Who Owns Marvel Character Movie Rights in 2026?
- X-Men Rights: What Happened and How They Returned to Marvel
- How The Green Goblin Joined The Marvel Cinematic Universe
- Who Owns The Movie Rights To Kingpin?
- Who Owns the Man-Thing Movie Rights Now?
- Who Owns the Movie Rights to Hulk?
- Who Owns the Movie Rights to Namor the Sub-Mariner?
- Who Owns the Movie Rights to Alpha Flight?
- Who Owns the Live-Action Rights to Daredevil?
- Who Owns The Movie Rights To Marvel Characters in 2024
Marvel Rights Reading List
Want to go deeper than the chart? Here's where to start.
Marvel Encyclopedia, New Edition
Best for: Readers who want every character's movie-rights history in one place.
Why we like it: Cross-references comics continuity with which studio currently holds screen rights for over 8,000 characters.
Features: Updated 2023 edition; covers MCU Phase 5 additions; bios organized by first appearance and team affiliation.
✓ Answers "who owns this character" questions the chart can't fit✗ Print-only, won't stay current after the next rights shake-up
Our verdict: The single best follow-up purchase for anyone who finished this chart and wants more.
View on AmazonMarvel Studios: The Infinity Saga Collector's Edition Complete Box Set
Best for: Fans who want every pre-Multiverse Saga MCU film built by one studio, in one set.
Why we like it: Bundles all 23 films that exist because Marvel Studios kept those characters in-house.
Features: 4K UHD + Blu-ray + digital codes; bonus features from each film's original release; collectible packaging.
✓ Cheaper per-film than buying individually✗ Bulky shelf footprint; no Fox or Sony titles
Our verdict: The most literal way to "own" the side of the chart Marvel Studios controls outright.
View on AmazonMarvel Comics: The Untold Story
Best for: Readers who want the real corporate history behind this chart.
Why we like it: Chronicles the decade of near-bankruptcy licensing deals that scattered movie rights across studios.
Features: Traces Marvel from Martin Goodman through the Perlmutter era; interviews with editors and creators.
✓ Explains why these deals happened, not just who owns what✗ Ends before the Disney/Fox acquisition
Our verdict: The book version of this article, for readers who want the "why."
View on AmazonX-Men Trilogy [4K UHD + Blu-ray]
Best for: Fans who want the films that started the modern rights-licensing era.
Why we like it: These three films are the reason a separate "Fox side" of the rights chart existed for 20 years.
Features: 4K remasters of X-Men, X2, and X-Men: The Last Stand; legacy bonus commentary and featurettes.
✓ Foundational viewing for the Fox-to-MCU story✗ No prequel trilogy or Deadpool & Wolverine
Our verdict: Slept-on next to newer box sets, but the one that explains how we got here.
View on AmazonDaredevil: The Complete Seasons 1–3
Best for: Readers curious how a Marvel Television deal produced a separate continuity from the movies.
Why we like it: Shows exactly how the old Marvel TV/Netflix agreement carved out street-level rights from the film side.
Features: All three Netflix seasons; includes the Kingpin and Elektra arcs referenced above.
✓ Sets up everything Born Again pays off✗ Netflix-era visual style shows its age
Our verdict: Essential context for the Kingpin/Daredevil rights history covered in this post.
View on AmazonSpider-Man: Homecoming / Far From Home / No Way Home 3-Film Set
Best for: Fans who want the full arc of the Sony-Marvel shared-custody deal in one purchase.
Why we like it: These three films exist only because of the unusual co-financing arrangement explained in the chart.
Features: Three-film Blu-ray + Digital bundle spanning Homecoming through No Way Home.
✓ Cheaper than No Way Home alone in most steelbooks✗ No standalone Venom or Madame Web
Our verdict: The most overlooked bundle for the exact deal this article spends a whole section explaining.
View on AmazonFrequently Asked Questions
Q: You forgot about [Insert Character Name Here]. Why didn’t you put them in?
