In this episode we tell the story of Marvel, going back to way before Robert Downey Jr donned the Iron Man suit! Our story starts in 1961, when Stan Lee created the relatable Fantastic Four comics to compete with the superheroes Batman and Superman. Over the next 3 decades, Stan Lee went on to create incredible heroes such as Spiderman and Iron Man, sparking a tulipmania-like bubble in adult comics.

As the 90s rolled around, Marvel was saddled with debt and ready to take advantage of this fan hysteria. Only problem was - the bubble burst! Marvel, now overleveraged and facing declining sales, had to declare bankruptcy. This opened the door for an unlikely buyer to step in - Ike Perlmutter - a leader in the toy business.

As they sold rights to escape bankruptcy, Perlmutter, along with David Maisel and Kevin Feige, thought up a way that they could become a content producer themselves. They would use their characters as collateral, secure a $525 million loan, and take a swing with their own big budget superhero film: Iron Man. As you know, the rest was history.

Join us to hear the wild early stories of Marvel, how they created the movie studio, the subsequent Disney acquisition and decade-long hot streak, and what the future holds for this beloved company. Enjoy!

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MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios - Joanna Robinson, Dave Gonzales, & Gavin Edwards

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Recommendation of the Week: Tim Ferriss interviewing David Maisel

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The Web of Ideas: The Reign of Marvel (my notes on the book)

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Show Notes:

2:12 - Stan Lee and the tulip mania of comic books

7:06 - The burst of a bubble

11:07 - Ike Perlmutter steps in to acquire Marvel

15:14 - Selling off their top IP to escape bankruptcy

21:24 - The magic of David Maisel

28:02 - Iron Man's secret weapon? plausibility...

34:54 - The beginning of the Marvel Cinematic Universe

41:41 - The start of a historic run

46:56 - Marvel's creative committee - a classic case of the tail wagging the dog

52:02 - A momentous SONY & Marvel collab

1:00:11 - The culmination of a decade of Marvel dominance

1:03:13 - What does the future hold for Marvel?