Marvel Writer and Novelist Will Murray Passes Away at 73

Will Murray, author and co-creator of Marvel’s Squirrel Girl, passed away last week week at 73.

Marvel Entertainment has announced on social media that Will Murray, the co-creator of Squirrel Girl, has passed away. Beyond his work on Squirrel Girl, Murray was an accomplished author, editor, journalist, and pulp historian. Murray passed away on August 24th at the age of 73, with no cause of death being shared at this time. 

Will Murray was born on April 28th, 1953 and grew up in Boston, Massachusetts before dedicating his life to storytelling. His mark on Marvel came in 1991 when he teamed up with Steve Ditko to bring Squirrel Girl to life. Murray created Squirrel Girl in script form before allowing any artist to take a crack at interpreting her. He allegedly modeled her after an ex-girlfriend who was small wild animals like racoons, chipmunks, and, of course, squirrels. 

In Marvel’s tribute to the late creative, they highlighted his “energetic, optimistic” writing style and shared a few panels for fans to immerse themselves into one of Marvel's quirkiest heroes. 

You can read their full tribute below:

“Will Murray, prolific author, editor, journalist, pulp historian, and co-creator of beloved Marvel character Squirrel Girl, has sadly passed away. His writing was energetic, optimistic, with a larger-than-life style that inspired so many. Our thoughts are with his loved ones.”