Mr. Feige, I don’t feel so good … Copyright ownership, creators’ rights, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is the highest grossing franchise of all time. What happens when the creators of some of the characters that have made Earth’s Mightiest Heroes such an onscreen success attempt to reclaim their ownership of those characters? This article discusses the relationship of the MCU to copyright disputes in phases. First, the history of copyright contests over Marvel characters is discussed, starting with the licensing disputes surrounding the 1998 film Blade. Former attempts by creators to reclaim ownership of their comic book characters are then analysed and compared to the current claims for ownership of MCU characters. The article then speculates on the possible effects of character ownership becoming split in the MCU and suggests ways that the MCU might move forward by taking an approach to shared character ownership informed by past Marvel licensing and character agreements.