Spider-Man, Captain America, Iron Man - names that have gone down in cultural history. From humble comic book origins to red carpet premieres across the globe, Marvel’s characters have enchanted and inspired many across the globe with their tales of heroism, humour and blockbuster special effects. This week saw the announcement of the next phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe where the studio delighted fans and set the internet ablaze with their plans for Phases 5 and 6 of the MCU. After Phases 1 to 3 were called The Infinity Saga and the current Phases 4 to 6 are known as The Multiverse Saga. Phase 4 has already seen the MCU get bigger than ever before with the addition of TV shows and the next two Phases are set to eclipse this both in terms of scale and content. Our luxury digital agency dives into the world of Marvel and explores how the comic book maker became one of the biggest players within media.
Created over 80 years ago, Marvel began as a comic book series in 1939. Selling more than 80,000 copies of its first issue - the comics launched the second edition which began irs journey on becoming one of the biggest and most beloved brands in history. Whilst sale of 80,000 copies may seem impressive the modern day Marvel numbers are truly staggering. Grossing over $22.6 billion USD at the box office across 23 films (and counting) - Marvel is a world of film, tv, video games, merch and, last but not least, comics. Below is our brief timeline of Marvel’s rise and rise…
- 1939—Martin Goodman's Timely Comics started the first issue of Marvel Comics
- 1941—Captain America was born with the release of "Captain America Comics #1"
- 1944—Timely Comics releases Captain America the film, the first-ever on-screen adaptation of a Marvel Comics character
- 1961—Appointment of Stan Lee as Editor
- 1963—Marvel's "Silver Age," marking a transition out of Timely Comics into the Marvel Comics name we know today
- 1973—Martin Goodman officially founded Marvel Entertainment Group
- 1977—Spider-Man movie aired
- 1981—Marvel Productions sets up in Los Angeles
- 1986—Marvel Comics and Marvel Productions were acquired by New World Communications, leading to the Marvel Entertainment Group
- 1993—A financially strapped Marvel sold the rights to the X-Men to 20th Century Fox. Marvel also sold rights to the Fantastic Four to Fox and Spider-Man to Sony
- 1993—Marvel acquires 46% stakes in ToyBiz to create action figures, stickers, and memorabilia
- 1996—Fox acquires New World Communications to take control of Marvel Studios and Marvel Films
- 1998—Marvel inks a deal with Sony for the rights to create movies with their characters: Spider-Man, Venom, Carnage, Black Cat, Vulture, and more
- 1998—Blade is released, and is credited with saving superhero movies and paving the way for the MCU
- 2000—Sony pictures releases X-men, based on one of Marvel's most enduring properties, it reshaped the superhero movie landscape
- 2006—Featured in the first Comic-Con
- 2007—Appointed Kevin Feige as the President of Marvel Studios leading to the creation and release of Iron Man in the following year
- 2008—Start of a long partnership with Audi
- 2009—Disney acquires Marvel for $4 billion
- 2012—Avengers becomes the highest-grossing movie made from a comic book
- 2014—Marvel's largest presentation at San Diego Comic-Con
- 2018—Stan Lee, the creator of essentially all Marvel characters and heralded as the father to all superheroes, passes away
- 2018—Avengers: Infinity War becomes the brand's highest-grossing movie, generating more than $2B
- 2019—Disney acquires 20th Century Fox, giving Marvel back the rights to the characters from the X-Men, as well as the Fantastic Four series
- 2019—Avengers: Endgame breaks Infinity War's record to stack up to $2.7B
- 2021—WandaVision launches on Disney+ marking the start of Marvels Phase 4 plan
- 2021—Shang-chi, Marvels first Asian superhero to lead a movie, destroys the box office earning over $525 million worldwide
- 2022—Many pivotal Phase 4 movies are majorly delayed to 2022-2023, pushing back Phase 4 and Phase 5
A Rise & Fall
Befitting of any of their superheroes origin stories, Marvel began life in the 1940’s when Martin Goodman launched Marvel Comics. The plotlines and stories revolved around superheroes fighting the world’s biggest threats (Nazis and communists) and were popular. However, the popularity began to decline after the Second World War as people became less interested in seeing a superhero saving the planet after the main villain (Hitler) was defeated in real life. A rebrand in the early 60s saw the legendary Stan Lee as editor introducing some of the most famous characters in popular culture with iconic characters such as Iron Man, Thor, and Hulk who reinvented the superhero genre by portraying them as normal humans gifted with superpowers. Under Lee’s guidance, the company underwent a complete rebrand from storylines to superheroes as they positioned their heroes as humans with extraordinary traits and powers, thus making them more relatable appealing to both adults and children.
Marvel’s popularity grew with films and new characters being introduced. However, by the early 90s the brand’s success had seemingly peaked as readership and interest in Marvel began to fall. Around this time, Ronald Perelman, a billionaire businessman, acquired the Marvel Entertainment Group. He considered Marvel equivalent to Disney's intellectual property valuation and decided to scale the brand to even greater heights. He held the vision of making Marvel a household name and every character a favourite.
Under Perelman, Marvel also purchased 46% of ToyBiz’s stock in 1993 to create and sell action figures for every character in line with this vision. Along with that, Perelman offered 40% of the company’s shares to the public in the same year.
