Superhero film become franchises, "Men in Black" (1997) and "Blade" (1998). After Marvel bought Malibu Comics (The company owned "Men in Black"), Marvel and Columbia Pictures released the "Men in Black" film and comics in 1997. The film became the first Marvel property to win an Oscar and the then highest-grossing comic book adaptation until the release of Sam Raimi’s "Spider-Man" in 2002. "Blade" was also a mix of a more traditional action film as well as darker superhero film with the title character having superpowers as well as carrying an arsenal of weaponry. The success of "Blade" began Marvel's film success
Superhero the debut of sci-fi/horror series Ultra Q created by Eiji Tsuburaya this would eventually lead on to the sequel Ultraman, spawning a successful franchise focused upon the Giant Hero subgenre where the Superheroes would be as big as giant monsters (Kaiju) that they fought. In 1971, "Kamen Rider" launched the "Henshin Boom" on Japanese television in the early 1970s, greatly impacting the tokusatsu superhero genre in Japan. In 1972, the "Science Ninja Team Gatchaman" anime debuted, which built upon the superhero team idea of the live-action "Phantom Agents" as well as introducing different colors for team members and special vehicles