The Surprising Story of Steve Ditko's Spider-Man Credits

In his later years Spider-Man co-creator Steve Ditko famously criticized the credits he'd received from Stan Lee - even when he was specifically credited for his plotting. In this video we explore the surprising reasons why. We also review the working process and look at whether any primary sources exist to confirm that Ditko raised the matter while working at Marvel. This is another controversial topic for some, and sources are provided at the end of the video for viewers who wish to explore it in detail. As with some other Marvel-related videos, one of the sources for this video was “The Ditko Version” article, which is currently available for online viewing on the Comic Book Historians website. That same article includes a discussion of secondary sources—brief quotes from John Romita and Mark Evanier—that have sometimes been cited in support of claims that Ditko demanded plotting credits from Lee. It also looks at the challenges of relying on those quotes as evidence, particularly in the face of direct commentaries from Ditko and Lee. This video revisits some material covered in earlier episodes. This is because it was an early project that was originally shelved due to the complexity of the topic. That said, the context is important and will help new viewers.