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Morrison learned that the Wachowskis were using their work on The Invisibles as inspiration for The Matrix, even copying designs and ideas, all which were owned by Morrison and not DC Comics. DC was owned by Warner Brothers, so the company allowing one of their films to use their ideas without payment or even attribution incensed them. Add in the aborted “Superman 2000” pitch, and Morrison decided to leave their American comics home and move to Marvel. The writer would launch their short stint at Marvel with one of the best miniseries of the 21st century, a book that doesn’t get talked about nearly as much as it should: Marvel Boy.
Marvel Boy Was Morrison Madness in the Mighty Marvel Manner
Marvel Boy was a weird choice for Morrison’s first Marvel book, but it did make sense. To begin with, it was a Marvel Knights comic. The Marvel Knights line was known for its more “realistic” takes on the heroes of the Marvel Universe and Morrison’s history at Vertigo made them perfect for that sort of imprint. It was also the hottest part of the House of Ideas at the time, so the writer starting there and not on one of Marvel’s more well-known titles made sense. Plus, at the time, the big name books that Morrison could have written were all taken.
There was a Marvel Boy in the history of the publisher, as well. In fact, more than one. The first appeared in the ’50s, a boy who escaped Nazi Germany with his parents, somehow ended up on Uranus, and came to Earth with two energy-band bracelets. The next one would appear in the ’90s as the heroic identity of Vance Astrovik when he joined the New Warriors. However, Marvel Boy didn’t star either of these versions of the character. The book’s hero, Noh-Varr, was an original creation that took Marvel history and used it in new ways, something that would become a common part of Morrison’s work at the publisher.
