> > The rights to ROM are owned by his creator, Bing McCoy. He has
> > been trying to negotiate with Marvel to bring the character back
> > but doesn't want to outright sell it. Here's a link to his
> > website:
> >
> > http://www.stonefoundationentertainment.com/mccoy.html
>
> I didn't see anything there saying he was trying to negotiate with
> Marvel. Is there another link to him saying that?
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I don't know if he still is, but he was circa 2005-6.
> It would also be tricky to what the guy actually owns. He created
> the initial design, but didn't come up with the name, the back
> story, the personality, etc. Everything but the name and design are
> probably owned by Marvel. Does anyone know differently?
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McCoy came up with the initial design and still holds the patent on the toy. However, Parker Brothers redesigned Rom to his well-known (at least to fans) look. Parker Brothers is also the one that came up with Rom's brief backstory, but it was somewhat different from Marvel's version.
This is a verbatim transcript of Parker Brothers' promotion video in 1979, which was embellished by Bill Mantlo:
> Far, far away, in another galaxy, the knights of the Solstar
> (sounding more like Soul Star) Order, defenders of justice and
> truth, have been ambushed by the evil magicians, the Dire Wraiths.
> The Solstar Order has prevailed and are now seeking out their
> scattered enemies.
>
> One of these knights has followed the trail of the Dire Wraiths all
> the way to Earth. This one the Dire Wraiths fear more than all
> others. This one has hounded them and kept them underground for
> centuries. This one alone could wipe them off the face of
> creation.
>
> He is Rom, Lord of the Solstar Order. Rom, the Wraithslayer. Rom,
> the Space Knight. Even he must be careful. The Dire Wraiths can
> assume any form they wish. Rom counters this with the Energy
> Analyzer. With it, he can see through appearances and determine the
> true essence of any being.
>
> Rom also has a weapon unique to his order. The Neutralizer, which
> can disorganize any molecular structure. He has Rocket Pods, which
> can instantly send him soaring. He has a Translator through which
> he can communicate with any intelligent being in the universe. And
> his Respirator allows him to breathe in any atmosphere.
>
> Rom, Lord of the Solstar Order. Rom, the Wraithslayer. Rom, the
> Space Knight. The micro-electronic creation from Parker Brothers.
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If Hasbro is now entirely disclaiming ownership of Rom, it's possible that McCoy was able to get complete ownership in some way. Hasbro hasn't wanted to make a dime from Rom, ever, so it's possible McCoy was able to buy it from them. McCoy wouldn't need Marvel at all if he wanted to go with this backstory.
> I think Marvel would certainly be willing to outright buy the
> character, but I doubt they would be willing to do anything else.
> The character is useless to take to another publisher.
>
> If the guy was smart, he would sell the character to Marvel. Maybe
> ask for a percentage of the profits.
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I'm really doubtful that Marvel would. They hate that "percentage of the profits" thing (see Malibu characters).
