With the popularity of meta-humor, celebrity cameos and the array of musicians who make a successful transition to acting roles, there is no shortage of real-life names making their way into popular media.

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But real-life figures can manifest in media in more ways than you might think. Comic books, for example, are often riddled with pop culture references, even going so far as to create whole characters influenced by real celebrities or public figures.

Tony Stark

Iron Man flying above city

While it’s hard to think of Iron Man without picturing Robert Downey Jr., Stan Lee had a different public figure in mind when he created Tony Stark in 1963. A comic writer/editor at the time, Lee based his “businessman hero” on billionaire and inventor Howard Hughes.

Lee was drawn to Hughes’ public persona as well as his troubled personal life. Perhaps the long-late business magnate would be impressed to find out that the hero he directly inspired served as the cornerstone of the MCU. A nod to the Hughes' influences lives on, as Iron Man's father Howard Stark was named in honor of the character's real life progenitor.

The Joker

The Joker holding a crowbar

Batman’s most iconic archvillain has been portrayed by several actors in the character’s prestigious on-screen history. But did you know that the Joker’s creation can be traced to one of the movie industry’s earliest films?

Much like the Joker’s ambiguous origins, the accounts of the character’s history vary wildly. But one version suggests that the Joker was inspired by Conrad Veidt, or more specifically, the actor’s demeanor and appearance from the 1928 film The Man Who Laughs. Just a single look at Veidt’s Gwynplaine is enough to convince the eye. Now, the Joker is one of Batman’s most recognizable and formidable foes. Joaquin Phoenix (The Master) is set to portray the character in the upcoming Joker: Folie à Deux.

Lucifer Morningstar

Lucifer Morningstar with wings

The very same Lucifer from Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman sure has a very interesting development history. Before Gwendoline Christie stunned us all as the lord of hell in Netflix’s impressive comic book adaptation, Lucifer’s look and ethereal personality were directly informed by David Bowie.

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For his original comics, Gaiman created Lucifer Morningstar in the image of a younger Bowie. In an interview with the Chicago Tribune, Gaiman revealed how he “imagined Lucifer as a junkie angel” with “young Bowie [being] the closest [thing] we got” to his ideal lord of hell.

John Constantine

John Constantine smoking next to a headstone being grabbed by zombie hands

Fans of John Constantine know the DC Comics character as many things. Supernatural detective, warlock, con man; the Liverpool-born Hellblazer is known for a lot. But it’s unlikely that everyone recognizes the unusual origins of the character. Before intriguing fans worldwide with an appearance in Netflix’s The Sandman, Constantine’s initial look was drawn from musician and actor Sting.

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Constantine’s creator Alan Moore has famously stated that “that the character only existed because Steve and John wanted to do a character that looked like Sting.” The “Steve and John” in question were the Swamp Thing artists Steve Bissette and John Totleben, who were such big fans of The Police that they wanted to draw a character that referenced Sting. The character has been played by several actors, most notably by Matt Ryan (The Tudors) and Keanu Reeves (The Matrix), the latter of whom is set to reappear in the upcoming Constantine 2.

Harley Quinn

DC's Harley Quinn comic book appearance in front of Batman head

It’s not every day that the inspiration gets to embody the character themselves. But such was the case with Arleen Sorkin and the iconic character of Harley Quinn. Quinn was created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm for Batman: The Animated Series (1992), first appearing in an episode entitled “Joker's Favor.” Dini has since stated that he was inspired by Sorkin’s bubbly personality and, after Sorkin appear as a roller-skating jester in Days of Our Lives, Dini decided to have Sorkin voice her.

Harley Quinn has blown up in popularity since her animated series debut. With a central role in Birds of Prey (2020) and a groundbreaking role in her own HBO show, Sorkin’s character has undoubtedly grown out of her supporting villain shoes. The character has also appeared in multiple DC video game projects, including the Batman: Arkham series and the upcoming Gotham Knights.

Hugh Campbell

Butcher, Hughie and the female from 'The Boys' comics

According to The Boys comics creators Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, the main character Hugh “Wee Hughie” Campbell was designed after Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead). They cited Pegg’s appearance in the sitcom Spaced as their inspiration when creating the innocent-but-determined look for the sensitive Hugh.

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The now-iconic character has since been played by Jack Quaid (The Hunger Games) in the widely successful Amazon adaptation of The Boys, with the showrunners casting Pegg as Hugh’s father Hugh Campbell Sr. in a subtle nod to the character’s creation.

Death

DC Comics' Death of the Endless

Dream’s elder sister, Death is one of the most beloved characters in Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman comics. Most recently, Kirby Howell Baptiste (The Good Place) brought Death’s positivity and empathetic air to Netflix’s live-action adaptation with masterful grace. Despite Death’s importance to the DC universe and conceptual gravitas in real life, the story of the characters’ inspiration is a quainter tale than you’d assume.

When creating the plucky embodiment of mortality for the original Sandman comics, artist Mike Dringenberg pitched a Death that used the likeness of his friend, the late model Cinamon Hadley. Hadley was a goth icon and ballerina who tragically passed in 2018. Having inspired the unforgettable look of one of the most charming characters of all time, it’s safe to say that Hadley’s likeness will not be forgotten anytime soon.

J. Jonah Jameson

An angry J. Jonah Jameson yelling

The loud and boisterous editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics’ most famous newspaper, one might imagine J. Jonah Jameson to be an entirely fictional man. And yet, during an appearance on the radio program Talk of a Nation, Stan Lee admitted that the character was created as an angrier version of himself.

The ever-grumpy and growling character has been a mainstay of the Spider-Man cast, and has been most notably brought to life by J. K. Simmons (Whiplash) in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man (2002); one of the rare instances of perfect casting, and one of the best in Simmons’ career.

Stargirl

DC Comics' Stargirl wielding staff

Geoff Johns is the comic book writer behind the acclaimed creations and reinterpretations of some of DC’s greatest heroes. The creation of Stargirl in particular was a personal undertaking for Johns, so much so that the writer helmed the hero’s transition from the original comics to TV screens.

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Johns’ main inspiration for the character was his late sister Courtney, who was among the many tragic victims of the unfortunate fate of TWA Flight 800 in 1996. In a statement that Johns penned before the Stargirl TV show’s premier, he proudly declared “it is her spirit and optimistic energy that I wanted to put back in the world.”

Delirium

DC Comics' Delirium of the Endless

Tori Amos is an American singer-songwriter and pianist, best known for eight Grammy Award nominations and Echo Klassik award-winning album Night of Hunters. But what Sandman fans might not know about Amos is that she’s very close friends with the comics’ creator Neil Gaiman. So much so that she inspired one of The Sandman’s most puzzling characters.

Amos and Gaiman frequently refer to each other in their work. Amos helped to inspire Delirium, one of the Endless and sister to Dream, the titular character of The Sandman series. But this process came on slowly, with Gaiman changing the character over the years to more loosely resemble his friend.

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