Steve Englehart Master Play that almost nobody has seen

It looks like an invented convention item to surprise the most in the dark, but it really happened: One of the most peculiar heroine of Marvel, crossed the editorial border and was unwinded in the DC pages. And he did it without most of the readers of the time.

The story behind this jump between the universes is ingenious as risky. The responsible person was nothing more than Steve EnglehartLegendary screenwriter who decided not to abandon his creation when he changed company in the seventies. What seemed impossible has become a creative makeup that is worth studying.

Mantis and his unexpected journey between publishers

In 1977, while Marvel’s readers assumed Englehart’s march, the writer prepared a surprise. In Justice League of America #142A character named Willow appeared. His name did not coincide, but his gestures, his dialogues and even his visual style were unmistakable: he was Mantis masked.

Marvel possessed heroin rights, so the author could not use it directly. But Change the name and leave the right tracksEnglehart made fans understand the reference without openly violating the property of the house of ideas. A master comedy that has yet to speak in specialized conventions and articles.

The spark that was born in a comic with

The idea, according to the screenwriter himself, was born after a conversation with a fan in San Diego Comic-Con. When asked if this meant that the mantis would disappear forever, Englehart thought: “I’ll make him come back, at any cost”.

Thus was born this peculiar experiment of unofficial universeWhere Marvel and DC united without proposing it thanks to the audacity of a creator. And the most curious thing is that at that time nobody told him that he could not do it, so Englehart and the publisher Julius Schwartz launched themselves to play with creative fire.

Can this story be repeated again?

Willow’s case remains a unique example of how an author’s passion can break the editorial barriers. Today, however, the context is different: the contracts are much more severe and movements between franchises are monitored in detail.

But with James Gunn at the head of the DCUThe conversation re -emerges again. Gunn was not only the director who gave Mantis’s fame around the world, also maintains a close relationship with Pom clementieffThe actress who interprets her. Voices on one of his cameos in DC, perhaps like Willow, look like an irresistible wink for fans.

The legacy of a brilliant malice

In addition to the current possibilities, the ENGLEHART episode shows something important: The characters belong to the publishers, but the ideas belong to the creators. At that time, a change of name was sufficient to challenge the rules.

The result was a hidden myth of the comics, which today serves as a reminder that the The history of Marvel and DC is full of unexpected connections. What started as a simple editorial joke ended up becoming a legend that readers continue to enjoy almost fifty years later.

Mantis in Marvel and DC

The most surprising thing of this case is how Mantis managed to survive and evolve. In Marvel, he went from being a secondary character to become an essential part of the Galaxy Guardians In the cinema. In DC, although his presence was short under the name of Willow, he became one of those anecdotes that fans have a smile.

The possibility of seeing it reappear, also in the form of Easter film eggNot only would it be a tribute to Englehart, but also to the ability of the comics to surprise even the most veterans readers.