The Ultraverse

[CentralPower]

Is that really why Marvel bought Malibu? I thought it might have to do with an ill-advised move to stay ahead of the likes of Image, grabbing some shelf space, etc. It sure doesn't seem like Marvel was interested in the IP.

I think that there was a printing technique Marvel wanted. But, they also wanted to remove a competitor (and take the shelf-space.)

[Brian B]

To tell the kind of stories you can't tell with Iron Man?
Well, that was before. Today style is: "let's tell any kind of story with the characters and forget any previous consistency and coherence and don't matter if it is out of character, nobody will care if we fill it with epic moments". And if five months nobody will remember it.

Sarcasm aside, any character can be used in a new way if you can find the scope or twist to sell it. If not, why Marvel tries to sell a Sentry series or an Hyperion series before that? Why do you have an Scarlet Spider series or a RYV if you have Spider-Man? There is always new ways to tell your tales or new spins to give to the stories.

Sarcasm aside, I have asked myself, why are they bothering to tell Sentry and Scarlet Spider stories? Really, why??

[Gryphon]

are they allowed to use Night Man in the current marvel comics? on another note, the only actual episode of the tv show that I remember had a guest appearance by Manimal (and his daughter).

technically he is in the MU after the crossover...or at least the black September version is

[shooshoomanjoe]

I guess we will see them when they become public domain characters.

[Lonewolf36]

technically he is in the MU after the crossover...or at least the black September version is

The Night Man that remained in the Marvel Universe died later in one of the limited series.

[Hypestyle]

there's no more excuses. They need to bring back these characters, in print, in video games, etc. and the movies.

[danielsan52]

Does Counter Earth still exist?

That would be the perfect place for these characters to emerge, stay part of the MU.

[The Cool Thatguy]

I guess we will see them when they become public domain characters.

I imagine that Disney will release a few issues prior to that, satisfying copyright, before re-shelving them.

[Gaastra]

Ultraverse meet Crossgen. Crossgen meet Ultraverse.

Two of the most awful things marvel has done. Why buy something and not use them? Other then exiles marvel uses nothing from them. What a huge waste. Again if dc had bought them they would have merged them into the dc universe and used them.

[Thor-Ul]

Two of the most awful things marvel has done. Why buy something and not use them?

Most probably to eliminate competitors. Or acquire talents or infrastructure. The motives could be several, not only the obvious ones.

Other then exiles marvel uses nothing from them. What a huge waste.

And ironically, the only thing they are using from the Ultraverse is a title, which isn't even the proper Ultraverse version, but the one they create when they acquired Malibu.

Again if dc had bought them they would have merged them into the dc universe and used them.

Not necesarily. Some IP receive more love than others but it takes time to time to DC to do something for others acquired properties: Ok, DC is publishing Wild Storm now, and otherscharacters are featured semi-regulary, but not always. That pretty much depends if some editor or creator had certain care for the characters, but in Marvel that isn't something usual.
Dunno if the Ultraverse could had better luck with DC. Well, at least they would had their own parallel universe.

[Sandy Hausler]

What would that settlement be, though? Movies are gangbangers now.

I'm wondering how long it will be before the copyright runs out, myself. After a while, they're 'use it or lose it', though I think that takes 30 years or more.

Copyrights are life plus 75 years. I think you are thinking about trademark. Since the characters haven't been used in decades, nobody owns a trademark on them, but without the copyright, nobody can use them

BTW, I think Marvel owns the copyrights, but there's also a contract, which require them to share money with the creators. So it's not a copyright issue; it's a contractual issue. One would think a deal could be worked. The creators get nothing if the characters are not being used.

Sandy Hausler

[Thor-Ul]

Copyrights are life plus 75 years. I think you are thinking about trademark. Since the characters haven't been used in decades, nobody owns a trademark on them, but without the copyright, nobody can use them

BTW, I think Marvel owns the copyrights, but there's also a contract, which require them to share money with the creators. So it's not a copyright issue; it's a contractual issue. One would think a deal could be worked. The creators get nothing if the characters are not being used.

Sandy Hausler

It has never been a copyright issue. And as has been explained by some creators the amount of money for them is minimal.

It is evident than the terms of the contract must made messy to birng back the Ultraverse in proper fashion. Or it is just than Marvel doesn't bother to use the characters at all.

[Hypestyle]

I hope that this can be addressed sooner than later. it would kind of suck for them to permanently languish. I guess it might take a regime change at marvel corporate to be willing to do something about this. My guess is that there are writers who would be willing to work with these characters.

[Sandy Hausler]

If Marvel doesn't want to pay royalties, they should sell the rights back to the creators. But I doubt it. Marvel doesn't want competition.

I don't think the Malibu characters would be serious competition to Marvel; others have tried to create their own comic book universe without success. Marvel might be willing to sell them if the price was right,but I doubt the creators (the only ones who would benefit from buying the characters) have enough cash to do the deal.

I could be wrong.

Sandy Hausler

[Sandy Hausler]

They certainly had some interesting visuals with that cast, but killing the entire cast seemed kinda random to me.

Granted, this was before butchering characters became a once a crossover fair.

Wasn't Juggernaut a member of the Exiles for a while?

Sandy Hausler