Marvel Tells Politician to Stop Dressing Up as Captain America

Marvel Entertainment last week asked New York City councilman Ben Kallos to cease using Marvel [...]

Marvel Entertainment last week asked New York City councilman Ben Kallos to cease using Marvel Comics characters for political purposes. According to Patch, the request comes after Kallos used a photograph of himself wearing a Captain America costume in a fundraising email labeled "Superhero Alert." The email is said to have contained a number of superhero references in addition to the photo of councilman clad in Captain America's garb. "While Captain America was pretty busy fighting Hydra, sleeper agents, Loki, Ultron, and Thanos, Ben's been fighting for everyday New Yorkers," the email reads. "Like Captain America, he can do this all day."

Kallos, who represents the Upper East Side of Manhattan (the center of the Marvel Universe's superhero activity) and is running for borough president, received a cease and desist letter from Marvel's deputy chief counsel Eli Bard. "I write to request that your campaign refrain from using Marvel's characters in its advertisements for your quest for the Borough Presidency or otherwise," Bard writes. "While Marvel appreciates your obvious affection for our properties and welcome your support as a fan, we ask that our characters not be used for political purposes or to support political campaigns."

Kallos shared the letter with his followers on Twitter. "Got this charming letter from @Marvel and got a kick out of it, thought you might too!" he tweeted.

Fox News contacted Kallos, who wouldn't confirm whether he'd comply with the letter. "If folks really want to know how the rest of the story turns out, they should subscribe and tune in to the next issue," he said. Kallos also mentioned that he is a fan of "nerd culture," according to Fox News. He said he attended the Anime NYC convention and has hosted screening fo Marvel Studios' Avengers: Endgame.

What do you think of Marvel's request? Let us know in the comments.

Upcoming Marvel Studios projects include Black Widow on May 1, 2020, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier in fall 2020, The Eternals on November 6, 2020, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings on February 12, 2021, WandaVision in spring 2021, Loki in spring 2021, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness on May 7, 2021, Spider-Man 3 on July 16, 2021, What If? In summer 2021, Hawkeye in fall 2021, Thor: Love and Thunder on November 5, 2021, and Black Panther 2 on May 6, 2022. Ms. Marvel, Moon Knight, and She-Hulk are also in the works for Disney+.

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