Sixty years ago, a Marvel legend debuted.

Amidst a sea of Gods and icons, this character soared to higher heights than previously believed possible. Towering above his peers, he reached levels that stunned opponents and shocked onlookers. It was such a significant moment that everyone knew that comic book history had changed forever, right then and there.

Or at least that’s what I imagine the reaction was like to Daredevil #8, a comic from 1965 that featured the debut of Wilbur Day, someone better known by his villainous alter ego.

Stilt-Man.

The actual response to the arrival of this character — whose entire schtick is wearing an impenetrable suit that features powerful telescoping legs 17 — probably wasn’t as robust as that. In fact, we know it wasn’t because Stilt-Man immediately disappeared for nearly two years. 18 That’s when he again battled Daredevil — and then Daredevil and Spider-Man — in a two-parter told across issues #26 and #27 of Daredevil, which found Stilt-Man being defeated when his legs were tied together in one issue and short-circuited in the other. Typical. It was another pair of humiliating defeats in a life filled with them.

But that’s always been the character’s fate. Despite the undefeated nature of his superiority complex, Stilt-Man was never destined to be an iconic supervillain, arch-nemesis, or even a reasonably difficult foil. He’s a jobber, the guy that makes a hero look good while entertaining readers with his sheer absurdity. He’s a failure, a fraud, and someone no one takes seriously anymore — and perhaps never did.

And yet, here he is, still fighting the not-so-good fight all these years later. While he could have just been another forgettable clown with a funny name, there’s something that separates Stilt-Man from the rest of Marvel’s low-level villains. There just has to be, because unlike them, he keeps coming back — and has been for 60 years.

Sure, he’s never been an A-lister. Even calling the guy a B-lister would be generous. But some part of his fictional commitment to the grind ensured he was meant for more than just a few appearances and out. Instead, Stilt-Man has become a charming constant in the larger Marvel tapestry, one that has somehow stood the test of time.

And it isn’t just me saying that!

“Getting tall and robbing skyscrapers is his deal, and he’s done it for 60 years. You have to respect that kind of commitment,” writer Jordan Blum said. “He’s never going to get one over on Daredevil or Spider-Man, but that doesn’t deter him. He gets up every day and puts one metallic boot on after the other, ready to try again.”

As you likely know, my adoration of Stilt-Man is unending. You’ve heard it all before. But given that 2025 marks 60 years of Stilt-Man’s reign at the top — at least physically speaking, and only while he remains upright — it’s time to give the character his flowers. That’s what we’ll be doing today, as I explore what’s made Marvel’s Largest Adult Son such an indefatigable figure across his six-decade run.

As much as I love the character, I don’t really know Stilt-Man. At least not like the creators who have written the character do. That’s why I knew I needed the experts to add weight to this piece. It couldn’t just be me.

Some declined to participate for the understandable reason of, “I don’t have much to say about Stilt-Man.” Others simply never responded. But amongst the participants, leave it to writer Chip Zdarsky to throw a cold glass of water in the face of my delusions of Stilt-Based grandeur when I asked why the character has stuck around.

“When you say he’s been around for 60 years, a character can show up once 60 years ago and then show up last month and you can be like, ‘They’ve been around for 60 years,’” Zdarsky said. “That’s not evidence of popularity. There’s been no Stilt-Man series.”

Undaunted, my response, of course, was “Not yet.”

Zdarsky’s not wrong, though. While the Wilbur Day version of the character 19 has maintained a presence, he’s hardly been a true Marvel regular. Stilt-Man has only averaged around 1.5 appearances per year for his entire existence, per his Marvel Fandom page. And sure, there have been assorted minor appearances and a bevy of (likely derisive) mentions of Stilt-Man along the way, but he’s undeniably a minor villain, at best.

There’s something to be said about his consistency, though. Stilt-Man has never shrunk from the pages of Marvel altogether. Everyone I talked to had ideas as to why that’s been the case.

Some think it’s related to how perfectly Silver and Bronze Age he feels. That period appeals to Blum and writer Christopher Cantwell, and they believe Stilt-Man is emblematic of its vibe.

“They’re utility players, created off a novel idea to fulfill a need in a story and likely to meet a deadline. And yet, the writers and artists who brought them to life could not help but make them indelible,” Cantwell said. “Stilt-Man is very much this.”

“The success of a lot of those Silver Age/Bronze Age villains was based on their gimmicks,” Blum added. “Stilt-Man has an amazing gimmick that is both incredibly visual and very impractical. The perfect recipe for a timeless B-Lister.”

