Richard Rory

Richard Rory is an ordinary, unlucky disc jockey working at small-town Florida radio station WNRV who crossed paths with the monstrous Man-Thing in the murky swamps of the Florida Everglades. He possesses no superpowers, relying solely on his wits and compassion.

Richard Rory is one of the Bronze Age's most quietly endearing Marvel creations, stepping onto the page in 1974's Man-Thing #2 courtesy of the singular Steve Gerber and artist Val Mayerik. Born into the murky, philosophical swamplands of Gerber's most celebrated work, Rory shares his world with the muck-encrusted Man-Thing himself and a cast of wonderfully offbeat supporting players — a combination that speaks to just how strange and human that early Bronze Age Marvel could be. What makes Rory genuinely worth seeking out is his staying power: a character introduced in the mid-seventies who has turned up across titles as eclectic as Planet of the Apes and The Savage She-Hulk, threading through nearly five decades of Marvel history. For collectors who love the weird, wordy, emotionally ambitious corner of the Bronze Age, Richard Rory is a small gem hiding in plain sight.