10 Things You Didn't Know About DC's New Gods
1. The New Gods Were Originally Meant To Be Part Of Marvel
In the late 1960s and early '70s, Jack Kirby became increasingly frustrated with his time at Marvel Comics. Despite playing a hand in creating numerous characters for the House of Ideas, Kirby had no creative custody over them, and this put him in constant conflict with the publishing company.
Eventually, he moved to the Distinguished Competition and his tenure there saw him bring to life characters such as OMAC, Etrigan the Demon, Kamandi, and of course the now legendary Fourth World. Initially, Kirby had intended for the New Gods to be part of Marvel and serve as replacements for Thor and the Asgardians following their demise in Ragnarok.
Marvel was not interested in the idea but DC welcomed it, to initial great success; to the point that Kirby eventually wrote more stories despite intending for a brief New Gods run. This success happened despite the New Gods' narrative sensibilities being far removed from what typically featured in comics at the time.