When they faced bankruptcy in the late '90s, Marvel had no other choice than to sell off the film right to some of their most popular characters. While some (Blade, Daredevil, Ghost Rider, The Punisher) have found their way home, the Fantastic Four and X-Men have not. Orders from Marvel's CEO have resulted in the focus being taken off them as a result. You would think that Marvel would be glad to benefit from the boost in sales that a new X-Men or Fantastic Four movie surely provide, but in a bid to hurt those franchises, no more merchandise is being produced featuring their likenesses (some classic artwork on t-shirts has even been altered to remove them) and their comics are being put on the back burner. That means no more Fantastic Four for the foreseeable future - The Thing will be a member of the Guardians Of The Galaxy post Secret Wars though - and even the future of the X-Men is in doubt, despite them being one of Marvel's best-selling comic book at one point. This ruthless approach to business only ends up hurting the characters and making fans suffer. Fantastic Four may not be a huge seller, but they're the team which started the Marvel Universe, so seeing them treated with such disrespect sours Marvel's legacy.
