Seth Rogen grew up loving Marvel Comics – especially the high body-count exploits of Punisher and Deadpool – and the years haven’t softened his disdain for that other company. “I like Marvel,” the actor and writer says. “I’ve kind of given up on DC at this point.”
Rogen wears a mask in his next film, “The Green Hornet,” due in theaters in January, and on a recent afternoon he said that, unlike many actors in today’s busy superhero sector, he is no disinterested tourist. He’s an avid fan of comics although he was quick to point out that he’s not a bags-and-boards kind of collector.
“I hang out at a lot of comic book stores so that smell to me is genuine. The musk of the nerd reading the page. I loved comic books. But I don’t like, keep them. If I did, I’d have so many…. I tend to collect things already and there are so many things that I have. Comic books are hard to justify. So mostly I read them once then I tried to give them to other people. I started reading them in 1980s and they were not really worth anything because they were so mass-produced by that point and everyone was saving them by then. If I started earlier before there were infinite amounts of all of them….”
“I always loved Punisher,” said the 28-year-old Vancouver, Canada, native. “And I remember when Deadpool came out I loved that because he was funny. He was kind of crazy and funny and it was super-violent. It was like Frank Castle but he was funny. Or it was like Spider-Man if he was murdering people and wisecracking.”
Rogen went to see “X-Men Origins: Wolverine“ and groaned when he saw that Deadpool’s wild side was all stitched up – literally.
“When I was watching this last X-Men movie, at the end they sewed up his mouth and I was like, ‘What the hell are they doing?’ Evan [Goldberg, my writing partner] and I will still talk about that; we’ll be driving and just say, ‘I can’t believe they sewed up Deadpool’s mouth.’ I mean, why would you do that? ‘We’ll take a character known for his wisecracks and saying funny stuff and we’ll just lose that entire aspect of him.’ He’s called the ‘Merc with the Mouth.’ I mean, that’s what they call him.”
Making movies and appearing at Comic-Con has given Rogen a chance to meet some comics creators and he often walks away feeling like he is the one who had the celebrity encounter.
“I was pretty into Marvel growing up. Ed Brubaker came on the set of ‘Green Hornet’ a couple of times. That’s what’s cool is meeting these guys. I met him at Comic-Con a few years ago. It was one of those surreal moments at Comic-Con because it was me, Method Man and Ed Brubaker. But he’s great.I love his stuff. But I like Marvel. I’ve kind of given up on DC at this point.”
– Geoff Boucher
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Photo: Seth Rogen at Comic-Con Credit: Associated Press
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Seth, bubaleh, it was Ryan Reynolds in the role. As long as his acting doesn't require speaking, he's tolerable.
comics weren't worth anything in the 80s? seriously? The very same punisher comics he mentions were worth $15-40 in the eighties. Now theyre not worth the dirty harry betamaxes they ripped off. True DC isnt great but at least they have vertigo. Marvel has nothing but fanboys drawing men in tights. Mr. indie hipster there ought to try reading something from fantagraphics or the underground comic scene sometime. guess what he'd find? COMEDY! try reading 'Hate' or anything by P. Bagge. Or hell, Harvey Pekar just died, why not throw him a bone & check out his stuff.
Always thought Rogen was kind of a half-wit . . .
Seth: Better to be concerned about your own "Green" superhero movie. BTW, your movie opens January 14, and may be on DVD/BD by the time Green Lantern his theaters on June 17…
It's been a very pleasant few years that Mr. Rogen hasn't been in our living rooms or theaters 24/7 with his no-talent antics.
If Green Hornet turns out how I think it will, a lot of people will be giving up on Rogen. He's a lot like DC after all – quite familiar and likable but he's now doing stuff that doesn't suit him at all.
If he liked Mavel in the 80's, it makes sense he likes it now, as it hasn't changed in 30 years. This was the time when DC was starting to mature with Sandman and The Dark Knight Returns.
This guy is TRULY, weak sauce personified.
He can't open a movie, he certainly ain't got the chops to be an 'action star'.
Go back to hitting the chronic mate, and we just don't need to see any more of you.
Enough.
Yeah Im a Marvel guy but week after week I find myself picking up the GL titles, and Blackest night was the shiznit!!!! The only drawback was how many books u had to follow to follow the event.
Well, I know this will come as a shock to some people, but it turns out that DC and Marvel are comic book companies first, not movie studios. I'm pretty sure this guy, like Seth Rogen, is referring to comics, not movies.
MAKE MINE MARVEL!
I'm sure I would agree if I could understand everything Grant Morrison was trying to say (ie Final Crisis and Batman RIP). But seriously, Blackest Night and everything leading up to it has got to be my favorite comic book run so far.
[...] Seth Rogen: “I’ve kind of given up on DC” [...]
Rogen, Ferrell, Ugh.
Now Green Hornet gets the 'Rogen treatment'…
…exhumed, mocked, thrown back in face down… R.I.P., GH, since there won't be a sequel.
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[...] Rogen is a Marvel man: “I’ve kinda given up on DC” [...]
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