On This Day, May 2: Marvel established a multi-studio empire and Mike Myers took a jab at James Bond

In our trip through entertaining history, there’s always something curious to discover. May 2 is a defining date for Marvel, as it’s a day when cinematic universes were built, destroyed, or solidified. It’s also the birthday of a big Hollywood star who broke barriers and set an example for others. 

Fox, Disney, and Sony grabbed a piece of the Marvel cake

In the 1990s, Marvel almost went bankrupt and only survived because it sold several characters to different movie studios. No one knew what to do with those properties until 1998’s Blade proved there could be profit for superhero adaptations, even R-rated ones. In 2000, Fox decided to use the X-Men to kickstart a new movie series. A single movie is not enough to measure the financial potential of an IP, so we can say it was X2 that turned Fox’s X-Men franchise into a goldmine on May 2, 2003.

Curiously, May 2 was also when The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was released to theaters in 2014 to determine the end of Andrew Garfield’s underestimated run as the Web Crawler — Garfield was the best live-action Spider-Man, fight me! Two, it’s a coincidence; three, it’s fate. So, the release of Iron Man on May 2, 2008, kicking off the MCU and the biggest cinematic universe ever, shows how today is a defining day for Marvell movies, regardless of the studio.

Yeah, baby! It’s Austin Powers’ anniversary!

While Wayne’s World is a cult classic, Mike Myers became worldwide famous thanks to his fan-favorite parody of 007 movies, Austin Powers. The first chapter of this shagadelic and hilarious trilogy hit theaters on May 2, 1997, allowing Myers to charm moviegoers while playing both the villain and the hero of the movie. All three Austin Powers movies are well worth your time, and many fans still hope to get a fourth chapter one day. 

Happy birthday, Dwayne Johnson

May 2 is also the day of the birth of one Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Johnson has a brilliant career in WWE before becoming a movie star. Now, he is one of the leading action heroes in Hollywood, starring in franchises such as Fast & Furious, Jumanji, and the late DCEU.

Dwayne’s impressive physique makes him the perfect choice to play powerhouses that crush hordes of enemies. At the same time, his undeniable charisma allows Johnson to fit like a glove in family-friendly productions. It’s no wonder he’s constantly working on all sorts of unique projects. Johnson’s Hollywood success also opened the door for other WWE fighters to become Hollywood stars, such as Dave Bautista and John Cena, another reason why his birthday should be celebrated.