Marvel’s John Romita Sr., who co-created Wolverine and worked on Spider-Man, dead at 93

NEW YORK — John Romita Sr., the Brooklyn-born comic book artist who co-created Marvel staples such as Wolverine and Punisher, has died at age 93, his son announced.

A cause of death was not included in the announcement.

“He is a legend in the art world and it would be my honor to follow in his footsteps,” John Romita Jr., who is also a comic book artist, tweeted late Tuesday. “Please keep your thoughts and condolences here out of respect for my family. He was the greatest man I ever met.”

The elder Romita, who attended the High School of Art and Design in New York City, also worked for DC Comic early in his career. He began working on Marvel’s “The Amazing Spider-Man” in 1966 alongside Stan Lee after the departure of Steve Ditko, who co-created the web-slinging superhero with Lee several years earlier.

During his time on “Spider-Man,” Romita helped introduce characters including Mary Jane Watson, the hulking villain Kingpin and the high-flying bad guy Vulture.

Romita became Marvel’s art director in 1973 and remained in the role during the 1980s. The first appearance by the Punisher character came in a “Spider-Man” comic in February 1974. Later that year, Wolverine debuted in an edition of “The Incredible Hulk.”

His death was mourned by filmmaker James Gunn, who directed Marvel’s live-action “Guardians of the Galaxy” trilogy and is now the co-CEO of DC Studios.

“My brother & I wrote Mr. Romita when we were young kids & sent him drawings of superheroes we were working on,” Gunn, 56, tweeted. “He wrote us back, telling us what he liked about the drawings! A truly memorable experience in my life, making me feel like the magic of comic books, which seemed so otherworldly, wasn’t actually that far away. My thoughts & condolences are with his family & loved ones.”