Marvel has a very strategic way of saving money with its strict cameo rule for all projects. When it comes to the writers, how much does Marvel pay? Not much. To keep production costs down and save money, Marvel Studios compensates the people who created the characters for their work at a far lower rate than you would think due to contractual restrictions.
At the moment, Marvel Studios is the most successful film studio in the world. The Marvel Cinematic Universe as a whole has raked in over US$25 billion in global box office revenue, giving it the distinction of the most successful film franchise.
As a result of Disney’s $4 billion acquisition of Marvel, it is now also the world’s second-largest media corporation. However, despite their evident popularity, there are several claims that the studio underpays the comic book authors and artists who are responsible for some of the MCU’s most famous characters.
It has been revealed by a recent claim that Marvel is paying comic book artists less than they promised for their characters’ cameo roles in movies or television series.
It’s All Totally Legal
No matter how we feel about Marvel Studios underpaying the creators of our favorite characters, nothing they are doing is unlawful. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Marvel has enacted a peculiar set of restrictions that enable them to further prohibit Marvel authors from receiving the whole remuneration that is guaranteed initially in their contracts.
As per the cameo rules, an actor has played a cameo part when they appear for 15% or less of the film’s overall running time. With fewer than seven minutes onscreen in a two-and-a-half-hour movie, Captain America’s appearance in Avengers: Infinity War may be called an extended cameo. That’s because of the restrictions put in place by the billion-dollar corporation. His involvement is little more than a cameo, which means that the creators of his character are “entitled to less money.”
As a result, a deleted scene might make the difference between appropriately compensating authors for their intellectual property or only appearing as a cameo in the film.
Robbed Despite Their Efforts
With J.G. Jones, Devin Grayson co-created Yelena Belova, Natasha Romanov’s adoptive sister. When she debuted as Natasha’s killer in 2021’s Black Widow, she was tasked with tracking down Hawkeye, the man accused of being responsible for Natasha’s murder. In Hawkeye’s fourth episode, Yelena returns to get vengeance on Hawkeye for the death of her sister.
The Hollywood Reporter reported that Grayson was only paid US$5 000 while his contract initially stated that both creators would be paid US$25 000 each for using the Marvel character in their film.
Due to their size, influence, and profitability, Disney can appropriately reward the authors and artists that create the protagonists that draw in their money for their work. It would be interesting to watch whether they make any changes to their policy now that the findings have been made public.
No matter how important an actor or character may be concerning the movie or the series, their appearance in the film will be counted as a cameo, and their creator will be penalized for it. Additionally, this guideline does not include cut sequences, which might make a character a cameo or a protagonist.
As among the world’s most powerful and effective corporations, Disney can afford to pay the authors and artists who designed the original comic character more compensation than they are now being paid. A closer look at Marvel’s budgetary practices has made it difficult to tell whether the business will change its rules or stick to its guns.
