Superhero movie end credits remain a mystery to comic book makers

They’re a common sight for those sitting through the seemingly endless stream of credits at the end of superhero movies, hoping to find out if there’s a short scene at the end of it all, setting up the next installment in the series: Credits Offering. “Special thanks” to various names, most of which are recognizable only to longtime comic book fans.

Recent DC Suicide squadFor example, it lists no fewer than 47 names in its special thanks section. Marvel Black widow thanks to about 21 people. Over the past decade, a special thank you section in the credits has become as common in a superhero movie as a post-credits scene that pokes fun at the next installment in the general adventure universe.

While the practice of special thanks in film credits dates back decades, traditionally ensuring that those who helped create a film in some unspecified way gain public recognition for their efforts, the first incarnation of special thanks from the superhero movie as we recognize them today dates back only as far back as 2011’s Iron Man 2.

This wasn’t the first time comic creators were thanked in the film credits – Stan Lee and Jack Kirby were thanked in the 2000s credits. X Men, and Paul Dini and Bruce Timm were mentioned by name in 2005 The beginning of batman – but Iron Man 2 It was the first time that creators received their own unique special thank you section in a film’s credits, setting an unfortunate precedent for years to come.

Much has been written about the way that Marvel and DC have treated comic book writers and artists when it comes to translating their comic book creations to screen, especially when the creators themselves have spoken out on the subject, something that happens with a depressing regularity. More recently, ex Captain America Writer Ed Brubaker wrote in a March issue of his newsletter: “For the most part Steve Epting and I have gotten by creating the Winter Soldier and his story is a ‘thank you’ here or there, and over the years that gets it has become increasingly difficult to live on, ”prompting a series of articles in response.

Not that the big comic book publishers Never offer any type of economic bonus; Wonderful reportedly gives a one-time bonus of around $ 5,000 for a small number of creators, while DC has a long-standing special character contract that guarantees creators royalties based on merchandise and media adaptations. However, such arrangements are seen as “money to shut up” even by creators who are paid and, it must be remembered, not all creators have the opportunity to be Offered Shut up money.

For many, the special thank you sections mark the only recognition that their work is part of building a blockbuster movie enjoyed by millions of fans around the world, a movie that they themselves have likely had to pay to see. It is, to paint things in the most positive light, an imperfect system.

“I appreciate the gesture, but it exists in a void,” Devin Grayson told Polygon by email. Grayson was thanked in the credits of Marvel’s Black widow, a film featuring Yelena Belova, a character he co-created with artist JG Jones for 1999 Black widow mini series. “To this day, other than that copy of the film and the response to an email I sent asking about guaranteed contract pay, which I have not received yet, I have not had direct communication from Marvel or Disney about any of the that. And I find it disappointing, mainly because even the smallest heads-up would have made me feel like part of the team. That, in turn, would have allowed me to be a lot more excited about the movie than I could be while wondering if anyone knew about my contribution and trying to figure out where I could raise the thirty dollars to see it. “

Marvel isn’t the only company that doesn’t give creators advance notice that they are being thanked, according to Karl Kesel, who co-created King Shark with artist Tom Grummett. “DC never officially contacted me to say they were thanking me Suicide squad movie, and he certainly never told me why they were thanking me, ”he said. “I don’t think I knew for sure that my name was mentioned until someone saw an advanced screening / cut of the film and let me know that they thanked me.”

Both creators were clear in their understanding of the reality of the relationship between freelancers and corporations. “Look, I did those things as a contract job and I knew the rules,” Kesel said. “The thank you credit is certainly nice, and it’s certainly the least DC can do for its creators. I hope to see some money from the movie and King Shark’s other appearances in other outlets; I’ve already seen something. Of course, if I receive a check for $ 10,000 DC [and] Warners is probably pocketing ten times more … “

Grayson wondered about the circumstances surrounding Marvel’s lack of contact, writing: “I feel emotionally left out and I am unclear on the reasoning behind that: Does a corporation the size of Disney really have no one who can send an email? email friendly? Are you concerned that more direct recognition will give us a legal precedent to renegotiate our contracts? Or does everyone assume that someone else took care of it? “

She continued: “I am a creator with a presence on social media and an established audience. I would have loved to be an optimistic animator for the film. Instead, I spent the run-up to the film’s release feeling dim and ambivalent. People ranging from reporters to my family were asking things like whether JG and I were going to get credit recognition, and I had to admit I didn’t know. That just felt … unnecessarily bleak. “

Neither DC nor Marvel were willing to reveal how they decided which names ended up on the list for a given project, although Marvel confirmed that both the publication and Marvel Studios are involved in the process. But a quick review of the movie credits offers a few clues, and perhaps a few more questions, in the process.