A: When this chart was first created, there were 30 characters. The list has grown to over 200. But even then, it’s a small fraction of the Marvel universe. According to the Marvel fandom site, there are over 70,000 characters in the Marvel Multiverse. Every year, Marvel adds dozens, if not hundreds, of characters. According to the Marvel Cinematic Universe fandom site, there are over 4,000 characters in the MCU. We could update the chart with all the characters, but it would be massive and a full-time job. This chart is for fun, and we’re grateful for its popularity, but we don’t do the chart for money and don’t expect to rely on it for income. So, yes, we don’t have all the characters. That doesn’t mean we don’t know about them. That doesn’t mean we don’t like them, as some have suggested. It’s more likely that we don’t have the time or space to add them. But if you have a request, feel free to put it in the comments below. If we get enough requests, we can try to fast-track it. Buy the Marvel Encyclopedia for a deep dive into your favorite charactersQ: Can I update or make changes to the chart?
A: We love that the fans have embraced the chart and encourage everyone to share and make suggestions to make it better. Some have put in a great deal of work and effort to modify it. That’s awesome. However, there have been some who not only try to add characters but also remove any references to our site. Some have even suggested that we no longer own it, but the ownership has passed on to others. This makes us sad. Maurice puts hours and hours into each version of the chart and tries to update it as quickly as he can. When people add things without permission, they often destroy the look and feel of the chart. You’d be surprised how much work goes into the layout and even the spacing of the characters. It’s a lot of work. Also, there’s the issue of style. There are many talented artists out there, but the chart was created with a specific style in mind. When people add characters, it just doesn’t look the same. The quality of the chart suffers, and people may think the modified version is official. We’ve added a copyright notice, which we hope will be enough to remind people that this is a copyrighted work. We don’t own the characters, but the artwork is unique. Again, if you have suggestions, please reach out, and we’ll do what we can. If you’d like to collaborate on the next version, send us a message in our contact form, and we’ll consider it!Previous Version of the Chart
(Click to enlarge)
For fun, here’s an animated version of the chart showing the changes.
Version 9.5 – 12/20/2021
Click the link for the Hi-Resolution Version of the Visual Guide to Marvel Character Movie and Television Rights v.9.5 (5000×4713 4.7MB)
Click the link for the Ultra Hi-Resolution Version of the Visual Guide to Marvel Character Movie and Television Rights v.9.5 (8700×8200 9MB)
Version 9.4 – 09/01/2021
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| Visual Guide to Marvel Live-Action Character Rights by the Geek Twins v.9.4 Size: 2334 x 2188 |
Version 9.3 – 3/1/2021
Version 8 – 9/27/2019
Note: Higher resolution images available by request.
Version 7 – 8/28/2019
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| Visual Guide to Marvel Live-Action Character Rights v.7 by The Geek Twins (2250×2109) |
Version 6 – 12/17/2018
Version 5 – 12/14/2017
Version 4 – 2/21/2017
Updated by request with additional characters. Shout-out to Reddit’s /MarvelStudios!
Version 3 – 2/11/2015
Version 2
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| (Size 1200×960) |
Version 1
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| (Size: 4444x3556px) |
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| (Size: 1111×889) |
Shop the Marvel Cinematic Universe
Made it this far? Here's where to own the story.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps [4K + Blu-ray + Digital]
Best for: Readers who want the newest proof the chart already changed.
Why we like it: The first Fantastic Four film made entirely under Marvel Studios after the Fox rights returned.
Features: 4K UHD + Blu-ray + digital; deleted scenes; behind-the-scenes look at Marvel's first family back home.
✓ Demonstrates what happens after a rights reversion✗ Period-set take plays differently than prior films
Our verdict: The most relevant single purchase for anyone who just read the "how X-Men and Fantastic Four came back" section.
View on AmazonDaredevil by Frank Miller & Klaus Janson Omnibus
Best for: Readers who want the Kingpin-era Daredevil comics in one large volume.
Why we like it: Collects the run that defined Kingpin as a Daredevil villain rather than just a Spider-Man one.
Features: Oversized omnibus format; Miller's full writing and art run plus Janson's inks.
✓ More story per page than individual trades✗ Heavy hardcover, less casual to read
Our verdict: The deep-dive comics companion to the Kingpin ownership breakdown in this post.
View on AmazonThe Immortal Hulk Omnibus
Best for: Readers who want to see why Hulk's film and TV rights stayed so tangled.
Why we like it: A modern, acclaimed reinvention of a character whose distribution rights are uniquely split between Marvel Studios and Universal.
Features: Single-volume omnibus collecting the full acclaimed 2018–2021 series.
