by Nicole Rees-Williams
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is arguably the most successful film franchise of our generation. ItÔÇÖs hard to think back to a time before Marvel dominated our screens in both film and television, so today we will be taking a look back at the true origin of the Marvel Universe, the comics.
Comic books used to have a reputation, this reputation pinned comic books as a sort of picture book to entertain a child for an hour or so. Back in the day, DC ruled the comic book world in terms of super-hero comics. The heroes presented such as┬áSuperman, Wonder Woman┬áand┬áBatman┬áwere very much the clean cut, ÔÇÿdo gooderÔÇÖ type, and the plot tended to focus on a basic good vs. evil plotline. And sure, this is fine. But these stories were not gripping a large audience, considering comic-books were still mostly bought for children.
Enter ÔÇô ┬áFantastic Four, MarvelÔÇÖs first crack at a super-hero comic (back when Marvel was still branded as Timely Comics).┬á┬áFantastic Four centred around a group of heroes instead of singular ones, inspired by DCÔÇÖs Justice League of America. But unlike the DC do-gooder image, Marvel gave their heroes substance. Instead of being born with super-human powers, their talents were inherited because of a freak-accident which already situates the story as much more believable than the heroes that had dominated comics so far. Fantastic Four┬áwas set on earth which assisted in creating a more relatable read. And, unlike DC, these heroes were flawed. They had real-life issues to deal with such as arguments within the group, breakups, and many other conflicts. The teamÔÇÖs appeal was that the plot navigated through relatable, human problems whilst trying to adapt to their super-human powers. This depth to the comic stories is what began to draw in older readers.
After the success of┬áFantastic Four, Timely Comics officially became Marvel Comics in 1961, with new stories such as┬áIncredible Hulk,┬áThor, and MarvelÔÇÖs biggest seller┬áSpider-Man,┬ábeing released in 1962, all drawing in a larger fanbase.┬áIron Man was released the following year of 1963 but was surprisingly unpopular compared to the rest of the heroes. When┬áIron Man┬áwas made into the live-action film we all know and love the character had a significant makeover, changing a basic tin-man outfit, (think Tony escaping the cave in┬áIM1,) to an instantly recognisable red and yellow suit. Considering it was┬áIron Man┬áthat sparked the birth of the MCU, it is admirable to consider the risk Marvel took by basing a universe upon one of Stan LeeÔÇÖs lesser known comic characters.┬á
Along with Marvel Comics getting its own branding came the birth of the ÔÇÿMarvel Method.ÔÇÖ The way of creating stories in Marvel Comics was quite unique. A brief synopsis of the plot was given to the artist, the artist would then fully illustrate the issue, and afterwards the more detailed plot was built around the artwork. This particular method, however, didnÔÇÖt come without its issues. We have all heard of the lovable Stan Lee ÔÇô because he gave himself most of the credit. Jack Kirby, the illustrator, would often go uncredited for major plotlines that were his idea. In the first issue of┬áFantastic Four, the credit was ÔÇ£written by Stan Lee, illustrated by Jack Kirby,ÔÇØ but a lot of the writing would not exist without KirbyÔÇÖs ideas. For example, Kirby added the Silver Surfer to┬áFantastic Four┬áyet he did not receive any credit, even for such a major character. Lee and Kirby continued to have a rocky relationship, which eventually ended in Kirby leaving Marvel in 1978 to join rival DC.┬á
Despite the drama behind the scenes, Marvel Comics continued to dominate the comic-book sales for their daring and important storylines. In 1971, a controversial issue of┬áThe Amazing Spider-Man┬ácentred around an anti-drug abuse plotline, tackling topics that were often avoided in comics in favour of light-hearted super-hero tales. The substance-centred plotline threatened the Comics Code Authority, but Lee continued to release three more similar storylines. The Code was afterwards revisited, allowing drugs to be used as a plotline if they were portrayed as ÔÇ£a vicious habit.ÔÇØ Another pivotal point in comic book history was MarvelÔÇÖs release of the first issue of┬áBlack Panther┬áin 1966, marking the first black super-hero in comic history. These good kinds of risks were extremely successful in widening MarvelÔÇÖs target audience, and comic books continued to transform from childrenÔÇÖs literature to collectorÔÇÖs items.
To make the move from Comics to the staggering MCU we know today was not an easy ride. In the late 90ÔÇÖs, comic-book popularity was rapidly decreasing. So, in order to not completely plummet, Marvel sold the rights to some of their most popular characters in an attempt to keep money coming in. Big character names such as┬áSpider-Man, Fantastic Four┬áand the┬áX-Men┬áwere sold off, so when Marvel wanted to create its own cinematic universe they were struggling with which of their more unpopular heroes to pick that could kickstart the series of films. The final decision on┬áIron-Man┬ácame from showing a group of children pictures of some potential characters and asking them which one they would like to play with as a toy. The kids picked the ÔÇÿrobot looking oneÔÇÖ (Iron Man,) and voila,┬áthe Marvel Cinematic Universe was born.
It is quite incredible how much effort Stan Lee put into linking all his characters together to create one big universe that actually makes sense. He, along with other brilliant writers and illustrators, created this universe from scratch. The universe was so well-thought out that it is still a booming success all these years later. Marvel is dominating the movie industry now, and it’s sometimes easy to forget that all this success came from a form of literature that some still deem ÔÇÿfor children.ÔÇÖ┬á