Summary
- Marvel's first hero wasn't the Human Torch or Captain America. Ka-Zar, a jungle adventurer, debuted in 1936 and was actually Marvel's first comic hero.
- Some argue that 1961's Fantastic Four #1 marked the birthplace of modern Marvel Comics, introducing the "Marvel Method" and more relatable heroes. However, the company's history dates back long before the Silver Age.
- Ka-Zar's Savage Land, a perilous and fantastical world hidden in Antarctica, sets him apart from other jungle heroes like Tarzan. He premiered before even Marvel's first iteration as Timely Comics and carried over into Marvel Comics #1.
Marvel Comics has become the unquestionable king of the superhero and comic book industry. Established in 1939 as Timely Comics, the company grew throughout the Golden Age and exploded into the mainstream throughout the Silver Age. Here, heroes like Spider-Man, Iron Man, Thor and the X-Men came to embody the company's colorful approach to heroes. However, over eighty years later, many fans still wonder who the company's first hero was — and it isn't who most people think.
Beginning its existence as Timely Comics, they launched the Marvel name with Marvel Comics #1 in 1939. The title was intended to compete with similarly named DC (then National Publications) titles, like Action Comics, Detective Comics, and More Fun Comics. In the early Golden Age, DC dominated the comic book industry, and books featuring heroes like Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and the Justice Society of America sold very well. It wasn't until the Silver Age that Marvel created most of the A-list heroes fans know and love today. The company began rather humbly, promoting heroes that most people wouldn't recognize today, and Golden Age heroes like The Human Torch debuted in Marvel Comics issue #1. However, Marvel already had a hero on its roster.
Marvel's Many "First" Heroes
Since Marvel's first title, Marvel Comics #1, introduced several heroes, fans sometimes wonder who the company's first hero was. Some debate whether Namor really qualifies since he's more of an antihero, while others prefer to see Joe Simon and Jack Kirby's Captain America as the company's analog to Superman since in many ways he was the starting point for the Marvel Universe. It's certainly reasonable, on a character and sales level, to argue that Captain America Comics #1 was Marvel's Action Comics #1. Neither book was the first appearance of the first costumed hero for either company, but both kicked off the age of the superhero for their respective companies.
Some readers acknowledge the Golden Age in all its glory, but see Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's Fantastic Four #1 as the genuine birthplace of modern Marvel Comics. After all, this series gave birth to the idea of the "Marvel Method," and Lee moved the company away from formulaic stories, moving towards his "world outside your window" vision. Heroes like the FF and Spider-Man had clear flaws and limitations and were made to be more relatable than the Man of Steel or the ultra-wealthy Dark Knight of DC Comics. In this sense, it could be argued that Earth-616 was created in 1961 when the Fantastic Four appeared and fully established in 1963 when Avengers #1, X-Men #1, and Spider-Man (Amazing Fantasy #15) all hit the comic racks. These good guys reinvented what it meant to be a Marvel superhero comic but they obviously weren't Marvel's first heroes.
Some fans would argue that mythical characters like Hercules and Thor should be seen as the first Marvel heroes. After all, their narrative existence predates the founding of Timely Comics. However, Marvel's mythic heroes are very distinct from their mythological counterparts. In Marvel Comics, Hercules is consistently depicted as a roguish, brash figure, and Thor was introduced by blending fantasy and science fiction. In fact, Thor's origin made him more of a mantle, and any character worthy of wielding his hammer could summon his powers, as Dr. Donald Blake did when he found a magic staff that transformed him into a golden-haired god in 1962. For obvious reasons, Donald Blake isn't Marvel's first superhero, even if the character was inspired by ancient stories.
The History Of Ka-Zar, Marvel's First Hero
While there's an argument for other heroes occupying Marvel's first hero spot, the answer is actually quite definitive. Marvel's first hero didn't begin in Marvel Comics at all but was created by writer Rob Byrd for a smaller pulp-oriented company, Manvis Publishing, a full three years before Marvel Comics #1 was released. A jungle adventurer and not-so-subtle Tarzan clone, Ka-Zar the Savage had his own short-lived title, which ran from 1936 to 1937, only making it three issues before cancelation. Interestingly, Manvis Publishing was owned by Martin Goodman, the very same man who later created Timely Comics in 1939. As a result, he appeared in Marvel Comics #1 alongside Namor, Masked Raider, and The Human Torch.
