The design of many characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) draws inspiration from real people. Writers and artists like Stan Lee, John Romita Jr., and Jack Kirby often mirrored not just appearances but also the mannerisms, personalities, and even life stories of celebrities and other notable figures in their creations.
Alternatively, a handful of real people, including Elon Musk and David Hasselhoff, made cameos in the MCU as themselves or were directly adapted into its stories. In fact, only five times have actors been enlisted to portray real people in the MCU. This includes Jamel Shabazz, who was played by Cedric Benjamin in Luke Cage, and Franklin D. Roosevelt, played by Joseph Culp in Agents of SHIELD. Other people in this group include Florence Schaffner, William A. Scott, and Frank Morris.
Interestingly, the influence works both ways. Some MCU originals ended up inspiring the comics rather than the other way around. Characters such as Agents of SHIELD’s Phil Coulson and Yondu began as screen creations before their likenesses and stories were folded back into Marvel comics, blurring the line between fiction and reality. Read on to see the Marvel characters whose personalities, appearances, and lifestyles were inspired by real-life celebrities and icons.
Major Marvel Characters Inspired by Real People
Tony Stark - Howard Robard Hughes Jr.
Stan Lee designed Tony Stark to mimic the personality traits of Howard Hughes, who, in his own right, was one of the wealthiest people of his time, with a leg in everything from politics to aviation to entertainment.
Hughes is often described as eccentric and a ladies’ man, which every MCU fan can associate with Tony Stark before the events in Afghanistan. On using Hughes as an inspiration for Tony Stark, during an appearance on the radio program Talk of the Nation, Stan Lee said:
"... I thought it would be fun to get a superhero who went against the popular notion of what the superhero fans wanted. Most of our readers didn't like wealthy people or industrialists or people who made war materials and so forth."
The MCU version of Tony, however, was a mix. One of the screenwriters on 2008’s Iron Man, Mark Fergus, shared that while most of the character was inspired by Elon Musk, a little Steve Jobs and even Donald Trump made up the goofy, genius, celebrity on-screen billionaire.
Elon Musk made a cameo in Iron Man 2 (2010), where he briefly met Tony Stark at the Monaco Grand Prix and pitched him an idea. Parts of the movie were also filmed at SpaceX headquarters, including scenes set in Justin Hammer’s Industries factory.
Doctor Strange - Vincent Price
Steve Ditko and Stan Lee had actor Vincent Price in mind when they designed the Marvel comic character, Doctor Stephen Strange. As an homage, they even gave the sorcerer the middle name "Vincent."
While Price never got to play Doctor Strange, his influence on the character’s look and aura was clear. Around the same time the comic first appeared in July 1963, Price delivered a striking performance in Roger Corman’s 1963 horror film The Raven, which strongly influenced Ditko’s first illustrations of the Sorcerer Supreme.
Kingpin - Sydney Greenstreet
In between crushing people’s skulls and torturing his wife’s lover, Wilson Fisk (the Kingpin) also does a good job making a public appearance as the mayor of New York. This makes sense, since the character was based on actor Sydney Greenstreet, who was famous for portraying criminal leaders in 1940s films.
Greenstreet was a British actor who first featured in stage plays for most of his career, starting in a 1902 production of Sherlock Holmes. Surprisingly, he didn’t make his Hollywood debut until age 62, appearing in The Maltese Falcon (1941). Weighing nearly 300 pounds and battling diabetes and Bright’s disease, he still had what can only be described as a successful, packed eight-year career during which he made just over 20 films.
J. Jonah Jameson - Stan Lee
The media personality with the moustache, flattop haircut, and trademark cigar, J. Jonah Jameson, is best known for his relentless smear campaigns against Spider-Man, usually through his platform at The Daily Bugle.
He is nothing like the real-life comic legend, Stan Lee, who actually created and inspired him. Lee admitted he had based Jameson on himself but described the character as a much grumpier version.
In the same episode of Talk of the Nation, a caller asked if Jameson was modeled after him, and Lee admitted:
"You caught me. I really did. I thought, if I were a grumpy, irritable man, which I am sometimes, how would I act? And that was it. So, you got me."
