Having worked with Marvel Studios for many years, Jim Starlin, the comic book artist and writer best known for creating Thanos, once touched on his working experience with the studios. He explained how his small character in Zack Snyder’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice proved to be more lucrative than his several Marvel Studios creations.
The seasoned comic book creator announced on Facebook in 2017 that he received “a very big check” from DC Entertainment for utilizing his KGBeast (a.k.a. Anatoli Knyazev) character in Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice. Starlin claimed in his post that the money made from this one movie is more than Marvel Studios has paid him for using characters he created in multiple films.
Well, it is worth noting that Starlin’s original pay for Thanos in the 2018 Avengers: Infinity War was significantly lower than what he received for his KGBeast. They did, however, eventually renegotiate the agreement over Thanos’ appearance.
Thanos’ Creator Slammed Marvel For Paying Less Than What He Received From a DC Film
At the box office, Marvel has often outperformed its rivals; however, it appears that their rivals are keeping a larger portion of their profits. That’s why they are offering a larger salary to their employees. Well, this is what Thanos’ creator, Jim Starlin believed.
The legendary comic book writer made an intriguing revelation on Facebook in 2017. He shared how his supporting characters from Zack Snyder’s Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice turned out to be more profitable for him than any of his many Marvel Studios productions, including Avengers: Infinity War.
“Just received a very big check from D.C. Entertainment for my participation in Batman V Superman, Dawn of Justice [Anatoli Knyyazev], much bigger than anything I’ve gotten for Thanos, Gamora and Drax showing up in any of the various Marvel movies they appeared in, combined. Guess I’ll finally have to sit down and watch the movie.”
This is especially unexpected because Anatoli Knyazev/KGBeast (Callan Mulvey) plays, at best, a very small role in the film; it is likely that many viewers would not even know who he was. However, Starlin later renegotiated his deal with Marvel over their use of Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War.
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Jim Starlin Renegotiated His Deal With Marvel Over Thanos’ Appearance
In 2016, Jim Starlin revealed to THR’s Heat Vision that he had renegotiated his contract with Marvel over the company’s use of Thanos when the first Avengers (2012) film came out.
“I’d like to have had a bigger piece of Thanos than I do, but when the first Avengers movie came out, Marvel and I — we renegotiated some things, so I get a taste out of this thing. I’m not becoming the next Bill Gates, but I’m getting a little something out of it.”
Meanwhile, last year, the man behind Shang-Chi, Eros, Thanos, also shared his thoughts on Thanos’ future in the MCU. Starlin informed Inverse that he had heard Marvel might want to use some characters he has not worked on. He also has the view that there is a chance to bring Thanos back now that the studio has access to this multiverse. To quote him:
“I’ve heard Marvel may want to use some other characters I’ve done. I think they’re running out. Now that they’ve got this multiverse, there’s the possibility of bringing back Thanos. And with Thanos, that opens up possibilities for other characters. There are a few that they haven’t used, like the Blood Brothers.”
Starlin is better known among comic book fans for his more cosmic creations, such as Thanos, Drax the Destroyer, and Gamora, all of whom he created for Marvel Comics during his first stint there in the 1970s.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is streaming on Amazon Prime Video, while Avengers: Infinity War is available on Disney Plus.
