“ | Marvel is a cornucopia of fantasy, a wild idea, a swashbuckling attitude, an escape from the humdrum and prosaic. It’s a serendipitous feast for the mind, the eye, and the imagination, a literate celebration of unbridled creativity, coupled with a touch of rebellion and an insolent desire to spit in the eye of the dragon. | „ |
~ Stan Lee |
Summary
Marvel Comics is an American Comic Book Publishing company, part of Marvel Entertainment, a division of the Walt Disney Company. Marvel Comics, then known as Timely Comics, was founded in 1939 by Martin Goodman. It began publishing grounded yet fantasy superhero comics that set it aside from its competitors in that day and age.
In 1950s, when superhero comics saw a decline in sales, Timely Comics was renamed to Atlas Comics. Atlas Comics, unlike it's predecessor, tried to capitalise on film and television trends instead of having a long-term plan in place. In the mid-1950s, they planned to revive the superhero genre, but there was no success to be found in this dead genre. To make matters worse, they focused on quantity over quality, which led to the continuously decline of comic consumption.
At the start of 1960s, after seeing the success of DC's flagship new superheroes, then writer and editor Stan Lee began to bring the superhero magic back into the fold in his own way. Unlike it's main competitor, Marvel Comics' setting and conflicts were more similar to our world. The realistic yet magical take on a superhero world stuck well with older readers, encouraging the company to push beyond its limits and continue to make quality comics.
“ | In the world of [rival DC Comics'] Superman comic books, communism did not exist. Superman rarely crossed national borders or involved himself in political disputes. From 1962 to 1965, there were more communists [in Marvel Comics] than on the subscription list of Pravda. Communist agents attack Ant-Man in his laboratory, red henchmen jump the Fantastic Four on the moon, and Viet Cong guerrillas take potshots at Iron Man. | „ |
~ Mike Benton, Comic Book Historian |
In the last 60 years, Marvel Comics have continuously expanded their superhero universe in extraordinary ways; from introducing countless new characters and worlds to exploring infinite dimensions both horizontally and vertically, bringing us amazing sights and stories from across the vast multiverse.
Today, Marvel Comics is one of the largest comic book publishing companies in the world. Aside from their success in comics, they have had amazing success in various other media formats, such as games, television, and films - currently, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is the most successful film franchise in the world.
Supporters
Calculation
- Gravity Tanks a Nuke (High 8-C)
- Spider-Man holds up the Daily Bugle (High 8-C)
Characters
Heroes
Villains
Gods
Cosmic Beings
Weapons
Locations
Other Continuities
Characters who appear in Marvel Comics, but are not from the mainline continuity, Earth-616. They may interact with Earth-616 sometimes, but do not originate from this reality. Please note, this section is for characters who do not interact with 616 reality regularly.
Other Media
Characters from other medias, such as animated movies and shows, that are based on Marvel Comics. Such properties includes Avengers Assemble, Into the Spider-Verse, Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, MCU, X-Men: The Animated Series, Spider-Man: The Animated Series, and so many more.