A new report indicates that Marvel only pays comics creators and writers $5,000 if their stories are used in any of the MCU feature films. To date, Marvel has released 24 films in the MCU, with the 25th premiering next month when Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings hits theaters. Marvel will release two more movies this year: Eternals and the highly anticipated Tom Holland-led Spider-Man: No Way Home, the latter in partnership with Sony. In 2022, Marvel will release a total of five films, each of which are likely to bring in hundreds of millions of dollars, with tentpoles like Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Black Panther sequel Wakanda Forever being of particular interest.

Marvel Studios has also moved into the streaming realm in 2021, premiering hits like WandaVision, Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and Loki. Winter Soldier co-creator Ed Brubaker revealed his mixed feelings surrounding the show earlier this year, but creators of the iconic characters usually stay mum. Marvel typically honors them with a nod in the credits and it was always assumed that they were receiving compensation in some form or another. Now that new details have come to light, though, the compensation structure may have been revealed.

Related: How Superhero Movies Killed The Movie Star

According to The Guardian, Marvel pays writers or artists whose work is featured in an MCU film a flat $5,000 fee. Three different sources confirmed this amount. Additionally, they also send the creator an invitation to the premiere of the movie their work is featured in. Marvel declined to comment on the matter, citing a concern about privacy when discussing these matters.

To date, the MCU's 24 movies have grossed nearly $23 billion at the box office and several of the films have crossed the $1 billion mark on their own. Avengers: Endgame was the highest grossing movie for a time before James Cameron's Avatar took back the title. Captain Marvel, Captain America: Civil War, Iron Man 3, Black Panther, Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Avengers: Infinity War all surpassed the billion dollar mark, too. Once the box office recovers, it seems all but guaranteed that the franchise could continue to post record breaking numbers.

This certainly indicates that Marvel Studios and Disney itself is more than capable of paying the creators of these characters a much better fee. The fact that they don't is deeply concerning. There would be no MCU without the writers and artists whose work served as the inspiration for the live-action franchise that millions around the world now enjoy. Now that this information has come to light, coupled with the damaging lawsuit filed by Scarlett Johansson concerning the release of Black Widow, Disney and Marvel can't take much more heat. Hopefully this information alongside pressure to give artists their proper due could see a change in the ways they compensate the artists that are vital to the franchise.

More: Scarlett Johansson's Lawsuit Has Hurt Disney (Even If It Wins)

Source: The Guardian

Key Release Dates