Jim Shooter

Jim Shooter (September 27, 1951 – November 15, 2024) was one of the most significant and controversial figures in the history of Marvel Comics. He began writing comics at age 14 for DC, producing Legion of Super-Heroes stories that remain among the best of that era. As Marvel's Editor-in-Chief from 1978 to 1987 — the longest tenure in the role — he imposed professional standards and continuity discipline that transformed Marvel's publishing operation, overseeing some of the company's most commercially successful years. He created Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars and co-created the Beyonder. He later co-founded and ran Valiant Comics, helping build it into a significant force in the early 1990s market. He was a polarizing figure, admired for his storytelling instincts and criticized for his management style, but few in the industry's history left a larger structural imprint. He passed away from cancer at age 73.