Last night, the first step of the Fantastic Four was the Gala Premiere. The stars were out and Jack Kirby’s granddaughter, Gillian Kirby, was on hand to represent the Kirby family.
A lot of people are screaming at my grandfather #Jack Kilby. Thank you very much! With Kevin Feige! pic.twitter.com/voxk30lrxh
– Gillian Kirby (Jack Kirby’s granddaughter) (@kirby4heroes) July 22, 2025
It’s good to know that Jack Kirby was given his flowers to the fantastic Four, Silver Surfer Galactus as the foresightful one that gave their magic. Without his powerful world building, Marvel Comics and the MCU would simply not exist.
But the king still needs more recognition.
A few weeks ago we reported on the naming of Kirby’s street near where he was born on Essex Street. Alas, it was only in the morning, a promotional event for FF movies. However, over a decade has been working to get Kirby’s actual street name, or the plaque of his birthplace.
Unfortunately, these efforts are being hampered by New York City officials. I asked Rand Hoppe, co-founder and acting executive director of Jack Kirby Museum & Research Center about this about FB.
I tried it. The Community Committee said he has not had a good presence in the community and his work is commercial.
This was probably the same as the first reaction that B.C. Boys people received. So how did the Beastie boys become the corner of Livivington and Ludlow? I thought it might have been a new city councillor who liked the beast (like the councillor who had some namings for Bob Kane and Stan Lee’s Bronx) Patrick A. Reed had some insights…
“Unfortunately, this request does not meet our standards.
Lifelong achievements. Individuals who demonstrated an extraordinary, consistent, long-term commitment to benefit the community. Personal performance is not considered when carried out in connection with the operation of a commercial enterprise. The individual must have died for at least two years
The benefits to the community must be specific to CB 3 districts. Jack was born in Essex St. and bravely served his country, referring to the Lower East Side in his work, but this was not inherent to CB 3.
Furthermore, in this example, we cannot consider anyone with a commercial enterprise-related achievement, aka Marvel Comics.
Sorry, I hope we can find another way to honor Jack Kirby’s life and legacy. ”
Wotta Revoltin’ Development, as they say.
You may have noticed the details above. Stan Lee and Bob Kane have a street named after them! In fact, between Blunt Place and West 176th Street in the Bronx is Stanley Way on University Avenue. The naming took place in 2021, three years after Lee’s death, with councillor Fernando Cabrera taking the lead.
“Stan Lee was from the Bronx, where he grew up in my district,” Cabrera said when his proposal to change the street name was approved. “Stan Lee was a creative genius co-creating iconic superheroes, including Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Hulk, Doctor Strange, Ant-Man, and the Black Panther.
You can debate whether Kirby has more to do with the Lower East Side of his life than Stan did in the Bronx, and I think Kirby will win. I had never heard Stan talking about the Bronx. He spoke about a lot, even though he never lost his New York accent.
Obviously, this comes down to city officials who care about pulling out this effort, rather than ground level efforts by Jack Kirby and those who care about his legacy.
So, is there any hope? Well, never say it. However, politics is required.
It’s great and just right for Jack Kirby to get the streets and plaques to make a big impact on our culture. But until that happens, we carry his memory into our hearts. And his work can be seen on film screens, comic pages, lunch boxes and billboards.
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