Comic book characters are typically fanciful and aren’t supposed to be realistic. Even if you’re making up superheroes, you still need inspiration sometimes, and surprisingly, many characters have been modeled on or drawn inspiration from real-life individuals, whether in terms of appearance or personality.
Certain imitations are flattering and more overt than others. Some authors and artists have openly acknowledged their real-life inspirations. In other cases, fans believe they are familiar with the real-life counterparts of certain characters, whether or not their creators have acknowledged it. In 1980, a comic book character was created based on masterful artist John Byrne.
The “Hellfire Club” first appeared in The Uncanny X-Men #129 (1980). When creating the Hellfire Club for Marvel, Chris Claremont and John Byrne based the group members on real people. The concept of the Club was based on a television show. Featuring Patrick Macnee as John Steed and Diana Rigg as Emma Peel, “A Touch of Brimstone” is the twenty-first episode of the fourth season of the 1960s British spy television series The Avengers. It debuted on February 15, 1966, and inspired the comic creators. In the eighteenth century, gentlemen’s clubs were commonly named “Hellfire Clubs” because of their connections to the occult and activities socially perceived as immoral. As such, the Hellfire Club in Marvel follows a costume code inspired by the 18th century. The Black and White sets of Kings, Queens, Bishops, and Rooks in the Inner Circle are also modeled after the components of a chess set.
Comic artist John Byrne often used real actors as models for his artwork. For example, in TwoMorrows’ Back Issue #4 he said that his design of Wolverine was based on an obscure actor named Paul D’Amato, who played Dr. Hook in the 1977 sports film Slap Shot.
He said he first saw actor Peter Wyngarde in the episode “A Touch of Brimstone,” which included an interaction between Steed, Emma, and the Hellfire Club. “Having recently seen the aforementioned Avengers episode, Chris Claremont decided he wanted to do a Hellfire club arc in UNCANNY X-MEN as part of the ‘darkening’ of Phoenix,” Byrne said on his website Byrne Robotics (archived). “I proposed the ‘in-joke’ of having Mastermind, in his disguised form, resemble Peter Wyngarde and, mixing character and actor, have his name be Jason Wyngarde.” Donald Pierce doesn’t appear until The Uncanny X-Men #132 (1980)
Eventually, most of the members of the Hellfire Club’s inner circle had names and appearances referencing famous actors.
- Sebastian Shaw is based on Robert Shaw
- Emma Frost is based on Diana Rigg (Emma Peel and her appearance on “The David Frost Show”)
- Harry Leland is based on Orson Welles (Harry Lime and Jed Leland from Citizen Kane)
- Jason Wyngarde (Peter Wyngarde and Jason King from Department S)
- Donald Pierce (Donald Sutherland and Benjamin “Hawkeye” Pierce from M*A*S*H)
Boyd Holbrook plays Donald Pierce in the film Logan. This version is Laura’s handler, who says he is a “fan” of Logan. He’s chief of security for the Alkali-Transigen and the leader of Zander Rice’s Reavers. Pierce leads the Reavers in an attempt to bring Laura and other mutant children back after they escape from Transigen.
The 88-year-old Donald Sutherland, who passed away on Thursday, had a humble opinion of his profession. “I’m somebody … [who] has pursued the creative process within myself as vigorously as I could,” he said in 1993. “And found it a huge amount of fun and a great pleasure.”
Seldom did actors of his day exhibit such consistency over such a wide range of roles and genres. While Sutherland was awarded an honorary Oscar in 2017, almost every obituary will note that he was never nominated for an Oscar, a testament to the Academy voters’ disgraceful and persistent failure to recognize the nuanced range that Sutherland brought to his numerous performances. However, it didn’t imply it wasn’t there, only because they couldn’t see it.
While he’s passed on he’s left a vast body of wonderful work. And he’s been immortalized in comic books for decades.
Source: Comic Book Resources (Archived)
What do you think of Donald Sutherland’s turn as a comic book character?
