Disney buys Marvel

Disney announced today that it is acquiring Marvel Entertainment, the comics giant founded by Stan Lee. To get Marvel, whose most famous and marketable characters include Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, the Incredible Hulk, and even a few who haven’t been made into big-budget movies, Disney paid $50 per share or approximately US$4 billion. But it’s worth it, says Disney chief Robert Iger, because "we believe that adding Marvel to Disney’s unique portfolio of brands provides significant opportunities for long-term growth and value creation." In other words, there are lots of superhero movies that haven’t been made yet, and Disney wants to make them. There is no word yet on what this means for Disney’s own successful line of comics (including the popular Donald Duck and Uncle Scrooge titles) and whether those will be taken over by Marvel. But one thing’s for sure: if Spider-Man thought Mr. Jameson was a tough boss, wait until he tries working for the Mouse.

Reuters