Former Marvel Mastermind David Maisel and the Story Behind the Superhero Machine
David Maisel in his office (Photo: Damon Casarez/The Hollywood Reporter)
Captain America: Civil War is now in theaters and poised to dominate the North American box office, marking another triumphant moment for Marvel Studios and its parent company, Disney. But it’s also a moment when one of the key architects behind Marvel’s commercial and creative domination — which, thus far, has involved the release of 13 blockbuster films — has decided to speak about his contributions in a piece for The Hollywood Reporter.
The story by Kim Masters explains that David Maisel, former president of Marvel Studios, is the chief person responsible for transforming Marvel’s film division from a character-licensing enterprise into a legitimate studio responsible for producing, funding, and profiting from movies based on the company’s comics.
“The concept of Marvel making its own movies and the financial model that allowed it, came entirely out of David’s head,” one executive tells Masters. While many agree with that statement, the story is quick to note that not everyone supports Maisel’s account of his career evolution. (Kevin Feige, the current Marvel Studios president and someone who is often credited for envisioning the current Marvel Cinematic Universe, did not comment for the story.)
It’s still a very interesting read, not only because Maisel is a colorful character who’s at least partially responsible for altering the contemporary comic-book movie landscape, but also because it’s filled with fascinating pieces of information. Here are a few:
— Maisel convinced Marvel executives to block the licensing of Captain America to Warner Bros. and Thor to Sony. Maisel knew that Marvel needed to own the rights to as many characters as possible in order to make the movies itself. Retaining ownership of Cap and the Asgardian god was a crucial first step in building the Marvel universe. “If I had gotten there three months, six months later, those deals would have been done,“ Maisel says. “And there would be no chance to bring all these characters together.”
— When New Line’s rights to Iron Man expired, Maisel put the Robert Downey Jr. movie in motion, even though a Marvel board member told him, “Don’t worry. We’ll be very happy if this breaks even and we can sell more toys.” Suffice it to say, it did better than break even, grossing $585 million globally.
— Maisel reportedly got the wheels in motion for the Disney acquisition, and once Marvel was sold to the studio, he left, having made “tens of millions of dollars” on the deal. Despite his wealth, the story notes that he rents a two-bedroom apartment near The Grove in Los Angeles, where he lives with his mother.
— Though he’s no longer involved with Marvel, Maisel is still a producer and, in fact, happens to be the person responsible for convincing Rovio (with a distribution assist from Sony) to make the upcoming Angry Birds movie. Another thing he’s responsible for? Convincing Sean Penn, a friend, to provide the voice — well, grunts — of one of the pigs in the film. "I feel like I’ve now had a front-row seat at the David Show and it’s no wonder he’s been so successful,” Penn says in the piece. It is, indeed, quite a show.