Comic Book Characters Turning 50 In 2022

Many, if not most, of the greatest heroes and villains in comics made their debuts in the 1960s, with a few arriving even earlier. Some of DC Comics' most famous, like Superman and Batman, started out as early as the 1930s, while most of Marvel's mightiest stable of superheroes like Spider-Man and Iron Man landed in the early 1960s. By the late '60s heroes like Batgirl and the original Ghost Rider were showing up in the pages of DC and Marvel comics respectively.

The 1970s were a tumultuous era inside and outside of comics. While the Vietnam War raged and Watergate became a major scandal, the decade saw a new breed of hero introduced into comics. The relaxation of many of the Comics Code Authority's stringent rules in 1971 allowed creators to embrace darker anti-heroes and supernatural monsters again. These new characters boasted adult themes and more complex stories that also happened to match the turbulent mood of the era. Appealing to many of the same readers that grew up in the '50s and '60s and were now in high school or college, comics could use heroes and villains to tackle more serious issues too. 

Whether it was demonic daredevils or god-like superbeings, many modern day heavy hitters made their debut in 1972. Curious to see who's turning 50 this year? Keep reading. 

Sticking with the monster theme, Marvel's Werewolf by Night made his first appearance in "Marvel Spotlight" #2 dated February of 1972, although he was inspired by an unrelated story published in "Marvel Tales" #116 in 1953. The formation of the Comics Code Authority forced the end to most monster stories, and so it wasn't until the organization relaxed many of its rules surrounding supernatural stories that Marvel decided to resurrect the idea of a werewolf in its comics. This time it would be Jack Russell (yes, like the terrier), a man descended from a long line of lycanthropes who discovers as he gets older that he will turn into a monstrous werewolf by the light of a full moon. He soon uncovers the truth of his family line after the death of his mother, becoming the wandering title beast. 

Over the years, Russell would have a whole host of super-heroic monster adventures alongside the likes of fellow supernatural anti-heroes like Man-Thing, Ghost Rider, and Morbius, but also traditional spandex-wearing heroes like Spider-Man, the Avengers, and X-Factor. He's since made appearances mostly in animation, in "Super Hero Squad" and "Ultimate Spider-Man," and is reportedly coming to live action on Disney+ in a Marvel Halloween special.

Luke Cage is possibly best known for his team-up with the Immortal Iron Fist in the comic they co-starred in throughout the 1970s, "Power Man & Iron Fist." Initially the series was led solely by the singular Black hero, where he made his debut in the first issue, "Luke Cage, Hero For Hire" #1 in March of 1972. Birthed from the rise of blaxploitation films in the early '70s, Luke Cage was billed early on as "America's First And Foremost Black Superstar." A convicted felon who had been falsely imprisoned, Cage was used as a human guinea pig by the villainous Dr. Noah Burstein, whose experiments with cellular regeneration accidentally gave Cage superhuman strength and impenetrable flesh. 

Marvel clearly had a soft spot for the hero, because even with sales declining, they kept trying to adjust the book's title to make it work. After a handful of issues, "Luke Cage, Hero For Hire" would morph into "Luke Cage, Power Man." Ultimately, to help sustain the book, Marvel would team Cage up with another failing cult phenomenon, and the series became "Power Man & Iron Fist." Cage's comic would run for an astonishing 125 issues, and cement him as a force to be reckoned with. Though he wouldn't have his own title in the 1980s, he'd return in a major way in the '90s with "Heroes For Hire," before joining the Avengers in the early 2000s and starring in his own Netflix series in 2016.

Different versions of the classic literary monster Dracula had appeared before in Marvel Comics (or rather, in pre-Marvel predecessor Atlas Comics), but the Comics Code banned vampire comics beginning in the 1950s. Revisions to the Code in 1971 meant Marvel was free to try again, and Marvel's official canon version of Dracula made his debut in 1972 in "The Tomb of Dracula" #1. This new iteration of Dracula would run for seven years, concluding with issue #70 in 1979. He would also appear in a second title, the oversized black-and-white "Dracula Lives!" that ran alongside "Tomb of Dracula," as Marvel had found success with the larger magazine format.

