Marvel is a powerhouse in the entertainment industry. The group has been creating successful movies and comics for decades. In 2009, the company was purchased by Disney for a reported fee of $4 billion. This is looking like a steal considering Disney has collected more than five times that figure from Marvel box office profits alone to date. They’ve gone big budget on Marvel narratives – and it’s paying off.
The takeover of Marvel has not hindered the brand’s successes in the world of publishing and film making. Yet, the parent company may have scaled back a lot of Marvel’s success in other areas. Discover what those areas are here.
Disney Realigns Marvel’s Focus
Since purchasing the company just over a decade ago, Disney has been busy working on the brand and aligning it with their own operation. The best example of this is a scaling back in entertainment formats associated with adults.
For example, Disney has pulled Marvel away from online video games and casino games that incorporate the brand’s characters and storylines. Nevertheless, other comic and anime slot machines are still widely available to play. You can find countless casino games still utilising popular movie characters from anime and comics online.
The Mandarin Debate
Disney has adjusted lots of Marvel characters since they took over, but no change stirs up more debate and anger than that of Mandarin. He was an essential character in Iron Man and served up an exciting rivalry with him. However, Disney approached the role with carelessness and didn’t give the Mandarin the screen time he deserves and gave the role to a non-big-name actor.
Improvements to Thor?
On the flip side, there are some characters that Marvel fans think Disney has transformed for the better. One of those is Thor. The character was stripped of his serious side in the Ragnarök film by giving him a funny character trait. Of course, not everyone will agree, and some will still prefer the serious Thor to Chris Hemsworth’s portrayal.
A Post-Cinematic World
Stepping back from individual characters and their changes once more – which could be an article in itself – Disney has created something new from the success of the Marvel films. These box office hits have strategically fed into a new streaming platform mostly exclusive to their shows. Disney + is now like a Netflix just for Marvel Universe films and a string of other branded shows, which is a unique creation even in the modern world of streaming services.
How Will Marvel Continue to Change?
Under Disney’s wing, Marvel may continue to change and align with the Disney ethos. The parent company typically wants to be seen as in the right and progressive on trendy topics. You can expect the classics to frequently be adapted in line with any changes in society and maybe edge closer to the core brand of children’s entertainment, without completely assimilating to Disney’s own classics.
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