That Marvel Comics were to cancel their Fantastic Four comics (though still using the characters in other titles) as a deliberate snub to Fox, currently producing the Fantastic Four movie. With the belief, from on high, that any publication of Fantastic Four comic books only helped Fox Studios at the expense of Marvel Studios. And while X-Men were just too popular comics to cancel, the Fantastic Four… wasn’t. So both comics would be dropped.

There was flimsy evidence to back it up. That the Marvel 75th Anniversary project had no Fantastic Four on the cover, despite being Marvel’s first superhero team, and the core of the modern Marvel comic. I was told that Fantastic Four imagery had been taken down at Marvel’s offices. And then certain very chatty people in the past suddenly clammed up when this was mentioned.

Well, this morning another shoe on the caterpillar dropped. An artist who I have been asked not to name, told me,

I do a number of sketch card projects for Upper Deck and Rittenhouse using Marvel characters. The most recent projects from both companies, one billed as Marvel 75th Anniversary, gave specific guidelines to NOT use any FF characters or supporting cast such as Dr Doom, Galactus, Surfer, Skrulls etc…

So… what do we think?

Another source close to Marvel tells me that this is all coming from Marvel CEO and largest Disney shareholder Ike Perlmutter, who has been known to take these kind of things very personally indeed.

Also, it’s worth pointing out that Marvel has a very different relationship with Fox than it does with Sony.

UPDATE: From another artist, here comes the instruction sheet received by sketch card artists.

I think you're on the money, Eddy.

Hmm, I just picked up the first two issues of the Allred Silver Surfer, hope it hasn't gotten the can too.

How much would it cost Disney to actually buy the rights back from the other studios? I've been watching the Ultimate Spider- Man cartoon on Netflix, and one of the best aspects is seeing the Marvel movie Avengers characters interact with Spider- Man and the rest of the Marvel Universe.

I think you're on the money, Eddy.

If Marvel Entertainment makes most of its money from Marvel Studios rather than sales of the comic books, then it does make sense. Keep in mind that before Disney bought Marvel Comics, from Marvel's point of view they might not have been getting as much money as if they were making the movies themselves, but they were still making money. Now the money Fox pays Marvel for licensing the Fantastic Four is offset by how the parent company Disney is hurt by the competition.

And yet...Disney/Marvel doesn't seem to mind any of the Spider-Man films by Sony. Is Sony more polite and co-operative with Marvel? Or is it that Disney feels they are profiting from films that promote Marvel's most popular character even if the movie isn't made by them?

As someone who actually has been reading the comics and only quit recently, you would both be wrong. He was as smart as movie Tony before the movies ever came around, and is about the same. The difference is that in the comics there is a Reed Richards, who is smarter than him, where in the MCU, there isn't, because they aren't allowed to mention him. Even so, it's more of a different thing, as one is a laboratory scientist and the other is a mechanical engineer.

Perhaps it's because they are fairly true to the characters (as are the X-Men movies, mostly), and this really is a creative statement? Just speculation.

If Marvel is going to stop using Dr. Doom in their comics if this rumour is true, who becomes the top villain in the Marvel Universe? I suspect that Loki may be getting a promotion in the villain department considering how popular he was in three movies. Of course, I don't know if you necessarily NEED a top villain, but other villains who otherwise might be overshadowed by Doom are probably going to get more face time. The X-Universe may simply be treated as a separate universe from the MU if Marvel wants to profit from comic book sales but not want to promote the Fox movies.

If Marvel is going to stop using Dr. Doom in their comics if this rumour is true, who becomes the top villain in the Marvel Universe? I suspect that Loki may be getting a promotion in the villain department considering how popular he was in three movies. Of course, I don't know if you necessarily NEED a top villain, but other villains who otherwise might be overshadowed by Doom are probably going to get more face time. The X-Universe may simply be treated as a separate universe from the MU if Marvel wants to profit from comic book sales but not want to promote the Fox movies.