• by Danielle Oster , September 4, 2024

In October of 1939, Timely Publications -- the newly launched company by pulp magazine publisher Martin Goodman -- published its first release: Marvel Comics #1.

The issue, which introduced the character “The Human Torch,” went on to sell some 900,000 copies, according to comics history publication “Alter Ego.”

The success of Marvel Comics #1 offered proof of concept for audience interest in the emerging comic book genre, offering the template for the company that would eventually become Marvel Comics.

A few months later, Walt Disney Productions would release its second full-length animated film, “Pinocchio,” nearly 70 years before it would acquire Marvel.

Marvel is now a key component of The Walt Disney Company’s entertainment empire, and its parent company is throwing a little party. Its “Celebrating 85 Years Of Marvel” spot opens with archival footage of Marvel icon Stan Lee, and goes on to combine clips from interviews with Marvel execs and franchise stars, with pages out of Marvel’s archive, and footage from entries in the Marvel Studios franchise.

The spot celebrates the Marvel universe as “a massive canvas through which all of our humanity is explored.”

Arriving on the heels of the theatrical success of “Deadpool & Wolverine” --  which became the highest-grossing R-rated film ever a few weeks into its run in theaters -- the ad teases first looks at upcoming cinematic and streaming TV entries, including the Red Hulk character from the “Captain America: Brave New World” film slated for a Feb. 2025 release, along with “Daredevil Born Again,” “Ironheart,” and “Thunderbolts.”

The financial impact of the franchise is hardly limited to its ability to rake in profits at the box office.

During a Q3 earnings call with investors, Disney CEO Robert Iger also cited the current film lineup’s “profound” “value on streaming," allowing the company to increase the cost of its Disney+ streaming service with “only modest churn.”