Marvel settles with four artists in superhero copyright fight

[Kirby101]

https://www.reuters.com/legal/marvel...ource=facebook

Disney's (DIS.N) Marvel has agreed to end its court battles with four artists who attempted to reclaim copyright interests in superheroes they co-created including Iron Man, Ant-Man and Captain Marvel, according to federal court filings published on Friday.

The filings said Marvel would drop its lawsuits against Larry Lieber and the estates of Don Heck, Gene Colan and Don Rico with prejudice, which means they cannot be refiled. A Disney spokesperson and an attorney for the artists said they had reached an "amicable resolution."

Colan created Captain Marvel and The Guardians, Heck and Rico created The Black Widow, Leiber(Stan's brother) was a writer at Marvel and helped create Iron Man along with Heck.
I won't go into the characters Stan took credit for that he did not create.

[gurkle]

Maybe now they'll all get official co-creator credit on comics and adaptations the way Kirby has since Disney settled with his estate (and Ditko, even though they haven't settled with his estate).

[shooshoomanjoe]

They were work for hire. Annoying when creators try to take away a company's characters away from fans.

[gurkle]

They were work for hire. Annoying when creators try to take away a company's characters away from fans.

They know no court would go that far, so what they're trying to get is what happened -- a settlement that gives some money and credit to the people who helped create these characters, at a time when contracts were vague and no one expected these characters to last as long or become as profitable as they did.

[The Cool Thatguy]

They know no court would go that far, so what they're trying to get is what happened -- a settlement that gives some money and credit to the people who helped create these characters, at a time when contracts were vague and no one expected these characters to last as long or become as profitable as they did.

Yeah, it's kinda messed up that Starlin created Thanos, the movies made record profits and got nada.

But then, with the way this works, things get complicated when you get into the weeds.

Rob L created Deadpool, but he did not develop him into the motormouth merc that he is.

What about say, Beetle? If Abe appears in a Marvel movie as Mach-1, who should get the credit? Stan Lee who created him, or Kurt Buseik who developed him?

[JudicatorPrime]

I won't go into the characters Stan took credit for that he did not create.

Since the days of my early youth, I had been hearing that was a pretty long list. Hope that everyone eventually gets the proper credit.

[babyblob]

It was the same for Winter Solider. Who gets the ultimate credit for him? Simon and Kirby who created Bucky? Or Brubaker who did the redesign and turned him into what he is today?

For that matter who gets the credit for Characters that were created by one person but given a new identity by another.

It can get pretty messy I think.

[shooshoomanjoe]

Yeah, it's kinda messed up that Starlin created Thanos, the movies made record profits and got nada.

But then, with the way this works, things get complicated when you get into the weeds.

Rob L created Deadpool, but he did not develop him into the motormouth merc that he is.

What about say, Beetle? If Abe appears in a Marvel movie as Mach-1, who should get the credit? Stan Lee who created him, or Kurt Buseik who developed him?

That's not true. Deadpool hasn't shut up since New Mutants #98. Even one of the characters (Cable I think) made a comment of how much Deadpool talked.

[Alan2099]

Several characters make comments that Deadpool never shuts up.

Also his first story ends with Cable sticking him in a box and mailing him back to his employer. If that doesn't feel like traditional Deadpool to you, I don't know what to say.

[K7P5V]

That's not true. Deadpool hasn't shut up since New Mutants #98. Even one of the characters (Cable I think) made a comment of how much Deadpool talked.

Indeed. Here's proof...

Several characters make comments that Deadpool never shuts up.

Also his first story ends with Cable sticking him in a box and mailing him back to his employer. If that doesn't feel like traditional Deadpool to you, I don't know what to say.

Yeah! Even more proof (LOL):

[Zauriel]

https://www.reuters.com/legal/marvel...ource=facebook



Colan created Captain Marvel and The Guardians, Heck and Rico created The Black Widow, Leiber(Stan's brother) was a writer at Marvel and helped create Iron Man along with Heck.
I won't go into the characters Stan took credit for that he did not create.

Gene Colan did not create Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Groot, Rocket Raccoon, Nebula and Mantis.

[Tendrin]

Gene Colan did not create Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Groot, Rocket Raccoon, Nebula and Mantis.

Those aren't the original Guardians of the Galaxy that he DID create, without which there wouldn't be a Guardians of the Galaxy at all.

[Digifiend]

Yeah, it's kinda messed up that Starlin created Thanos, the movies made record profits and got nada.

But then, with the way this works, things get complicated when you get into the weeds.

Rob L created Deadpool, but he did not develop him into the motormouth merc that he is.

What about say, Beetle? If Abe appears in a Marvel movie as Mach-1, who should get the credit? Stan Lee who created him, or Kurt Buseik who developed him?

Lee created Abner Jenkins, but Busiek created his Mach-# identity. DC's Stargirl TV show was careful with it's wording - it credited Geoff Johns and Lee Moder as creators of Courtney Whitmore, rather than as creators of Stargirl - because when Moder was involved, her codename was Star Spangled Kid. So if Marvel did the same thing, Lee (and the artist - Ditko?) would get the credit, as a creator of Abner Jenkins, but not as creator of Mach-# (which was created by Busiek and Bagley).

[Kirby101]

They were work for hire. Annoying when creators try to take away a company's characters away from fans.

Actually Kirby, Ditko and others were promised royalties that never came. It is much more complex that the Marvel company line.

[Kirby101]

Yeah, it's kinda messed up that Starlin created Thanos, the movies made record profits and got nada.

But then, with the way this works, things get complicated when you get into the weeds.

Rob L created Deadpool, but he did not develop him into the motormouth merc that he is.

What about say, Beetle? If Abe appears in a Marvel movie as Mach-1, who should get the credit? Stan Lee who created him, or Kurt Buseik who developed him?

While you are right about popularity and development, creator credit usually goes to the ones who first conceived the characters in their first appearance.

It doesn't matter what stories they used for the Captain America movies or Superman movies. They were created by Simon & Kirby and Seigel & Shuster.

I think as fans it is a good discussion about who gets credit for a character being what they are. We all give credit to Starlin for what made Captain Marvel good. But legally, it is the first creators.