[Header art from Humberto Ramos’s “Marvel Comics” #1000 D23 Expo variant cover]
Sony Pictures’ disappointing decision last week to not renew their creative agreement with Marvel Studios on their Spider-Man films really shouldn’t have come as a surprise: the deal, which allowed Sony and Marvel to share Tom Holland’s Spider-Man and other MCU characters, was only set for five movies, and it was an incredibly generous arrangement, with Sony and Marvel’s parent company Disney not making a dime off each others’ movies. With Disney already producing five billion dollar-grossing movies this year, there was no way Sony was going to let them take half the gross of the sequel to their own billion dollar hit (Far From Home), nor was Disney going to let them profit from Spidey’s next crossover appearance.
It’s undeniable Disney’s acquisition of Marvel (which was announced on August 31, 2009), has been mutually beneficial for both companies. The likes of The Avengers and Black Panther restricted the damage from flops like John Carter and A Wrinkle in Time, and Disney’s vast coffers enabled all kinds of opportunities to popularize Marvel’s heroes and villains, from a now countless number of TV shows, to a regular presence at Disney Stores and theme parks. (It could be argued that Marvel might not be spending and making as much without Disney’s fully armed and operational marketing department.) Still, especially in light of the Spider-Drama, it has often felt like the purchase has been more trouble than it was worth.
If Disney had not bought Marvel, it would have significantly more freedom choosing its film partners: before the buyout, it had a distribution deal with Paramount for the Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and Avengers movies, and one with Universal for solo Hulk adventures, which Mark Ruffalo has alleged is why he hasn’t had his own movie yet (Disney evidently doesn’t see the point in buying those). Without Disney, Marvel would’ve likely continued these deals, and forged their pact with Sony sooner when they attempted their first Spider-Man reboot. That might have led to an arrangement with Fox to reboot the Fantastic Four and X-Men film franchises, sparing us the likes of Josh Trank’s reboot and Dark Phoenix.
The inability to cooperate with Fox on their films had a major impact on Marvel Comics itself. That was great for previously obscure characters – like Star-Lord and friends – that the film division could use, but (and as much as Marvel tried to deny it), it also led to developments like the cancellation of “Fantastic Four,” the very book that laid the foundation for the Marvel Universe in the 1960s. The Richards clan disappeared from the comics after 2015’s ‘Secret Wars,’ and even the Thing and the Human Torch were banished from all Marvel games and promotional art until Disney began negotiating the Fox purchase.
While the X-Men also disappeared from licensed products (including animation), Marvel couldn’t end their comics – they’re just too popular. Instead, mutant became a dirty word at the publisher, to increasingly embarrassing effect. First came Rick Remender and co.’s 2012 – 2015 “Uncanny Avengers” run, which revealed Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver were not mutants or Magneto’s children, but humans whose powers were the result of the High Evolutionary experimenting on them when they were infants.
Then, in line with the ABC series that portrays her as an Inhuman, the 2015 “S.H.I.E.L.D.” comic (written by Mark Waid) revealed that Quake/Daisy “Skye” Johnson inherited her powers from her Inhuman mother, and not the mutated DNA of her father Mr. Hyde. James Robinson’s “All-New Invaders” series also revealed Jim Hammond’s sidekick Toro was of Inhuman descent, while “Unbeatable Squirrel Girl” writer Ryan North and artist Erica Henderson seemingly had their cake and ate it when they hilariously revealed the rodent heroine had been deemed “medically and legally distinct from being a mutant” as a baby.
Continued belowThese retcons, coupled with the expansion of the Inhumans after 2013’s event storylines ‘Infinity‘ and ‘Inhumanity,’ left many fans feeling resentful towards the new family of books. Of the Inhumans comics launched this decade, only “Ms. Marvel” and “Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur” have become lasting hits, and it remains to be seen if they will even remain Inhumans in the wake of the disastrous TV series: the reclaiming of the X-Men film rights will likely lead to more tedious retcons and reversals over all of these characters’ genetic natures. (Although, let’s face it, mutation is a far less convoluted backstory than Terrigenesis.)
Marvel could’ve been a hit factory for every Hollywood studio (and remained one for Netflix): instead, it paved the way for the acquisition of Lucasfilm and Fox, and probably Sony Pictures if Disney continues to refuse to take the loss from the Spider-Man movies. Perhaps it’s unfair to criticize Marvel’s great quality control for its parent company’s increasing monopolization of the box office, but ultimately, all it has done is to encourage them and their competitors to focus on brands and franchises, and to consolidate and silo those into streaming services that we’ll have to pay for separately.
We have seen Disney attempt brand consolidation with Marvel before, by trying to make them the sole publisher of their comic books. However, Disney eventually realized that outside (most of) the “Star Wars” comics, Marvel was a bad fit for their titles, and now they’re being outsourced to IDW Publishing and (in a strange twist of fate) former “Star Wars” publisher Dark Horse. I hope Disney+ disappoints to some extent, so Hollywood starts reconsidering not partnering on different series: upcoming Netflix shows like The Sandman or the live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender should not be endangered because an executive feels they belong on HBO Max or CBS All Access. But sadly, it’s more likely we’ll all bingewatch ourselves into monopolization, because Disney+’s original content is just too appetizing.
So, where’s my Marvels series?
