It's kind of hard to make gestures like cancelling a potentially tone-deaf panel land when you're also helping a major defense contractor polish up its image.
That's the situation Marvel found itself in as New York Comic Con kicked off on Widow who Fell For Her Son’s Friend’s Stuff She Met On A Matching App (2025)Friday with an announcement that the publisher had partnered with Northrop Grumman. The Virginia-based defense and aerospace technology firm is one of the U.S. military's biggest clients, specializing in everything from cybersecurity to weapons of war.
SEE ALSO: 'Marvel's Runaways' premiered at New York Comic Con and fans are in loveMarvel, facing immediate backlash, called off the collaboration before Friday was even over. A public statement from the comics publisher acknowledged the tricky optics, but pledged to continue working with Northrop Grumman on their broader mission (via Screen Rant).
The activation with Northrop Grumman at New York Comic Con was meant to focus on aerospace technology and exploration in a positive way. However, as the spirit of that intent has not come across, we will not be proceeding with this partnership including this weekend’s event programming. Marvel and Northrop Grumman continue to be committed to elevating, and introducing, STEM to a broad audience.
The backlash focused on the perceived hypocrisy of Marvel allying itself with a defense contractor. Tony Stark, the human inside Iron Man's armor, is the boss of the fictional tech firm and defense contractor Stark Industries. Many takes on the character, including his recent MCU portrayal, focus specifically on Tony wrestling with concerns over his company's war profiteering.
That story thread is a not-at-all-subtle commentary on the modern-day prevalence of defense contractors that build their business around manufacturing tools of war and operating in war zones -- commonly known as the "military-industrial complex."
The full extent of what the two companies were cooking up was never revealed. Along with the statement, Marvel also removed from its website one of the only tangible products of the partnership: A special edition Avengerscomic featuring "N.G.E.N." -- short for "Northrop Grumman Elite Nexus" -- as guest stars.
Whether or not critiques of Northrop Grumman's business interests are valid is besides the point; here, we see Marvel responding to people's perception of the partnership. Superhero comics aren't exclusively for kids, but it's hard to make a case for this tie-in comic being anything other than kid-friendly propaganda.
The announcement-then-abrupt-cancellation of Marvel's Northrop Grumman deal is very much in keeping with the publisher's image-conscious approach to the 2017 edition of New York Comic Con.
Marvel also cancelled a planned panel for the upcoming Netflix series, The Punisher. The violent story of a vigilante anti-hero who views himself as a street-level judge, jury, and executioner cut just a little too close to the tragic events that occurred in Las Vegas earlier this week.
In place of the Punisherpanel, Marvel swapped in a screening for a documentary about Stan Lee, creator of some of the publisher's most well-known properties. Lee also repped for Marvel earlier in the week with a pre-recorded message meant to remind viewers that the company's comic books are for everyone... except for those that subscribe to "racist [beliefs], intolerance, or bigotry."
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
Topics Comics Marvel
Virtual Reality: The True Cost of Admission (and Why It Doesn't Matter)
This 'Game of Thrones' moment was the biggest one on YouTube
Marvel VR game for Oculus Rift lets you become Hulk, Captain Marvel, Rocket Raccoon
Facebook building $200 standalone Oculus VR headset for 2018: report
Amazon Pet Day: All the best deals
The first 'Mary Poppins Returns' teaser is downright supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
Elon Musk launched x.com and, well, just see it for yourself
Marvel VR game for Oculus Rift lets you become Hulk, Captain Marvel, Rocket Raccoon
Operation Rock Wallaby rains food down on wildlife hurt by bushfires
WhatsApp now allows you to share any file type
Hidden Siri Commands and Unusual Responses
We're frankly baffled that luxury smartphone maker Vertu is done for
Woman knocks over $200,000 worth of art trying to take a selfie
Honolulu wants to ban cellphone walking. Here's 8 petty laws they could pass instead.
Reality Distortion Field: 10 Things Apple Won't Directly Say But We'll Infer About the iPhone X
MashReads: 'The Idiot' is one of the best books you'll read all year
YESSS: Taraji P. Henson joins 'Wreck
'Stranger Things' on a monochrome monitor is so perfectly '80s
Useful or Little Known Android Features
'Jersey Shore' is coming back to TV, and really 2017, whyyyy?
Recapping Dante: Canto 21, or a MiddleThe top masturbation question people had during the pandemicBarry Hannah on Flannery O’Connor, who was born today in 1925.What We’re Loving: The Backwoods Bull, the Ballet, the Boot by The Paris Review'Charlie bit my finger' viral video will leave YouTube, become an NFTE. L. Doctorow’s prescient, forgotten sciMillennials are getting meme'd for stanning Gen Z queen Olivia RodrigoGoogle will soon notify you of search results showing your contact informationRemembering Sherwin B. Nuland, the author of How We DieThe light verse of Phyllis McGinley, born on this day in 1905.Sadie Stein on childhood fameJohn Ashbery reads ”A Boy”Happy Birthday, Philip RothRead an Excerpt from Josep Pla’s The Gray NotebookHappy Birthday, Philip RothGoogle updates Search to automatically blur explicit content in imagesSadie Stein on childhood fameCelebrate St. Patrick’s Day with James Joyce’s CatsGoogle updates Search to automatically blur explicit content in imagesThomas Ken’s “Old Hundredth” by Sadie Stein You might be able to test out Dark Mode in the Facebook app right now 'The Mandalorian' Season 2 premiere recap: "The Marshal" How to make money on Zoom and Facebook classes This Handmaid's Tale cast video reminds us to create change Why chilling statues of women have appeared in buses in South Korea How Tesla super fans get the add GoFundMe erased campaigns for man accused of killing counter University apparel emblazoned with 'CUM' is a chaotic internet mystery Apple will fix your rattling AirPod Pro headphones for free WhatsApp now has disappearing messages, but there's a catch Trump just gave the most insane press conference about Charlottesville Very excited dad nails insane frisbee golf shot. Son doesn't care. Key & Peele, four other Comedy Central hits come to HBO Max on Nov. 1 Australian dad finds venomous snake just chilling next to baby's crib An inflatable Trump rat is waiting for the president in Manhattan 'Little Hope' conjures witchy best for new Dark Pictures game: Review Chelsea Clinton calls on Trump to apologize for 'vile and wrong' tweet Motorola changes Razr shipping to keep fingerprints off new phones Facebook closes dumb election loophole, but won't stop Trump's lies from spreading The most ferocious fashion spotted at CatCon LA
2.7091s , 10133.1328125 kb
Copyright © 2025 Powered by 【Widow who Fell For Her Son’s Friend’s Stuff She Met On A Matching App (2025)】,Pursuit Information Network