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He got a Thanos tattoo in 2016. 10 years & $24,300 later, he's broken a Marvel Comics world record

Did you know that 'most number of Marvel Comics characters tattooed on the body' is an actual Guinness World Record? Tom Radford does, and it took him a lot of time, money, and presumably pain to achieve

Image credit: Guinness Book of World Records/Instagram

We're all True Believers, in some ways. Some of us are just Truer than others.

Take, for example, the case of Tom Radford, a Yorkshire man who went in to get a tattoo of Marvel baddie Thanos in 2016. A decade later, what started with the MCU's big bad has become a lifetime goal that Radford has not only achieved, but has had recognized by the most prestigious world record-keeper in, well, the world. Let's talk about the Most Tattooed Marvel Man.

The story comes from the BBC, who reported on Radford's story in an article published April 28. "When I got Thanos tattooed," Radford told the outlet, "I wanted it placed at the top of my thigh because if it wasn't perfect I could always hide it [...] Needless to say it was better than perfect and the urge for more began."

"Urge" is putting it mildly here, reader - what Radford did next might just classify as an obsession. Over the ten years that followed his Thanos ink, Radford spent his time and money getting more Marvel characters tattooed all over his body, from staples like Doctor Doom to niche characters like Surtur to even newcomers like Knull.

(And if you're seeing a pattern here - yes, a lot of the Marvel Comics characters than now live on Radford's skin are of the villainous persuasion.)

In the end, reports the BBC, Radford spent a total of £18,000 - about $24,300 for our US readers - to cover himself in a staggering 63 tattoos of the same heroes and villains you might see at Comic Con or on the big screen for an MCU outing. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, this makes him the person with the highest "number of Marvel comic book characters tattoos."

Now, if you're wondering how 60+ tattoos can even fit on a human body without being hysterically small (many of these are full character sketches, you understand), well, Radford did have a comment to make in that regard.

"I've endured pain in places very few will understand," he explained, "For tattoos no one will ever see, all for the sake of this record."

If the question that popped up in your mind upon reading that was 'Where?', let me do you a favor and have you consider perhaps an even more important one: 'Who?'


 

Grant DeArmitt

Grant DeArmitt: Grant DeArmitt (he/him) likes horror, comics, and the unholy union of the two. In the past, and despite their better judgment, he has written for Nightmare on Film Street and Newsarama. He lives in Brooklyn with his partner, Kingsley, and corgi, Legs.

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