Ka-Zar's stories continued when Marvel Comics was rebranded as Marvel Mystery Comics, later in 1939. Ka-Zar's pulpy jungle adventures continued under Ben Thompson, alongside popular heroes like The Human Torch and less well-known figures like The Angel. Unfortunately, however, the hero's stories concluded in issue #27 of the series. Interestingly, like many of his Golden Age counterparts, this Ka-Zar technically wasn't the hero of the same name who later resurfaced during Marvel's Silver Age. While most Ka-Zar fans know him as Lord Kevin Plunder, the original Ka-Zar was a man named David Rand, and he was a much closer copy of Tarzan. Concerns about legal problems likely prompted the more distinct version of Ka-Zar's creation, especially as the Golden Age of comics was known for litigious conflicts between publishers like Marvel and DC. In a funny way, Ka-Zar wasn't just Marvel's first hero, he was their first legacy mantle, too.
Ka-Zar later became a fixture of Marvel's Bronze Age, perfectly on brand for the "savage" era of comics that defined the 1970s. Under writers like Mike Friedrich, Gerry Conway, Doug Moench and Roy Thomas, the hero brought fans the same jungle lord style of adventures that had once dominated the Platinum Age of pulp magazines. He even featured prominently in one of Man-Thing's first stories, when he and his companion, Barbara Morris, and his saber-tooth tiger friend, Zabu, encountered Ted Sallis's horrific new form. This story, as featured in Astonishing Tales #12-13 (Roy Thomas, Len Wein, John Buscema & Neal Adams) showcased Man-Thing's battle with AIM, with some help from Ka-Zar and his friends. The story did a great job of showcasing how so many of the big Bronze Age-style heroes fit so well into each other's titles.
Ka-Zar's Savage Lands Are Better Than Tarzan's Jungle
Unlike Tarzan, Ka-Zar managed to bring a unique setting with him to Marvel's Earth-616. Unlike the standard jungle setting of Edgar Rice Burroughs' jungle lord, and more like the Mars Rice's John Carter adventured in, Ka-Zar's world is perilous and fantastical. It is, after all, set in the same world as Thor, the X-Men and the Incredible Hulk. Beyond simple piracy and frightening jungle cats, Kevin Plunder must contend with everything from monsters to dinosaurs. In many ways, his world looks more like Sid & Marty Kroft's Land of the Lost or DC's Dinosaur Island than it does Tarzan's Africa. As much respect as David Rand deserves for what he symbolizes, Kevin Plunder's version of the character is far more interesting.
Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby for their X-Men run, the newer Ka-Zar lives in an aptly-named Savage Land. It was Kevin's father, the English Lord Plunder who, much like Tarzan / Lord Greystroke, discovered the region, only to be killed along with Kevin's mother. This left the young hero to fend for himself, slowly devolving into a Neolithic-style hunter. Despite its seemingly vibrant environment, the Savage Land is actually hidden away in Antarctica of all places, perfectly preserved far from the modern world. This land was protected by the alien Nuwali, who preserved the region on behalf of the Beyonders, who were interested in studying evolution. Locked by Nuwali in the Triassic Era, Ka-Zar's home is well-preserved.
Ka-Zar Was The First Marvel Hero
On a pure technicality, many fans think of the Human Torch as Marvel's first superhero since he debuted on the cover of Marvel Comics #1, where Namor's first story also appeared., Many of Marvel's most dedicated fans left the debate down to these two characters, overlooking Ka-Zar. However, The Savage's 1936 debut proves that this jungle-dwelling hero was actually the first Marvel Comics protagonist. Just as DC fans trace Shazam's lineage all the way back to his Whiz Comics days at Fawcett, Ka-Zar's history clearly dates back to '36. Of course, Manvis Publications' Ka-Zar #1 isn't nearly as important as Marvel Comics #1, but he's inextricably tied to the company's history.
Ka-Zar remains an under-utilized hero for Marvel, who could use him as their own Tarzan if they wanted to, not just in comics but in movies and animation, too. Understandably, the public's shift away from pulp has left heroes like the erstwhile Lord of the Savage Land in a more obscure position at the company, but creators like Alan Moore have shown that obscurity is no impediment to greatness. In Ka-Zar, the company has Tarzan, Jurassic Park, and Land of the Lost all rolled into one, and he's been with Marvel from before day one.