Marvel’s new lawsuit against comic book creators can spell trouble for the MCU’s future
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has landed in hot water regarding rights, yet again. But this time, it may seriously affect the studio’s future.
In the last 13 years since Iron Man released, Marvel Studios has become one of the biggest players in the entertainment industry. They released 25 movies and 4 Disney+ shows so far, and brought together superhero team-ups that we only saw on comics before. They have more movies and shows in development currently. But a new lawsuit will determine the future of some of these heroes.
The rights issue
The MCU is affected by rights issues that are beyond its control. They were able to solve most when Disney purchased most heroes in 2012. Spider-Man, however, remains with Sony, and Universal still has access to any solo Hulk movie. Disney was able to acquire the X-Men, Deadpool, and the Fantastic Four after buying 20th Century Fox.
The current legal battle is between Marvel and the heirs of Stan Lee, Gene Colan, and Steve Ditko, who are trying to gain control of the characters each man created. The characters include Iron Man, Doctor Strange, Captain Marvel, Spider-Man, Black Widow and Falcon. Marvel has sued all of them saying the characters are their properties and not of their creators.
Its impact
Past lawsuits that Marvel had, and one DC had with Superman, was settled with a compensation to the creators and their heirs. After that, the character stays with the MCU. But if that didn’t happen, it would spell trouble. Iron Man and Black Widow’s stories are over, but Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, and Falcon have bigger roles in Phase 4, and possibly Phase 5 as well. If Marvel Studios, Disney, and Sony lose their rights, the characters will be gone from the MCU.
The rights will be lost by 2023, so unless these companies act fast, we will lose these characters.
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