Another plus that connects to when Stilt-Man’s originated is just how apt his name is. 20 As writer Robbie Thompson put it, “There’s something kind of beautiful and iconic about how obvious his name is.” There’s no mistaking what a character named Stilt-Man could and should look like, and it’s hard not to be charmed by that.

“It’s such a pure, elemental idea,” writer Anthony Oliveira said. “You hear the name and you know exactly what the character is and what a fight with them should look like.”

Even to the uninitiated, hearing “Stilt-Man” creates an immediate visual. Whatever you imagine, though, it pales in comparison to the real deal. Stilt-Man’s co-creator Wally Wood designed the hell out of him. Wood’s contributions are inextricable from the majesty of Stilt-Man in the mind of writer Gerry Duggan, as the artist delivered a bevy of “iconic” looks during that period — a list that includes Stilt-Man himself.

For all the character’s inadequacies, it’s undeniable that the guy looks pretty dang cool. And artists knew not to mess with perfection. Wood’s design for the character has largely lasted in a way others rarely do. It’s a good look, one that results in a striking silhouette as he battles one hero or another across the New York City skyline.

“As villains go, he’s one with a visually interesting power, so that’s a huge plus in his favor,” writer Mark Waid said. “Not just in the stilts—the whole headpiece/mask looks just weird and unique.”

It’s more than his look, though, or maybe less than that, in a way. Several mentioned that Stilt-Man’s limitations appeal. He just kind of stomps around while trying to commit this crime or that. He doesn’t have many other tricks. Thompson described him as “a working-class villain,” a type that’s rare these days. Rare, but necessary. As Waid shared, the stakes are so high in superhero comics that you need something, or someone, to balance them out. Sometimes you just need a grinder for your hero to spar with for an issue rather than Thanos.

When that’s the case, sometimes even the finest writers in comic book history might find themselves saying “Thank God for Stilt-Man” as a result.

“He’s a very fun character because of how limited he is,” Duggan said. “When you have a character like The Sentry that can do anything, it’s less fun.”

Writer Matt Fraction has known Stilt-Man for a long time. The first Spider-Man comic he bought when he became a Wednesday Warrior was Amazing Spider-Man #237, a Pantheon-level Stilt-Man appearance that features him blasting through the title’s logo on the cover. That defined the character for Fraction in a lot of ways because, as he put it, “That whole issue is about how Wilbur Day’s a loser.”

He may be a loser, but he’s a necessary one. Fraction compared Stilt-Man to “the easiest boss in Mike Tyson’s Super Punch Out!!” but did so in a loving way. Characters like that are part of the larger journey for Marvel’s heroes. And his nature as a loser gives him some of his juice as a pure piece of entertainment — he is very easy to use for “comedic effect,” as Zdarsky noted — while being one of the most relatable aspects of the character. I mean, who among us hasn’t had a job that kind of sucks but you stick to it because you have to make a living?

All that adds up to make a perfectly “comic book” creation, someone who fits the medium in a way that often surprises and delights.

“Stilt-Man is a creation that is pure comics,” Duggan said. “It’s fun and it’s silly.”

“There is that absurd quality to him. His name is Stilt-Man. He can’t possibly be a man on stilts,” Thompson shared. “Reader, he can be, and it’s awesome.

“There’s something that is so quintessentially comic book about that.”

So, Stilt-Man is a delightful loser who looks great, has one weird trick that makes him stand out, and is comic book perfection in his own way. Those all contribute to his lasting nature, but none are the biggest reason according to those I talked to. Truthfully, there’s only one possible choice for that.

“One of the problems you have when you’re writing a Marvel comic is there’s not a lot of disposable characters, the guys that can come in and get beat up,” Zdarsky said. “You need some kind of entry level supervillains, and Stilt-Man fits the bill.”

“For someone like me who wasn’t writing any flagship books, it was always like ‘Can I get so-and-so?”’ ‘Sorry, he’s busy in a Secret War,’” Thompson added. “But you always knew Stilt-Man was around.”

As the legendary NFL coach Bill Parcells once said, 21 the best ability is availability. And Stilt-Man? His schedule is clear. So, if you need someone for your hero to fight, Stilt-Man’s a safe pick. He’s the toy that’s just sitting there, waiting to be played with again.

Maybe that’s why he’s everywhere. When I asked folks whether he was a Spider-Man, Daredevil, or just general Marvel villain, everyone rightly chose the latter. But that just makes him a little more interesting in some ways. Thompson said Stilt-Man has become “a piece of the iconography” of Marvel simply because of how wide-ranging his appearances are, something he believes is “unique to that kind of character.” He doesn’t belong to any one character. He’s much more special than that.

“Stilt-Man belongs to everybody,” Blum said.

“He belongs to our hearts.”