Filmmaker Sir Christopher Nolan has stated that Marvel and DC superheroes originate "pretty directly" from the Homeric epics, drawing a clear parallel between ancient Greek mythology and modern comic book narratives. The 55-year-old director, renowned for his Dark Knight Batman trilogy, is set to release his big-screen adaptation of The Odyssey in July, featuring a cast including Tom Holland, Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, and Robert Pattinson. Appearing on the US chat show The Late Show with Stephen Colbert , Sir Christopher was asked if Greek heroes inspired contemporary superheroes. He affirmed: "Very directly, they are, they’re the original superheroes. Even comic-book culture, whether you’re talking about Marvel or DC or the rest, a lot of it comes pretty directly from the Homeric epics." He pondered the elusive identity of Homer , noting: "The thing about Homer is nobody knows if that was a person, they don’t know, I mean, Homer, in a way, is the sort of George Lucas, maybe of his time.…