Why Michael Jackson Almost Bought Marvel - And The Two Superheroes He Wanted To Play
As the Michael Jackson biopic Michael (2026) soars to the top of the box office, the film has stirred debate over how accurately it portrays the music legend. One thing that it gets right, though, is the singer’s love for film. Throughout the biopic, viewers see shots of Michael Jackson (Jaafar Jackson) deeply engrossed, sitting in front of the television screen. Although the scenes don’t capture the imagination as much as others, I felt they were among the best. They were so simple, but so accurately captured what it looks like to watch someone fall in love with film.
As Michael portrays, he drew inspiration from horror movies for his iconic “Thriller” music video. However, his love affair with film went further than that. Throughout his career, he often vouched for, or some may even say nagged, movie studios and directors for roles, including requesting George Lucas to cast him as Jar Jar Binks in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (1999). If you want a bigger picture of Jackson’s film ambitions, we’ll need to delve into the story of how he almost bought Marvel.
Michael Jackson Once Wanted To Buy Marvel
Jackson was a huge fan of Marvel Comics in the 1990s. Long before the comics company pivoted to films and the Marvel Cinematic Universe was born, the singer envisioned the heroes on the big screen—and he wanted to be a part of it. The ‘90s were a difficult time for Marvel, which nearly went bankrupt when comic revenue dropped substantially. At the same time, there were some early musings of cinema, with director Jame Cameron developing a Spider-Man movie.
Eager to be a part of the Spider-Man movie (which ultimately didn’t pan out) and cognizant of Marvel’s financial issues, Jackson seemingly saw the solution: He would buy Marvel Comics. Jackson’s nephew, Taj Jackson, confirmed to Pocorned Planet his uncle’s ambitions to buy the franchise. The singer actually spoke to Stan Lee about buying Marvel. Despite discussions, the purchase never came to fruition.
The Real Reason Michael Jackson Wanted To Buy Marvel
Both Taj Jackson and Stan Lee suggested the real reason Jackson wanted to buy Marvel was that he felt it was the only way he could ensure he’d land his dream movie role as Spider-Man. Jackson was desperate to play the role of Spider-Man, but likely thought he had to buy his way into it. Lee stated, “Yes, he wanted to [buy Marvel]. He felt that would be the only way that he could play Spider-Man” (via Comics Alliance). Meanwhile, Taj Jackson mentioned his uncle was interested in all of Marvel, but conceded to Porcorned Planet, “Yeah, he probably wanted to be Spider-Man.”
It’s hard to imagine Jackson in the role of Peter Parker (aka Spider-Man). Jackson never landed a major role in film, so we don’t really know the extent of his acting skills. Lee mentioned he thought Jackson would be good, but may not have fit the role as wonderfully as Tobey Maguire in Spider-Man (2002). However, Spider-Man wasn’t the only role that Jackson wanted to play. In the late 1990s to early 2000s, he tried to enter Marvel as casting for X-Men (2000) began. He was keen to play Professor X and approached producers about the role.
Producer Lauren Shuler Donner told THR she warned Jackson that the character was “an older white guy,” but Jackson wasn’t concerned about the technicalities, insisting he could wear makeup. Insiders say he even gave producers a presentation, using his transformation in his musical short film Ghosts (1997) to convince them he could become Professor X. The role ultimately went to the older, more experienced Patrick Stewart.
What Would Marvel Have Looked Like Under Michael Jackson?
It’s impossible to know what would’ve happened had Jackson gone through with his purchase of Marvel. Lee expressed doubts that Jackson could have made Marvel successful, stating, “It would have been totally different, of course, but maybe not as successful. Michael was not a great businessman.” He’s not wrong about Jackson’s business qualities. At the time of his passing, Jackson owed an estimated $500 million in debt.
Buying Marvel was just the kind of shrewd, bold business choice he was known for making. What he earned from his shrewdness, though, he lost in reckless spending and legal troubles. In the 1990s, when he became interested in buying Marvel, he was facing child sexual abuse allegations, which would lead to a $22 million settlement and kickstart a series of financial and legal woes.
Jackson was a true Marvel fan, but despite his interest in Marvel, it appears that playing Spider-Man was his only big idea. It’s difficult to say what else he would’ve done with the franchise, especially as his professional and personal life became quite turbulent at this time. He wanted to buy an entire franchise for one element, making it unlikely his management could have positioned it for wider film success and the MCU. Marvel’s biggest “what if” will always be the alternate reality where Jackson really did buy Marvel to pursue his vision of being Spider-Man.
