Marvel Studios
Film and television studio known for building the interconnected, multi-billion-dollar Marvel Cinematic Universe blockbuster franchise.
- Entries
- 8
- On the record
- 1
- Stories
- 1
- Latest entry
- Dec 2023
The record
Marvel Studios is the film and television studio behind the Marvel Cinematic Universe, owned by the Walt Disney Company since Disney completed its purchase of Marvel Entertainment on December 31, 2009. The deal was valued at $4.3 billion in cash and stock, the Los Angeles Business Journal reported, with Marvel shareholders receiving $30 in cash and 0.745 Disney shares for each share. A 2005 license filed with the SEC had set aside theatrical film rights to the characters for MVL Rights LLC.
Its main court record concerns the characters themselves. Jack Kirby's heirs sought to reclaim copyrights in his work, and after the Second Circuit decided Marvel Characters v. Kirby in August 2013 they petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing that his freelance work should not be treated as work for hire. The petition was dismissed in September 2014 after the parties filed a stipulation to dismiss.
The studio's awards record peaks with Black Panther, which won three Academy Awards in 2019 and was nominated for Best Picture with Kevin Feige as producer. In July 2023 Disney chief executive Bob Iger said Marvel's move into television had diluted focus and attention, and that December the studio dropped Jonathan Majors after a jury convicted him of one assault charge and a harassment violation and acquitted him of two other charges.
Roles and honours on the record
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A Marvel spokesperson said it never publicly discloses salaries or deal terms, disputing a reported $15 million figure. Johansson and Disney settled the Black Widow pay suit
Stories in this file
The record, entry by entry
- 2005-08-31 Official MVL Rights LLC granted Marvel Characters, Inc. an exclusive, worldwide, perpetual license to Marvel copyrights and trademarks, with rights to theatrical pictures carved out for MVL under a separate license, in an agreement filed with the SEC. SEC filing, exhibit 10.6, Exclusive License Agreement
- 2009-12-31 Reported Marvel Entertainment shareholders approved the sale and Disney said it had completed the acquisition, valued at $4.3 billion in cash and stock, the Los Angeles Business Journal reported. Los Angeles Business Journal report
- 2013-08-08 Ruled The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit decided Marvel Characters v. Kirby, the copyright termination dispute with Jack Kirby's heirs, who later asked the Supreme Court to review it. U.S. Supreme Court, docket No. 13-1178
- 2014-09-26 Official The Supreme Court dismissed the Kirby heirs' petition under Rule 46 after the parties filed a stipulation to dismiss. The petition had asked whether work by independent contractors could be treated as work for hire. SCOTUSblog case file, Kirby v. Marvel Characters
- 2019 Official Black Panther won Academy Awards for production design, costume design and original score, and was nominated for Best Picture with Kevin Feige as producer. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, ceremony record
- 2023-07-13 Reported Disney chief executive Bob Iger said Marvel's expansion into television diluted focus and attention, noting it had increased its film output and also made a number of series, CNBC reported. CNBC report
- 2023-12 Reported Marvel Studios dropped Jonathan Majors immediately after a jury convicted him of one assault charge and a harassment violation and acquitted him of another assault charge and aggravated harassment, NBC News reported. NBC News report