The way comic book creators are compensated for their work being used as the basis for movies and TV shows that generate billions of dollars in revenue has been a hot button issue recently, especially when Marvel launched multiple lawsuits against the families of several icons including Stan Lee to try and retain hold of the rights to their characters.
Hawkeye premiered on Disney Plus yesterday, and it’s heavily indebted to the storylines seen in Matt Fraction and David Aja’s run. While Fraction is credited as a consulting producer on the project, Aja has been making headlines after saying that he’d rather be paid for inspiring the blockbuster series than landing a ‘thank you’.
In a show of solidarity with Aja, many fans are claiming that they’re going to boycott the entirety of Hawkeye if the artist’s influence on the six-episode festive adventure isn’t directly acknowledged, as you can see below.
Not to be too blunt, but if these people who are threatening to boycott Hawkeye are already Disney Plus subscribers, then the entire endeavor is completely pointless. The Mouse House gets their money anyway, while they miss out on the latest buzzworthy streaming exclusive from the biggest franchise in the business. If they’re not, then piracy numbers go down, so it’s difficult to see what this is all supposed to accomplish in the long run.
