Will Murray, the pulp historian and novelist who co-created Marvel’s Squirrel Girl with artist Steve Ditko in 1991, died on August 24, 2026, at age 73. His death was confirmed by Matt Moring of Steeger Books, and tributes have followed from across the comics industry.
The news was first reported by The Beat on August 30 and confirmed independently the same day by ComicBook.com. No cause of death has been made public. Murray was born William Patrick Murray on April 28, 1953, in Boston, and is survived by his sister, Mary Power; the family has requested donations to World Central Kitchen in lieu of flowers. His death follows another notable industry loss from just days earlier, Optimus Prime voice actor Peter Cullen, a reminder of how much of the medium’s modern footprint traces back to creators from its earlier eras.
The One Squirrel Girl Story Murray Ever Wrote
Murray co-created Doreen Green, better known as Squirrel Girl, with artist Steve Ditko for “The Coming of… Squirrel Girl” in Marvel Super-Heroes Vol. 2 #8 (1991). In an interview with The Beat, Murray said the character was “a combination of Mary Martin as Peter Pan, an old girlfriend named Doreen who was into animal rescues (including squirrels), and his crazy imagination.”
The detail that makes Murray’s role in Marvel history unusual: that eight-page story was his only published Squirrel Girl comic. Marvel showed little interest in the character afterward, and Murray moved on. The publisher didn’t meaningfully revisit her for over a decade, and it took until the 2015 Ryan North/Erica Henderson Unbeatable Squirrel Girl series for Doreen Green to become the beloved, best-selling Avenger she is today — a character built almost entirely by other creators on a foundation Murray laid in a single one-off.
Ditko himself was decades past his Silver Age Spider-Man and Doctor Strange work by 1991 (see our guide to comic book eras for how far a career can span), which makes this an odd late-career footnote for one of the medium’s most influential artists as much as it is a footnote for Murray.
A Career Bigger Than One Character
Squirrel Girl was a footnote in a career built primarily outside superhero comics. Murray was one of the most prolific pulp-fiction historians and continuation novelists of his generation. He became literary executor for Doc Savage creator Lester Dent’s estate in 1979 and went on to write more than 20 authorized Doc Savage novels under the house pseudonym Kenneth Robeson, alongside dozens of The Destroyer novels and continuation work on The Spider, Tarzan, and King Kong. He also wrote comics work beyond Marvel, including Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Joker anthology stories for DC.
| Category | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | April 28, 1953 — Boston, Massachusetts |
| Died | August 24, 2026 (age 73) |
| Best-known comics credit | Co-creator of Squirrel Girl, with Steve Ditko (1991) |
| Primary body of work | 20+ authorized Doc Savage novels; The Destroyer; The Spider; Tarzan |
| Recognition | First Fandom Hall of Fame (2023); PulpFest guest of honor (2013) |
Why This Matters Beyond the Obituary
Murray’s death is a reminder of how thin the paper trail behind some of Marvel’s most enduring characters really is. Squirrel Girl has been a playable hero in Marvel video games, an Avenger, and one of the publisher’s most consistently well-reviewed solo titles of the 2010s — all traced back to a single 8-page story its own co-creator never got to follow up on. That gap between a character’s origin and its eventual cultural footprint is unusually large even by comics standards, and it is worth remembering the writer on the other side of it, not just the character.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Will Murray?
Will Murray (1953-2026) was an American novelist, journalist, and pulp-fiction historian best known in comics for co-creating Marvel’s Squirrel Girl with artist Steve Ditko in 1991, and in prose fiction for writing more than 20 authorized Doc Savage novels.
When did Will Murray die?
Will Murray died on August 24, 2026, at age 73. His death was confirmed by Matt Moring of Steeger Books; no cause of death has been publicly disclosed.
Did Will Murray write more Squirrel Girl comics?
No. His 1991 story in Marvel Super-Heroes Vol. 2 #8 was his only published Squirrel Girl comic. Marvel did not significantly revisit the character until the 2015 Unbeatable Squirrel Girl series by Ryan North and Erica Henderson.
What else was Will Murray known for?
Murray was the literary executor for Doc Savage creator Lester Dent’s estate from 1979 and wrote more than 20 authorized Doc Savage novels, plus continuation work on The Destroyer, The Spider, Tarzan, and King Kong.
Did Will Murray work for DC Comics too?
Yes. Beyond his Marvel work co-creating Squirrel Girl, Murray wrote anthology stories featuring Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and the Joker for DC.
