Marvel Entertainment CEO Ike Perlmutter came out as a Trump supporter

Last night, during Donald Trump’s carefully executed bit of counter-programming meant to piss off Fox News, the GOP frontrunner namechecked a campaign donor whom he was particularly proud of: Marvel Entertainment CEO Isaac “Ike” Perlmutter. Perlmutter donated $1 million to a fundraiser for wounded veterans that Trump quickly organized instead of appearing at last night’s Republican debate.

Trump described Perlmutter, who has also donated $2 million to the Rubio campaign, as “one of the great, great men of our country in terms of business and talent.”

It’s important to point out that Perlmutter’s role within the Marvel machine places him at the head of the company’s television and publishing arms, but distanced from its major film franchises.

While Perlmutter’s financial endorsement of Trump should in no way reflect Marvel (and Disney’s) opinions, there’s something to be said for the fact that a number of Trump’s ideas and campaign policies are at direct odds with Marvel’s recent commitment to inclusion and diversity in its media.

Donald Trump is vehemently opposed to Muslim immigrants. Kamala Khan, the latest incarnation of Ms. Marvel, is the daughter of Muslim immigrants living in New Jersey (where Trump says he saw thousands of Muslims cheering during 9/11).

In Perlmutter’s defense, there’s one area where his support of Trump could almost be seen as being tangentially on-brand. A recent poll showed that Americans would rather elect Darth Vader to the White House than Donald Trump. As luck would have it, Marvel’s putting out a Darth Vader comic book that just so happens to be very, very good.

Editor’s note: Fusion is partly owned by ABC, a member of the Disney family.