Iron Man, X-Men, Spider-Man, and a whole shipload of other members from the Marvel Universe may have superpowers - but they are no match for a mouse. M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E has just agreed to buy Marvel Entertainment in a "stock and cash transaction" with a price tag of $4 billion.
Now, Disney will have ownership of 5,000+ characters from the Marvel Universe, which includes the likes of those previous mentioned, along with Captain America, Thor, and the Fantastic Four.
Said Robert A. Iger, CEO of Disney: "This transaction combines Marvel's strong global brand and world-renowned library of characters including Iron Man, Spider-Man, X-Men, Captain America, Fantastic Four, and Thor with Disney's creative skills, unparalleled global portfolio of entertainment properties, and a business structure that maximizes the value of creative properties across multiple platforms and territories."
The pact has been agreed on by boards of both companies, and is "subject to antitrust review and the approval of Marvel shareholders."
There's not much to say about this. Walt Disney now owns some of the most important comic book characters of all time. A sad day for geeks, surely, who will see their already Hollywood-ized heroes soon skyrocketing to their utmost mainstream potential. This may not be "Mickey ears on Iron Man" bad, but this move has me skeptical of what Disney has in store for its new collection of action figures.
Source: Variety