Posted in: Comics, Ike Perlmutter, Marvel Comics | Tagged: trump

The First Public Photograph Of Marvel's Ike Perlmutter In Over Thirty-Five Years

Published Wed, 28 Dec 2016 16:56:32 -0600

Last updated Tue, 14 Mar 2023 05:41:45 -0500

Ignore the man standing next to him, that's just President-Elect Donald Trump. But the man behind the shades is Ike Perlmutter, the CEO of Marvel Entertainment, who has not allowed a photo of his to be made publicly available for 35 years, since a Forbes profile.

Taken by Jonathan Ernst for Newscom/REUTERS, this image is the closest the wider world has come to seeing the face of the man who came to the USA from Israel with nothing, formed a toy company, sold to to Marvel Comics joining the board, becoming CEO and selling Marvel to Disney, netting him a billion dollars to add to his existing billion. An incredibly controversial figure, a life full of legal suits against him from employees and neighbours, and with stories concerning allegations of homophobia, racism, sexism, strangulation – and more and more and more and more. But also defence by fellow Marvel execs, and many examples of philanthropy. But no face to put to the name.

But now we do. And now, so do you as well. The Perlmutters donated a million to Donald Trump's veteran society, before donating the maximum to support his electoral campaign. Ike's wife Laura Perlmutter is on the board of his inauguration, and Ike is a member of Trump's Florida club, where they both spent Thanksgiving together this year. They have been meeting today, resulting in that photo.

Here was an earlier Bleeding Cool guess based on that very old photo…