America Chavez co-creator Joe Casey says Marvel doesn’t compensate comic book creators well for the characters they create.
The creator of Chavez’s America spoke about the low compensation that Marvel offered him. A relatively new Marvel comics character, America Chavez first appeared in September 2011 and was created by Joe Casey and Nick Dragotta. Since its creation, the character has appeared in a number of Marvel adaptations, such as the popular Marvel Rising animated series, and will make his MCU debut in the upcoming film Doctor Strange: The Multiverse of Madness.
Casey’s co-creator is no stranger to the fact that his creations attract everyone’s attention, since he was one of the creators of the popular Cartoon Network series “Ben 10”, which launched a large-scale multimedia franchise that began in 2005 and continues to this day. Joining Chavez’s America to the hugely popular and financially successful MCU is a big deal, and it’s the biggest platform a character created by Casey has received. In March 2022, Casey talked about how excited he was to see America Chavez in the MCU, but expressed some disappointment with Marvel’s talent compensation. Now the creator has doubled the bet and wants to say a little more about this.
In a recent interview with THR, Casey revealed that he turned down what he called a “meager” offer before America Chavez’s MCU debut. Reportedly, when Casey heard about Marvel’s plans to introduce America Chavez in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Casey contacted the publisher to request documents that would also relate to her previous appearances in animated television episodes and video games to which Marvel had sent a special character. an agreement to sign it, which included a cash offer. Although it is not disclosed how much is being offered, the amounts under other agreements with the creators are projected in the range of $ 5,000, although a source on the Marvel side disputes this figure, saying that they are usually higher. Casey refused to sign, and his lawyers were unhappy with the offer. And while Marvel notes that negotiations are still ongoing, Casey is disappointed with Marvel’s lack of transparency about how they came to this valuable offer and did not submit a counteroffer. Casey said:
The fact is that America Chavez belongs to Marvel. This is not disputed at any level, but there are still systemic flaws in the fact that creators are not respected and rewarded. Marvel didn’t pay me anything for America Chavez, not only because she appeared in the sequel to Doctor Strange, but also for numerous animated television series, for the numerous figurines they made of her, for the video games in which she appeared. They seem to be fine. with this. It’s not about money for me. It’s not even about respect. I never expected to be respected by a corporation. If I am in a position where I can afford not to take their insult in the form of an offer and be able to talk about it, maybe the next guy for whom such money can change their lives will get a chance to get this money. I’m a lucky guy. I’m not outraged. I’m not bitter. Because I know how it happens. I also know that this is how you change things by talking about it.”
This isn’t the first time Marvel’s mistreatment of comic book creators has been reported in the news. The famous comic book author Ed Brubaker, well known for his work on the comic book “Captain America”, said that he earned more money from his cameo in “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” than on the actual creation of the concept of the Winter Soldier on the pages. from Marvel Comics, a character that Marvel and Disney have turned into a lucrative name. Rocket Raccoon creator Bill Mantlo has needed round-the-clock medical care since 1992 and relies on donations from fans and other creators to pay medical bills, which Disney could probably take care of quickly with a profit of just a year from Rocket. Raccoon goods.
It should be noted that DC pays comic book creators more for their work than Marvel. Although Marvel is not legally obligated to pay creators when their work is adapted, they traditionally try to offer some form of compensation in the form of invitations to the premiere of the film and some cash payments. It’s not good for a company to offer people who create characters that serve as the basis for their films and television programs as bad as it happens over and over again. The films are largely based on comics as that is the starting point, however the people who work in this environment creating characters like America Chavez are paid so little for their hard work and that has to change.
