INSPIRATIONS BEHIND THE NEW GODS

In the sixties, when he was working for Marvel Comics, Jack Kirby came up with an idea for an epic story revolving around two warring planets whose populace fought against each other until their battle culminated in the destruction of a pantheon of gods and the birth of another. Initially, he devised this story for the Thor storyline, 'Tales of Asgard', but due to creative differences and a pay dispute, Jack left Marvel before he could implement it and then began working for DC Comics. While there, he attempted to convey the aforementioned story by creating a pantheon of godly characters, labeled, the New Gods, who starred in a selection of interconnected comic books. Each godly character was given their own distinct personality, and some of them were inspired by people or characters Jack either knew or saw from afar. For instance...

Name: Darkseid / Alias: Uxas / First appearance: Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #134 (Volume 1) / Cover date: December 1970

Who's this character based on? The American actor, Jack Palance, who's best remembered for playing tough guys or villains in such films as 'Sudden Fear' (1952), 'Shane' (1953), and 'City Slickers' (1991). That said, however, even though Jack Palance's on-screen persona did inspire the creation of Darkseid, where his personality's concerned, Darkseid's personality was modeled after two other people, namely, the 37th president of the United States, Richard Nixon, and the German politician, Adolf Hitler.

Name: Metron / Alias: Not applicable / First appearance: New Gods #1 (Volume 1) / Cover date: March 1971

Who's this character based on? The fictional character, Spock, as played by Leonard Nimoy in the original 'Star Trek' TV show. Leonard was an American actor and director who worked in the entertainment industry from 1950 until his death in 2015 (aged 83). Spock, on the other hand, was a half-Vulcan and a half-human hybrid who worked for the United Federation of Planets from 2250 until his death in 2263 (aged 161).

Name: Mister Miracle / Alias: Scott Free / First appearance: Mister Miracle #1 (Volume 1) / Cover date: April 1971

Who's this character based on? The American comic book writer and artist, Jim Steranko, who throughout his comic book career is best known for working on a number of titles published by Marvel Comics, including, 'Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.', whose titular character was co-created by the New Gods creator, Jack Kirby. During his formative years, Jim worked in nightclubs, performing as an illusionist, an escape artist, and a close-up magician, which inspired Jack to base Mister Miracle on Jim.

Name: Big Barda / Alias: Barda Free / First appearance: Mister Miracle #4 (Volume 1) / Cover date: October 1971

Who's this character based on? The American actress and singer, Lainie Kazan, who's generally known for starring in the 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding' franchise (3 films and 1 TV show) as well as many other TV shows, such as 'Desperate Housewives' (5 episodes), 'The Nanny' (4 episodes), and 'St. Elsewhere' (3 episodes). According to Jack Kirby, he was inspired to create Big Barda after he saw Lainie's topless photographs in an issue of 'Playboy' magazine. Jack also said that he based Barda's relationship with Mister Miracle on his own lively relationship with his wife, Rosalind.

In closing, I'd like to mention two other characters Jack Kirby created who are associated with the New Gods, even though they're not directly part of their pantheon. The first character I'd like to mention is the wily entrepreneur, Funky Flashman, who Jack based on Marvel's former editor-in-chief, Stan Lee, whereas the second character is none other than Funky Flashman's sidekick, Houseroy, who he based on Stan's successor at Marvel, Roy Thomas. If you know of anyone else who inspired Jack Kirby to create a member of the New Gods, then please feel free to let us know in the comment section below.