The Journal. - Introducing - With Great Power: The Rise of Superhero Cinema

Episode Date: June 28, 2023

Superheroes have conquered Hollywood. They generate billions of dollars at the box office and have pushed other movies to the margins. That revolution has been led by Marvel Studios.  In a new four-part series, WSJ’s Ben Fritz goes behind the scenes and reports on how Marvel, a once-troubled comics publisher, soared to the top of the movie business. It’s a tale of rivalries, spite, little-known deals and incredible luck.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

So Iron Man, Captain America, Thor. Batman, Superman. Spider-Man. I just love everything at the heart of the Spidey universe. Wonder Woman. Black Widow and Hawkeye. Gamora and Star-Lord. At the box office, no one wields more power than superheroes.

They gross billions of dollars, break records, and mint new movie stars. But whether you think superheroes are the only reason to go to the movies these days, or they're the death of cinema, you've got to know how they took over Hollywood.

And Marvel at the time was in very poor shape. There was piles of furniture in the corner with a post-it note that said sold. They were selling filing cabinets for cash. He doesn't seem like a second tier character anymore, but it's like, who's Iron Man? I was petrified. I remember thinking, oh my God, I've made a really emotional comic book movie. I hope people are going to go for it.

And I hope we all get to work in this town again when it's all said and done. It's a story of audacious ideas and incredible luck. A story of how a very unlikely group of people turned Marvel from a bankrupt comic book publisher to the most successful movie studio of the modern era. We were a nothing company. So the idea that we could actually make movies was an astounding idea.

And if you thought the fights on screen were fierce, wait till you hear what went on behind the scenes. He developed a fire in his belly of hatred. And we won't do this, and you won't do that, and we won't do this, and you won't do that, and we won't do this, and you need us, and we don't need you. I mean, I thought the final film was terrible. It didn't feel like we're all on the same team here.

We were never all on the same team. I'm Ben Fritz from The Wall Street Journal. I've spent most of the past 20 years covering Hollywood. And the story of superhero movies isn't just a great Hollywood drama. It's one of the best business stories of our lifetimes. From The Journal, a new four-part series. With great power, The Rise of Superhero Cinema. Find our new series in The Journal feed,

on Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Coming July 5th.