Summary

Marvel has gone from publishing comic books to producing one of the most successful film franchises ever, bringing in billions in revenue. Although the company is known for its creative endeavors, much of its modern image was created by business tycoons, not creatives.  Marvel has made business decisions to preserve a certain brand, leaving many disappointed. The lack of people of color (POC) and leading women in comics creates a barrier between Marvel and marginalized people. The “bottom line” kept Marvel from branching out and exploring ways to connect with readers and viewers who were not young white men, because publishers believed “women don’t read comics.” This essay will discuss how Captain Marvel #1 (2012) by Kelly Sue DeConnick, which made Carol Danvers Captain Marvel, and the film Captain Marvel (2019) helped set the stage for a new era of more diverse Marvel stories on the big screen.

KENNEDY LEVISTER

Introduction

Comic book readers are often described as young white men, and superheroes are often characterized as young white men. In the early 20th century comic book readership was actually split 55% women to 45% men, but as time went on, comics catered mainly to men, and women lost their footing as readers (Arizona State University). To understand why this might be, it’s important to have a little background on the history of the comic book industry. The comic book industry went through distinct ages, beginning with the Golden Age in the late 1930s through the 50s. This age of comics was ushered in by the release of Action Comics #1, which introduced Superman in 1938, as well as other stories like DC heroes Batman and Wonder Woman. World War II began in 1939, and the Writers War Board with the funding and influence of the Office of War Information used comic books as a form of propaganda, often containing stereotypes of the Axis Powers (Turello). Marvel’s Captain America was also created during WWII; the hero’s first issue cover depicting Captain America punching Adolf Hitler square in the jaw.

Post-war, superheroes were no longer needed to push the war effort, so publishers leaned into other types of storytelling, including horror, crime, and romance. This change led psychologist Fredric Wertham to publish the book Seduction of the Innocent in 1954, which alleged a link between comic books and juvenile delinquency. Following this, the Comics Code Authority (CCA) was formed to self-censor comic books, which practically shut down the horror and crime genres, and changed romance comics to promote patriarchal and traditional relationship structures. This censorship propelled superheroes back into the spotlight. As the CCA relaxed between the 1970s and mid-80s, the Bronze Age crept in with heavier themes that would’ve previously been rejected. The Modern Age is commonly broken into two parts, the Dark Age, from 1986 to 2000, and the Present, from 2000 to now. The Dark Age was characterized by edgier and more violent adult content. The present is still unfolding, but it is likely to be defined by not only the comic books and their blockbuster movies or shows but also the backgrounds of the characters in those movies and shows.

Films generate billions of dollars for the comic book industry, but historically alienate women and POC audiences by oversexualizing, simplifying, or leaving them out altogether. The release of Captain Marvel #1 by Kelly Sue DeConnick played a large role in the current state of superhero media, which is now on the road to include more women and POCs in leading roles.

The MCU and “Good Business”

In 2008, Iron Man hit the box office, launching the Marvel Cinematic Universe, henceforth known as the MCU. Before this movie came out, Marvel was recovering from bankruptcy in the mid-90s due to comic book sales declining. Previously, Buyers were encouraged to purchase multiple copies of certain comics with hopes of them becoming valuable later. Publishers even introduced variant covers to entice consumers. However, after prices rose and quality fell, people bought fewer comic books and sent Marvel sales into a nosedive.

The man behind this push for hoarding comics and raising their prices was Ron Perelman, who wanted to get Marvel characters on the screen despite shareholders finding this decision unattractive. Still, Marvel Studios was born in 1996, and Perelman sold Marvel after it declared bankruptcy under his ownership in 1997 (Sarkar).  Businessman Isaac “Ike” Perlmutter attempted to turn the company around by merging Marvel with Toybiz in 1998, creating Marvel Entertainment.

What’s interesting, though, is that Marvel didn’t start making movies to sell more comic books. In fact, data suggests that in most cases, the release of a superhero movie based on a comic book doesn’t have much effect on the sales of the single-issue comic book it’s based on. Spikes in sales are more likely to be related to new #1 issues or legacy number issues (Cody).  Marvel actually got into the film industry to sell more toys.

Seeing how Sony and Fox were making money off the properties Marvel sold to them in the 90s, Spider-Man and X-men, Perlmutter, and other executives at Marvel planned to break even on movie production and make a profit selling toys and merchandise based on the movie. When surveys revealed that children liked Iron Man’s design for a toy, the character was thrown into the forefront of what is now the MCU.

