The Marvel Cinematic Universe is the most profitable film franchise in history, but the suits behind your favorite superheroes are greedy when it comes to paying the writers who come up with its stories. Multiple sources told The Guardian that when a comic book creator's work features prominently in a Marvel movie, the company's standard practice is to send them an invitation to the premiere and $5,000 — an insulting amount compared to the billions that individual MCU films make at the box office.
Three different sources said they'd received checks for that amount, describing the paltry payoff as a "tacit acknowledgment that compensation was due." The other remuneration route is a "special character contract," which entitles artists and writers to royalties when their creations are used — but they're rare. "I’ve been offered a [special character contract] that was really, really terrible, but it was that or nothing," one Marvel creator, who requested anonymity, told The Guardian. "And then instead of honoring it, they send a thank you note and are like, 'Here’s some money we don’t owe you!' and it’s five grand. And you’re like, 'The movie made a billion dollars.'"
