"Do you have any other good ideas?" Isaac Perlmutter asked eagerly.
"Yes, there's one more thing we must do!" Huang He said.
"What is it?" Isaac Perlmutter immediately asked.
"We must immediately reclaim the copyrights of all the superheroes we've sold!" Huang He stated.
"You think so too!" Isaac Perlmutter's eyes brightened. "You're not just saying this to trick me, are you?"
"Of course not, because I know very clearly that Marvel's greatest asset is the superheroes in its hands. These superheroes absolutely cannot be controlled by others; they must be firmly held in our own hands. That way, when I build a massive Marvel Cinematic Universe, I can have it at my beck and call without any obstacles!"
"Marvel Cinematic Universe? What does that mean?" Isaac Perlmutter seized upon the key point in Huang He's words.
"To be frank, the reason I want to acquire Marvel is to film superhero movies and make the film industry the main development direction for Jiangnan Group in the future."
"Over the next 20 years, I plan to produce about 40 movies related to Marvel superheroes, and each movie will take place within the same world view, with interconnected clues and threads between them. You can think of it as a continuous drama composed of 40 films, thereby establishing a Marvel Cinematic Universe!" Huang He said without hesitation.
Some might think this is another point of failure, that there's no reason to reveal Marvel's future so early. What if Isaac Perlmutter hears this and refuses to sell the company, or what if he steals Huang He's ideas? Wouldn't that be making wedding clothes for someone else?
This way of thinking is entirely wrong, because as early as the 1990s, Marvel's Stan Lee had already proposed the concept of a Marvel Cinematic Universe. In interviews with the media, he boldly declared that he intended to film eight Marvel movies before the year 2000 and then combine the superheroes from these movies to film an Avengers movie, thus completing the creation of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
So, this is not really Mr. Huang's idea, but something that predecessors had already thought of.
In fact, many things in modern times were thought of by predecessors, but the environment at the time couldn't make them successful. For example, over 120 years ago, when cars had just been invented, people already said that cars, these fuel-burning machines, were destined to be eliminated by history.
The cars of the future would definitely be electric vehicles, but this required breakthroughs in battery technology.
Therefore, the concept of a Marvel Cinematic Universe had been planned countless times within Marvel. The reason these plans could never be smoothly implemented is simple: Marvel didn't have money!
Another key point is that no one knew if the concept of a Marvel Cinematic Universe could succeed.
From the 1980s to the 1990s was a period when superhero movies were at their hottest. So, when Stan Lee proposed this idea in the early 1990s, it was quite well-received, and many film companies approached Marvel to purchase superhero copyrights.
However, anyone familiar with the development of the film industry knows that starting from the 1990s, superhero movies began to decline. Until around 2008, except for the Spider-Man series, other superhero movies lost money hand over fist. The most tragic was Fantastic Four, which caused one of Hollywood's six major film companies at the time to go bankrupt due to losses.
Moreover, even with the money to film, a cinematic universe is not that easy to succeed. For example, the DC Universe that DC later wanted to replicate, and the monster movie universe that Warner wanted to create, were actually not that successful and did not generate much popularity. Although these investments did not result in complete financial ruin, they still incurred losses.
Therefore, facing Huang He's idea of a Marvel Cinematic Universe, Isaac Perlmutter did not feel particularly shocked or as if he had discovered a grand path. Instead, he thought Huang He was a bit too naive.
Did he really think that any movie would be a hit, and that so many superhero movies would become hits together?
However, Isaac Perlmutter was very pleased with Huang He's plan, as it meant Marvel would receive significant investment.
"How much do you plan to invest in filming movies?" Isaac Perlmutter immediately asked.
"If we calculate an average filming cost of $100 million per movie, that would be $4 billion. Over the next 20 years, I will invest $4 billion to film superhero movies!" Huang He said.
"$4 billion!" Isaac Perlmutter felt his body tremble at the staggering number. If this $4 billion were all given to Marvel, wouldn't that mean…
"Of course, this is under the premise that Marvel belongs to me. Otherwise, I would never throw money around like this. After all, Marvel is currently valued at only $50 million. I can't make wedding clothes for others with $4 billion, can I?" Huang He said with a smile.
