(Sub-Mariner II#19) - When Roy Thomas and the other members of the Marvel Bullpen visited Coney Island to enjoy a day at the beach, they came across the unconscious form of Namor the Sub-Mariner. The aquatic hero soon woke up and fought the police, who had come to arrest him, before diving into the water.

(Sgt. Fury Annual I#6) - Unsure what stories to pick for the upcoming Sergeant Fury annual, Stan Lee called a story conference with Fury, attended by Roy Thomas, Garry Friedrich, John Severin and Dick Ayers. The creators all pitched their favorite stories to Fury, who reminisced and looked through old photos of his missions. Thomas, ever the dutiful workhorse, soon became distracted and started banging away at the typewriter in Lee's office because he still had three scripts to finish. Lee playfully shoved a hand of sour balls in his young ward's face to get him to relax a little. Thomas took the words to heart and after the conference was over, he joined Fury and the others at the local movie theater to see George C. Scott in Patton.

(Avengers I#83 - BTS) - Roy and his wife Jeanie Thomas were invited by Tom Fagan to attend the annual Halloween parade in Rutland, Vermont.

(Avengers I#83) - Roy and Jean showed up in Rutland and were having drinks at the house of Tom Fagan when the parade's guests of honor arrived: four members of the Avengers. As the heroes introduced themselves, Jean asked which one of them was supposed to be Emma Peel -- slightly embarrassed, Thomas told his wife to "cool it, kid".

(Marvel Feature I#2 (fb) - BTS) - The following year, Roy and Jean were invited by Fagan to attend the next Halloween parade. On their way up to Rutland, they heard disturbing reports on the radio about strange scarlet lights on nearby Bald Mountain.

(Marvel Feature I#2) - When Roy and Jean told Tom Fagan about the news reports, he scared them with ghost stories about the supposedly haunted mountain, calling it a "place of uneasy spirits" that was haunted. Right before the parade was about to get underway that night, the Thomases and Fagan went to check out the mountain, relieved to find the rumored red glow was nowhere to be seen.

(Amazing Adventures I#16) - Roy and Jean Thomas attended yet another Halloween party at Tom Fagan's, with Hank McCoy and Vera Cantor among the party-goers as well. When Jean wanted to discuss the latest issue of Night Nurse she was working on, her husband bemoaned that all she ever wanted to talk about was comics. The celebration came to an abrupt end when the Juggernaut attacked.

(Iron Man I#72 (fb) - BTS) - Marvel editor-in-chief Roy Thomas was invited to speak at the San Diego comics convention at the El Cortez hotel. Eager for a trip to California, he was disappointed to know his wife was unable to make it.

(Iron Man I#72) - Roy Thomas attended the San Diego comics con, meeting with writer Mike Friedrich and reminding him of his deadlines; he also handed the nervous writer a pink slip, assuring him it was just a formality.

(Iron Man I#85) - Roy Thomas and several members of the Bullpen were stuck in a traffic jam on the Queensboro Bridge following a fight between Iron Man and the Freak that left the golden Avenger nearly drained. Thomas was part of the crowd that watched Iron Man use the charge in a spectator's radio to jump-start his backup generators which gave him a sufficient charge to restore his mobility. Too low on power to fly, Iron Man deployed his armor's built-in roller blades and skated off, leaving Thomas and the others to do little else but watch him go.

(Fantastic Four I#176 (fb) - BTS) - Roy Thomas and George Perez called in the help of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby when they had a problem with the Fantastic Four's authorized Marvel comic book series. The creators had been unable to reach the FF for a whole week, and with the deadline for the latest issue rapidly approaching, they found themselves with their backs against the wall.

(Fantastic Four I#176) - During the meeting, Kirby suggested to Thomas and Perez that they could always just make up some FF stories. George and Roy warmed to the idea, but Lee shot it down, feeling it wouldn't be realistic. Moments later, the Impossible Man popped up in the Marvel offices, looking to become a comic book character. Jack Kirby immediately began to do some sketches of the green alien, promising he'd make him an Eternal or a character in his 2001 series. But then Lee recalled they'd done Impy years ago in a story most readers hated because he looked too silly -- this enraged the Popupian, who went on a rampage, flinging himself towards Stan shaped as Captain America's shield. Roy kept his boss out of harm's way, giving everyone a chance to run out of the meeting room and locking the door. It didn't hold the Impossible Man for long, because he shifted into Iron Man and fired a repulsor ray that blasted the door to bits. Thomas and the others were powerless against the alien, but the day was saved when the FF arrived. Reed got Impy to calm down when he made Stan Lee promise to put out a special Fantastic Four issue with him in it -- this was enough to appease the alien. After the heroes and Impy left, Roy and George wanted to start work on the Impossible Man story right away. Stan shot it down, feeling Marvel Comics didn't have time to waste on silly characters, as he dismissively walked past a signed poster of Howard the Duck.

