The Comic Book Character Inspired By Vincent Price

Vincent Price was an actor known for portraying characters in horror movies. His career spanned more than six decades, and he appeared in countless films, including those outside the horror realm. Aside from being a versatile actor, Price also had several interests that included writing, traveling, and cooking.

Though Vincent Price mostly played villains on screen, there is one superhero inspired by the actor, at least based on his looks. If you think that Marvel's Doctor Strange's features look familiar, that is because he was inspired by Price's debonair looks.

As reported by Britannica, Doctor Strange was first introduced in "Strange Tales" No. 110's backup strip back in July 1963. Doctor Stephen Strange was a neurosurgeon who got into a car accident and his hands were injured. In a desperate attempt to heal himself, he travels to Tibet to find the Ancient One, hoping to have his hands healed. There, he becomes the Ancient One's follower and becomes adept in the Mystic Arts. In the Marvel Universe, he becomes known as the Sorcerer Supreme.

In January 1963, months before Doctor Strange's debut, Vincent Price starred in a horror-comedy movie titled "The Raven." In it, Price played the role of Dr. Erasmus Craven, a sorcerer who retires after losing his wife Lenore. Vincent Price's portrayal of a sorcerer may have been what inspired character artist Steve Ditko to model Doctor Strange's appearance after the actor. According to Goliath, Ditko even gave a tribute to Price through Doctor Strange's full name, which is Stephen Vincent Strange. In talking about Doctor Strange over the years, Stan Lee even acknowledged the character's similarity to Vincent Price.

Vincent Price was well aware of his uncanny resemblance to Doctor Strange, and he even voiced a "Scooby-Doo" character that looked just like the Sorcerer Supreme, complete with the swept-back hair and the swipe of white hair on the sides of his head. The character, which appeared on the episode titled "The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo," was named Vincent Van Ghoul, according to Bloody Disgusting.