Marvel was in terrible financial straights in the late 90s so bad that they had to actually file for bankruptcy. What if it got to much and they effectively collapse. For a specific point of departure let’s say many of marvels smaller comic series are just out competed by DC and other comic companies and fail to produce dividends. What would happen to the comic industry and the movie scene as a whole long term?
Marvel collapses as a corporation in the late 90s
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At that point someone might pick the pieces, MGM i think already have spiderman and saban xmen were profitable so Fox might get them, the rest will just vanquish
No, I think some comic company, most likely DC, would simply buy the marvel characters for cheap and incorporate them into their universe . Or at least the ones they can use, or are populair enough.
Should there not be a rise of children’s/youth oriented comic book and superhero film series in the 2000s and 2010s as a a result of this, then it is likely that something else equally flashy would likely fill the void. I don’t think there are any real long term impacts on Western culture from Marvel specifically or the intense popularity of the genre in general.
I think Image would be the likelier bet given how its founders are ex-Marvel.
You are probably right. DC doesn't realy need marvel characters, since it has its own extremely well known once, while Image does not realy. And it could use marvel IP more than DC. So if image has the money, it will probably buy it. Assuming DC isn't willing to outbid them. The only reason DC might buy it is to completely dominate the superhero market
They can't excatly because that, anti monopoly concerns but I think marvel will be buy by piecemeal
They actualy can, since there is more to the comics industry than just superheroes. DC will dominate the superhero market, but not the other markets and with marvel being bankrupt and not producing anything, it wont actualy change anything if DC just buys the intellectual property of a bankrupt marvel.
In the 90's it weren't,that was still the 90% if the market mostly DC and marvel dominated,with once gone,the other will be scarry that anti monopoly could hit them. Too late to help Moore but well them
I'd say D.C might be interested in picking up the most valuable IPs such as Spider-Man and the X-Men but much of the rest would probably be sold off for peanuts. I'd guess Image become the main competitor to D.C. but at a distant second compared to where Marvel stood.
As said Before Spider-man already have a owner(Cannon/MGM), the same X-MEN(Fox kids-Saban), the rest might be grabbed by Image and DC
The film and TV rights yes, I'm fairly certain the comic rights remained with Marvel though and that's what D.C. would be after after this hypothetical collapse.
I was not thinking about DC buying all of Marvel. Because in that case you probably are right. I was thinking about Marvel being bankrupt and being completely dismantled and everything that is worth something is being sold of seperately. Usualy for a price significantly lower than it is actualy worth. So the local lawfirm buys one of the buildings, the guy across the street who creates flyers buys the printers, and the IP rights of the marvel characters are bought by DC or Image or whoever has some money lying around and thinks he can make a profit out of them. I don't think in that case antitrust laws get involved, since it is just the IP, just the rights to use thoise characters.
Depends on exactly how the Marvel Entertainment Group collapses over 94-95. In OTL is was due to massive overreach by Perelman and his cronies, and they were in effect brought by Toy Box.
If the Perelman McAndrew and Forbes empire collapsed (he is very dodgy) at the same time then I could see Marvel’s value tanking and even Toy Box walking away, even given the value of the IP simply cos of the massive debts and ‘virtual money’ involved with the mess Perelman had made.
With that as the case I could see someone like Jim Shooter making a move to acquire as much of the group as possible as fire sale prices.
Back then since Marvel was not the media powerhouse it is today I doubt anyone like Paramount, Disney, Warner would step in.
If the Perelman McAndrew and Forbes empire collapsed (he is very dodgy) at the same time then I could see Marvel’s value tanking and even Toy Box walking away, even given the value of the IP simply cos of the massive debts and ‘virtual money’ involved with the mess Perelman had made.
With that as the case I could see someone like Jim Shooter making a move to acquire as much of the group as possible as fire sale prices.
Back then since Marvel was not the media powerhouse it is today I doubt anyone like Paramount, Disney, Warner would step in.
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Dude IP is the only thing that matters, anything else is useless without the IP
Yes and no. The thing is, IP is just Goodwill and it is worth a lot with a comicbook company backing it that is actualy publishing and printing comics. It is worthless when that comicbook company is bankrupt and forced to sell the chairs and tables. DC buying just the IP after Marvel is comepletely gone is very different from DC buying marvel, whioch would include far more than just the IP. DC would not buy the contracts with the writers, the comicbook artist, etc. It would not buy the subscriptions, the deals marvel has made with distributers, the printers, any of the people working for Marvel, etc. It would not buy a competitor, since that competitor no longer exists. It would just buy some ideas. Important ideas, that could be very profitable if handled right, but with the rest of Marvel gone, it is not worth that much.
That said, I think the idea of Image buying it is probably more likely. Image needs it more than DC, so it would probably pay more for it.