Posted in: Comics, Comics Publishers, Current News, Ike Perlmutter, Marvel Comics, Marvel Studios, Movies | Tagged: avi arad, david maisel, donald trump, Marvel Studios, mcu, Wall Street journal

Donald Trump Was There When Marvel First Created The MCU

David Maisel remembers Donald Trump being there when the Marvel Studios financing deal was done, that changes American cinema.

David Maisel, former Vice Chairman, President of Marvel Studios, and CEO of Marvel Entertainment, was the man who pitched the concept of Marvel Studios to Avi Arad and Ike Perlmutter, financing and producing its own movies in a connected cinematic universe, and who also sold Marvel to Disney. Currently, he is a partner in Mythos Studios, which owns Aspen Comics and the rights to Fathom, Soulfire, and Cupid as part of the Mythosverse. But how did that pitch go down?

Back in July, The Wall Street Journal's podcast, The Journal, hosted by Kate Linebaugh and Ryan Knutson, ran a series of episodes by Ben Fritz looking at the rise of Marvel Studios from comic book publisher to film studio to Disney purchase and the executive and creator battles within. It made a few headlines, but there are lots of gems that seemed to be missed, such as Marvel's initial relationship with Sony Pictures, led by our favourite Marvel executives, Avi Arad, and Ike Perlmutter, two toy manufacturers who took over the comic book company and made it profitable again. Catch up on more of our coverage with this tag.

When Donald Trump visited the Founding of the MCU

And they talked to David Maisel, who mentioned a previously unmentioned guest at that meeting. Maisel said, "It was over lunch at the Mar-a-Lago Country Club. I remember Donald Trump came by the table to say hi to Ike, and Ike introduced me to Mr. Trump at the time. And I remember him, Ike, saying I was from Hollywood, and I think this was right before Apprentice started in 2004, and Donald saying something about his upcoming television show."

Ike Perlmutter is a member of Mar-A-Lago, the largest donor to Donald Trump's various political campaigns, had Thanksgiving Dinner with his wife and Trump instead of Trump's own family, and served as part of Trump's administration. Of course, even though Trump was there at the beginning of Marvel Studios, he really prefers DC. And so Maisel had Perlmutter in his sights.

"I pitched him the idea of Marvel financing its own movies, and because of that, having full green light authority and scheduling authority, having full financial upside, and having full creative control. It's a long time ago, but I think overall, I had a bit of fortunate delusion in thinking that things would work out if I knew how wild this idea was and how many hurdles would have to be overcome. The amount of hurdles was tremendous, but I felt very passionate about this potential."

They raised over $500 million from Merrill Lynch against the rights to Marvel's own characters, and with Iron Man, things were away.

John Turitzin, Marvel's former Chief Administrative Officer, Executive Vice President, and General Counsel, tells them, "It just seemed insane to us at the time. Because producing a movie is such a huge project. Producing movies is something that movie studios do, and we were a small toy company, a licensing company. We were a nothing company. So, the idea that we could actually make movies was an astounding idea and somewhat unbelievable to us."

Looking back, David Maisel says, "At the time, I'd say the environment was very fortunate. A lot of loans were made that perhaps should not have been made. Probably our loan should not have been made." But if it hadn't, things may have been very different.

The Wall Street Journal Ben Fitz concludes, "It wasn't inevitable that superheroes would rule Hollywood and Marvel would end up in the position it is today. What if Ike Perlmutter hadn't bought a struggling comic book company out of bankruptcy? What if Sony had bought the rights to all those Marvel characters back in the '90s? What if David Maisel had tried to raise the money for Marvel Studios just a few years later after the economy crashed? What if Kevin Feige and Ike Perlmutter had found a way to work together? The entertainment business would be different. Global pop culture would be different."

And Donald Trump remains the modern-day Zelig… and may be about to go on a brand new adventure.

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