10 Comic Book Facts You'll Be Glad You Know

1. 1. Iron Man was created as a challenge by Stan Lee. He gave himself a dare to create a hero that nobody would like and then force people to like him.

2. 2. The Hulk was originally supposed to be grey, not green, but was portrayed so because of a printing malfunction. His character was inspired after the creator saw a woman lifting a car to free her child who was trapped underneath.

3. 3. Clark Kent, who is actually Superman in DC comics, is a not-so-famous character in Marvel comics too. The Kent in Marvel is a reporter without an alias and nothing more. The writers included him as a “joke.”

4. 4. The famous villain “Venom” from Spider-Man was originally supposed to be a pregnant woman about to give birth who then bonds with an alien symbiote.

5. 5. Batman actually pays Superman’s salary. Bruce Wayne, alias “Batman” is a part owner of The Daily Planet where Clark Kent, alias “Superman,” works.

6. 6. Calvin and Hobbes were side characters in a comic strip known as In The Doghouse before they got their own strip. The syndicate that suggested it rejected the new strip stating that it lacked marketing potential.

7. 7. Before the Joker terrorized Gotham City, he worked as a laboratory worker. He quit his job to support his pregnant wife and became a stand-up comedian.

8. 8. When Deadpool was first introduced, he was a supervillain. He is named after a betting pool run by a group of failed government subjects.

9. 9. Wolverine’s signature blue and yellow mask was created by accident. When he first appeared in the comics, he had stubby ears and peculiar whiskers.

10. 10. Harley Quinn has a degree in psychology from Gotham State University because she won a gymnastics scholarship and romanced her way through her professors. She once reformed and worked at a women’s shelter.