How Do Superheroes Earn Their Living? Marvel Studios Has No Idea

When Marvel announced The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, it became clear that the show was going to take a deep dive into the lives of the titular characters, which also brought up the question, how do superheroes earn a living? Something no one at the studio had ever thought about, to the surprise of the creator, Malcolm Spellman.

During his recent appearance on Kevin Smith’s Fatman Beyond podcast, Spellman talked about how he wanted to show the financial struggles of Sam’s family. But when he brought the idea up to Marvel, they had notes to add to how the hypothetical situation could be portrayed.

How Do Superheroes Earn Their Living? Marvel Studios Had No Idea
Kevin Smith

This helped initiate several conversations about the economic situations of Black people, and Spellman was surprised to find out that the moment had resonated with many viewers of the show. Check out his statement below:

I had done some research on Black fishermen in Louisiana and I knew that their family was struggling because of what the banks were doing, driving people out of business… one of the things that pulled in so many execs at Marvel is like ‘wait a minute, this is a huge deal, if we’re gonna start talking about how superheroes make a living’…Like the volumes of notes that came in just on that, and the amount of meetings on like, ‘well how do they?’…that really touched something for fans that surprised me. Whether they knew it or not, they’d been waiting to have that discussion.”

Malcolm Spellman

The Phase 4 show was already geared up to start some crucial conversations that had never been had before in the MCU, specifically concerning racial disparities. Not only did it establish Wilson as the next Captain America (a title especially seen as a white symbol), but it was also praised for the discussion around what it means to be a hero

Topics like economic inequality and discrimination based on race are rarely brought up in superhero films and series, unlike The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. In fact, it was a common belief among fans that since they were saving the world, superheroes were naturally earning money. 

But that was obviously not the case and Sam’s moment with his sister at the bank helped bring it to light. With topics like these being explored by Marvel, there may be more to come considering their current slate is yet to feature many other shows. Since movies are not given enough runtime to address these subjects, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier proved to be the perfect testing ground.

How Do Superheroes Earn Their Living? Marvel Studios Had No Idea
Sam Wilson

Even though many Marvel superheroes come from privileged backgrounds, it never made any sense to believe that the same could be said for all of them. Tony Stark was clearly the wealthiest of them all, and it was also assumed that being the de-facto leader of the Avengers, he was the one paying the others. However, now those theories have been set to rest.

Spellman’s efforts to normalize conversations around superheroes from relatable backgrounds have been well-received, even by the studios. As Phase 4 ventures ahead, we can only hope that future projects are attuned to issues in the modern world and not just showcasing a fictional, idealized motion picture one.

Watch The Falcon and the Winter Soldier on:

About The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is an American television miniseries created by Malcolm Spellman for Disney+. It is based on the titular Marvel Comics characters Sam Wilson aka. Falcon and Bucky Barnes aka. The Winter Soldier.

Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan reprise their roles as Falcon and Winter Soldier respectively. They are joined by an ensemble cast including Wyatt Russell, Erin Kellyman, Danny Ramirez, Georges St. Pierre, Don Cheadle, Daniel Bruhl, Emily VanCamp, Florence Kasumba and guest star Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

Following the events of “Avengers: Endgame,” Sam and Bucky team up in a global adventure to fight an anarchist group called Flag-Smashers while setting to protect the legacy of Steve Rogers (Captain America).

Epic Dope Staff

Epic Dope Staff

Our talented team of Freelance writers - Always on the lookout - pour their energies into a wide range of topics bringing to our audience what they crave - fun up-to-date news, reviews, fan theories and much much more.

Comments

Leave a Reply