Is Disney/Marvel considering an outright sale of X-Men to Fox?

[WallStreeter]

Is Disney/Marvel considering an outright sale of the X-Men to Fox?

For those of you who love conspiracy theories.

As a result of the terrigen mists and the retcons concerning Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch, the Avengers have only one mutant, Rogue.

AvX destroyed relations between the X-Men and Avengers. Now with Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch revealed not to be mutants and the Avengers practically having no mutants, the separation of the X-Men from the rest of Marvel is almost complete. If Disney/Marvel doesn't want to fully utilize the X-Men (make cartoons, more video games, more promotions) because Fox holds live action rights (film and tv) then what long term value does the X-Men hold for Disney/Marvel? I think they may sell them to Fox.

They now have the Inhumans for a large number of superpowered people so they don't have to have unique origins for everyone. Mutants fulfilled that roll in Marvel, but now that is out.

The cosmic characters would likely be available for use for both companies. The celestials, Galacticus, Roma and Merlin, etc have a place in both Fox properties (X-Men, FF) and Avengers. The X-Men have their own magical characters (Magik, Belasco, Margali, Amanda Sefton) in addition to those both companies could claim rights to (Roma, Merlin).

For the record I do like Extraordinary X-Men, Uncanny X-Men, and All New X-Men but this just confirms the complete separation of the X-Men from the rest of Marvel for me and it is clear the film rights are responsible. And Fox is never giving that up.

[Harpsikord]

I'm not going to give a full response to this because it's honestly just dumb: the answer is, absolutely and unequivocally, no. Also, re: the avengers having no mutants... what?

Sunspot is a New Avenger. Rogue and Cable are Uncanny Avengers-- so is Deadpool who while not a mutant, is an X-Property. Beast and Frenzy co-star in Inhuman titles.

[WallStreeter]

I'm not going to give a full response to this because it's honestly just dumb: the answer is, absolutely and unequivocally, no. Also, re: the avengers having no mutants... what?

Sunspot is a New Avenger. Rogue and Cable are Uncanny Avengers-- so is Deadpool who while not a mutant, is an X-Property. Beast and Frenzy co-star in Inhuman titles.

Uncanny Avengers is a fringe title and Sunspot is hardly a core Avengers. He is barely hanging on to the team. Deadpool is a member of Uncanny Avengers which again is NOT CORE or RELEVANT to the Avengers.

So again would Disney/Marvel totally sell off a property they can't make much money from the film and tv rights too? Don't get hysterically at the suggestion, think calmly and rationally. We already have had people like Brevoort say it makes sense for Marvel not to promote the X-Men as much because of the live action rights issue.

[Harpsikord]

Uncanny Avengers is a fringe title and Sunspot is hardly a core Avengers. He is barely hanging on to the team. Deadpool is a member of Uncanny Avengers which again is NOT CORE or RELEVANT to the Avengers.

So again would Disney/Marvel totally sell off a property they can't make much money from the film and tv rights too? Don't get hysterically at the suggestion, think calmly and rationally. We already have had people like Brevoort say it makes sense for Marvel not to promote the X-Men as much because of the live action rights issue.

Here's the thing: I am thinking rationally. And rationally thinking, it's dumb to think that Marvel would ever sell Fox full rights to the X-Men franchise.

In actuality this thread is nothing more than inflammatory clickbait.

[somacula]

There's the catch, perlmutter was fired from the Marvel movies committee, he still holds th3 full rights over the x men comics and commercial rights but no movie rights. So... Since the higher ups at Disney fired him from influencing the movies there's the possibility that out of spite he decides to collaborate with Fox. I don't think he plans to sell the comic rights, that'd be idiotic but working more closely with Fox can be a possibility

[redrunner97]

Perlmutter wouldn't be able to sell the comics without approval from Disney, and that's something they'd never sign off on.

I think that the odds of a Fox-Marvel team-up is inevitable, it's more a matter of when then if; IMHO.

Here's the thing: I am thinking rationally. And rationally thinking, it's dumb to think that Marvel would ever sell Fox full rights to the X-Men franchise.

In actuality this thread is nothing more than inflammatory clickbait.

Exactly.

Also, owning the X-Men outside of just the movies wouldn't benefit Fox much (if at all), as they already have full film rights, and now two tv shows as well. I doubt they're clamoring for an animated series or anything, so what would Fox -or Disney- even get out of such a ridiculous deal?

If Disney holds onto the rights, then they'll eventually revert back. At some point, maybe after the superhero craze dies down (or evolves to another point, past where it is now), there will be a time when Fox lets the rights lapse (even if it's decades from now). Disney gains nothing from selling. It's not even a little bit sensible.

