The world of Marvel is a bit crowded on the silver screen. Guardians of the Galaxy later this year marks a massive thirty-three live action films produced and released in theaters based on Marvel characters since the year 2000. Comparatively, the total number of live action films produced and released in theaters based on DC characters in the same time frame is nine. Through 2018 there are ten more Marvel based movies with scheduled release dates. There is only one DC based movie scheduled for release in that time frame.
How is this possible? In the comic book world these two are giants. How is one totally dominating the other on film?
The answer is simple. All DC releases these days come to you exclusively through one studio. Warner Bros. The Marvel universe is divided among THREE studios. Sony, Fox, and the in-house Marvel Studios, which is owned by Disney. Let me break this down for you.
In the years leading up to the release of X-Men in 2000, Marvel was a comic book company and Disney did not yet own them. They didn't have the resources to produce their own films so they aggressively licensed their characters and properties to larger studios. Fox got X-Men, Daredevil, and the Fantastic Four (and all associated characters of each). Sony got Spider-Man (and all associated characters). Universal got Hulk.
Under these licenses the studios were only allowed to sit on these properties for a set amount of time. In other words every minute a movie wasn't produced was a minute closer to the rights reverting back to Marvel. This was essentially a non-issue at the time, since Marvel had no in-house production capability. Losing your license just meant wasted money.
Then Marvel Studios began producing their own films and before you know it Iron Man is a runaway success. Disney notices, says, "Hmm." And buys Marvel. With Marvel now armed with full capability of production, and backed by the resources of Disney, and superhero movies becoming very profitable - Sony and Fox had to hold on to their licenses for dear life.
Since then Hulk and Daredevil have reverted back to Marvel. The Fantastic Four were almost out the door and on their way back to Marvel when Fox hired a writer with literally days to spare. They will show up again next year.
The main takeaway here is that these studios don't play all that well with each other. They compete directly. For example there are four Marvel based films this year. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (April 4th), The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (May 2nd), X-Men: Days of Future Past (May 23rd), and Guardians of the Galaxy (August 1st). Note that the first three are all crowded in to a two month span but the fourth one is way out in August. That is because the two that are farthest apart (Cap and Guardians) are both in-house Marvel films, and at that span there won't be any moviegoers making a choice between the two - thus they won't cannibalize each other's market share. Maximum profits. The other two are lookin' out for numero uno and that's it.
Why will Spider-Man never be an Avenger? Because he's with Sony and they are with Marvel Studios. Will it ever happen? Maybe. But remember when I said Sony and Fox are clinging to their licenses for dear life? I can illustrate that point by answering another question. Why was the Spider-Man franchise "rebooted" so quickly after Spider-Man 3? You will remember there was a five year gap between Spider-Man 3 in 2007 and The Amazing Spider-Man in 2012. Would anyone care to venture a guess at the production time limit on that license? That's right! Five years.
"But seriously," you're asking, "will it ever happen? Are crossovers possible?" Not likely, but possible. Let me tell you about a couple funny things that have happened as a result of this mess.
Not very long ago Bryan Singer (director of X-Men, X2: X-Men United, and this summer's X-Men: Days of Future Past) announced that Quicksilver has been cast in Days of Future Past. To be played by Evan Peters. Less than six months later it was revealed that Quicksilver would be in Avengers: Age of Ultron! (for the uninitiated that's the Avengers sequel due next May) Except in Age of Ultron Quicksilver would be played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson. The same Marvel character played by two different actors in two different movies - from two different studios! This made a lot of people go, "What!?"
Apparently both Fox and Marvel have claim on the character. Fox's license on the X-Men includes Magneto (and, in fact, all mutants) and Quicksilver is Magneto's son so they have claim on him. In the comics Quicksilver becomes an Avenger, so Marvel Studios has claim on him as well.
This is going to have A LOT of moviegoers confused in the next year or so. And it doesn't stop there. Something else funny has happened.
Evidently the end credits to The Amazing Spider-Man 2 will feature a scene from X-Men: Days of Future Past. Is it a tease at a team up?? No. The director of the Amazing Spider-Man movies, Marc Webb, was under contract to return and direct a feature for Fox, but Sony wanted him to do The Amazing Spider-Man 2. The compromise: Sony gets their director but Fox gets their movie promoted for free. In the middle of the credits. I'm not saying it was a good move for Fox or Sony, I'm just explaining how it happened. They do talk to each other. That's something.
I've been stalling. Back to the point! Will there ever be a crossover with Spider-Man, the X-Men, or the Avengers? I say don't hold your breath. Most likely not. The box office prospects of such a crossover would be astronomical to say the least. But the legal and logistical headache of where the profits go and how it all gets produced would be equally huge. Maybe huge enough to prevent it entirely. That's not even mentioning how each studio would undoubtedly want their favorite director at the helm. I don't think it will happen. That's the way it looks so far. And that's why Spider-Man will never be an Avenger.
The one. The only. Big Shot Critic
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