Marvel's Behind The Mask Is A Must-Watch For Comic Fans

Disney+ is not only providing Marvel fans with weekly episodes of WandaVision — with The Falcon and The Winter Soldier on the horizon — but the platform is also offering insight into the work that goes into creating the sprawling list of Marvel Comics characters as seen with the documentary series Marvel's 616, which looks at the importance of characters like Ms. Marvel and Black Panther, while also charting the creation of Dan Slott's Iron Man 2020 comic storyline. But the streaming service will dive deeper into the history behind the comics publisher, exploring how some of the most famous Marvel Comics heroes came to be and what inspired their creators. Marvel just revealed the trailer for a fascinating new documentary special, Marvel's Behind the Mask, which will peel back the pages and explore the true origins behind some of Earth's Mightiest Heroes — not the characters' bios but their initial conceptualizations.

Although the comics existed for decades before the Marvel Cinematic Universe's conception, it's fair to say that the ongoing multi-franchise story web has  influenced audiences to start reading comics. And, while Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige and the storytellers in the MCU don't adapt comic storylines beat-for-beat, their DNA is so clearly shown off on the big screen. Iron Man blasting Captain America's shield in Civil War? Perfectly translated from Mark Millar's comic event of the same name. Thanos snapping away half of all life in the universe at the end of Avengers: Infinity War? Thanks, Jim Starlin.

The first words uttered in the Behind the Mask trailer come from Marvel Comics legend Joe Quesada, as he reminisces about his time working with Stan Lee and asking him how to create "the perfect Marvel character." And in a simple, brilliant piece of advice, Lee explained that Spider-Man's powers don't make him so captivating; his problems do. "He said 'Imagine Spider-Man, it's just a red and blue suit jumping off a building. But, tell me who he is, tell me what his problems are. And now when he flies off that building – we're in that suit,'" Quesada said.

Neal Kirby, son of legendary comics writer and artist Jack Kirby, offers insight into the mind of his father, who helped create the likes of Captain America and the Fantastic Four. In the footage, Neal says that his father didn't like bullies, a characteristic that also bled right into Steve Rogers himself. The upcoming documentary series also looks at how influential comics have been in terms of delivering representation to those that need it the most. The trailer also reveals snippets of Christopher Priest explaining the importance of being the first African-American writer in modern comics, while writer and editor Larry Hama discusses changing the racially insensitive depiction of Asian characters and cultures.

Marvel's Behind the Mask starts streaming on Disney+ on February 12, and will be a must-watch for those who see themselves in the Marvel stories they love to read on the page and watch on the big screen.