Fifteen years ago this month, Iron Man became a genre-defining hit, opening up the Marvel Cinematic Universe . Marvel Studios Founding Chairman David Maisel looks back at the past and the future as he plans his next venture.
Maisel recalled that at the 
One weekend He came up with the concept of Marvel making its own movies — movies that group its characters together in one universe. He pitched the idea to Marvel and was hired to oversee its film work, working towards financing and convincing Marvel to hold off on licensing more characters to other studios, like Spider-Man in Sony and the X-Men The performance is the same as in 50 Century Fox.
“Marvel is not Marvel,” Maisel told The Hollywood Reporter . “Nobody believed me for years.”
Maisel now leaving Marvel 2019 After helping Disney buy the company for $4 billion, he is plotting another universe that he says fits 2023 just like MCU is suitable for
In his first interview on the topic, Maisel revealed that he had hired a dozen employees and attracted millions of investors to build
Ekos Universe, which comes from his companyMythos Studios.
Described as Avatar meets Marvel, plans for the Ekos Universe include live action, animation and gaming, all in a series of Ekos Based on movies inspired by the work of the late superstar artist Michael Turner, known for works such as Fathom
and Soulfire.
In the years since Iron Man came out, multiple studios have tried Launch your own cinematic universe. Most fail, and some of them are quite dramatic. So Maisel understands why people might be skeptical when they hear plans for a shared universe. But as he points out, wouldn’t you bet on someone who’s done it before?
In fact, some people are already betting. Maisel’s Mythos Studios has a nine-figure valuation, he said. Its stakeholders include Hybe, the South Korean record label and agency that houses BTS; billionaires Ron Burkle, Nicolas Berggruen and Jim Breyer; metaverse-focused investment firm Sfermion; Korean game company Krafton and metaverse company Digital. Based on the universe . Maisel and star music manager Scoot Braun form Mythos Studios at 2008 ,Won % stake in Turner’s Aspen Comics and curated a series of animated films. (Braun’s Mythos shares in his at , though still involved in mythology.) Then Covid hit , closed movie theaters. Maisel’s elderly mother, whom he cared for, died during that time, and all of this made him think about what he wanted to do with his life.
“She wanted me to do something – another exciting chapter in my life,” he told THR.
Ekos takes its name from 1501 from Turner and Geoff Johns’ comic, even though the universe doesn’t follow its story. Maisel hasn’t revealed the unifying idea behind the Ekos Universe yet, but it’s one he’s dreaming up during the pandemic.
To the wonder and awe of the multiverse and galaxies, Ekos will focus on the wonder and awe of this planet,” Maisel hinted at his concept.
Maisel’s new plan to take from Turner’s work exemplifies how Marvel Studios adapts comics. Comics are the core, but movies and TV shows are largely their own thing. Appropriate Example: Turner’s creations are non-interactive in the comics, but are interactive in the Ekos universe. Maisel is also developing the previously announced animated Cupid movie voiced by Justin Bieber, which is linked to Ekos are separate.
Ekos is first giving a taste of what it has to offer by auctioning off piece-by-piece digital artwork, which includes Turner’s pencils and frequent New inks by collaborator Peter Steigerwald. Auction starts May 2 (05 Iron Man) Anniversary hit, earning About $ , for200 Artwork. Two years ago, Mythos brought Here comes $100, is auctioning to get the NFT of the cover to 999’s Fathom first and perhaps Turner’s most famous Book.
$1 million gross is not bad, but more importantly, Maisel sees digital art as a way to make people feel like part of the universe, which in
Comic art is one of Maisel’s passions. In his office near The Grove in Los Angeles, Maisel surrounds himself with memorabilia from his time at Marvel and now at Mythos.
He was also featured in early Marvel magazines and newspapers, a tangible testament to his dedication to the brand. Among these souvenirs is a picture in 1501 showing Maisel and Marvel’s Wolverine casting the Avengers. A new interpretation of the illustration shows Maisel and Turner playing the heroes of Ekos.
But of all the art and movie posters, he thinks it’s the one that makes more sense.
Framed on his wall is an email signed by Ike Perlmutter, a reclusive ex-Marvel exec known for not sending emails . In the message, Perlmutter congratulates Maisel 2021 the Avenger Alliance: Endgame , a movie he didn’t co-produce, but it’s the culmination of the movies he started. For a while, it was the highest-grossing movie of all time at $2. 20 billions worldwide.
“This film is an amazing achievement and we know it all started with you, your vision and the work you have put in to make it happen,” emailed , signed by Perlmutter and his longtime attorney and close friend John Turitzin. Also framed a greeting card from Turitzin from when Iron Man came out, Turitzin credits Maisel with the idea.
4160144 Why are these notes so meaningful? Because after seeing Marvel become the biggest movie franchise in history, history seems to have forgotten about Maisel’s role. As Messer said, most fans believe that the late Stan Lee co-created the MCU with Jack Kirby, and then Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige took Lee’s creation to the next level. This is all true, but it leaves out Maisel’s character. For Maisel, who points out that he was Feige’s boss as well as a friend and collaborator in the early days of the MCU, this email is tangible evidence that others in the room recognize that he did What. “In the multiverse, I didn’t come up with this idea on the weekend of At San Diego Comic-Con 2007, just after Iron Man was released, Stan Lee told Messer he was “taking over the baton” and bringing the character to life in new ways. “I think it’s a relay race,” Messer said. “Stan created the character, I pitched the studio idea and sold it to Disney, and then I passed the baton to Kevin – he did a great job.” 4107420