(Nova I#5) - On a visit to the Marvel offices, Roy Thomas saw production manager John Verpoorten force Marv Wolfman to hurry up and finish the next Tomb of Dracula issue. Fearing he was next because he was behind on handing in that month's Conan the Barbarian script, rascally Roy rapidly made himself scarce.

Comments: Created by Jack Kirby, Frank Giacoia.

The exploits of Earth-616's version of Roy Thomas are considerably less well-covered than the original Marvel creator, born on November 22, 1940, in Jackson, Missouri. Joining Marvel in 1965, Thomas became one of the company's defining writers of the late Silver and early Bronze Ages. In 1972, he became Stan Lee's first successor as Marvel's editor-in-chief, a position he held until 1974. His major runs included The Avengers, X-Men, Doctor Strange, Fantastic Four and Conan the Barbarian, while he also launched or developed titles such as The Invaders and What If?. Thomas co-created numerous enduring Marvel characters, including Vision, Ultron, Valkyrie, Carol Danvers, Iron Fist and Wolverine, whose original concept he helped initiate while editor-in-chief. Beyond Marvel, he later wrote extensively for DC Comics. Thomas married his first wife, Jean Maxey, in July 1968. He later married Danette "Dann" Couto in May 1981; she became a frequent writing collaborator. Thomas also edits the comics-history magazine Alter Ego.

"Cool it kid" image cleaned up by Ron Fredricks.

Profile by Norvo

CLARIFICATIONS:
Roy Thomas should not be confused with

• PERRY THOMAS - obsessive superhero fan--Amazing Spider-Man VI#31
• or any other "Roy" or "Thomas" characters

Jean Thomas

Jean Thomas was married to Marvel comics writer Roy Thomas. A lover of science fiction and a writer in her own right, the Thomases made it a point to visit their friend Tom Fagan's annual Halloween Parade in Rutland, Vermont. On one occasion, they met four of the Avengers; the year after that, they were scared when nearby Bald Mountain began to emanate an eerie scarlet glow on All Hallow's Eve. Two years after that, Jean was discussing the next Night Nurse plot she was working on while at Fagan's party -- the festivities were interrupted by the arrival of the Juggernaut.

--Avengers I#83, Marvel Feature I#2, Amazing Adventures I#16, Iron Man I#85

Images: (without ads)
Sgt. Fury Annual I#6, p9, pan5 (main)
Sgt. Fury Annual I#6, p4, pan6 (close up)
Sgt. Fury Annual I#6, p6, pan4 (typing away)
Avengers I#83, p7, pan3 (cool it kid)
Fantastic Four I#176, p17, pan5 (Impy story)
Marvel Feature I#2, p11, pan9 (Jean Thomas)

Appearances:
Fantastic Four Annual I#5 (November, 1967) - Jack Kirby (writer, pencils), Frank Giacoia (inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Sub-Mariner II#19 (November, 1969) - Roy Thomas (writer), Marie Severin (pencils), Johnny Craig (inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Sgt. Fury Annual I#6 (August, 1970) - Gary Friedrich (writer), Dick Ayers (pencils), John Verpoorten (inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Avengers I#83 (December, 1970) - Roy Thomas (writer), John Buscema (pencils), Tom Palmer (inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Marvel Feature I#2 (March, 1972) - Roy Thomas (writer), Ross Andru (pencils), Sal Buscema (inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Amazing Adventures I#16 (January, 1973) - Steve Englehart (writer), William Robert Brown & Marie Severin (pencils), Frank McLaughlin (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Iron Man I#72 (January, 1975) - Mike Friedrich & Barry Alfonso (writers), George Tuska (pencils), Vince Colletta (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Iron Man I#85 (April, 1976) - Len Wein & Roger Slifer (writers), Herb Trimpe (pencils), Marie Severin (inks), Len Wein (editor)
Fantastic Four I#176 (November, 1976) - Roy Thomas (writer, editor), George Perez (pencils), Joe Sinnott (inks)
Nova I#5 (January, 1977) - Marv Wolfman (writer, editor), Sal Buscema (pencils), Tom Palmer (inks)

First Posted: 08/17/2026
Last Updated: 08/18/2026

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

Non-Marvel Copyright info
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