Why Michael Jackson Almost Bought Marvel — And The Two Superheroes He Wanted To Play
At the end of his new biopic, Michael, we are told that “His story continues”, suggesting we will eventually get a sequel to this epic interpretation of Michael Jackson’s life.
It’s a stinger that feels very similar to the tantalising messages we usually see at the end of MCU movies, telling audiences that their favourite heroes will be back for another taste of the action.
That may seem a little over the top, given he was a popstar, not a superhero. But it’s fitting, really, as Jackson once tried his best to buy the Marvel empire to fulfil his dream of playing one iconic character.
Michael Jackson Wanted To Join Forces With Stan Lee
In the 1990s, Marvel Comics was struggling. The rise of Image Comics, combined with several questionable decisions from Marvel, saw the publishing giant on the brink of bankruptcy.
While Jackson was going through his own issues at that time, most notably as child molestation accusations were levelled at the musician in 1993, he was able to bury the issue, to an extent, thanks to his devoted fanbase and bottomless bank balance.
Jackson had so much money, in fact, that he was eager to spend a great deal of it on purchasing Marvel just when the company needed it most. That’s according to his brother, Taj, at least, who told Popcorned Planet that discussions had taken place to get a deal done.
“I remember being with my brothers and [Michael] talking about purchasing Marvel. He wanted to do that with Stan Lee. They had been talking,” Taj said. “Unfortunately, that didn't happen. I think they were shut down from doing that. I don't know the reasons why, but they were adamant that they were in the process of [arranging the sale].”
Spider-Man Was Michael Jackson’s Favourite Superhero
Jackson’s reason for wanting to buy Marvel was simple, and something I’m sure we can all relate to: he really wanted to play Spider-Man.
Around that time, the legendary filmmaker James Cameron was working on a Spidey project – one that would never see the light of day, sadly. But Jackson was eager to play the Wallcrawler, and it’s believed he thought he might get to be involved if he owned the company.
On his brother’s motivations, Taj Jackson added: “He was a huge Marvel fan. He knew all the characters. It was not only Spider-Man [that he wanted to buy]. But yeah, he probably wanted to be Spider-Man.”
Speaking of other characters the King of Pop loved, there are rumours that Jackson also had a desire to play none other than Professor Charles Xavier, leader of the mutants in the X-Men franchise. In the end, it was Sir Patrick Stewart who got the part, and while it’s impossible to know how Jackson’s version of that character would have played out, it’s safe to say Stewart did a superb job.
The MCU Probably Wouldn’t Exist If Jackson Got His Wish
The sale of Marvel to Michael Jackson never made it past the discussion stage, but it was probably for the best.
Just a few years after those plans fell apart, things drastically improved for Marvel. With the Blade movie in 1998, the aforementioned X-Men franchise, and of course, Sam Raimi’s incredible Spider-Man trilogy of the early 2000s, Marvel and the superhero subgenre finally had a foothold in wider popular culture, and the foundations were laid for the rise of the MCU as we know it.
Would we have gotten Iron Man, The Avengers, and the Infinity Saga had Jackson been handling the reins of the franchise? Probably not. It doesn’t sound like Jackson had much in the way of long-term ambitions for Marvel, beyond making his own dreams come true and having some fun with his favourite characters.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing, and it’s a temptation I think we’d all be intrigued by. However, it has been far more beneficial for us all that Kevin Feige was given the keys to the kingdom and was able to build something truly special for comic book fans over the past 18 years.