✓ Widely considered one of the best Hulk runs ever✗ Horror-tinged tone departs from the MCU film
Our verdict: Explains the character at the center of one of the chart's messiest ownership splits.
View on AmazonSub-Mariner Masterworks Vol. 1
Best for: Readers who want the original comics behind the chart's most obscure name.
Why we like it: Namor's decades-old, multi-studio rights history starts with these stories.
Features: Masterworks reprint of the earliest Sub-Mariner solo stories from Tales to Astonish.
✓ Origin material for a 60-year rights saga✗ Golden/Silver Age art reads as dated
Our verdict: A genuine deep cut for readers who want to know why Namor gets his own paragraph above.
View on AmazonDaredevil: Born Again
Best for: Readers who want the single most-referenced Kingpin/Daredevil story in adaptations.
Why we like it: The direct source material for the Kingpin arc referenced across Netflix's Daredevil and Born Again.
Features: Standalone collected edition of Miller and Mazzucchelli's classic arc.
✓ Shorter and more affordable than the full omnibus✗ Skips the earlier Miller/Janson issues
Our verdict: The single best entry point if you only buy one Daredevil comic from this list.
View on AmazonAlpha Flight by John Byrne Omnibus
Best for: Readers who want the team even hardcore Marvel fans forget has movie rights questions.
Why we like it: Alpha Flight's ownership history is one of the odder footnotes in Marvel's licensing story.
Features: John Byrne's complete original run collected in one omnibus.
✓ Genuinely great underrated Marvel comics✗ No live-action adaptation to pair it with
Our verdict: The pick for readers who read this whole post and still want more of the obscure stuff.
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<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="35977 ">39 Comments
So the X-Men will not be fighting vampires?
I would have liked Marvel to get Spider-Man back instead of him being stuck in his own little bubble there. It'd be cool if they could loan Wolverine for one of the Avengers movies, but I doubt that will happen.
Nice graphic!
I've never heard of Man-thing, but I'm intrigued.
This is why DC can have an advantage with their characters.
I still want a proper Deadpool Movie. If you can make Kick A** a "R" rated comic movie you can do the same with Wade Wilson.
amazing graphic!
Is Universal just being weird about Namor? Or is Marvel thinking there is no way Universal is going to try to make a movie with Namor and will wait for the rights to revert back on their own without negotiating?
Anyway, the X-verse always seemed like a different thing to me anyway than the rest of Marvel, so it doesn't really bother me that Fox as them, and I wonder if we'd get the same number of movies coming out if Disney had Spider-Man, X-men, FF and the rest. I mean, we'd have to be getting 5 or 6 movies a year instead of the two we're getting now. Disney would have to be putting up a $Billion per year in production costs on Marvel properties alone. That's a lot of cash tied up in things that aren't Star Wars, or Pixar, or whatever other Disney flicks they have planned (like another Lone Ranger movie, perhaps).
I'm curious how they'd handle it. So, like I said before, I'm kind of okay with Sony having Spider Man and
… I don't think I finished my though. oops. But point made I suppose.
That's a weird one alright. I think Marvel is just going to wait them out because ain't nobody screaming for a Sub-Mariner movie.
Love it, nice work! Wish Marvel could use Beast the same way as those upcoming twins. He's been quite a bit in Avengers right?
I think the two Thor movies made more than the Fantastic Four movies even domestically?
You are missing quite a bit here. Fox has the rights to any characters directly associated with the fantastic four, such as the Skrull alien race. This is the reason in Avengers the alien army was the Chitauri, which are an alternate version of Skrulls.
It hasn't come up yet, but they may also have the rights to She-Hulk, as she has been an active and reserve member of F4. Fox also holds the rights to the term MUTANT for marvel property films, so Avengers is going to have to make something new up to cover for Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch. There are a ton of little corner cases like these through out the 'film rights' that the multiple companies have divvied out.
Great points
How does Fox own the rights to Nova?? The Nova Corp. are going to be in the Guardians of the Galaxy movie.
Right you are Ninjin! I updated the list. Thanks for the correction!
Thanks for the props DidntPullOutInTimeCop! Beast would be great in the Avengers, but I'm happy with what he's doing in "First Class." Great question! "Thor" and "Thor 2" made $379,683,600 combined while the Fantastic Four movies made $536,877,800. I'm sure as time goes on Thor will catch up and pass it, but who knows what the FF reboot will bring?
