Joshua Chamberlain on The Men Who Drew the Universe at Hollywood Fringe

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Playing 5 performances June 7- 22 at The Broadwater MainStage as part of the Hollywood Fringe Festival

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Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four—few creative partnerships have shaped popular culture quite like Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. But “The Men Who Drew the Universe”, the new play written and directed by Joshua Chamberlain, leaves the superheroes offstage to focus on the complicated friendship that created them.

Premiering at the Hollywood Fringe Festival, “The Men Who Drew the Universe” uses the story of Lee and Kirby to ask larger questions about creativity, ambition, and cultural memory. Part biography, part examination of artistic collaboration, the play explores what happens when two creators build something extraordinary together but have very different ideas about success, recognition, and legacy.

I spoke with Chamberlain about bringing this story to the stage, why he chose to focus on the men rather than their superheroes, and what audiences might discover in a play about one of pop culture's most influential creative partnerships.

People may be familiar with the debate surrounding credit and authorship in Marvel's history to varying degrees, since it frequently comes up when a new comic-based movie premieres. What interested you most about the human story behind that controversy, and what made you feel it belonged onstage?

First and foremost, I was fascinated by the transformation of Stan and Jack’s relationship over time. At the height of their success, they were each two halves of a whole, which is what makes the tug-of-war over creative credit so heartbreaking. We wanted to tell this whole thing as a love story between these two men, whose collaboration yielded something so much larger than either of them. And to witness the ways that creation poisons their relationship is absolutely staggering. And as far as adaptation for the stage, I wanted to tell this story almost like a courtroom drama with the audience standing in for the jury. Stan and Jack each make their case, telling this story as they remember it, leaving the audience to determine whose narrative is closer to the truth.

The play explores two very different definitions of success. Did your perspective on Stan Lee or Jack Kirby change while writing the script?

I don’t know if my perspective changed per se, but it was these competing definitions of success that made this project so exciting for me as a writer. Stan embodies the adherence to a carefully cultivated “brand” for the sake of gaining recognition and status, whereas Kirby is your typical 20th-century, blue-collar man whose primary focus is paying the mortgage and putting food on the table. Ultimately, I think it was these differing definitions of success that eroded Stan and Jack’s relationship. In a strange way, this tension became deeply personal for me, because I find myself pulled in both directions, both as an artist and a person. I mean, who doesn’t want to be Stan Lee ? But becoming a cultural icon comes at a hefty price.

Comic books are such a visual medium. What were the biggest challenges—and opportunities—in translating this story into live theatre as they create these worlds?

Hands down, the biggest challenge was fan expectations. I think the trap so many franchise movies and IP-driven media fall into is placing fan service over telling a compelling story. We wanted someone to be able to see our show having never picked up a comic book in their life and still find themselves captivated by Stan and Jack’s story. But we also know there are comic fans who’ll walk in expecting to see certain things happen. I did try to temper expectations in the script, giving Kirby a line in his first address to the audience, “I know you think you know what’s about to happen, but here’s what I’m going to tell you: there are no heroes in this story.” That said, there are a few tiny nods to the Marvel fanbase, though hopefully in a way that serves the story as opposed to detracting from it.

The play examines cultural memory and legacy. How do you think popular culture has shaped the way Stan Lee and Jack Kirby are remembered today?

It’s easy to say that in the battle for control of their story, Stan won in the end. He’s the one who wound up as the face of Marvel Comics. That said, to look at the ways we remember these men now calls into question what kind of legacy is worth leaving. I read somewhere recently Stan’s estate signed a deal for his likeness to appear in AI-generated content. On the flip side, I know there have been several museum exhibits showcasing artwork spanning Kirby’s entire career and highlighting the influence he’s had on movies, television, and visual art over the last fifty years. You ask me, it’s easy to see who made it out of this whole deal with his soul intact.

Creative partnerships often involve blurred lines between inspiration, contribution, and ownership. What conversations do you hope audiences leave having about the show?

While ownership and creative credit are certainly vital components of the play, I was more interested in Stan and Jack’s wrestling over the narrative surrounding their work. I tell people, “This is about the mythology behind the mythology.” Stan and Jack are certainly responsible for crafting what many consider to be our modern mythology, but the story of their collaboration was spun into a myth all its own, mostly by Stan. If anything, I want audiences to walk away not just pondering who deserves credit for creating what hero, but also thinking critically about the stories we’re collectively telling and where those stories come from. The hope is to sharpen the audience’s ability to distinguish between what really happened and what they’re told happened, a skill I think is more vital than ever.

Whether you're a longtime comic book fan, a theatre lover, or simply interested in stories about art, friendship, and ambition, “The Men Who Drew the Universe” offers a look behind one of popular culture's most influential creative partnerships—and the people whose imaginations helped shape a universe.

“The Men Who Drew the Universe” will be performed at The Broadwater MainStage (1078 Lillian Way, Los Angeles, CA 90038) for five performances as part of the Hollywood Fringe Festival:

• Saturday, June 7 at 6:00 p.m. • Friday, June 13 at 4:00 p.m. • Tuesday, June 17 at 9:30 p.m. • Saturday, June 21 at 11:00 a.m. • Sunday, June 22 at 9:30 p.m.

Tickets are available through the Hollywood Fringe Festival website . Audiences can also follow the production on Instagram at @whodrewtheuniverse for updates, behind-the-scenes content, and additional information about the show.

Photo Credit: Joshua Chamberlain

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_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/san-diego/article/Interview-Joshua-Chamberlain-of-THE-MEN-WHO-DREW-THE-UNIVERSE-at-He-Broadwater-MainStage-20260605)._