What-If Disney Never Bought Marvel?

[Detective Conan]

What if Disney never bought Marvel Studios in 2009? Just how much different would Marvel Studios be in terms of content in that timeline compared to the Marvel Studios in our timeline? Would Marvel even be what is today?

 

[Docker2.0]

I'm actually starting to wish that Marvel would have stood on their own and not let Disney buy them out.

 

[Dark Raven]

Maybe Fox would've bought them and then the MCU would've been merged with the existing Fox Marvel universe (X-Men and Fant4stic).

Or Sony would've bought them and they would've been merged with the Spider-Man universe.

Something tragic or Twilight Zone-ish would've happened either way in typical What If fashion.

 

[psylockolussus]

Paramount Pictures would continue to distribute their movies? And perhaps buy the streaming rights for Paramount+.

 

[P Supreme]

no doubt the disney marketing machine has been huge for them but i do sometime wish they were free to do more adult content like what netflix did for daredevil and punisher

 

[Kane52630]

I would only imagine the constant battles Feige would get into with Ike Perlmutter, Avi Arad, and whoever ran Paramount.

 

[metaphysician]

I think I'll pass, I don't like contemplating dystopic alternate futures.

 

[Drizzle]

If Disney never bought Marvel...

Everything up to Iron Man 3 would more or less stay the same since IM3 was the last Paramount release.

Thor: The Dark World might have turned out much different but I could see The Winter Soldier, Age of Ultron and Ant-Man staying more or less the same.

Guardians of the Galaxy may not have happened, at least not as soon as it did.

The Sony Spider-Man deal from 2015 might not have happened.

Feige might have left Marvel Studios around the end of Phase 2 due to Perlmutter not stepping down because of Alan Horn.

With no Feige, the quality level drops. Civil War, Black Panther and Thor: Ragnarok would likely be completely different movies. Same goes for Infinity War and Endgame, which could have only been condensed to one movie.

So many horrendous possibilities...

 

[MarvelFan]

If so...I think MCU will not big as it is today as Marvel Studios and Kevin Feige would be still under control of Brian Michael Bendis and Joe Quesada creative committe group.

 

[psylockolussus]

This would be a cool episode for What If?

 

[Ctfxcwatcher]

I don't think the MCU gets to the heights that it's at today without Disney. I could see some other studio snatching them up if Disney never brought them. It seems like Marvel Studios was always bound to be brought by someone else. Maybe 20th Century Fox?(before they went under). The content would've been interesting but I don't think we get the Avengers film we got in 2012 if someone like FOX brought them. It's weird. I mentioned Avengers 2012 because that was a major turning point in MCU history that led to the MCU having a massive fanbase.

 

[mclay18]

I'm actually starting to wish that Marvel would have stood on their own and not let Disney buy them out.

I think Paramount would've purchased them eventually, since they had distributed and marketed the first round of MCU films. And Viacom would be the envy of Tinseltown.

Or, if we're playing devil's advocate, WB could've purchased them. New Line was going to make their version of Iron Man and WB was close to getting the screen rights to Captain America -- so it had been close to happening. Had they realized the money to be made, they would have.

Warners would've had its cake and eat it too. Having Marvel Studios under its purview (provided they had Kevin Feige run it), as well as their own DC stable, would be a huge boon for them. They would be the ones booking 4-5 release dates for CBMs in 2023 and 2024, not Disney.

 

[mclay18]

I could see some other studio snatching them up if Disney never brought them. It seems like Marvel Studios was always bound to be brought by someone else. Maybe 20th Century Fox?(before they went under). The content would've been interesting but I don't think we get the Avengers film we got in 2012 if someone like FOX brought them.

I don't think Rupert Murdoch saw the money to be made from purchasing Marvel Entertainment outright.

Outside of Disney, the studio that would've purchased Marvel would've been likely Universal, Paramount or Warner Brothers. Just because their parent companies had the infrastructure and capital to pull it off and monetize it across different platforms.

 

[metaphysician]

I think Paramount would've purchased them eventually, since they had distributed and marketed the first round of MCU films. And Viacom would be the envy of Tinseltown.

