And yet, there’s one particular element the streaming service is missing that could put it over the top and differentiate it from nearly every other service out there: Comics.
It might seem like an unlikely pairing to bundle digital comics with on-demand movie and TV, but Disney wouldn’t be the first to go that route. In fact, Marvel’s primary competitor in the superhero market, DC Entertainment, has been doing exactly that for a while now with its subscription-basedDC Universeservice.
Although the interface for reading the digital comics can be a bit wonky, the sheer volume of stories that DC Universe has made available is impressive.
The digital comics and the movie and TV content complement each other so well within DC Universe, in fact, that it’s a little surprising Disney isn’t planning to do the same with the Marvel Comics library and Disney+.
The absence of Marvel’s comics from Disney+ is even more conspicuous when you consider the synergy between comics and the movies and TV shows based on them.
Comics readership hasbeen on the rise in recent years, growing from $805 million in North American comics sales in 2012 to $1.095 billion in 2018. Industry pundits point to the growth of digital comics and expansion of comics sales into Walmart and other mainstream locations as the biggest factors in that growth — with all of that growth driven by the popularity of superhero movies and TV shows.
That’s not a one-way relationship, either.
As much as superhero movies and TV shows push people to comics, the frequency with which studios are turning to comics for source material has made comics a proving ground of sorts for concepts and characters that eventually make their way to the screen.
Samuel Jackson as Nick Fury? That casting originated in the pages of Marvel’sThe Ultimatesseries long before the actor took the role.The Umbrella Academy(see below) andThe Boys? Hit shows based on lesser-known comics like these found a loyal audience in print before they ever found their way to streaming TV.
Even after a film or TV series is a hit, comics have expanded or extended the franchise’s viability with spinoff stories and print “sequels” that keep the characters in circulation.
Marvel famously published a series of Star Wars comics early in the sci-fi saga’s history that established some of the characters that eventually made their way to the screen and offered deeper backstories to popular heroes, villains, and supporting characters. These comics kept the saga active during the lean years when Star Wars films weren’t in production, and introduced some of the characters and concepts that would inform recent installments of the movie franchise. Similarly, theBuffy the Vampire Slayerseries continued for five additional seasons after its TV run had ended, thanks to an ongoing comic produced by show creator Joss Whedon andpublished by Dark Horse Comics.
It’s that relationship between comics, movies, and TV shows that makes a Marvel Comics component to Disney+ make so much sense.
Disney+ already has the makings for an industry leader in direct-to-consumer video content, but it has the opportunity to go beyond video with a comprehensive experience that blends Marvel’s comics with the projects that inspired or were inspired by them.
Imagine a service that not only gave you Jon Favreau’sThe MandalorianTV series, but also gave you several volumes of comics that took a deeper dive into the supporting characters and concepts introduced in the show. On the superhero side, Disney could stoke anticipation for itsLokiandWandaVisionshows by curating a collection of comics featuring the Asgardian trickster’s solo adventures, as well as a collection of stories showcasing the relationship between Scarlet Witch and Vision over the years.
Given that Marvel Comics already has its own subscription-based digital comics service,Marvel Unlimited, the fundamental architecture is already there to bring Marvel’s comics into the Disney+ environment.
