Cameos make up the bulk of Marvel Cinematic’s experience. Ever since Samuel L. Jackson popped up at the end of 2008’s Iron Man, the idea of characters briefly coming and going became an expectation as the MCU grew to new heights.
But, what is a “cameo”? What is a cameo? Is it a time limit or something that’s not directly involved with the plot?
It turns out, Marvel Studios actually has a defined criteria. These rules somehow end up categorizing Chris Evan’s role in Avengers as an appearance.
Chris Evans’ Avengers Cameo?
In an article from The Hollywood Reporter, the outlet discussed the details regarding Marvel’s payment to creators of the characters it uses in its projects. One interesting fact about the classification of a cameo was included in the newly released information.
THR noted that “if a character appears for less than 15 percent of screen time, that’s considered a cameo,” which includes Captain America’s role in Avengers: Infinity War since his appearance in that film amounted to 7 minutes and 30 seconds (less than 6% of the movie’s total runtime):
“Another way Marvel shrinks payments is by classifying some film appearances as ‘cameos.’ According to sources, if a character appears for less than 15 percent of screen time, that’s considered a cameo — and thus, its creators are due less money. By that standard, Sebastian Stan’s Winter Soldier, a character key to Captain America: Civil War, would be considered a cameo; he appeared in 22 minutes (just under 15 percent) of its 2-hour, 28-minute run time. Ditto for Captain America, who appeared for less than 7 minutes, 30 seconds of Avengers: Infinity War.”
This technicality could impact how much creators are paid at the end.
The outlet went further, noting how Marvel divided the money to creators between all parties–creators and artists. The pot of gold being pulled from usually sits at $25,000 USD.
It was also agreed that the amount split can increase depending on how many are getting compensated.
” Marvel divides the amount between the artist and the writer. So, according to Marvel’s math, the most Grayson could have made from Black Widow is $12,500 — half of a $25,000 pot split with Jones, Yelena’s co-creator. If a movie features multiple characters covered under a Special Character Agreement the company will split the money between all the creators. In other words, she was told, the $25,000 for Black Widow would be shared across all stakeholders, presumably those behind characters such as Red Guardian (played by David Harbour) and Melina Vostokoff (Rachel Weisz). Marvel sources say that creators can be paid a maximum amount, but it is possible to raise this money depending on how fair. Given this, it likely paid more than $25,000 in total to artists and writers with a claim on Black Widow.”
With Black Widow, co-creator Devin Grayson only got $5,000 out of the supposedly promised $25,000.
Artist J.G. Jones exclaimed how he feels that “Marvel’s financial offerings seem a bit of a bait and switch:”
” I’ve spoken with a lot of creators and they seem to be a little bit of a switch. The initial payout .”
is large, but they gradually reduce it.
Marvel Studios’ Cameo Technicalities
Many people will find it absurd to consider a third appearance by Chris Evans Avengers as a cameo. The logic there would indicate that almost every character could be considered a “cameo”–though Josh Brolin might manage to squeeze in Thanos.
When creators voice their opinions, it is a reminder of how often they are tweeted. Many of them have publicly spoken out about the company’s “insulting” compensation. The movies simply would never have existed without the characters being used, so the creators should be getting 100 percent more money.
There are a lot of details in contracts that are not visible to the public. These creators should continue raising their voices as Marvel Studios clearly needs them.
Avengers can now be viewed on Disney+