While there is a common understanding that special thanks is there specifically to credit the creators of the characters in a given movie, this is not always the case, although it could be true in movies like Suicide squad, with even the minds behind truly dark characters like Kaleidoscope (who has only appeared in two comics, both published in 1982) receiving mentions, it’s actually much more likely that those who get the special thanks are a mix of character creators and writers. . and artists who have worked on particular comic book stories that have served as inspiration for the movie itself.

That would explain the inclusion of Julie and Shawna Benson, and Claire Roe, as well as Chuck Dixon and Gary Frank in the special thanks for the past year. Birds of Prey (and the fabulous emancipation of a Harley Quinn) – the creative team behind the 2016 relaunch of the Birds of prey comic book series and the original creators of the concept. From 2019 Avengers Endgamemeanwhile, it includes both the creators of Thanos’ super-team of minions, the Black Order (who would be Jonathan Hickman and Jerome Opeña) as well as Don McGregor, Christopher Priest and Ta-Nehisi Coates, three writers with fan-favorite careers. on Black Panther throughout the past four decades, even though none of his work appears to appear in the film.

To complicate matters a bit, some creators get special Special thanks credits in some functions. Jim Starlin, who created Thanos and later wrote The infinity gauntlet, which influenced so much Avengers: infinity war and Avengers Endgame – receives credit for “the producers would like to thank Jim Starlin for his significant contribution to the film” in both Infinity war and Endgame, completely outside the area of ​​special appreciation, for example. This may be the result of a now resolved public conflict between the creator and the filmmakers, although Starlin stays abroad with Marvel post.

In addition, the creators of some characters stand out by name: EndgameFor example, it lists the creators of Captain America, Star-Lord, Rocket Raccoon, Thanos, Gamora, Drax, Groot, and Mantis, while Zack Snyder’s Justice League gives credit to the creators of the Fourth World, Wonder Woman, Batman and the Justice League of America… Although, curiously, only Gardner Fox gets credit for the JLA, with artist Mike Sekowsky mysteriously absent.

Image: HBO Max

So who is responsible for choosing which names appear and where? No one is really willing to elaborate, but the answer is likely to be that the legal departments of companies, working with pre-existing contractual obligations and agreements made with specific creators, based on information from the filmmakers about which characters and stories proved to be the right thing. important enough for reference. It’s not a glamorous or perfect solution, like Chris Eliopoulos, who designed the logo used at Sony. Poison films – noted on Twitter Recently.

For an industry veteran like Kesel, the lack of attention (and compensation) given to creators on matters like this has pushed him even further toward creator-owned work, such as Section zero and Impossible jones. “I don’t expect to get rich, but I do manage,” he explains. “I’m saying I’m following the Iron Man business model: existing in the dark for 40 years and then becoming a global sensation overnight. So maybe my kids will reap the rewards of a Impossible jones film…”

Kesel, in particular, shared the above before the current legal battles between the properties of various Marvel and Disney characters it came to light. Meanwhile, Grayson appreciates the opportunity to see her creation on screen, even if she’s somewhat less in love with the method in which it happened.

“I adore Florence Pugh and I think she did an absolutely fantastic job bringing Yelena to life. Still, it’s a bit strange to consider the huge disparity between the value placed on the people who invent the characters and the value placed on the people who play them, ”he wrote. “And that’s not even getting into the value of the people who write what the characters say and do in the movies – out of your mind, do you know who wrote the movie Black Widow? I’m willing to bet that most viewers don’t. As a former theater student, I have nothing but respect for the work that actors do. I just wish executives understood that recognition doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game. ”