George R.R. Martin has always been a Marvel fan, and he doesn’t shy away from talking about his favorite superheroes and villains. Similarly, he’s open to sharing those he didn’t like, which he revealed in an interview with Independent:
I was a big Marvel fan, and I tried some of those Marvel shows that were on in the Seventies, The [Incredible] Hulk with Bill Bixby and [TV movies about] Captain America. I tried them once and I didn’t watch them again because I didn’t like them very much.
Although Martin did not reveal exactly why these shows did not resonate with him, his fans know that he’s very particular with characterization as well as layered storytelling. The renowned author has a penchant for morally complex characters, a trait he has consistently incorporated into his own works.
GRRM Had A Rule For Making Comic Book Movies That Marvel Needs to Follow
Despite his busy schedule, Martin makes sure to catch up on the latest comic book movies in theaters. Growing up loving Marvel comics, he was very vocal about his opinions on screen adaptations.
In fact, he once criticized 2012’s The Avengers for wasting Black Widow and Hawkeye as characters. They were much more interesting and involved in the comics, though Martin did not see this transpire on the screen. In a comment on his website, Not A Blog, he wrote:
My own golden rule for these Marvel movies is simple — stay with the way Stan Lee did it, and you won’t go far wrong. THE AVENGERS should have done that.
The author assured that he still liked the movie, although he wished it had been true to the source material. It’s not surprising anymore for Martin to talk about his qualms over inaccurate adaptations; Game of Thrones was a clear example of what happens when the show deviates from the novels.
Martin Claims Marvel & Stan Lee Were The Biggest Influences In His Books
Martin is one of the greatest modern writers today, and he claims that Stan Lee’s way of creating Marvel characters was a huge influence on his career as a writer. While speaking with John Hodgman (via Bullseye with Jesse Thorn), he shared:
Stan Lee introduced a whole concept of characterization to comic books and conflict; maybe even a touch of gray in some of the characters. Looking back on it now, I can see that probably was a bigger influence on my own work than I would have dreamed.
He said this after criticizing DC characters and how nothing exciting ever seemed to happen to them. In Marvel comics, storylines are unpredictable, and the lineup of characters is always changing.
Fans of Martin’s book series, A Song of Ice and Fire, know exactly what this means, and it’s clear where he got the inspiration for it.
What do you think of those Marvel shows that Martin didn’t like? Let us know in the comments!
