John Romita Sr., a Marvel Comics artist who contributed to the creation of characters like Wolverine and Spider-Man's love interest Mary Jane Watson, passed away at the age of 93.
Other favorites like Kingpin and the Punisher were also influenced by him.
His son and fellow comic book creator John Romita Jr. announced on Tuesday that his father had "passed away peacefully in his sleep.".
He wrote on social media that "it would be an honor to follow in his footsteps" because he is a "legend in the art world.".
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Romita completed his studies at the Manhattan School of Industrial Art in 1947 before enlisting in the military and beginning his career in comics.
Working on books for Timely Comics and National Comics, which would later become Marvel and DC, he developed a reputation.
He began working on The Amazing Spider-Man with Marvel editor-in-chief Stan Lee in 1966, taking over for the book's original artist Steve Ditko and assisting in its rise to the top of the company's bestseller list.
During his reign, the crime lord Kingpin, Spider-Man's romantic interest Mary Jane Watson, and the assassin Punisher were all introduced.
As Marvel's art director in the early 1970s, a position he would hold for more than two decades, Romita helped create characters like Wolverine, who made his debut in an Incredible Hulk book.
In addition, he contributed to the creation of Luke Cage, one of the first black superheroes to appear in a Marvel comic book.
In addition to the Hobgoblin, reporter Robbie Robertson, and Gwen Stacy's father George Stacy, other iconic Spider-Man characters he helped create include the villainous Vulture, gangster Hammerhead, and the Shocker with sonic powers.
He finished the art for several classic comics, such as The Night Gwen Stacy Died from 1973 and the 1987 nuptials of Spider-Man's alter ego Peter Parker and Mary Jane.
Despite continuing to work on Spider-Man projects for Marvel and a Superman cover for DC after entering semi-retirement in 1996, Romita.
His passing comes a week after Sony's Spider-Man sequel, Across the Spider-Verse, proved to be a box office success. Many of his well-known characters went on to appear in TV shows and films, both live-action and animated.
In a 2002 interview, he stated, "I've always considered myself a guy who can improve on somebody else's concepts, regardless of the success I've had.". "A writer or another artist can make something; I can improve it. ".
The artist was inducted into the Eisner Awards Hall of Fame that same year, and in 2020, the Inkwell Awards Hall of Fame.
Romita is survived by his wife Virginia, as well as his sons Victor and Romita Jr.
