The influence of comic books in 2022 is all too clear to see. Marvel’s transformation from comic books to Hollywood cinema screens was not initially seen by too many of us. For years, comic books were seen as a niche non mainstream culture. However, Disney helped to bring this culture to the mainstream, and it has been thriving ever since.
What made Disney Back Marvel?
Hollywood movies, on the one hand, are relatively straightforward. They incorporate a good vs bad guy narrative – something which all human beings can relate to as each of us constantly fights such a narrative inside ourselves, even if we do not all consciously realise it. American style comic books were always the epitome of good vs bad, so if anything, it is more surprising that Disney took so long to pick up the rights to offer audiences Marvel themed movies. However, once Disney bought the rights, nothing has been able to stop the rise of Marvel.
Of course, in reality, the world is not so black and white and there are far more grey areas. However, the essence of good versus evil lives throughout our cultures from The Lord of the Rings novels to Star Wars. The Marvel craze does not look like slowing down anytime soon either.
Video Games, Films and Television
It was the Golden Age of comic books in the 1930s which helped to pave the way for many of the action films, TV shows and video games we see today. Since the 1990s, many of the most popular Hollywood films follow simple yet exciting, basic narratives – think films like Taken and Die Hard for example. These themes were derived from comic books. But it is not only Hollywood which has taken advantage of Marvel’s popularity.
There are now numerous television series from Disney + such as Daredevil, Loki, Ms Marvel and The Boys. If these series were not popular and making substantial revenue, then Disney would not continue to develop them. As we head into 2023, the trend will continue with numerous seasons planned of all of the series just mentioned. Staying on the subject of television, it is likely that simple cartoons may never have existed without comic books which were the precursors to cartoons. So, you can thank old school comic book sketch artists for your favourite Cartoon Network shows growing up!
It is likely that video games would have transpired regardless as to whether comic books and marvel were successful or not. However, that doesn’t mean that they were not an influence. In addition, there have been numerous video games based on comic book heroes from Spiderman – one of which has since become one of the best-selling video games of all time – to Batman. In addition, the iGaming industry frequently takes advantage of the popularity of comic books and superhero themes.
“One of the most played online slot machines in the United Kingdom in 2022 has been Jack Hammer 2”, says Yvonne Greenwood from the online gambling comparison website, SlotsHawk.com.
“We annually compile data on the most popular video slots played online and our data confirms that Jack Hammer 2 was the 11th most searched for slot game in 2021 and is on course to enter the top 10 in 2022.”
UK gamblers can play the comic book themed Jack Hammer 2 slot at new slots websites in the UK – these sites offer numerous games with a comic book theme to them as well as others which are themed around anime too.
Comic Book Themes as Cash Cows
The revenue generated by marvel themed products does not look like slowing down any time soon. Children are seeing strong role-models such as The Avengers superheroes from a young age and are quickly taken to them for their heroic deeds and how they best the evils of the world. It wouldn’t go too far to say that children could easily grow into adolescence and adulthood all whilst watching and enjoying Marvel shows. Disney has invested a lot into Marvel and these films, TV shows and games generate a huge amount of their revenue.
According to USA Today, Disney paid a total of $4 billion for Marvel and by 2019, Marvel films had made over $18 billion at the box office alone. So, this does not include revenue on merchandise, which is expected to be huge. For example, the Star Wars franchise is now worth an estimated $68.7 billion with box office making up around $10 billion whilst merchandise sales generate $42.2 billion of the total. Of course, Star Wars does not come from a comic book background but it goes to show that Disney are the masters. Disney’s former Chief Executive Bob Iger said of the deal:
“There are so many opportunities to mine both characters that are known and characters that are not widely known.”
Merchandise sales are clearly a huge factor for companies like Disney when they decide whether or not to acquire other companies and brands.
The Future of Marvel?
It is difficult to say anything other than the future for Marvel is a glowing one. The popularity has never been higher, and Disney is constantly creating and releasing fresh and new material. Of course, Disney needs to be careful and ensure that the quality stays high, but it is in their incentive to ensure that this continues to happen.