Moving astray from his vision, he ended up:
- Declaring bankruptcy in 1997
- Merging Marvel with ToyBiz against the stakeholders’ confidence because he wanted to create a single company stronger than two separate ones
- Selling the rights to some iconic characters like Black Panther, Hulk, and Iron Man
All of Perelman’s actions dethroned Marvel from its soaring popularity curve. Shares that were once worth $35.75 in 1993 collapsed to around $2.38 in just three years under his guidance.
The Comeback
Having sold the rights to some of the most popular characters, Marvel set out to prove to the world that the company would build an empire. Using Iron-Man, Thor and Hulk Marvel Studios which Stan Lee appointed chairman. 2 years later saw the launch of new movies which set in motion a series of changes that would see Marvel rise from the ashes.
Released in 1998, Blade became a blockbuster grossing $70 million, followed by the successes of both the X-Men and Spider-Man movie series. Whilst not as well-known or loved as say Spider-Man the film proved that unpopular heroes could be profitable.
Expanding the Universe
David Maise (Marvel Studios’ Chief Operating Officer)l is credited as launching the MCU by giving producers the chance to create crossovers between characters and was seen as the primary architect of Marvel’s $4 billion sale to Disney. Securing a $525,000,000 loan from Merrill Lynch - which would see Marvel lose the rights to 10 characters if it failed - the risky move proved to be a critical and commercial smash.
No superhero is complete without their team and with Kevin Feige, a lifelong Marvel fan, the studio found its Dr. Banner to its Hulk. The production of Iron-Man which grossed $585 million at the box office launched the MCU and laid the groundwork for Marvel’s phenomenal success leading to Disney acquiring Marvel for $4.3 billion in 2009.
After producing multiple successes, the cinematic universe assembled all the Avengers for the first time and turned into the third highest-grossing movie of all time. Many hit movies flooded Marvel's banks, from Iron Man 3 to Guardians of the Galaxy, as the fandom became bigger and stronger. The studio then continued to progress in phases—experimenting and learning from these experiments.
Banking On Success
The secret to Marvel’s success both critically and commercially can be attributed to the dact that it continues to bring people back to its highly immersive and detailed worlds. Indeed, with so many characters to choose from it seems there is a Marvel superhero for everyone. As a brand Marvel produces consistent messages and experiences which connects with fans and allow it to be at the forefront of popular culture. From comic-cons to social media, Marvel has attempted to create a deep bond between the fans and the creators.
Taking its Time
Whilst franchises such as Star Wars had already used a cinematic universe concept, Marvel slowly built out its universe across a decade as it took the time to connect multiple stories and bring all the characters together gradually. Through quality content, exceptional actors and brilliant special effects Marvel built the universe out and would tease the next steps in end-credit scenes, Easter eggs and teasers further exciting fans and generating hype.
- Phase 1 witnessed the debuts of every hero and some villains. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. formed the connection between all the diverging stories.
- Phase 2 delved into the backstory of every Avenger and introduced new characters. It set the path leading to the franchise’s conclusion.
- Phase 3 expanded the ensemble with more characters. It led the way to the conclusion with one final battle.
It was not only in film that Marvel leveraged its brand. Comic books, action figures, digital publications, apparel, and merchandise further expanded its appeal and allowed its fan base to engage with the brand on multiple levels across multiple channels.
In its efforts to advance the goal of impeccable fan experiences, the comic giant has created multiple experiential avenues including video games, theme parks, cosplay events and actively participating with the fandom.
Collaborations of Epic Proportions
Working with household names, Marvel emphasis on partnerships strengthened its brand loyalty and fanbase across multiple demographics. Even its acquisition by Disney allowed it to expand and offer new television shows as creativity and fresh ideas allowed the brand to expand into new worlds. The launch of Disney + further allowed a new side of Marvel to be created with new stories explored and new supporting content further built out the universe.
From Audi to Coca-Cola, Mastercard to Ford X Marvel partnered with close to 50 brands across its journey of producing 24 movies. What unites the success of its films after so many? A thriving active community which is embraced by the studio. Through globally engaging with its multitudes of fans through events, drops invitation only screenings Marvel harnessed the loyalty of its fans and offer new ways to both connect with them and allow them to feel part of its MCU. One of the most memorable UGC campaigns was right before the launch of the Civil War. Marvel started a virtual battle, asking fans to pick sides with viral hashtags of #TeamIronMan and #TeamCap. It succeeded in creating a great buzz before the movie release to encourage ticket sales in massive numbers.
Marvelling at Marvel
What can we learn as marketers and brands from Marvel? Clearly the company must be doing something right (an average of 84% positive reviews on Metacritic) and it would be naive to ignore their success. At its heart, Marvel offers an exceptional product and helps those who are fans (or new to the universe) to engage and feel part of it. Starting with an exceptional product, offering an exceptional experience and engaging with clients is something all brands can do - without the need for a $4.2 billion budget. Through creative social media campaigns to thrilling design - using the fundamental lessons we can learn from Marvel can help your brand.
For more information on our luxury marketing agency is on hand to assist you with helping your brand to be the best it can. Contact our team via hello@theluxurymarketingagency.com or call +44(0)7835 233607 to see how our agency can help you.
