On behalf ofMarvel, editor Tom Breevort explains why the company hasn’t had more collaborations with properties likeThe X-FilesandIndiana Jones.In 2009, the Walt Disney Company bought Marvel Entertainment, acquiring all of its characters. Under the same umbrella, Disney owns the rights to franchises likeThe X-Files, Indiana Jones,andBuffy, which have had comic series, but not in collaboration with Marvel.
In his latestSubstackpost, Tom Breevort explains why Marvel doesn’t have a series for properties that Disney nevertheless owns, like the aforementionedX-FilesandIndiana Jones.The Marvel editor explains it best by saying"it’s a complicated thing.“In response to a fan question, he elaborates further by saying the following:
James Rhodes:Tom, how does Marvel decide which licensed products to promote. Disney has the rights to Indiana Jones, Buffy, and X-Files which have all had comics series in the past. Indiana Jones is the most wanted Marvel omnibus in this year’s poll. Does general fan interest drive what series are made or is it a push based on what IP Disney want to promote for upcoming movies/shows?
Brevoort: It’s a complicated thing, James, but it essentially boils down to what properties we think we can do well with and make a profit with in comic book publishing, and which properties we’re successfully able to make a deal to license and adapt. Even if Marvel wanted to do Indiana Jones or Buffy or whatever, we aren’t the only ones who have to be on board both with the idea in general and the specifics of what we might want to do. So you need to have all of the stakeholders’ interests align.
Simply put, Breevort asserts that the business side of things complicates matters. Creating a series for one of the many properties under the Disney umbrella has more to do with whether it’s feasible financially and business-wise for Marvel to do, than if Marvel wants to do it.
Marvel’s Comics Situation with Other Disney Properties is “Complicated”
It Must Make Business Sense for Marvel to Commit
Property rights are, indeed, a complicated issue. For all intents and purposes, Marvel may be fully interested in producing anIndiana Jonescomic or something forThe X-Files, Buffy, etc. However, that desire may not align with the paperwork in place.When stakeholders and lawyers are involved, it complicates any potential Marvel crossover or collaborative series from manifesting. Keep in mind that these are all franchises that are based from other movies or TV shows.
Coming from another medium, adapting movies and television into comic book form in any way, shape, or form is easier said than done when licensing is an issue. The exact nature of how licensing works and how complicated matters like these can be is a bigger conversation for another day, but it certainly puts into perspective why there has been such a delay for Marvel to catch up with rival publishers like BOOM! Studioswho produceBuffy the Vampire Slayercomics.
Complicated Matters Also Prevent Marvel From Releasing the Indiana Jones Omnibus
Marvel Adapted Several Indy Stories in the 80s
With TheX-Files,Marvel could help produce new comics, but again, complicated matters leave things up in the air.Complications also prevent Marvel from re-releasing past comics and omnibuses of past works, like the 80s adaptations that Marvel produced of the originalIndiana Jonestrilogy, as well asThe Further Adventures of Indiana Jones.Marvelcould have every intention of producing new material or re-releasing old material from Disney properties likeIndiana JonesandThe X-Files,but if the right paperwork and deal isn’t in place, it won’t happen.
