By Zach Hightower
The inception of Spiderman sprouted from the two formative minds of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. Created in August of 1962, the character has such a strong moral compass with a strict no killing rule. Despite this clear moral code, the two co-creators were often at odds with each other during the creation. This divide came from their contrasting ideologies. Their ideological debate can be reflected in modern politics. While the pair have had a long standing rivalry from debate about Jewish themes, to credit being stolen, their conflicting political ideologies was the foundation for it all.
Steve Ditko saw himself as a political conservative; however, he never fully aligned himself with a political party. While Stan Lee also didn’t involve himself in politics, he saw himself more as a moderate liberal.
Ditko held a strong belief in a philosophy called objectivism, which states there is no moral grey area. While Stan Lee did not believe in objectivism in the same way, the philosophy influenced the pair’s writing. Even from the first issue, Spider-Man learns this lesson. “With great power there must also come great responsibility.” If you have the great power to do good things, the moral thing to do is to do good things.
While the core theme of Spider-Man was Ditko’s philosophy, the rest of the character is deep-rooted into the liberal ideals of Stan Lee. Born to Jewish Immigrants, Lee implanted the character with many of the same characteristics, though he purposely kept it subtle. This has turned into many adaptations outright stating that the character is Jewish.
With Objectivism and Judaism being incompatible, how were Lee and Ditko able to create such a successful character? The answer is compromise, with blends of each theme, they were able to create Spider-Man with mainly objectivism views, and Peter Parker with Jewish notes.
It is no secret that politics have become divisive in recent years. Politicians create narratives and fabricate enemies to pit people against, all while profiting from the distrust. Politics have become polarizing, with many people letting their political party define them. However, this doesn’t mean that the groups must stay enemies. We can learn how to work together by viewing the collaborative efforts of Lee and Ditko as a case study.
Stan Lee and Steve Ditko’s opposite views came together to create an iconic pop culture figure. They created a character to look up to. Lee and Ditko created a new philosophy together, “Anyone can wear the mask,” meaning that despite age, race, or religion, we all have the power to do good. The only people who benefit from dividing people are the ones in power. Don’t let political parties or personal beliefs define you. Take your opposing ideals, find compromise, and create something amazing.
