Marvel's Move: China gets own Marvel superheroes

World
Europe

02:30

China has now got its own Marvel superheroes. The comic characters, with Chinese origins, have been introduced to help the already massive franchise appeal even more to foreign markets. CGTN's Phil Lavelle reports from Hollywood.

It's a comic book powerhouse. And a license to print cash.

"Marvel's a money-maker on every level."

Delighting kids and adults for decades, now Marvel's audience is growing.

Huge already in China. The time has come to capitalize on that.

"The Chinese market is a huge goldmine that Marvel is ready to mine."

The country just got its own exclusive superheroes.

Meet Aero, a woman who is able to control air currents.

And Lin Lie - a boy with a powerful, ancient sword to help him battle evil.

Marvel partnering with China's internet giant, NetEase, to really make a dent in this lucrative market.

RAY CARSILLO COMIC BOOK & VIDEO GAMES JOURNALIST "They've been looking to get there for years and haven't really had anybody that could appeal to the Chinese market and also carry their own solo comic book. So this is an effort for them to not only appeal to the Chinese, but also find a way to have characters that could carry their own books, hopefully for years to come."

PHIL LAVELLE HOLLYWOOD "The big question is, where could these characters go in the future. The answer to that - probably obvious. See, while Marvel's journey began with the comic book, it is now about so much more. It's also one of the biggest players here in Hollywood."

Purchased by Disney nine years ago for four billion dollars. And more than making good on that investment. Avengers Infinity War - becoming the largest superhero movie ever, 1.8 billion dollars taken at the box office in its first few weeks, two hundred million of that from China alone.

And Black Panther - taking 100 million dollars in China in its first fortnight. Little wonder then that there are high hopes for the new kids.

"Could they make it to the big screen?"

KATHRYN ARNOLD ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY EXPERT "These characters could definitely make it onto the big screen, especially with so many Chinese movies in the past. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Jet Li movies, Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, these are characters and movies that have done exceptionally well both in China and the American market and the world around."

And so for Marvel, the quest for global domination continues. Its superheroes' biggest powers - making a fortune for a company that seems unstoppable. Phil Lavelle, CGTN, Hollywood.