[MarvelMaster616]

Without knowing anything about the inner workings of the Marvel/Disney offices, we can't say for certain what sort of ideas they're conjuring. But I think we can all reasonably say that Marvel would never consider selling something as valuable as the X-men to Fox. That's basically giving up an entire stream of revenue and no company, especially not Marvel and Disney, would ever do that without getting something truly massive in return. And I don't think there's anything Fox can give them that would come close to that return.

This said, I do think that it's worth scrutinizing the relationship between Fox and Marvel. Unlike the Fantastic Four, Fox has been able to turn X-men into profitable, successful franchise. Nobody should doubt for a second that Fox wants more profit out of this franchise. That's exactly why they're seeking TV deals because at the moment, TV is trumping movies in terms of revenue and profit. The cost of making movies is going up while the reward for making TV shows is escalating. On top of that, Marvel refuses to do anything with the animation rights to the X-men. So those are two powerful mediums that Fox can't touch without running head-first into Marvel's lawyers.

I do believe that this relationship is going to change because Fox just can't keep relying on X-men movies. At some point, the law of averages will catch up with them. One of those movies is going to be a dud. Unlike Marvel, they don't have a more diverse set of material to draw from like a Guardians of the Galaxy or Ant Man. I think Fox will cling to these movie rights with an adamantium grip, but they want more from Marvel. And the only way they're going to get it is to compromise. Right now, I don't think either side is willing to compromise and until one of them blinks, the X-men as a property will suffer.

[jawbreaker]

also Disney would never sell the remaining X-men rights to Fox b/c that would just allow Fox to develop a franchise that would rival MCU. Fox is kinda screwed over by the fact that they cant really grow the X-men beyond that of a smaller franchise for teens/adults b/c they lack the cartoon, game, & toy rights that are essential for attracting kids and parents, which is what Marvel/Disney has. And Disney isnt going to let X-men become even more competition for them, when they already have to worry about DC.

[MarvelMaster616]

also Disney would never sell the remaining X-men rights to Fox b/c that would just allow Fox to develop a franchise that would rival MCU. Fox is kinda screwed over by the fact that they cant really grow the X-men beyond that of a smaller franchise for teens/adults b/c they lack the cartoon, game, & toy rights that are essential for attracting kids and parents, which is what Marvel/Disney has. And Disney isnt going to let X-men become even more competition for them, when they already have to worry about DC.

You're right for the most part, but the bold text adds another wrinkle to the mix. One benefit to the Fox deal, among few, is that Marvel doesn't have to finance or market the X-men movies whatsoever. Fox has to do that with their own money. So it is possible for both sides to make money from X-men. Right now, there are just too many benefits that go to Fox and too few to Marvel. Keep in mind, this deal was made in the mid-90s when Marvel was bankrupt. It was not a fair deal. It really couldn't be a fair deal because Fox, who were raking in big bucks at the time with blockbusters like Independence Day, had both the money and the leverage. I think on some levels, Marvel is still bitter about that and want to change it.

The fact that Marvel managed to get Spider-Man back under their wing to some extent offers some precedent that Marvel can negotiate with its rivals. The problem is that Sony was in a much worse position than Fox. Marvel had the leverage in that deal. And until that dynamic changes with Fox, I don't think either side is going to budge. Disney is notorious for clinging to its properties and maintaining strict control over everything it makes. Fox is notorious for not playing well with others. But if there's a way for both sides to make a good profit, then that's all the motivation they need.

[datugu]

Honestly, I think Fox should give the rights back to Marvel/Disney because they are doing bad movies with the X-Men (only two movies I like it)...

Disney will never sell it to Fox and hope they never do, the worse that can happen is make the X-men disappear, little by little, until they are no more relevant... and they let the X-men franchise in a box to get dust... is not the first time Disney do something like that...

In my case I Have enough of Fox, they destroying super heroes with bad movies, bad moves etc... I hope one day Fox get in a serious problem (economical or something like, even powerful companies have bad times) and the only way to save them is sell the rights to Disney...

The problem is that the X-Men are on the hand of two closed companies, while it will be nice they collaborate to create good movies and series and both earn money, they prefer to destroy my favorite superheroes before giving an inch...

Also I feel Fox is only doing movies in order do not lose the rights... only a few movies are good and when I see them I feel I'm not looking to a X-Men Movie or series... true, is thank to Fox that many people began to love the X-Men and began to read the comics (like it happened to me with the 90's cartoon)...

Honestly, looking how good movies Disney is doing, even if the story has nothing to do with the comics, I prefer FOX sells the rights to Disney... even the movie Star Wars episode 7 they did a really good job...

I only hope the next X-Men movie is not crap like many of the X-Men movies and I will see what happen with Deadpool...