Additionally, Spider-Man writers Tom DeFalco and Gerry Conway agreed, noting that Jameson was the closest Stan Lee ever came to a true self-portrayal.
Wolverine - Paul D'Amato
Paul D’Amato, known for his roles in Slap Shot, Suspect, and The Deer Hunter, inspired artist John Byrne’s depiction of Wolverine in Uncanny X-Men. Byrne specifically drew from D’Amato’s appearance as the antagonist Tim "Dr. Hook" McCracken in Slap Shot, which influenced Wolverine’s rugged look and attitude on the page.
Even Marvel fans find it difficult to get over the lack of comic accuracy with Hugh Jackman’s portrayal of the character, but the way he brought Wolverine to life made it one of the MCU's most perfect castings ever.
Monica Rambeau - Pam Grier
Created by writer Roger Stern and artist John Romita Jr. in October 1982, Monica Rambeau’s main inspiration was an unknown model. Romita Sr. admitted he initially took some reference from actress Pam Grier, saying he had always admired her. Though higher-ups reportedly disapproved, the result was still one of MCU's most powerful early Black characters.
In the MCU, Monica Rambeau got her powers after walking through the Hex created by Wanda Maximoff in the show that earned Marvel Studios its first-ever Emmy award, WandaVision. Since then, she has gone on to save the universe alongside Ms. Marvel and Captain Marvel.
Nick Fury - Samuel L. Jackson
Nick Fury was originally introduced as a white, battle-hardened World War II veteran with the look of a classic comic book soldier. This version of Nick Fury first appeared in Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos No. 1 (May 1963).
However, in 2002, writer Mark Millar and artist Bryan Hitch reimagined Nick Fury for The Ultimates, giving the character a fresh design that was deliberately modeled after actor Samuel L. Jackson.
The story of how Samuel L. Jackson became Nick Fury is amusing. He once walked into a random comic book store, picked up a comic, and saw a character that looked just like him.
Meetings were had, hands were shaken, and Jackson walked out with a nine-picture deal for his role as Nick Fury. It now almost feels natural that Jackson's image would come to mind when designing the modern version of Fury.
Miles Morales - Donald Glover
Even though Miles Morales hasn't technically made a debut in the MCU, he ranks high on the list of characters who have been mentioned and referenced in the MCU without actually showing up. Regardless, the Marvel character made history as the first biracial Spider-Man created after the multi-talented actor.
Donald Glover's character in Community inspired the creation of Miles Morales when he wore a Spider-Man costume. After this, Glover voiced Miles in the Disney XD animated series Ultimate Spider-Man.
Ever since his comic debut in 2011, Miles Morales has become one of Marvel’s most beloved young heroes, even headlining his own animated films with Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Miles will also return alongside seven other superheroes for the third and final Spider-Verse movie.
Mary Jane Watson - Ann-Margret Olsson
The love story between Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson is one of Marvel’s most iconic romances. She grew from being Peter’s childhood friend into his main love interest, eventually overshadowing others who had once been close to him.
Mary Jane, often portrayed as a stunning green-eyed redhead, was inspired in part by Swedish-American actress and singer Ann-Margret Olsson. Specifically, her role in the 1963 film Bye Bye Birdie influenced Mary Jane’s look in the 1966 comic issue, The Amazing Spider-Man #42 (November 1966). That blend of charisma, beauty, and charm helped shape the character into the vibrant, unforgettable woman who became Peter Parker’s true love.
Professor X - Yul Brynner
Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writer Jack Kirby, Professor Charles Xavier first appeared in X-Men #1 (September 1963), based on Yul Brynner. The telepathic leader of the X-Men became inseparable in popular culture from actor Patrick Stewart, who brought the role to life on screen.
Stewart’s signature bald look likely came from the original inspiration, Yul Brynner. Brynner first shaved his head to play King Mongkut in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s stage musical The King and I (1951), a role he performed an astonishing 4,625 times on stage.
The clean-shaven style stuck, eventually becoming his personal trademark, and later, the defining look of Professor X. That image of the wise, bald telepath is now one of the most recognizable visuals in Marvel’s history.
