Main Cast
Avi Arad
Avi Arad (/ˈɑːvi ˈɑːrɑːd/; Hebrew: אבי ארד; born August 1, 1948) is an Israeli-American studio executive and producer of film, television, and animation. He became the CEO of Toy Biz in the 1990s, was the chief creative officer of Marvel Entertainment, and is the founder, former chairman, and former CEO of the latter's successor, Marvel Studios. Since then, he has produced and sometimes written a wide array of live-action, animated, and television comic book adaptations, including Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Arad was born in 1948 in Ramat Gan, Israel, to a Jewish family. The son of Holocaust survivors from Poland, he grew up reading Superman and Spider-Man comics translated into Hebrew. In 1965, he was conscripted as a soldier into the Israel Defence Forces (IDF). He fought and was wounded in the 1967 Six-Day War and spent 15 days recuperating. Arad finished his military service in 1968. In 1970, Arad moved to the United States and enrolled at Hofstra University to study industrial management. He worked as a truck driver and as a Hebrew teacher to put himself through college and graduated with a BBA in 1972. Along with Israeli-American Toy Biz co-owner Isaac Perlmutter, Avi Arad came into conflict with Carl Icahn and Ron Perelman over control of Marvel Comics in the wake of its 1996 bankruptcy. In the end, Arad and Perlmutter came out on top, with Toy Biz taking over Marvel Comics in a complicated deal that included obtaining the rights to Spider-Man and other superheroes that Marvel had sold earlier. He was involved in Marvel's emergence from bankruptcy and the expansion of the company's profile through licensing and movies. On May 31, 2006, Arad resigned from his various Marvel positions, including his leadership of Marvel Studios, to form his own production company, Arad Productions (also known as Arad Animation), a company that primarily produces Marvel-licensed films separate from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. His first non-Marvel film was 2007's Bratz. Further ventures include the manga adaptation Ghost in the Shell; an adaptation of Brandon Mull's teenage fantasy Fablehaven (which died in production); an adaptation of James Patterson's teenage novel Maximum Ride; and adaptations of video game properties Uncharted, Infamous, Metal Gear Solid, and The Legend of Zelda. In August 2010, it was announced that Arad was given a chair with the American branch of animation studio Production I.G in Los Angeles, California. Description above from the Wikipedia article Avi Arad, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For
Chris Claremont
Christopher S. "Chris" Claremont is a British-born American comic book writer and novelist, known for his 1975–1991 stint on Uncanny X-Men, far longer than that of any other writer, during which he is credited with developing strong female characters, and with introducing complex literary themes into superhero narratives, turning the once underachieving comic into one of Marvel’s most popular series.
Known For
Stan Lee
Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber /ˈliːbər/; December 28, 1922–November 12, 2018) was an American comic book writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Comics, which later became Marvel Comics. He was Marvel's primary creative leader for two decades, expanding it from a small publishing house division to a multimedia corporation that dominated the comics and film industries. In collaboration with others at Marvel—particularly co-writers and artists Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko—he co-created iconic characters, including Spider-Man, the X-Men, Iron Man, Thor, the Hulk, Ant-Man, the Wasp, the Fantastic Four, Black Panther, Daredevil, Doctor Strange, the Scarlet Witch, and Black Widow. These and other characters' introductions in the 1960s pioneered a more naturalistic approach in superhero comics. In the 1970s, Lee challenged the restrictions of the Comics Code Authority, indirectly leading to changes in its policies. In the 1980s, he pursued the development of Marvel properties in other media, with mixed results. Following his retirement from Marvel in the 1990s, Lee remained a public figurehead for the company. He frequently made cameo appearances in films and television shows based on Marvel properties, on which he received an executive producer credit, which allowed him to become the person with the highest-grossing film total ever. He continued independent creative ventures until his death, aged 95, in 2018. Lee was inducted into the comic book industry's Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame in 1994 and the Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1995. He received the NEA's National Medal of Arts in 2008. Description above from the Wikipedia article Stan Lee, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For
Bryan Singer
Bryan Singer (born September 17, 1965) is an American film director and producer. Singer won critical acclaim for his work on The Usual Suspects, and is especially well-known among fans of the science fiction and comic book genres for his work on the first two X-Men films and Superman Returns. Description above from the Wikipedia article Bryan Singer, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For
Matt Granger
Known For
Tom DeSanto
Tom DeSanto (born January 1, 1968) is an American film producer and screenwriter. DeSanto is a founding writer/producer behind several of the biggest franchises in movie history (X-Men, Transformers). DeSanto's films have grossed more than $5 billion worldwide, with a per-film average of more than $746 million at the box office, in addition to billions more in home video, merchandising, and video games. After the success of X-Men, DeSanto began working on a reboot of Battlestar Galactica to be developed for Universal Television. The show eventually returned in 2003 but under the direction of Ronald D. Moore. DeSanto then became part of the creative team for X2: X-Men United, including the continuation of the Phoenix storyline that DeSanto set up in the first film. That same year, he moved towards Transformers, another dormant property. DeSanto brought the idea to his friend and fellow producer Don Murphy. Hasbro gave them the rights for free. After being rejected by the major studios, DeSanto made a second pass at DreamWorks Pictures. After Steven Spielberg read his treatment, he decided his studio would do the film. DeSanto set the project up with DreamWorks and Paramount, selling his story line and attaching to produce. The first film grossed over $700 million worldwide. Transformers was the first live-action franchise for DreamWorks and Paramount's largest moneymaking series in its history. DeSanto returned as producer of Revenge of the Fallen in 2009, and the film became the biggest moneymaker of the year with over $800 million in box office alone. DeSanto also produced Dark of the Moon and Age of Extinction, both grossing over $1.1 billion worldwide. The Last Knight, produced by DeSanto as well, earned over $600 million at the box office. After the Transformers saga had been released, DeSanto then produced Bumblebee, an origin story for one of the characters from the franchise, earning a total of $470 million in box office. DeSanto has produced several social issue documentaries, including Lost in America, which deals with youth homelessness, and Kidnapped for Christ, which puts a spotlight on abusive evangelical camps for children. Description above from the Wikipedia article Tom DeSanto, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For
Lauren Shuler Donner
Lauren Diane Shuler Donner (born June 23, 1949) is an American film producer who specialises in mainstream youth and family-orientated entertainment. She owned The Donners' Company with her late husband, director Richard Donner. Her films have grossed about $5.5 billion worldwide, including major contributions from the X-Men film series. Description above from the Wikipedia article Lauren Shuler Donner, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