Note: I know many people LOVE the X-Men movies, but honestly, for me they are crap except some few movies!!!

[Moondoggie]

I don't really hold a hope for a good movie from FOX even the only one I could say I enjoyed which was X2 was really just mediocre like the first movie they made. Once they got into all that First Class stuff it was basically a reboot for FOX to remake X Men in their own image and they've been slowly merging everything together into that so I just don't feel much connection with it other than seeing a live action version of mutants and just thinking "Oh that looks cool" but the stories are just their own ideas while sometimes taking some influences from the comics but making their own version pushing the characters they want to push much like the Wolverine movies. Deadpool they really don't need to try hard. Just make it goofy and add lots of blood and swearing. The teenagers who go to see it will be impressed and feel cool and edgy. Story be damned. I really have even less faith in the next X Men movie than the last one and I went into that knowing I wouldn't like it. It's just more First Class nonsense plus Sansa Stark and her pouty face wobbly lip acting.

[ChildOfTheAtom]

Honestly, I think Fox should give the rights back to Marvel/Disney because they are doing bad movies with the X-Men (only two movies I like it)...

Disney will never sell it to Fox and hope they never do, the worse that can happen is make the X-men disappear, little by little, until they are no more relevant... and they let the X-men franchise in a box to get dust... is not the first time Disney do something like that...

In my case I Have enough of Fox, they destroying super heroes with bad movies, bad moves etc... I hope one day Fox get in a serious problem (economical or something like, even powerful companies have bad times) and the only way to save them is sell the rights to Disney...

The problem is that the X-Men are on the hand of two closed companies, while it will be nice they collaborate to create good movies and series and both earn money, they prefer to destroy my favorite superheroes before giving an inch...

Also I feel Fox is only doing movies in order do not lose the rights... only a few movies are good and when I see them I feel I'm not looking to a X-Men Movie or series... true, is thank to Fox that many people began to love the X-Men and began to read the comics (like it happened to me with the 90's cartoon)...

Honestly, looking how good movies Disney is doing, even if the story has nothing to do with the comics, I prefer FOX sells the rights to Disney... even the movie Star Wars episode 7 they did a really good job...

I only hope the next X-Men movie is not crap like many of the X-Men movies and I will see what happen with Deadpool...

Note: I know many people LOVE the X-Men movies, but honestly, for me they are crap except some few movies!!!

Good thing this will never happen

[donpricetag]

This wouldnt happen but lets talk about it anyway. From a fan standpoint, it wouldnt be the worst thing in the world. If Marvel was sold to Fox outright but were able to keep their editors and writers in place, it might work out. The only thing that I would be afraid of is a universe reset with the hands of execs all over it. But getting the X-Men comics out from under Quesada and his Disney overlords might be a great thing, story wise. A fresh start with nothing holding back narratives or story possibilities. Top notch art more often than not, a dedicated marketing team... yeah why not.

Why its impossible: Marvel, while not putting their full might behind the X-Men, still make money off these suckers. Royalty deals and licensing still provides plenty of dough for them. Not as much as they'd like mind you. Another reason this wouldnt work out... sorry to say because Marvel and DC refuse to evolve with the times and accept their markets arent going to be growing any time soon if at all, the medium as a whole is dying. Books dont make what they used to, but instead of accepting, they force feed us cross over after cross over and relaunch after relaunch in hopes of trying to pry our dollars out. Luckily (or unluckily, depending on where you stand) that model is starting fail, if it hasnt already. Books need to be cheaper, longer and less reliant on other titles. Yeah, I know what this entails, itll mean some of these Marvel Comic execs, and "rock star" writers will need to take pay cuts, but hey less pay is better than no pay, right? Again, this'll never happen.

[Mister Mets]

Probably not, but it's an interesting prospect.

Fox would become one of the major comics publishers overnight, probably on par with IDW and Valiant. It would be a tremendous lynchpin for a new publisher with plenty of its own intellectual properties.

Disney would avoid the oddness of comics they publish being an IP factory for another studio.

Untangling the continuity could be a nightmare, but this would allow for the exploration of the mutant metaphor in a less complicated universe (one without other teams of superheroes affecting the big picture.)

There is also the question of whether readers would end up interested in these comics. It could be that fans of the current books wouldn't care for a new direction.

[Arya]

I'm not going to give a full response to this because it's honestly just dumb: the answer is, absolutely and unequivocally, no. Also, re: the avengers having no mutants... what?

Sunspot is a New Avenger. Rogue and Cable are Uncanny Avengers-- so is Deadpool who while not a mutant, is an X-Property. Beast and Frenzy co-star in Inhuman titles.