George R.R. Martin claimed to prefer Spider-Man, as the web slinger’s complexity beats Superman’s simplicity.

credits george rr martin: gage skidmore

Who would have guessed the author of A Song of Ice and Fire novels George R.R. Martin, to be a Marvel fan? Usually, writers of his stature often claim to be neck deep into von-Goethe, Hemingway, and the obvious Shakespearean dramas. But Martin broke stereotypes after claiming to be an avid comic book fan, particularly inclined towards Marvel, more than DC.

George R.R. Martin (image: Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia Commons)
During an interview with The Independent, George R.R. Martin spoke highly of Marvel Comics and its impact on his writing. While explaining why his preference particularly shifted towards Marvel over DC, Martin praised Stan Lee’s Spider-Man to be more refreshing than DC’s Superman.

George R.R. Martin Strictly Prefers Marvel Over DC

While narrating his fantastical tale of growing up in New Jersey and spending time reading Shakespeare, Tolkien, and Marvel comic books, George R.R. Martin shared his modest response to writing his own bestselling epic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire. Later adapted into the record-breaking, award-winning HBO series Game of Thrones, Martin implied that he had never even imagined that level of fame and success.

However, although Martin swiftly glided through the stunning topic of being a Marvel comics fanatic, while sitting with The Independent, the interviewer purposefully brought him back on track to learn more about his shocking revelation. George R.R. Martin thus addressed what it’s like to be a superfan as he revealed that the first words he ever published were fan letters in Marvel comics, stating “dear Stan and Jack, you guys are better than Shakespeare!”.
Stan Lee cameo in Captain America: Civil War
Although back in his days, superhero comics were just one among many different genres of comics, George R.R. Martin noted that Marvel was his favorite among all. Despite religiously reading DC comics, Martin confessed to developing a preference for Marvel more than anything.

Admitting how he started losing interest in the DC stories since all the characters and their plots started sounding strikingly similar, the author praised Stan Lee for doing something different, which regained his interest.

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George R.R. Martin Hailed Stan Lee’s Spider-Man Over Superman

Explaining what went wrong with DC comics, George R.R. Martin thereafter admitted shifting towards Marvel. Realizing the supposed stagnancy of DC characters and their arc quite early, Martin noted finding a hint of refreshing feeling in Stan Lee’s Marvel characters, especially the friendly neighborhood web-slinger.

“The stories never went anywhere. Superman would be there, and his girlfriend Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen his best friend, Perry White the editor of the Daily Planet, and something would happen. At the end of the story, everything would be exactly the way it was at the beginning of the story, for issue after issue, year after year.”

Openly criticizing DC comics, George R.R. Martin mentioned how Stan Lee broke all the rules. Despite sharing uncountable similarities with DC comics and their characters, Martin claimed that Marvel did things way better and differently than DC. The author particularly picked Spider-Man, who appears to be his favorite character.
A Song of Ice and Fire author George R.R. Martin | image: Wikimedia Commons

“Stan Lee’s writing was so much better than what you’d been getting. Things happened. Spider-Man was progressing. It was so refreshing.”

Explaining how the constantly changing and evolving nature of Marvel’s Spider-Man made him more relatable and exciting than DC’s Superman, Martin appreciated the complex and flawed characters. Further, being a die-hard fan of Stan Lee and his works, George R.R. Martin spoke about the impact of Marvel Comics on his writing.

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Spider-Man in The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes

“That’s all Stan Lee, and you can see it all over my work! Unexpectedly killing characters, characters who are not what they seem, characters who are partly good and partly bad. Grey characters. You don’t know which way they’re going to jump when the moment of crisis comes. Stan Lee’s fingerprints are all over that.”

Reflecting on his work, George R.R. Martin admitted deriving inspiration from Marvel comics in his stories. Although his fantasy novel A Song of Ice and Fire can barely be compared with Marvel, the author noted taking subtle lessons like focusing on family dynamics and the idea that characters can evolve and change over time, from Lee’s works.