While this version of Dracula initially lived in his own corner of the Marvel Universe alongside other monster properties like "Werewolf By Night" and "The Legion of Monsters," that would all change in the '80s when he became a recurring villain for other Marvel heroes like Doctor Strange, the Avengers, and even the X-Men. On screen he has appeared in "Spider-Man And His Amazing Friends" and "Super Hero Squad" among other animated shows, and in live-action in Wesley Snipes' "Blade: Trinity." 

Beginning in 1970, Marvel Comics icon and creator Jack Kirby left the company over disputes with long-time writer and editor-in-chief Stan Lee. But he didn't leave comics altogether, instead jumping ship to rival DC Comics, who gave him what was then unprecedented creative control over his own line of books. Most of these took the form of high concept cosmic titles like "Mr. Miracle" and "The New Gods," but he also wrote and drew a fantasy series centered on the supernatural demon known as Etrigan. Debuting in the first issue of his own series, simply titled "The Demon," Etrigan was a being who had been bonded to the human host Jason Blood by King Arthur's greatest wizard, Merlin, and throughout history Blood had used Etrigan as a protector of the innocent.

Famously speaking in rhyme, The Demon Etrigan, like Green Lantern, recited a short verse to summon his superhuman form, and fought a number of supernatural villains before eventually becoming closer aligned with the wider DC Comics universe. He's been featured on a number of animated adventures, including episodes of "Batman: The Animated Series," "Justice League Unlimited," "Justice League Action" and "Young Justice." Like many of Kirby's creations, he's proved an enduring hero who's transcended his origins as a horror character.

Premiering in "The Cat" #1 in November of 1972, Grant Greer Nelson was gifted superhuman powers by Dr. Joanne Tumolo, a member of a secret race of Cat People who was living undercover as a human scientist. With a special treatment, she turned her lab assistant Nelson into a feline-powered superhuman. With her new abilities, Nelson became a vigilante more akin to Batman, complete with cat-themed gadgets and costume. Her first persona, called simply The Cat, operated mostly out of Chicago, where she went up against a number of criminals. She would join forces with Spider-Man a year later for an adventure in "Marvel Team Up" #8. 

Nelson would become better known in later years after making a full transformation into the cat-like were-woman Tigra. As Tigra, she would eventually become a key member of the Avengers in the late 1970s and into the 1980s. At the same time, her former costume as the Cat was co-opted by Patsy Walker, who took the hero identity of Hellcat and became an Avenger with Nelson's old outfit. Most recently, Tigra fought Gwenpool, a tongue-in-cheek Deadpool supporting character.

Marvel's parade of monsters and demons continued with the second hero to be known as the Ghost Rider, who debuted in his own series in August of 1972 in "Marvel Spotlight" #5. No longer the white-suited ghost gunslinger, this new hero was Johnny Blaze, a daredevil stunt motorcyclist who makes a literal deal with the devil to save his father's life. As part of the deal he finds himself paired with the spirit of the hellish creature called Zarathos. From then on, Blaze can turn himself into a flaming skeleton and use the demon's supernatural abilities to hunt down criminals. 

As the Ghost Rider, Blaze is nearly invulnerable, can control fire, and wields a powerful hellfire chain. But among his arsenal of powers is his magical "penance stare," which can force his victims to feel the pain of everyone they've ever harmed. Though the character has been rebooted several times with other hosts — including the likes of Danny Ketch in the 1990s and Robbie Reyes more recently — Johnny Blaze has proved the most enduring, consistently being revived as the original Ghost Rider. He's been the focus of two live-action feature films starring Nicolas Cage, and even appeared alongside the Reyes version in "Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D."