Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment, LLC was an American entertainment company founded in June 1998 and based in New York City, formed by the merger of Marvel Entertainment Group and Toy Biz. The company has been a wholly owned subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company since 2009, and was mainly known for consumer products, licensing and comic books by Marvel Comics, as well as its early forays into films and television series, including those within the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
Some of the key events about Marvel Entertainment
- 1939Published its first comic book, Marvel Comics #1, featuring characters like the Human Torch and Namor the Sub-Mariner
- 1957Faced distribution issues leading to massive layoffs and scaling back of operations
- 1961Launched the Fantastic Four, marking the beginning of the Marvel Universe
- 1962Introduced Spider-Man in Amazing Fantasy #15, creating one of the most popular superheroes of all time
- 1963Debuted the X-Men, a team of mutant superheroes that would become a cultural phenomenon
- 1966Premiered the Black Panther, the first mainstream superhero of African descent in American comics
- 1968Introduced the first African-American superhero in a mainstream comic book with the Falcon
- 1975Released Giant-Size X-Men #1, revitalizing the X-Men franchise with a diverse, international team
- 1996Filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection due to financial difficulties
- 2000Released "X-Men," its first major successful film adaptation, launching a new era of superhero movies
- 2005Sued by comic book writer Gary Friedrich over Ghost Rider copyright ownership
- 2008Began the Marvel Cinematic Universe with the release of "Iron Man," revolutionizing superhero films
- 2009Was acquired by The Walt Disney Company, expanding its reach and resources
- 2009Criticized for lack of diversity in superhero representation
- 2014Faced backlash for sexualized portrayal of female characters on comic book covers
- 2016Received criticism for whitewashing Asian characters in film adaptations
- 2017Controversial partnership with arms manufacturer Northrop Grumman led to public outcry
- 2018Faced criticism for low pay rates for comic book artists and writers
- 2019Canceled partnership with defense contractor Northrop Grumman after public backlash
- 2020Faced controversy over delayed payments to freelance comic creators during pandemic
Disclaimer: This material is written based on information taken from open sources, including Wikipedia, news media, podcasts, and other public sources.