Disney Acquisition: Marvel-ous!
This morning Walt Disney Company stunned the financial world by paying a whopping $4 billion to acquire Marvel Entertainment Inc. Considering the kids at Disney generally seem to know what they are doing in the entertainment arena, it just goes to show you exactly what Marvel is worth.
So what does Disney get from this deal? Marvel and its 5,000 characters, that’s what. Yes, you read that right. 5,000 characters. With Disney’s deep pockets and broad entertainment network, you can expect to see a steady stream of “Marvel” movies, video games, animated DVDs and television shows for the foreseeable future.
You probably know all of the Disney characters, and undoubtedly you know many Marvel characters. To give you an idea, however, below is a sampling of the more prominent heroes, villains and teams (along with their alter egos) in the Marvel universe:
Heroes
- Spider-Man (Peter Parker)
- Captain America (Steve Rogers)
- Iron Man (Anthony Stark)
- Wolverine (James Howlett)
- Silver Surfer (Norrin Radd)
- Deadpool (Wade Wilson)
- Gambit (Remy LeBeau)
- Thor (Thor Odinson)
- Phoenix (Jean Grey)
- Hulk (Bruce Banner)
Villains
- Brock, Eddie
- Carnage (Cletus Kasady)
- Doctor Doom (Victor von Doom)
- Apocalypse (En Sabah Nur)
- Mystique
- Enchantress
- Vulcan (Gabriel Summers)
- Magneto
- Toxin
- Green Goblin
Teams
- X-Men
- Avengers
- Brotherhood of Mutants
- Illuminati
- Young Avengers
- New Warriors
- Excalibur
- Horsemen of Apocalypse
- 198
- New Mutants
In terms of live action films, most recognize Marvel’s Spiderman, Fantastic Four, X-Men, Incredible Hulk and Iron Man franchises, as well as Daredevil and Ghost Rider. But did you know that the Blade vampire trilogy and the massive flop Howard the Duck were Marvel creations? I bet not. And be on the lookout for these Marvel films, which are in the pipeline: Thor, The First Avenger: Captain America, The Avengers, Deadpool and Venom.
It’s important not to get the Marvel characters confused with those of DC Comics. That’s like ordering a Coke or Miller Lite when you really want a Pepsi or Bud Light. The biggest names in the DC world are Batman and Superman, so avoid saying something like “Did you hear about the Disney/Marvel deal? That’s a lot of money to fit in Batman’s utility belt.” Don’t be that guy because: 1. it’s not funny 2. it’s incorrect.
If you must throw out a pun, be more correct with something like “So I hear Mickey Mouse and Elektra are in bed together now. Mickey really outkicked his coverage, don’t ya think?” Yes, you can take ALL the credit for that one should you choose to use it.
With 5,000 characters in the Marvel universe, you may want to Read On!
Read on:
WSJ.com – Marvel Superheroes Join the Disney Family
Wikipedia – Marvel Entertainment
Image taken from (http://screenrant.com/disney-marvel-deal-pauly-23610/)
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