For better or worse, the MCU is one of the most important drivers in today's comic book collecting market. In some ways, it makes sense for a blockbuster franchise like the MCU to drive up prices; the MCU embeds these characters into pop culture. On the other hand, speculating about the future of the MCU is a risky long-term investing strategy for the reasons discussed below. Let's discuss investing in the MCU!
Grim Reaper, Flag Smasher, and Enchantress: Even the MCU Can't Make Most Minor Characters Stars
Disney+ unleashed a series of second or third-tier characters into the MCU. Even though no one has ever really cared about these third or fourth-tier characters, the MCU gave them all their 15 minutes of fame. Grim Reaper never even actually appeared in WandaVision; there was only an easter egg of his helmet. Because of this easter egg, his first appearance in Avengers #52 nearly doubled in value in January 2021. A year later, this issue lost approximately a third of its value.
The same applies to Flag Smasher (a CGC 9.8 copy of Captain America #312 has lost over 75% of its value) and the second Enchantress (Dark Reign: Young Avengers #1 has lost approximately 40% of its value).
Taskmaster: MCU May Dramatically Change a Character
During the lead-up to the release of Black Widow, copies of Avengers #196 more than doubled in value. For example, in early 2020, CGC 9.6 copies of this book were selling for around $300. Roughly a year and a half later, these books had reached their peak value, selling for roughly $750. Collectors had good reason to invest; we saw him in the trailers, his costume looked comic-book-accurate, and we saw him wielding a shield like Captain America and bow and arrow like Hawkeye.
As we all know, Marvel made some significant changes to the character. Personally, I'm less concerned about the gender-swapping, but Marvel made Taskmaster mindless and stripped the character of its personality. Many fans complained about the portrayal resulting in the book taking a nosedive. The book now sells for under $500.
Eternals: Critics Can Pop an Investment Balloon
I was one of many comic book collectors who were burned by investing in the Eternals. Some collectors expressed their wariness about investing in these characters. Their primary concern was that these characters were not household names. I chose to ignore these concerns primarily because of Kevin Feige. I'm sure you've heard the refrain: "In Feige We Trust." After all, he elevated the Guardians of the Galaxy, a third-tier superhero team, into one of the most popular franchises in comics. In addition, an Oscar-winning director, Chloe Zhao, directed the film.
That being said, Feige is a victim of his own success. He has raised the bar so high that a solid, but not great, movie like the Eternals cannot meet expectations. People forget the early misfires such as Iron Man 2, Thor: The Dark World, and The Incredible Hulk (I think the Hulk is underrated, but that's beside the point). Instead, we only remember the blockbuster hits such as The Avengers: Endgame, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and Thor: Ragnarok.
When Eternals did not meet Feige-level expectations, the value of these books tanked. For example, after reaching its peak value of $3,605 in May 2021, Eternals #1 now sells for under $1,500. I purchased three copies of this book and haven't been unable to unload them. Ouch!
What are your thoughts on investing in the MCU? Let us know in the comments!
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*Any perceived investment advice is that of the freelance blogger and does not represent investment advice on behalf of GoCollect.
