Between serving as the lynchpin of the conflict in in Captain America: Civil War, a titular turn in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and now a leading role in the Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, it’s difficult to overstate the importance of Bucky Barnes to the MCU. But while the Winter Soldier is serving as an ever-increasing draw for Marvel’s movies and Disney+ series, his creators aren’t sharing in that celebration, as writer Ed Brubaker revealed on Kevin Smith and Marc Bernardin’s Fatman Beyond podcast on Monday. Indeed, Brubaker confirmed that he’s received more money for residuals from his blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo role in Captain America: The Winter Soldier than he has for creating the character.
In an interview that covered everything from pitching the Winter Soldier to Marvel editorial back in 2005 to why he hasn’t watched The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Brubaker detailed a laundry list of slights he and co-creator Steve Epting have received over the years. These include being left off the invite list to the Captain America: The Winter Soldier premiere afterparty, an insultingly low check for a “Thank You” credit in Captain America: Civil War, and being relegated to the overflow theater for Civil War’s premiere.
Most importantly, Brubaker and Epting aren’t being cut in on the profits their creation is generating. It’s a common refrain in the comics world, where characters created on a “work for hire” basis go on to anchor huge movie franchises, often leaving their creators in the cold. It’s an issue that has spawned countless lawsuits, ranging from Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster to Blade creator Marv Wolfman to Captain America creators Joe Simon and Jack Kirby.
“Being a co-creator of the Winter Soldier, I should not have to worry about providing for my wife,” remarked Brubaker. “There’s nothing preventing anyone at Marvel from looking at how much the Winter Soldier has been used in all this stuff and calling up me and Steve Epting and saying, ‘You know what, we’re going to try to adjust the standard thing so that you guys feel good about this.’”
In spite of it all, Brubaker reiterates that he’s “not sour,” and speaks highly of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier stars Sebastian Stan and Anthony Mackie, as well as Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige.
“I knew what I was getting into, and I’m not unhappy with my life or that I wrote this thing,” says Brubaker. “I loved working at Marvel. I had a great time there. But at the same time, I also feel like, you know, be a little bit more generous. Like, invite us to the afterparty.”
Check out the video below for the complete episode of Fatman Beyond.
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