Issac Perlmutter, better known asIke Perlmutterto most, has been the CEO of Marvel since 2005. Anyone who has even a passing familiarity with pop culture knows thatMarvelhas become one of the biggest names in entertainment in that time period, especially after theIron Manmovie was released in 2008. Strangely, he is rarely seen in public. And hardly ever photographed. But in a rare, Big Foot-esque appearance, he has been caught on camera out in the wild. Adding to the shock and awe of it all, he was spotted hanging out withDonald Trump.
The photo was released byThe Hollywood Reporterand showsIke Perlmutterstanding beside president-electDonald Trump. It definitely looks a little shady, perhaps like a photo that would be featured in a spy movie of some kind where the people in it had no idea they were being watched. In this case,Donald Trumpis looking right at the camera, so he must have known something was going on.Ike Perlmutteris wearing sunglasses in what looks to be a pretty dark place, so he is clearly still trying to be a bit reclusive.
So why was the CEO of Marvel meeting with former reality TV show host turned POTUSDonald Trump? According to the report, the pair met atIke Perlmutter’s Mar-a-Lago estate on Wednesday, which is whereJonathan Ernstwas able to capture the rare photo. They were reportedly meeting so thatPerlmuttercould help organize a health summit withDonald Trumpat his upcoming Florida retreat. No matter what the reason, the CEO of a company primarily dealing in superheroes meeting with someone many people consider to be a borderline,real-life supervillainis a bit bizarre.
Most of the time, a photograph of the CEO of a massive company such as Marvel would barely be considered news, butIke Perlmutterhas gained a serious reputation for his ability to dodge the public. Unfortunately, his reputation isn’t just bizarre, it is largely not positive. His management style has been associated with hardcore cost-cutting that also comes with low pay for employees. It is also said that he is the man behindMarvel Comicscutting back onFantastic FourandX-Men, because Fox owns the movie rights to those characters, so promoting them with the comics doesn’t benefit Marvel financially. The fans may suffer a bit as a result, but he seems to be purely business minded.
Ike Perlmuttermigrated to the United States from Israel and worked his way up from humble sales jobs toCEO of Marvel. In every sense of the word, he is a self-made man. Still, he likes to remain hidden from the public. For now, President of Marvel StudiosKevin Feigeis pretty much the public face of the company, even though most people still associateStan Leewith Marvel more than anyone else. You can check out the rare photo ofIke PerlmutterandDonald Trumpfor yourself below.
