sheckerberg, the pawnshop owner he knew. The Thing proceeded to recite the Sh’ma on his behalf, in keeping with Jewish practice.
B. Sue Storm, known as the Invisible Woman, was a member of the Fantastic Four. In one story line, she invited the other members of the group to her house, ostensibly to discuss a plan to capture their enemy, The Mole Man. But when they arrived at her house, they found her table set for a Passover seder, and the Fantastic Four celebrated Passover together.
C. While Spider-Man is not a Jewish character, in a 1997 edition of the comic, Spider-Man (real name Peter Parker) got married to his longtime girlfriend, Mary Jane Watson. It was revealed the she was Jewish (her original family name was Weitzmann), and the wedding took place under a chuppah.
D. Captain Marvel, one of the original members of the Avengers (along with Thor and the Ant-Man), was created by Stan Lee and introduced in 1967. In a 1982 graphic novel, The Death of Captain Marvel, it was revealed that Captain Marvel was Jewish, and he was buried in a Jewish cemetery.
E. The Human Torch, one of the founding members of the Fantastic Four, eventually found himself on the outs with the rest of the group, and was replaced by Ant-Man. For a while, the Human Torch turned to alcohol and became homeless. However, at one point he came into contact with the Chabad rabbi in Washington DC, who reminded him of his Jewish roots (the Human Torch’s real name was Nathan Fierstein), and led him on a path to redemption, which included the hiring of the Human Torch to light the candles at the National Menorah lighting across from the White House.