Oh that's a 5? Looked like a 3 on my screen, that's why 🙂 Sorry about that!
Yea it's not like they need more characters for Avengers anyway, we're lucky we're getting all these Marvel Movies!
I know one thing, if this isn't resolved no Infinity Gauntlet 🙁
Marvel has rights to the Nova Corp.
Fox probably has rights to the character named "Nova" (Frankie Raye) who was a herald of Galactus and the Human Torch's girlfriend.
Pretty sure Sony has the rights to Vulture as well; he's hinted at in the Amazing Spidey 2 trailer and likely a part of the upcoming Sinister Six movie. You could probably list Mary Jane Watson too 😉
Franklin Richards (omega level MUTANT) should prove to be an epic fight between FOX & Marvel.
** Marvel : PowerPack
** FOX : Mom, Dad, Uncles Johnny & Ben, Rachel, H.E.R.B.I.E., etc
The end result can be a (tear in reality) for both studios.
Yeah, there are a lot of blurry versions of this graphic out there. :/ I think we're living in a golden age of superhero films.
Silver Surver, huh? "Excuse me master, would you like more silver?"
Nicely done.
(Now we need one for video game licensing.)
Wow. That's a great point. Can't have one without the other.
Great infographic.
Hey now. I'm screaming for a Subby movie (done right), and I'm not alone. Though, I suspect Marvel sold the rights to Namor to Universal a loooooong time ago, along with Hulk and Dr. Strange. Since Marvel's got the rights back on those, I'm not sure why they don't have Namor's rights back.
Also meant to say, GREAT infographic!
So who owns the Punisher? He's had like 3 movies.
Charlie, Punisher was Lionsgate but he's now back at Marvel!
——– Original message ——–
So we might get a proper Punisher flick? I'm OK with that.
If Lionsgate Entertainment sill holds the rights to Man-Thing after all
this time, then why was Marvel Studios able to include Ellen Brandt, the
wife of Man-Thing, as a character in Iron Man 3?
Don't be. It's even worse than Howard the Duck. It was so bad that instead of going to movie theaters, it went to the Sci-Fi Channel.
Maybe Marvel Studios is working on getting the rights back? Not that they should bother; Swamp Thing bombed horribly, I don't see a Man-Thing movie doing any better.
Howard the Duck was, as they say on TV Tropes.org, so bad it was good.
They actually did a Man-Thing movie? Even after Swamp Thing (essentially the same character) made Catwoman look like Iron Man 1, 2 and 3?
That is a great question Wyldstar. They were both introduced in "Savage Tales #1."
Lionsgate already made a Man-Thing movie in 2005. It was called Man-Thing, but it's basically just a monster movie that had nothing much to do with the comics. A few foreign theaters showed the flick. The film went straight to the Sci-Fi Channel in the US, then to DVD.
Elektra movie rights are still retained by Fox after the 2012-2013 negotiations that broke down with Marvel Studios.
Cable is also up in the air, as back in 2009 Marvel Studios was considering him for a standalone movie that never moved forward. Then Liefeld mentioned in 2013 Cable is supposed to appear in the 'X-Force' movie. So TBD.
Great points Bob. Kevin Feige says he "thinks" the rights to Elektra are with Daredevil, so that would put them back with Marvel. So no one is sure. I'm going with Feige on that one, but he could be wrong.
http://splashpage.mtv.com/2013/05/09/elektra-rights-returned-to-marvel/
Cable is a pretty vague one since he's technically a mutant. Graser said he belongs to Marvel, but he may end up in the middle ground between Marvel and 20th Century Fox similar to Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch. I'm not sure where to put him because neither company has green lit a movie. Where do you think I should put him?
http://www.newsarama.com/19897-who-goes-where-surveying-the-complicated-movie-rights-situation-of-marvel-comics.html
After the Fox-Marvel Studios negotiations broke down, and both parties missed out (Fox wanted to keep Daredevil, Marvel wanted Silver Surfer and Galactus back most probably to tie in with Guardians and Avengers 2), the spite action on the part of Fox was to claim continued movie rights on Elektra. I'm sure both parties went their separate ways with hard feelings.
http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/dcmarvelrelatedfilms/news/?a=65739