"That's true!" Isaac Perlmutter gave a wry smile. He had indeed been thinking too ideally.
"Then I'll return to the new cooperation model I mentioned earlier!" Seeing that Isaac Perlmutter was completely wavering, Huang He immediately pressed on. "I know that Marvel is currently controlled by your toy company, Marvel Toys. So, I am willing to acquire Marvel Toys for $100 million. What do you think?"
"What!" Isaac Perlmutter looked at Huang He with utter astonishment. As mentioned before, Marvel was currently only worth $50 million.
And Marvel Toys, which controlled Marvel, was actually worth less than $10 million.
Although this toy company was founded by Isaac Perlmutter, Marvel Toys had serious mismanagement issues for various reasons. Also, as Marvel's IP gradually lost market appeal, sales were very difficult, and the company was in a state of loss every year, indeed selling for less than $10 million.
Now, Huang He's offer to buy Marvel Toys for $100 million was equivalent to giving Isaac Perlmutter $40 million for free, which naturally made Isaac Perlmutter extremely tempted.
"Not only that!" Huang He continued. "I know you have deep feelings for Marvel, so I would never do something like driving you away. We can sign an agreement that unless you violate certain special clauses, such as selling superheroes, you will remain the CEO of Marvel until your death. I will not interfere with your operations in any way."
"However, all of Marvel's film business will be my responsibility. You can provide guidance, but you cannot interfere with my decisions. Simply put, you call the shots on non-film content, and I call the shots on all film-related matters!"
"Additionally, I hold the final interpretation rights for the entire Marvel Universe. I can add and modify settings, characters, and future story developments of the Marvel Universe at any time, and this is my right!"
"All of this can be written down on paper in the contract, and in case of any conflict, we will act according to the contract!"
"How do you want to interpret the Marvel Universe?" After listening to Huang He, Isaac Perlmutter was naturally extremely moved. He had no interest in the film business himself, so handing it over to Huang He to manage was completely acceptable.
This way, he could earn $40 million for free and also control Marvel Group for life. There was nothing more perfect in the world.
However, when Huang He proposed to have the final interpretation rights of the Marvel Universe, Isaac Perlmutter became a bit worried. Wouldn't this guy want to drastically change many of Marvel's stories?
Isaac Perlmutter knew very well that Marvel had many settings that caused constant controversy among fans. Countless people online swore that if they had money, they would definitely acquire Marvel and change various settings.
Was this Huang He also such a person?
"It's not really a big deal. I am Chinese, and in the future, Marvel movies will definitely be developed throughout China through me. Therefore, I naturally need to incorporate many Chinese elements into Marvel movies!" Huang He said.
"Oh, we have Shang-Chi!"
"Heh heh!" Huang He gave a dry laugh. "Shang-Chi is a Chinese hero imagined by you Americans. He's not down-to-earth in China. I will arrange for Chinese comic artists to create Chinese superheroes."
"In addition to this, Chinese elements also need to be added to the overall backdrop of the Marvel Universe. For example, I plan to introduce the Heavenly Court as a new entity into the Marvel Universe."
"You know, the Heavenly Court is an organization with thousands of different deities, much larger than Greek or Norse mythology, and it has immense influence throughout the entire Eastern world. Once the Heavenly Court enters the Marvel worldview, Marvel's market in the entire East will be completely opened up!"
"I see!" Isaac Perlmutter suddenly understood. Although he felt that Marvel shouldn't add too many Eastern elements, since it was for earning money from the East, adding some appropriately was not a problem.
Besides, Huang He was investing $100 million to buy the entire Marvel, so he didn't seem to have the right to object.
Ultimately, Isaac Perlmutter agreed to Huang He's proposal. After a week of detailed negotiations, Jiangnan Group reached an acquisition agreement with Marvel, which was controlled by Marvel Toys, to acquire it. Thus, Marvel completely became Huang He's property.
However, at Huang He's request, apart from necessary filings, Marvel did not conduct any publicity or notify any media, allowing this crucial transaction to be completed silently.