They went as far as to include that they both had clean-cut faces. To prove their point, National Comics prepared a binder over 150 pages in length with panels from their comics of "Superman" juxtaposed with similar panels of "Captain Marvel." Everything was in close scrutiny, from their costumes, boots, capes, the ability to leap great distances, the ability to fly, extraordinary strength and speed, invincibility to bullets, shells, explosives, and their secret identity. Fawcett argued that although these two characters were similar, it wasn't to the point of infringement and that similar feats have already been performed by other fictional characters like Popeye or Tarzan. Here's what happened.ĭC's argument was simple, that Captain Marvel's main powers and characteristics were too similar to Superman and therefore infringed on its copyright. This began National Comics Publications versus Fawcett Publications, one of the longest-running legal battles in the history of comic books, lasting over 12 years. In June 1941, National Comics finally sued Fawcett for copyright infringement. They believed "Captain Marvel" was just another imitation as well. Fawcett had already published "Master Man," an obvious copy of "Superman" that they stopped publishing after DC had threatened with lawsuit. So Republic Pictures chose "Captain Marvel" instead. The studio behind the film Republic Pictures was originally working with DC, or National Comics Publications at the time, to make a "Superman" picture, but they already had an existing cartoon deal with Paramount Pictures, which prohibited them from signing another. Captain Marvel became an instant success, launching his own new independent series "Captain Marvel Adventures," which would later go on to sell more copies than "Superman." In fact, for a while Captain Marvel was the most popular superhero of the time, so popular that it became the first superhero ever to be adapted into a motion picture. It featured a 12-year-old orphaned newsboy named Billy Batson who can transform into an adult superhero by shouting one word. That's because someone else took his place.Ĭaptain Marvel was another hero that made his debut in "Whiz Comics #2" in the late 1939 published by Fawcett Comics. It was shared in virtually every possible format imaginable except one: movies. His 1938 debut in "Action Comics #1" essentially gave birth to the superhero genre and what is now referred to as the "Golden Age of Comics." He was everywhere, in his own national radio program, newspaper comic strips, and animated short, as well as a TV series. The arrival of Superman on the comics scene was revolutionary. To tell this story, we need to go back to where it began, and it starts with one man that you will recognize in an instant. Though they might seem unrelated, these two heroes share a much longer history, and if it wasn't for a single lawsuit, we might not have seen either of them at all. It also lets you see what others don't, like the irony of these two movie adaptations opening only a month apart. They're sometimes more entertaining than the heroes themselves. The following is a transcript of the video.ĭespite its recent resurgence in the pop-culture landscape, superheroes and comic books have been with us for over 80 years, and just like its host of larger-than-life characters, the history of comic books is chock-full of wild stories. Account icon An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders.
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