Or, if we're playing devil's advocate, WB could've purchased them. New Line was going to make their version of Iron Man and WB was close to getting the screen rights to Captain America -- so it had been close to happening. Had they realized the money to be made, they would have.

Warners would've had its cake and eat it too. Having Marvel Studios under its purview (provided they had Kevin Feige run it), as well as their own DC stable, would be a huge boon for them. They would be the ones booking 4-5 release dates for CBMs in 2023 and 2024, not Disney.

Ehhh. . . I kind of doubt it. Or rather, they might have the *ability* to do so, but I have a sneaking suspicion they would waste it. Yes, Marvel Studios itself would technically be a new division that would have a singularly focused mission, but. . . if nothing else, I could see whoever controls the Batman movies doing their best to strangle and backstab their new divisional partner in the crib. Can't have bright cheery Marvel movies getting in the way of the Bat bucks.

 

[psylockolussus]

Lol imagine if 20th Century foX bought Marvel Studios and Kevin Feige was forced to work with Simon Kinberg, directing a mcu film.

 

[Dark Raven]

Lol imagine if 20th Century foX bought Marvel Studios and Kevin Feige was forced to work with Simon Kinberg, directing a mcu film.

He'd be overseeing the sequel to Fant4stic.

 

[Docker2.0]

I think Paramount would've purchased them eventually, since they had distributed and marketed the first round of MCU films. And Viacom would be the envy of Tinseltown.

Or, if we're playing devil's advocate, WB could've purchased them. New Line was going to make their version of Iron Man and WB was close to getting the screen rights to Captain America -- so it had been close to happening. Had they realized the money to be made, they would have.

Warners would've had its cake and eat it too. Having Marvel Studios under its purview (provided they had Kevin Feige run it), as well as their own DC stable, would be a huge boon for them. They would be the ones booking 4-5 release dates for CBMs in 2023 and 2024, not Disney.

If WB would have bought Marvel we would be getting more Batman films. No matter who they have, it's all about Batman. But you are right. I'd rather Disney have the rights than WB.

 

[Dark Raven]

Batman would've probably been the one to defeat Thanos.

Also Mysterio and Vulture would've probably been Bruce Wayne ex-employees instead.

 

[mclay18]

Ehhh. . . I kind of doubt it. Or rather, they might have the *ability* to do so, but I have a sneaking suspicion they would waste it. Yes, Marvel Studios itself would technically be a new division that would have a singularly focused mission, but. . . if nothing else, I could see whoever controls the Batman movies doing their best to strangle and backstab their new divisional partner in the crib. Can't have bright cheery Marvel movies getting in the way of the Bat bucks.

I think Marvel would’ve had contractual stipulations that would require WB to operate them as a separate entity, ie pre-2008 New Line Cinema.

And WB would’ve made sure to emphasize the different brands by keeping the DC movies under their main label, while having Marvel Studios under New Line.

I honestly don’t know what their release strategy in terms of determining whether a DC or Marvel film gets released when. Probably similar to Disney’s, but it would likely be five movies a year (have 3 DC/2 MCU one year, reverse it the next). Warners would definitely give the DC titles priority for best dates (excepting the Avengers series).

 

[halo10]

if Disney never bought out Marvel, then Netflix would continue their vastly better Marvel series over that what Disney series is dishing out .

IMo, only Falcon- Winter Soldier stands out in Disney series...

 

[metaphysician]

if Disney never bought out Marvel, then Netflix would continue their vastly better Marvel series over that what Disney series is dishing out .

IMo, only Falcon- Winter Soldier stands out in Disney series...

That seems *highly* dubious, given the Netflix deals AFAIK didn't happen until after Disney bought them. Its just as plausible that the Netflix shows would have never happened in the first place.

 

[psylockolussus]

Vastly better? The netfliX Marvel shows put me to sleep.

 

[Mysteryman]

I think I'll pass, I don't like contemplating dystopic alternate futures.

My first thought was “That happened in a parallel universe.
The citizens of that universe were so bored there that they used a time machine to travel here and establish a message board forum…,Called Spider- Man Hype.”
The Rest is History.

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

Ike Perlmutter stays in charge and phase 3 sucks.

The end.

 

[Mysteryman]

Ike Perlmutter stays in charge and phase 3 sucks.

The end.

Dodged a bullet there.