The estate of the late comic book legend Steve Ditko has finally come to an agreement with Disney and Marvel. Has the Mouse gotten the rights to Spider-Man and other comic book characters?
According to Deadline, the rights battle over Spidey, Iron Man, and Doctor Strange is over. But who won out? Everyone, it would seem.
In a quote from the LA Times, an attorney for the Ditko estate said, “We reached an amicable resolution regarding this interesting case.” However, the terms of the settlement have not been made public. They may never be.
Disney, being Disney, took comic book artists to court in 2021. The company believes that any idea or character created while working for Marvel was the property of the comic book giant rather than the individual.
Leave it up to the Walt Disney Company to sue the estates and families of deceased artists over Thor, Daredevil, and Ant-Man.
Steve Ditko came to Marvel Comics in the 1950s. Alongside Stan Lee, Ditko helped create the most iconic symbol of the Marvel brand: Spider-man.
During the psychedelic ’60s, Doctor Strange made his first appearance, another of Ditko’s creations. Sadly, the Doctor wouldn’t see as much fame as other characters. However, the character’s stories proved to be some of the most interesting as comics moved away from being mainly for kids.
Like many other creatives in the industry, Steve Ditko eventually moved on from Marvel Comics. During his stint at Charlton Comics, he created The Question, which was ultimately introduced into DC Comics. This character may be Ditko’s most interesting and has seen a significant evolution over the years.
As we’ve seen in the past, the Walt Disney Company isn’t the best keeper of legacy characters and works of fiction. Do you think Marvel should own any characters created under its roof? Let us know below.
[Source: Deadline]
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