The benefits of this situation were obvious. The competition between both parties would make the copyrights of Marvel heroes even more valuable, naturally driving up their prices. It was somewhat like an auction.
Marvel's president, Perelman, was a textbook capitalist. He once introduced Marvel hero trading cards, randomly inserting them into comic books to entice fans to collect and buy more—similar to how some snack brands include collectible cards in their packaging. More importantly, he raised the price of the comic books, making him a classic profiteer.
Mavi, relying on memories from his past life, knew exactly what kind of person the Marvel boss was. So, before coming to negotiate an investment deal, he had made thorough preparations—preparations that took nearly three weeks of his valuable time.
When Mavi arrived on the 17th floor via the elevator, Ueno Taro and his female assistant coincidentally stepped out of another elevator just moments later.
At that moment, Ueno Taro glanced at Mavi in surprise. Based on his prior research, there didn't seem to be anyone like this young man among Marvel's shareholders… Could he also be here to purchase film rights?
With that thought, Ueno Taro had a bad feeling that this negotiation might not be so easy. After all, he had just witnessed Mavi's luxury car and bodyguards. Someone with that kind of wealth—easily in the billions—wouldn't blink at spending a few million dollars.
Mavi, however, paid no attention to Ueno Taro's gaze. Instead, his focus was on the Marvel reception area, where a chubby, balding, middle-aged man was standing, accompanied by a group of senior executives. The man had a wide grin on his face as he looked at them.
"Hello! You must be Mr. Ueno Taro from Sony, and Mr. Mavi from Russia, correct? Welcome! Please, come in!"
The middle-aged man at the reception was none other than Marvel's chairman, Perelman. He wore an oversized black suit, a meticulously tied blue tie, and a Rolex gold watch deliberately peeking out from under his sleeve—ensuring it was noticeable at first glance.
Mavi didn't have a good impression of Perelman. He could easily see through his little tricks—just a ploy to get more money.
After exchanging brief pleasantries in the lobby, Perelman led Mavi and Ueno Taro to the conference room, where they were set to discuss the film rights for Spider-Man and the X-Men.
From Marvel's perspective, they had no choice but to sell these rights. The company was solely in the business of publishing comics and knew nothing about filmmaking. More importantly, they were struggling financially just to keep operations running. Selling off their characters was merely a case of robbing Peter to pay Paul.
"Mr. Ueno, Mr. Mavi, first, I must apologize to both of you! Due to an oversight by our assistant, your meeting times overlapped. I sincerely apologize for this inconvenience," Perelman said in a diplomatic tone, attempting to defuse any tension.
"It's no problem at all, Mr. Perelman. We at Sony don't mind," Ueno Taro responded graciously. There were actually benefits to negotiating together—he could get a sense of the competition's bid and report it back to headquarters to adjust their strategy accordingly.
Sitting on the other side, Mavi casually shrugged. He never enjoyed the mind games of the capitalist market—it was simply too exhausting.
Seeing that neither party objected, Perelman let out a hearty laugh and proceeded to the main topic.
"As you both know, Marvel Comics has a vast global fanbase. Nearly all of our heroes are beloved by audiences worldwide…"
For the next twenty minutes, Perelman went on a persuasive pitch about Marvel's history and the appeal of its characters. Mavi, however, was so bored he was on the verge of yawning. But when he glanced over at Ueno Taro, he noticed that the Japanese executive was listening with great enthusiasm, nodding continuously.
After another five minutes, Perelman finally got to the point.
"I won't go on any further with introductions. Instead, let me ask both of you—how much are you willing to offer for the film rights to Spider-Man and the X-Men? Given their popularity, I have no doubt they will be massive hits on the big screen."
Before Mavi could respond, Ueno Taro immediately spoke up.
"Mr. Perelman, Sony Pictures is willing to offer $5.5 million for Spider-Man's rights. As for the X-Men franchise, our initial valuation is around $12.9 million."
He intentionally left room for negotiation, implying there was flexibility to increase the offer.
Hearing these numbers, Perelman and the other Marvel executives in the room were fairly satisfied. The $18.4 million deal would give Marvel some much-needed breathing room.
Sony's strong initial bid instantly shifted all attention toward Mavi, as the Marvel executives eagerly waited to hear his offer.
At that moment, Mavi couldn't help but think back to his past life, where Marvel had sold off all its "children," only to desperately try to buy them back years later. But by then, the studios that owned the rights simply replied, "We bought them fair and square—why would we give them back?"
"Mr. Mavi, what is your offer?" Perelman asked, his patience wearing thin due to Mavi's silence.
As the room's attention focused on him, Mavi finally spoke, his tone calm and direct.
"To be honest, before coming here, I never really considered how much Spider-Man or the X-Men were worth. In fact, I never even planned on purchasing them."
The entire room froze.
A second later, the Marvel executives were visibly baffled. If he wasn't here to buy film rights, then why was he here? Just to waste time?
Perelman, for his part, didn't immediately jump to mockery—he wasn't some stereotypical villain from a novel or movie. Instead, he maintained his composure and asked,
"Mr. Mavi, if you're not here to purchase film rights, then what is the purpose of your visit?"
As all eyes remained fixed on him, Mavi finally revealed his true intentions.
"Believe it or not," he said nonchalantly, "I'm actually here to acquire Marvel."
The moment those words left his mouth, the entire room fell into stunned silence.
Perelman, the Marvel executives, and even Ueno Taro all looked at him in shock, their jaws practically hitting the floor.
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(End of Chapter)