The Real Secret Wars: Marvel VS. Fox

Tyson B. brought up the friction between Marvel and Fox and the lack of toys coming out for the Fantastic Four movie, X-Men Days of Future Past, Deadpool, and X-Men Apocalypse here.
We are glad to have Nathan H. writing this piece about the Secret War between Marvel and Fox.
As an avid comic book reader for nearly three decades, I must urge fellow fans of the x-men and Fantastic Four to take stock of what is the truth and what isn’t about the current state of affairs of these brands.
We’ve all seen the t-shirt evidence of the airbrushing out of major X-Men and Fantastic Four characters from those classic Secret Wars cover from the 90’s, the lack of toys available in stores, lack of cartoons, and lack of advertising of these brands at Marvel for many years now. The thought is Marvel doesn’t want to promote properties whose film rights belong to other studios such as Fox and Sony.
We have heard about the ending of the Fantastic Four comic, about X-Men books all being shifted to a pocket universe.
We Have also heard about Uncanny X-Men #600 being delayed until October. Now we are getting previews that in #600 we may see X-Men no more, after some panels in X-Men #38 out this week.
The rhetoric battle rages on even more. Now it has been taken up a notch.
Tom Brevoort a major editor over at Marvel answered a fan with a strange response.
Q: How do you explain the classic Secret Wars t-shirts editing out or replacing X-Men and Fantastic Four characters?
A: If you don’t have the licensing rights to certain characters, you cannot sell merchandise depicting them.
I’m no attorney but this doesn’t ring true according to 2012 article from World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
“Today, Marvel’s merchandizing reach has no limits, and can include anything from toys to perfume and clothing to luxury cars.”
In a battle between the comic giant and the movie studio, the ones that get hurt are the fans.

9 thoughts on “The Real Secret Wars: Marvel VS. Fox”

  1. The fans do not get hurt. Xmen and FF comics have sucked for a decade or more. Time to move on to something new.

  2. So true. Thanks for the story update. It sucks that we as fans have to suffer and not get the merchandise we want from our favorite super heroes just because two major billion dollar companies can’t get along. Maybe Fox will create there own comic line and make x-men comics lol just a thought.

    1. I’m not positive on the licensing rights Marvel gave FOX years back but I’m pretty sure it didn’t include comics since Marvel is still writing and producing those under than own brand. I think they sold only the movie media rights for FOX to make the movies. This is why I think the pointed out that Marvel could sell T-Shirts with X-Men or the Fantastic Four on them since it doesn’t fall under the other licensing rights FOX owns, etc.

  3. There’s no shortage of new Deadpool t-shirts, figures, statues, banks, mugs, pint glasses etc

      1. Always will be and the movie will be a monster so Fox will never give up those rights. I’d buy whatever Deadpool movie related stuff they’d out out, so Marvel’s petty crap is saving me money

  4. Marvel will put out what sells. FF and X-men sales have been pretty low but I’m sure years from now, people will want them back and Marvel will if there is enough fan base.

  5. I think the real truth is Marvel has a bigger longer term plan that may backfire. Diminish X & FF brands so low they’ll be able to buy them back cheap from Fox. This is a double edged sword and it may work / might not but look how long its going to take for that to happen, how long will the FF & X fans suffer for this pettiness. Fox legally can make the movies and Marvel can legally license t-shirt, mugs, cartoons, party hats, etc yet only one of these is doing that (Fox) and one isn’t (Marvel). The truth is powerful.

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