Up until recently, the MCU was characterized mainly by white, cisgender men. This could be directly related to Perlmutter and his belief that women superheroes wouldn’t sell toys. As a businessman, Perlmutter was obsessed with the bottom line, and adding women to the lineup of characters didn’t seem to be a good business model to him. Despite creators at Marvel trying to push for more diversity in the cinematic universe, any attempts at improving diversity were blocked. In 2015, leaked emails from Sony revealed Perlmutter’s apprehension about woman-led movies, saying they were often disasters (Dockterman).

This obsession with the bottom line, what sells and what doesn’t, who buys and who doesn’t, creates a space where the value of a story comes down to whether corporations think action figures will sell or not. Aside from disregarding the importance of representation, not producing quality content that speaks to audiences outside of your “main demographic” creates a self-fulfilling prophecy. Believing that women won’t buy figurines of characters, and thus not creating characters that appeal to them, or not at all, ensures that will always be the truth. Instead of excluding large portions of the population, we should be attempting to create quality content they can relate to.

Earth’s Mightiest Hero

After Disney bought Marvel in 2009 and Kevin Fiege became its president, more diversity and inclusion became a bigger possibility. There are more minority and women-led mainstream comics than ever, many of which are receiving on-screen adaptations in the form of series or film cameos (McMillan). Ms. Marvel, Scarlet Witch, Black Widow, Jane Foster’s Thor, and Shuri have all had screen time in the past few years. Before this research, I believed that comic book movies increase comic book popularity. Now, I believe that comic book fans create excitement for the movies. The idea that “female heroes don’t sell” should be erased from the comic book world. When titles spotlighting marginalized groups are done well, they gain loyal followings just like the “classics” do.

Carol Danvers became one of the most popular female comic heroes after taking on the role of Captain Marvel in 2012 in Captain Marvel Comics #1. After her many other personas, including her longest-lasting: Ms. Marvel, Carol Danvers was revamped and turned into the superhero we know today. Her outfit was changed from a leotard with cutouts to a full-body suit with a sash, mimicking the outfit from the previous male Captain Marvel from which she inherited the name.

Captain Marvel was not the very first woman superhero comic, but my focus on this comic run stems from the belief that the success of Captain Marvel Comics #1 (2012), and its subsequent movie, Captain Marvel (2019), helped pave the way for more woman-led superhero adaptations. This comic run proved not only that women’s comics can be successful, but that their stories are important to people. The movie made over a billion dollars, joining only 11 out of 34 Marvel films to pass that milestone (Beasley).

The comic’s writer, Kelly Sue DeConnick, was a self-described “C-list writer” working on a “C-list character.” Captain Marvel Comics #1 sold out in September 2012, and within eight months Marvel had a script for the Captain Marvel movie. They officially announced the film a year and a half later (Leon). DeConnick said that in the beginning, Marvel had little faith in the book, and she didn’t even plan past the sixth issue of the series. Because of this, there was very little marketing done for Captain Marvel.

DeConnick reluctantly used her own money to create merchandise, saying “I got real lucky. The character happened to attract a fan base which made that dumb move on my part end up looking smart and worthwhile. But really, it was super dumb.”

DeConnick was a consultant on the film, sometimes working directly with Brie Larson, the actress that plays Captain Marvel in the film.  Being bestowed the power of Captain Marvel was uncomfortable for Larson, but with great power comes great responsibility. Eventually, she realized that her interactions with press and film critics were “overwhelmingly white male,” and decided that she wanted to change that (Sun). Working with multiple equity initiatives, Larson criticized the lack of inclusion in Hollywood and later announced that 20% of press credentials would go to underrepresented journalists at the Sundance Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival (Blythe). The popularity of Captain Marvel Comics #1 allowed Captain Marvel to extend her powers beyond the page, affording more opportunities for women in comics.

Conclusion

This is not to say that Captain Marvel is the only woman superhero that deserves recognition, or that the publication of Captain Marvel #1 (2012) is the only reason we have screen adaptations of heroes like Shuri as the Black Panther or Kamala Khan as Ms. Marvel. However, the reception of the comic series allowed Marvel to see that there truly is a market for stories that aren’t led by white men. In this Present Age, it’s difficult to pin down the statistics for underrepresented readers, but I believe it is likely to increase as more diverse stories rise to the spotlight. The popularity of the Captain Marvel series didn’t just encourage girls to buy more comics, and Captain Marvel’s power was no longer limited to the pages of a book or pixels on a screen. The series led to additional real-life opportunities for marginalized people in film and publishing. The industry still has a long way to go, but I’d like to think they are on the right track.

 

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