The remarkable success that Marvel Entertainment and its subsidiary, Marvel Studios, enjoyed may be attributed to several factors. The initial branding of Marvel Studios focused on comic books, declining sales by the end of the 20th century (Yockey 2). Marvel has been struggling to keep afloat for a while, filing for bankruptcy at one point in 1996 (Yockey 2). In the early 2000s, Marvel developed its readily recognizable cinematic superhero brand, starting with the X-Men in 2000 and growing with Iron Man in 2008 (Yockey 3). Another advantage the company already had was the close connection with the fan community (Bryan 149). Having the heroes familiar to the audience from comic books played by charismatic, well-known, and fitting actors only supported the success of this initiative (Hill 445). Specifically appealing to the fanbase by introducing âEaster eggsâ and post-credit scenes shows that the company knows its target audience and upkeeps an intimate relationship with it (Lu et al. 1930). The theme of superheroes truly resonates with the public, who is already deeply invested in the comic books universe, so it is unlikely that a different storyline would gain similar recognition.
However, the role that the Walt Disney Company cannot be discounted in Marvelâs success journey. The 2009 acquisition by Disney, worth $4 billion, gave the company critical financial support to expand on the brand (Yockey 2). The purchase itself and the amount that Disney was ready to contribute indicates that its representatives recognized both the âfinancial viability and cultural power of the Marvel brandâ (Yockey 2). Disneyâs risky game was a success: Marvel franchise has become the highest-grossing one in the world and is now worth over 50 billion USD (Chmielewski; Lu et al. 1929). Now, Marvel has access to an unprecedented wealth of resources, advertising platforms, and much larger teams to support mass production. Lu et al., however, argue that Marvel still does not utilize Disney resources such as theme parks or streaming services to their fullest potential (1932). Hence, the success that the studio enjoyed would not be the same if not for its merging with Disney.
Works Cited
Bryan, Peter Cullen. âGeeking Out and Hulking Out: Toward an Understanding of Marvel Fan Communities.âAge of the Geek: Depictions of Nerds and Geeks in Popular Media, edited by Kathryn E. Lane, Springer International Publishing, 2018, pp. 149â65. Springer Link, Web.
Chmielewski, Dawn. âFrom Avengers To Shang-Chi, What Marvel Studios Is Really Worth To Walt Disney.âForbes, 2021, Web.
Hill, Charles W. L. Global Business Today. 12th ed., McGraw Hill LLC, 2022.
Lu, Zijie, et al. âThe Analysis of Marvel (Disney) Marketing Strategies â Based on the Comparison between Marvel and DC Case.â Advances in Economics, Business and Management Research, vol. 648, Atlantis Press International B.V., 2022, pp. 1929â34, Web.
Yockey, Matt. Make Ours Marvel: Media Convergence and a Comics Universe. University of Texas Press, 2017.