Disappearing Roms

Because Rom was a licensed character with close ties to the Marvel Universe, there seem to be some (well, one, anyway) projects into which he was originally drawn but later removed. I presume this was done to avoid additional licensing fees.

Secret Wars II poster: This poster features a huge image of the Beyonder in space while scores of Marvel superheroes fly forward to attack him. I bought the poster many years ago when it first came out, partly in hopes Rom would be on it. He wasn't. Then, in September 2000, the original artwork for this poster was put up for auction on eBay. Thank goodness the seller included the words "Rom" and "art" in the description or I never would have seen it. I'm also thankful he chose the area containing Rom as one of the two closeups he provided. In the poster that was actually sold, the spot where Rom is just empty space. (They inked him out.) Incidentally, in case you're curious, the final bid was $1036, but the reserve was not met.